Savannah's locals can be widely eccentric.
John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil-known simply as "The Book" by Savannahians-describes several colorful characters who call the city home.
With my every visit to the hometown of Johnny Mercer, I run across at least one additional character to pepper the Garden mix.
Two...if I'm lucky.
Not too long ago, I made myself comfortable in the lobby of the Bull Street Wacovia Bank. As my family member stood online for a teller, I engaged in active people watching.
An older gentleman entered the bank on this busy Monday morning. The bank tellers greeted the dapper chap by name and he returned the salutations, stopping by several desks to offer a personal hello.
As the gentleman snaked his way through the velvet posts outlining a path to the tellers, I admired the cut of his cloth. Dressed in a sharp navy double-breasted blazer, a distinct crease sharpened his pinstripe trousers and ended with a statement of spit-polished dress shoes.
A well-placed bowler derby and cane completed his elegant appearance.
Ah. A true gentleman of the South, the type one does not happen upon in the state of Florida.
As I admired his Southern couture-the likes of which I was unlikely to see again anytime soon-I mentally added a carnation to his lapel, to add a bit of extreme dash and pizazz to the well-pressed handkerchief, neatly folded in his front jacket pocket.
I settled back in my comfortable chair and took in the entire look, from the tip-top derby to the rubber tip of the fine wood cane...which just happened to be a collectible Care Bear.
Tenderheart Bear, to be exact.
Hollowed out and fixed to the working end of the jaunty cane, the heart embossed bear tapped the floor head-first with each step forward.
Perfect.
Savannah never lets me down.
Happy New Year!
Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home