2013-12-18 Georgia,Atlanta – Sight-seeing trip to Georgia Governors Mansion

2013-12-18_GAAtl,391WPacesFerryRd(GovMansion) (47)

2013-12-18_GAAtl,391WPacesFerryRd(GovMansion) (47)

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A friend invited me to go with her to see the Governor’s Mansion – decorated for Christmas. The mansion opened at 9:30 am and Mrs. Sandra Deal greeted guests at the front door. The mansion has many historical books, furniture and documents inside. (Historical information about the furniture and artifacts are available from the mansion website.)  There was an upstairs brass octet playing Christmas music and a downstairs basement where several choral groups sang Christmas music. We first entered the hall and went to the right – formal dining room. The table was made in Boston and the craftmanship exquisite. I loved the chandlier -and- indeed all of the chandliers in the house. The next room was the gingerbread house -and- many of the rooms contained very pretty Christmas trees.  The drawing room had dolls and carriages under the Christmas tree. (The docent in that room told me that she had loaned her personal antique dolls to the display.) Next to the kitchen is a smaller table where the Deal Family eats breakfast or family meals. There was a table centerpiece made of lemons and okra. The bottom was decorated with seashells that the Deal children had gathered from the beach. Several of the guests in attendance when we visited, were uniformed Sons of the Revolution. They wore their uniforms to add to the occasion and they toured the house about the same time as we did.
We went downstairs and were treated to cookies and hot apple cider. There were chairs on the side for guests to listen to the songs sung by visiting elementary schools. The larger chorus was from Peachtree City – south of Atlanta. Both groups did an excellent job performing. Before the second group began, a large group of school children came to the area and sat on the floor. My friends and I estimated that they were in the second grade. The second choorus sang about 30 minutes and we followed them and the school children out the back door to the parking lot. I took many pictures and, unfortunately, some of them were fuzzy. (Note: I need to resist taking the picture with my arms extended and to steady the camera by using the eyepiece. I posted the fuzzy pictures because my opinion is that the reader is able to get a general idea of the scene, even when it is fuzzy.)
After leaving the Governor’s mansion, I took a few pictures of houses on West Paces Ferry Rd. and the Atlanta History Center. The residental area ends and the commercial area of Buckhead (Brookhaven City) begins. The center of this area is the corner of Roswell Rd, Piedmont Rd, and W Paces Ferry Rd. I think that I may have been behind a black Chevrolet Yukon with a Limo license tag carrying the governor at a stoplight. The area used to be a major nightclub/party spot. About 15 years ago, there was a murder committed when a sports player and his entourage left a club and walked to their car (in the early morning). The leaders of the community decided that they wanted to change the model of businesses in the area and discouraged more nightclubs from locating in the area. A developer purchased an assemblage of land and he had grand plans for tall buildings and a work/eat/play community. Well, … , the recession happened and the grand plans had to be modified. Another developer has restarted the building and there are now several tall construction-cranes working on the new plan. I look forward to seeing the result in a few years.
When I stopped in heavy traffic or at a stoplight, I took a few pictures of the Lenox Mall area. A Ritz-Carlton hotel is located in front of the mall, and on the side is the now-famous building (on the right in the picture) where the winner of the Georgia Mega-Millions lottery (worth $220 million – after taxes) bought her ticket. This location is a few miles from my house – yet, I can’t help thinking that the ‘almost’ national lottery winner was that close to where I could have purchased a ticket if I had decided to ‘play’. Also, I can’t help from thinking “What would I do if I won $210 million (taxes already taken out)”?
I stopped at a Kroger grocery store on Peachtree Street on the way home. The store renovation inside is complete -but- the outside work is still in-progress. The inside of the store is “huge”. They have expanded the footprint and offer almost every item that can be imagined. I only purchased some milk and a couple of other small items. On my exit, I saw 2 boxes containing ‘dry-ice’ for sale. I think that it is the first time that I’ve seen dry-ice for sale in a grocery store. (I noticed that the prices are higher than what I pay. I pick one item in each store and compare the item to the cost in another store when I shop. This area of Atlanta is known for being a high-income, expensive area.)
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