midnight in the garden (with pink houses)

Last week, with snow still in my yard, I took a quick trip 

to Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina.

I'm showing you cupcakes from Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah,

but actually, I ate the key lime tart, and it was perfect.
Sweet and tart and limey.

 These two fine ladies oversee your order. 

Before the tart I had grilled pimento cheese on ciabatta.

I instagrammed my love for pimento cheese and how hard it is to find in the north

and Susan of Southern Fascinations gave me her recipe (here).

So I'm going to make it, if I can find pimentos.

(I know you can get anything on the internet.)

And don't worry, it's fat-free.

 Savannah is filled with green, designed around 21 squares that have

massive shade trees dripping Spanish moss, and benches and fountains and statues.

Many of them are surrounded by elegant townhouses.

 

It's beautiful at night too, and a little spooky--

all that Spanish Moss

and there are ghosts everywhere.

Very midnight in the garden of good and evil.

 I kept seeing pink houses in Charleston.

I don't actually want to live in a pink house,

but I get excited when I see them.

This spectacular gingerbread house faces the river.

This one looks like pictures I've seen of Dutch houses.

Hard to get a good photo, but behind those verandahs

is a huge pink house.

It seemed that every block had a pink house

or church. 

The French Hugenot church.

Isn't it beautiful with the black trim?

The highlight of the trip was the Charleston garden tour.

They were mostly small and all charming. 

Lots of old brick paths, boxwood hedges, fountains and flowers. 

Comfortable places to sit in the shade and drink a mint julep 

or sweet tea (when you need a change from your verandah).

Small garden "rooms" and secret places, crumbling walls, and patina galore.

It's less than a two hour flight from Boston to Savannah and Charleston

and they are only a two hour drive apart, so to my northeast friends,

it's easy to make a short trip to either or both.
Spanish moss, pimento cheese and pink houses make a nice change.