The Oxtail Soup Eaters Tale

After floating downriver out of Atlanta and washing up on the marsh bluffs of Savannah, I planned to spend the first day or so here just decompressing. But Maison Marsh-mere is the perfect decompression chamber and one day turned into the whole trip. How could I resist: beautiful, super-comfortable house surrounded by quiet greenery and clean air (what a shock to my L.A.-riddled lungs! Another week here and I'll have to start smoking), soft couches, good books, a million movies, big screen television, and oh did I mention The Most Delicious Food I've Eaten All Year?! I wake up, BAM!, North African tomato and eggs. I come down for lunch, BAM!, stuffed eggplant with red beans. What's for dinner? Well, Mr. Moose if you'll take a look in this pot you'll see - BAM! - slow cooked oxtail soup, with crusty bread and escarole/goat cheese/cherry tomato salad on the side.

I am become sloth, the eater of food.

Usually in Savannah, I like to go Downtown, eat out, maybe get out to the beach, you know, leave the house and all. But this time, I pretty much just loafed. Hardcore loafing too, not that Sunday afternoon amateur stuff (I was a loafeur, as the French say in my imagination). Just eatin' and sleepin' and watchin' and readin' and why don't I take a nice, slow stroll down to the dock at sunset, well maybe I'll go tomorrow, zzzzzzzzzzz.

My wife and I came here with all these ambitious plans about getting work done in the afternoons and they just went up in smoke. She's usually the motivated one but what did I hear yesterday when I plugged in the computer? "Why don't you get started and I'll go upstairs and watch a movie". She smiled and disappeared for a few hours and all I could do was admire her expert loafing abilities.

I think when we come back, I'll schedule a few extra days specifically for decompression. That way, we can actually plan some trips around the area. Maybe get up to Charleston, get out on the river, or....oh who am I kidding. What's for dinner?