Here Comes the Bride. . .

So the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning (besides feeding the cats) is get half-way dressed (because, really, who expects ANYONE to be completely out of their PJs first thing?) and go on a walk with Dad and the dog. It gives you a good feel of the place, and we've seen some fun stuff wandering around. And we get to talk about all sorts of crazy stuff, from last night's Star Trek episode to life's dramas to the details of Eat, Pray, Love. The topics are endless.

The illusive gator got away 

In Charleston SC we walked to a pond that had a "Beware of Alligator" sign posted in the water. We walked there every morning with hopes of seeing an alligator (sadly it was too cold for those cold-blooded critters). We did see a whole lot of herons, pelicans, storks, ibises and many other kinds of birds.

In Tennessee we annoyed a very large blue heron every morning as it sat in front of some rapids waiting for disoriented fish to flop out (It turned out that the symbolism for seeing a blue heron was an important message for me that week.)

We've walked passed another lake in Minnesota that seriously radiated gloom and doom (Those waves were hungrily lapping up against the rocks, waiting for a victim to eat.) 

But enough with creepy lakes. It hasn't all been strange bodies in water- err strange bodies OF water. 

We're in Savannah GA for a few weeks. The first day we got here Dad and I went out and wandered around the farm they have here, and then we decided to go down this dirt road and see what was at the end. This road is ridiculously long. It just kept going and going, passed strange black-water swampy ponds, over a bridge and around a bend when this beauty suddenly appears! Introducing The Mackey House, in all its Christmas decor. We walked by it, around the lovely lake in front, passed all the parking spaces and then back down the long dirt road back home. Yesterday as we took our walk, we were passed by two cars on their way to the house. We were passed by a few more cars on our way back, all very nice cars, the occupants very nicely dressed. Yep, you guessed it, you can get married here! And there's a wedding about to happen! The last few mornings have been so much fun, guessing who's who in which car and what their part in the wedding might be. 

 Mother with the big smile and excited wave. Wedding Planner with the determined look and coffee in a mason jar mug with straw. Father, lost and asking for directions ("just down that dirt road sir!"). Best Men in their fine suits all packed into a small car.  We thought it might be fun to set up chairs and have a bag of rice to throw for when the bride and groom drive by. 

The Mackey House, Savannah GA

So today was definitely the day. You could tell by the big white limo that drove back and forth a couple times. I felt like Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched, eagerly watching all the cars drive by ("Abner! Abner!") We have a perfect view being parked right next to the highway and the entrance of the place. Cars have been going back and forth all day. The limo was particularly fun to watch. I hope that they all had a wonderful day and the couple are happy and enjoying the Southern Holiday wedding (can you be more romantic? Honestly!) 

All this has inspired me though. I really love seeing the insides of these houses (the few I've seen) and I think I've come up with a pretty great idea on how to get inside for free tours. 

I need to get married! 

Or at least say I am. I can play the part of a young bride, touring venues for her dream wedding, right?  I just got a new sparkly ring, so I can even put on my ring finger. All I have to do is giggle a bit, nod giddily, listen to the wedding package plan without gasping at the high prices and then give them my wrong phone number ("No, I'll call YOU!")  and ta da! I'm in! It's perfect. Though when I tried out my southern drawl on Dad, his reaction was less than encouraging, lets say. Maybe that needs a little bit of work.