Low Country and High Quality

Two cars, four hours, and five people later, we made it to Savannah and let me tell you it is beautiful! We left Altanta after attempting to wash the sheets and towels in a one unit washer dryer machine. Have you seen these? It is one small unit that does both. I was extremely excited to try it out, but 4 hours later everything was still wet. I mean literally we could fit one hand towel and one sock. If I put in the other sock in it would overwhelm the machine. I learned that laundry can be a hot mess too. So much for trying to clean the place up. I did the best I could which happened to be one sheet on the bed, the other sheet hanging up to dry, and a shit-ton of wet towels. Hey, I tried at least.

When we arrived, we basically ate our way through Savannah and Charlston for 3 days. Pretty much. We ate fried shrimp at The Distillery (I still don't know what they distill, but I know they make a killer rum and diet coke). Then we walked around the charming streets and we ended up on the riverfront for dinner and mom and I feasted on crab and shrimp that I drenched in butter. Yeah, not really healthy, but it was finger likin' good!

The next day we road tripped to Charlston, SC and ate fried chicken, collard greens, corn bread, fried okra, and fried whiting at Jestine's Kitchen. She is famous for her southern cooking and damn was it delicious. We couldn't help ourselves and had banana pudding and peach cobbler for dessert. I rolled myself out of there and we walked around the streets and took a carraige ride to see all of the charming homes and historical landmarks. We had a light dinner at the Roof Top High Spirits Lounge and drove the 2 hours back to Savannah.

Next day we started eating again and had lunch with friends at Belford's. Mom and I split fried green tomatoes, she-crab stew, and grits, greens, and shrimp. I am loving this grits for every meal thing. I am bringing this home with me for sure.

We kept walking and stopped to have a cocktail and share some creamy crab dip and Tubby's Tank House. Yeah, it's really called that. Right on the water and we saw the most enourmous ships pass by carrying containers. I had never seen anything like that before. It was amazing! They are literally ships loaded with truck loads of stuff.

For dinner we ate at Garibaldi's Cafe and I couldn't stand it anymore and I needed some red meat and I had a steak with spinach, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. The scallops, oysters, and seafood alfredo were delicious too. I also couldn't resist tasting the Kentucky Pie for dessert. Hey, there is bourbon in there! It's a no brainer. Now I just have to figure out how to recreate it at home and not just get sauced on the bourbon!

This eating high fat foods strategy is working great for my dad, who lost 20 pounds while he was in Atlanta. That is what happens when he didn't have his Hot Mess cooks around. I, on the other hand, am in a quagmire. I can't afford new pants so I have to contain myself so I can still fit in them at the end of this trip. Don't get me wrong, I love the research, but butter my buns and call me a biscuit! I have to get back into the kitchen. Damn this food is great, but it needs a healthy face lift! Don't worry, when I get to Florida, we have a condo and I plan to share my southern bell food recipes after the face lift to make them healthy and simple.

Also, due to the nice weather, I have started swimming again and hopefully that will help keep my wasteline in tact while we eat our way across the country! At the end we kissed our travel companions, Janet and Stu good-bye and then there were three. Our next stop is St. Augustine, Florida. Stay tuned!

Mental Health Travel Tip: Traveling can make a person crazy. Sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered. A little crazy, but the "good" kind of crazy. We went off the deep end several times, one moment was taking a pile of spanish moss and using it as a wig to keep my dad's head warm. These moments I consider the "good" kind of crazy and I choose to embrace this. Maybe you can embrace your "good" kind of crazy too! Oh, yeah and don't forget to "stay in your bubble"! There is nothing worse than a travel companion that is taking everything personal and not having fun in their own little bubble.

In the words of my dear friend and our fearless tour guide Stu, "If told you once, I've told you twice, I love you more than beans and rice."

~ "Too Lovely" Hot Messes on the road or as I am now calling us "Too Hot" Road Trippin' Mommas!