Dustin & Jessica's Journey

Dustin and I finally had the opportunity to really get to know Savannah yesterday. We joined a group of people from Dustin’s work at a roller derby bout. One of his co-workers is a jammer for the Hostess City Hellions, the B team for the Savannah Derby Devils. The bout was so exciting, and Dustin’s co-worker actually scored the winning point in the final jam of the bout, making it even more fun for the people who were there to root for her.

We had always wanted to go to a derby bout, but never really had the chance in Indiana. Whenever we knew about one, we had something else we needed to get done at the same time (mostly wedding stuff). It’s unfortunate, too, because we have a friend on the derby team in Muncie and another friend on one of the derby teams in Indianapolis.

Anyway, we loved it. The atmosphere is unreal and the game is fast-paced and fun to watch when you understand it.

After both bouts, we went traveling around Savannah. At about midnight, we stumbled upon a life-sized game of Bananagrams in Ellis Square. It was amazing and fantastic, and I’m pretty sure I love this city because of it.

Since moving to Hilton Head, we’ve made it out to Savannah maybe three times. On Saturday, we decided to go to First Saturday on River Street, a street festival with music and vendors.

Savannah is an interesting city. It was planned before the settlers from England landed. James Oglethorpe laid it out in a series of squares, most of which still exist today. Savannah’s River Street is part of an extraordinary history filled with distinct characters and landmark events. Nowadays, River Street has a variety of shops and restaurants that attract a diverse group of visitors. The cobblestone streets and revitalized buildings add to the grandeur of the “hostess city of the South.”

During our trip, we tried some Son of a Peach beer, and Hazel got to meet a dog that could eat her whole if it wanted to. We also enjoyed looking at some of the local artists’ work. If we didn’t have our dog with us, we would have stayed for the free concert of cigar box guitarists.

This was not the first time I’ve been stung by a jellyfish, but it surely hurt the worst.

It’s jellyfish season in Hilton Head, and I got a good taste of it Sunday when we visited Coligny Beach. One article I read recently said you won’t find a local on the beaches in August because of the invasion of these clear little demons of the sea, and it’s completely true.

I was swimming in the ocean with our friend Sarah when I felt a small pinch, like a bee sting. I had been stung twice before this one so I didn’t think anything of it. When I moved away from the area, I must have kicked the creature. All of a sudden, my entire leg is engulfed in pain. A tingling sensation ran up the entirety of my leg. My leg muscles tightened, only worsening the sting.

Sarah helped me to the shore, and we grabbed the container of vinegar from the abandoned lifeguard station. Sarah poured most of the bottle on my leg and some of the pain subsided. Even now, hours later, I’m still feeling a little tingly. You can still see the red marks of the tentacles wrapped from the back of the top of my calf to the front of my ankle.

We’ve learned a few lessons from today’s mishap. First, I’m grateful we’re going to be busy for most of August. There’s a reason the locals stay away during jellyfish season. Second, if we do go to the beach, I’d prefer going to the locals’ beach in the evening with the dog. She’s so short that we can’t go far enough into the ocean for jellyfish to sting (except for the ones that are beached, but I know how to avoid them…). Third, my left leg needs a break from my clumsy behavior. It now has red sting marks next to the fading mass of a bruise I got two weeks ago from kicking the staircase.

Dustin and I are getting settled in our new life together. This weekend, we visited a drive-in movie theater for a little date night. I had never been to a drive-in before. There was one in Winchester near Muncie, but we never made it out there.

According to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins in 1958 (and there is suggestion this might be a low estimate). Now, there are less than 400. It’s a sad part of culture to see traditions and symbols fade. This is one of those times for American culture. The appeal of the drive-in picture show is the way we can isolate ourselves from the rest of the world in our car and enjoy a movie. It’s about independence and freedom, much like an iPod or a laptop computer.

For us, it meant we could enjoy Cowboys and Aliens and Captain America together in the car without people around to distract us from the movie. (Dustin absolutely hates it when people clap at big points in a movie, for example.) For me, it was a new experience, and it’s something I’d like to do again. For $6 a person, we can sit in or outside of our car, enjoy the fresh air (or air conditioner) and watch two new movies. Compare that to the unbearable minimum of $8 a person at an indoor movie theater for one new movie without the benefit of the social engagement you can experience being independent of the constraints of everyone sitting together in the same room.

We even got a little 3-D action from mother nature on our trip. We had a great lightning storm come through as the first movie started, so every time it was storming in the movie, it was like we were there.