From Savannah to Amelia Island, Florida

Sunday, August 22- Went to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension today in downtown Savannah. The church was organized in 1734. In 1741 The congregation was founded, but the building wasn't built until 1844.

 

After the installation of the magnificent Ascension window in 1879, the congregation’s name was used for the first time. Between 1921 and 1936, six windows depicting the life of Christ were given as memorials.

On the front of the marble altar you'll find a copy of DaVinci's Last Supper;

Ceiling

above the altar is an open Bible and a chalice which reminds us that the basis of the Lutheran Church is word and sacrament. The window on the back wall shows Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms.

 

The organ in the balcony was dedicated in 1983.

The windows on the sides of the sanctuary present the life of Christ in stained glass.

Interestingly, the sanctuary is on the second floor.

As you enter the church, you arrive at the lower narthex and the Crumley Hall auditorium. You walk up either spiral staircase or ride the elevator to reach the sanctuary.

The service was very traditional and very well attended by local parishioners. I believe we were the only tourists at the 10:00 service. Pastor Roen greeted us and thanked us for visiting.

After church we visited a couple more historical homes in the downtown area then drove out to Bonaventure Cemetery. Bonaventure means "good fortune" in French. It was a family cemetery on the plantation that formed the nucleus of the present-day Bonaventure Cemetery. In 1848, roughly 70 acres were set aside for the cemetery. This cemetery is still being used for burials.

The roads are sand and lined with Live Oak trees.

The cemetery was made famous after John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was published. Marsha loved seeing where these literary characters are buried.

Johnny Mercer was born in 1909 and died in 1976 and was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery at his family plot near the Savannah River, the same river that inspired the lyrics to his song Moon River. Mercer was a cofounder of Capital Records. was the setting for the murder in the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil book and movie.

Conrad Aiken was born in Savannah in 1889 and at age ten his father killed his mother and then committed suicide. After that Aiken was raised by family and later became a famous writer of poetry, short fiction, and novels.

Aiken's tombstone is a bench. He wanted this so that visitors could stop by and enjoy a drink of Madeira at his grave. The bench is inscribed with, "Give my love to the world," and "Cosmos Mariner—Destination Unknown." His story is also told in the book.

Little Gracie Watson was born in 1883, the only child of her parents. Her father was manager of the Pulaski Hotels, where the beautiful and charming little girl was a favorite with the guests. Two days before Easter, in April 1889, Gracie died of pneumonia at the age of six. People from all over the world stop by to honor her story and memory. Many count her as a kind of unofficial dignitary for all of Savannah and she appeals to the child in all of us.

Additionally, a small section of the cemetery is designated as a veteran's cemetery.

We then returned home to do various chores in preparation for tomorrow's travel.

Monday, August 23- Arrived at Lofton Creek CG with no problems....the MH rode very nice! Since our Freightliner service, our MPG has increased too!!!

Lofton Creek CG is a little shaky but we're only going to be here a week. The price is right and it's only minutes to my brother's place.....we'll survive!

Many permanent residents. The fellow next to us (Martin) used to live on a boat in Hawaii. He came to the CG to visit his daughter for a couple weeks. That was a year and a half ago and he's still here.....LOL He's got a few possessions tucked under his awning and a few beer cans saved up.

It is raining here. We hope to get to the beach today. Hopefully, we will have some beach pictures in the next blog.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you back real soon.