Postcard Friendship Friday - More Shades of Blue

Postcard copied here with the kind permission of CardCow.com

Postcard Friendship Friday is here again! Today's card shows the beautiful twin spires of St. John's Cathedral, Savannah, Georgia. The French Gothic revival Catholic church was built on Lafayette Square in 1876

The card was mailed December 19, 1949 is addressed to Maurice and Wilbur Rykert, Williamston Michigan. The boys were about 14 and 16 years old respectively. It reads:

Dear Folks

Well, we are here at Savannah having a seafood supper, 7:30. Cannot tell how many miles as I forgot to look before leaving car. S. Carolina sure is a desolate country. Hope everything is okay at home. Love, Mother and Dad.

Desolate?

On one hand, I suppose it is, but on the other? Breathtaking!

The Mercer House

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Once in Savannah, however, there is much to do and see. The stately Savannah squares are surrounded by beautiful homes just as James Edward Oglethorpe envisioned when he laid plans for the city in 1733.

The Mercer house was built in 1871. The Mercers never actually occupied the house. General Mercer went off to fight in the Civil War and sold the unfinished house upon his return. It's later inhabitants, Jim Williams and Danny Hansford were the central characters of John Berendt's wonderful Southern Gothic "must read" book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.


The title alludes to the hoodoo notion of "midnight"; the period between the time for good magic and the time for evil magic; in "the garden of good and evil," which refers principally to Bonaventure Cemetery.

Which brings us to another shade of blue; Haint Blue (Alice Blue was discussed last Friday)

This particular shade of blue is often painted on South Carolina shutters, porch ceilings, posts, and sometimes the whole house. The haint blue creates a never ending sky which confuses haints (haunts, evil spirits, ghosts, etc.) and keeps them out of the house. It is also said to keep bugs, such as wasps, from making their homes on the porch ceilings. A wasp won't build a nest in the sky.

Savannah is the home of Paula Dean's restaurant, Lady and Sons.

The food is magnificent. The Mister and I will attest to that! The delicious meal made the 2 hour wait for seating well worth the effort.

But back to that postcard! What is the deal here?? Mother and Dad are on their way to Florida. Their itinerary, according to 2 other postcards they sent, includes Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Did you notice the date? December 19? They ditched the kiddies to vacation in Florida for the Holidays? Will they be sending some Salt-Water Taffy home for the boy's Christmas stockings? Some of those bubble gum oranges in the cute little wooden crates?

At least the boys can amuse themselves by singing the latest Christmas song. Spike Jones' "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" was recorded in time for the holiday season.

I'm sure all 2.5 square miles of Williamston Michigan was a happenin' place during the holidays.

The town was a popular stop on the Grand River trail (that later became a plank road) from Detroit to Lansing in the 19th century. That trail is now Grand River Avenue (M-43) which runs through downtown Williamston. Because the primary means of transportation at that time was the horse and buggy and because the trip from Detroit to Lansing took more than one day, Williamston became a convenient overnight stop.

Here's another opportunity to use your hand as a Michigan map to locate Williamston. Hold out your left hand, palm away from you. put your finger in the middle of your hand about 2 inches above your wrist. That's Williamston. Good job.

Thank you Marie, of Voila! Vintage Postcards for another Postcard Friendship Friday!