Aire Flamenco Turns Up the Heat in Savannah–Part 2

For the benefit of those who weren’t able to attend the Flamenco exhibit at the Jepson, I wanted to share some of the dance:

The dancers were either from Spain or studied there

Speed and feeling are apparent in this demonstration

Aire Flamenco Turns Up the Heat in Savannah–Part 1

Aire Flamenco, a dance troupe from Atlanta, recently visited the Jepson Museum in conjunction with the focus on Spain this month and provided both flamenco lessons as well as a dance exhibition.  Woven in between the dances, a history of flamenco and the dance styles contained was given.  The exhibition was standing room only. 


The exhibition included dances from three different dancers, singing, and guitar solos.  I would make a bet that the steps were faster than those I saw in Riverdance.  Check out Part 2 for video to prove it.  Thanks to the Jepson for continuing to bring fascinating and entertaining programs and exhibits.

Savannah’s Best Christmas Event: The Journey

Who would have guessed that you could get to Bethlehem by way of Savannah GA?  Well, Savannah Christian Church has made that possible with a very life-like recreation of the little town where Christmas began.  The Journey is something that SCC has done for several years, but this year marks a first.  The new Bethlehem market place is phenomenal.  SCC event creators even got some pointers from Disney.

The Journey combines music (while you wait to leave for the Journey), a boat ride across the sea, encounters with Roman centurions, and multiple live-action drama vignettes that tell the story of Christmas. In addition, the kids will enjoy seeing camels, donkeys, goats, sheep, and more.  It is outside and there’s a lot of walking.  However, golf carts are on hand for special needs and elderly guests.  Over 1000 volunteers are needed to make The Journey a great experience.  My advice – Get there early!  Over 2000 guests enjoyed the opening night this week, including me!  SCC projects that as many as 20,000 people will make The Journey this year.   The cost is $5/person (or maximum of $20/family).  You can pay when you get there or buy tickets in advance from the SCC book store.  It's worth every penny and is guaranteed to get you ready for the holidays!


Photos taken by SCC Volunteers

2013 Holiday Boat Parade on Savannah River

The City of Savannah continues to develop great family opportunities.  The most recent was the 2013 Boat Parade along the Savannah River, complete with a variety of boats and motifs as well as fireworks.  It was great fun for all. 
(Photos by Lyndsey Mixon)

Spooky Savannah Squares

Aren’t the squares downtown delicious day or NIGHT?  Savannah has been voted the most haunted city in the US.  I have no trouble believing it!

Will The Younger Generation Be Able to Afford a Home?

Many economists will not commit to announcing a housing recovery in the US.  It seems that for every positive indicator (supply of inventory, major market price appreciation, drop in foreclosures), there are negative indicators (rate increases, increased mortgage regulation, prospect of inflation) to balance the equation.  Realtors understand a theorem that ‘all real estate is local.’  While that’s true and recovery can often be neighborhood-specific, there are global forces at work that are more difficult to manage. 

I read an article this morning (http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/27895-globalization-could-be-stunting-the-housing-recovery) wherein the economist projects that the younger generation will be unable to afford purchasing a home.  His thesis is simple:  With median household income falling and the globalization of jobs (i.e., sending jobs outside the US), the future buyer's income will dry up.  Harsh?  

I have long held the opinion that the link between jobs and home purchasing is more important than what new regulation is coming down the line affecting mortgages. After all, people were still buying houses back in the day at 18% interest rates and have not stopped shopping more recently as credit became harder to find.  It’s not rocket science:  no job, no income, no savings, no down payment, no home.  I understand what the economist is trying to say.  Even if globalization is more focused on off-shoring lower paying manufacturing jobs, the entire economy is still affected.  

So, what's the answer?  People who have been sitting on the sidelines of politics need to get more involved.  This country needs jobs! I heard a report today that 1.5 MILLION more people are unemployed than this time last year.  I'm not sure how to correlate that to the government reports of declining unemployment rates.  Many say that folks are just giving up on looking for employment.  It's a confusing time.  However, one thing is certain.  The traditional "American Dream" has always included owning your own home.  It would be a travesty for the younger generation to miss out on that opportunity.

Savannah Cobblestones

When I was a little girl, my family told me that the ships that delivered cotton and other wares to the Savannah harbor back in the day used to unload their cobblestone ballast as well as their goods.  These cobblestones, in turn, were used to pave the river front, factor’s walk, and build up the bluff on which Savannah sits.  I made up stories about the people who delivered the cobblestones and where they might have originated.  While the cobblestoned areas are beautiful, they can also be treacherous if you don’t watch your step.  Likewise, my stories had more than a sample of pirates and ne’er do wells handling the stones.  The cobblestones have always maintained a mystique to me.

Historians guess that the cobblestones that pave Savannah’s waterfront area hale from the American northeast, Canada, the British Isles, Spain, Portugal, and Madeira.  I imagine an expert could trace the stone’s origin by its content.  It doesn’t really matter to me what the expert says.  The word itself simply signifies a rounded lump of stone, implying a large size, which has been rounded by the flow of water.  No matter what the true origin, I think I’ll stick with my childhood fantasy that assured me that the person who brought them to the ship to be used as ballast salvaged them from some stream bed in a magical forest.  Isn’t that more fun?