December 22-27, 1983: Christmas in North Carolina
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Since I had already flown to North Carolina, I thought I would go ahead and make a second stop in Savannah to see my friend Dennis Haggard, who moved down to Savannah from Springfield, Illinois, a couple of years ago. This will be the second, but not last, time that I will visit Dennis here in this historic city.

Dennis moved to Savannah in 1981, I think. We had been very close when he lived in Springfield and traveled often to Chicago, but he got tired of his job with the State of Illinois, and picked Savannah because it was closer to family and because he got a good job working there for the State of Georgia.

Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia; it was established in 1733 on the Savannah River, became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia, and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fifth-largest city and third-largest metropolitan area.

Each year Savannah attracts millions of visitors to its cobblestone streets, parks, and notable historic buildings: the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA), the Georgia Historical Society (the oldest continually operating historical society in the South), the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South's first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest African-American Baptist congregations in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third oldest synagogue in America), and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America). The city was also the home of musician/composer Johnny Mercer.

Savannah's downtown area, which includes the Savannah Historic District, the Savannah Victorian Historic District, and 22 parklike squares, is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States (designated by the U.S. government in 1966). Downtown Savannah largely retains the original town plan prescribed by founder James Oglethorpe (a design now known as the Oglethorpe Plan).

Dennis and David live in a nice apartment building on the west side of Forsyth Park. Forsyth Park is Savannah's largest city park, occupying 30 acres in the historic district. The park is bordered by Gaston Street on the North, Drayton Street on the East, Park Avenue on the South and Whitaker Street on the West. It contains walking paths, a café, a children's play area, a Fragrant Garden for the blind, a large fountain, tennis courts, basketball courts, areas for soccer and Frisbee, and home field for Savannah Shamrocks Rugby Club. From time to time, there are concerts held at Forsyth to the benefit of the public.

When I landed in Savannah, I again rented a car and a half hour later was parking in the lot behind the apartment building at the corner of W. Gwinnett and Whitaker Streets.

At left are David and Dennis; I had them pose so I could get a good picture of them.

When Dennis first moved to Savannah, and when I came to visit him for the first time, he was by himself in an apartment downtown. Since then (we still correspond fairly often), me met David and after a while they decided to rent and apartment together. While Dennis had described David to me over the phone, and while I had talked with him briefly some months ago, I did not know quite what to expect, but I found him to be a very nice person, quite attractive, and very happy in his new relationship with my friend.

When I was here last time, Dennis had shown me some of the sights, but David (a Savannah native) knew his way around even better, and we spent quite a bit of time walking around the historic district just a few blocks from their house, and enjoying the early-winter warmth in Forsyth Park.

On New Year's Eve, the three of us went to one of the better bars in Savannah, and had a very good time dancing and cruising. We returned to the apartment to celebrate the New Year ourselves. On the first of January, I flew back to Chicago, but before I left, we took some pictures on their balcony at the rear of the building. Sadly, these did not turn out well; I must always remember to use a flash when the background is brighter than the subject:

Dennis and David

Me and David

I was reluctant to take my leave of them; since Thanksgiving I have found that being with people has helped get me back on track, and now I would be back to being by myself.

My last picture was taken as I was down in the parking lot getting ready to drive back to the Savannah airport for my afternoon flight back to Chicago.

There is some small possibility that David may read this page at some point (although Dennis will never have the opportunity) and if he does, I hope he will find it describes some pleasant memories.

I believe I told him afterwards how appreciative I was of his and Dennis's hospitality, but I am not sure just how much I may have told him at the time. The last difficulty left over from my bout of depression after Thanksgiving was quite cured as a result of my visit to Savannah. Apparently David found me just as attractive as Dennis always had, with the result that the three of us had some quite interesting experiences, resulting in the realization that my sex drive had not disappeared for good.

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	December 22-27, 1983: Christmas in North Carolina
	Return to the Index for 1983