The weather warmed up again, and I’ve really enjoyed 80 degree days over the weekend and first half of this week. It’s cooling down a bit now, though, so I’m going to try and embrace the fall feelings as best I can.
This is probably the longest we’ve gone without hanging out with Shawn and Kathleen so it was so nice to be able to go to dinner with them. (More on the restaurant in tomorrow’s post.) I’m so happy we have a good socially distanced option for outdoor dining to make a small get together like this possible. When we were sitting outside, enjoying a nice meal and good wine with best friends we were even able to forget the pandemic for a moment or two. It truly felt like old times.
The Jewish high holidays were definitely different this year. I tuned into two different live streams, one from Brotherhood Synagogue (where I’ve been spending the better part of the last decade) and another from Central Synagogue. I couldn’t resist checking out Central Synagogue’s service since it was my one opportunity to see the inside of the truly stunning temple. In addition to membership being expensive, it’s exclusive – there’s a waiting list to join! I have to admit, it was a beautiful service (produced like an amazing piece of cinema) and looked like a fun and welcoming community. I’m so happy to see how accessible synagogues have made high holiday worship durning the pandemic. It was also crazy to see how many people were streaming the services. Thousands of people were watching major synagogues like Central and Emanu-el (I counted over 5,500 at Central!) but even small temples like Brotherhood had hundreds in attendance. I saw 580 at one point, which, when you consider multiple people per household, means there were more people watching that one “small” service than the entire Jewish population of Savannah. Crazy! (And cool.)
Are masks the new “it” accessory? I finally got myself some reusable masks because it’s so much better for the environment, more comfortable, and offers me the opportunity to make a little fashion statement. I’ve gotten a couple from BaubleBar as well as some from Royal Jelly Harlem. (Shop small! Shop local!) I’m going to need a few more to get a good rotation going. I’m thinking a UGA mask is in order and maybe a few from this roundup.
Peaches to Apples 