greyfield inn

have you ever seen the movie somewhere in time? christopher reeves goes back in time in the grand hotel in mackinac island to the turn of the century, falls in love, etc. great flick-but i did a little time travel myself one week ago today. to travel in time, ordinary transportation is a no-no. no conventional vehicles here- we went by ferry, the lucy b. ferguson, a beautiful wood boat that was fabulous. cumberland island, georgia was the destination for our excursion on a very hot, late august day. the island was first inhabited by andrew carnegie's brother, and then given to his daughter, lucy. lucy is deceased, but her many grandchildren currently run the inn and restaurant. as we took the 40 minute ferry ride to the island, from fernandina beach, florida , we started feeling the years roll backwards. we could tell we were going to a special place. the wild horses playing in the surf and the late afternoon sun filtering through the spanish moss on all of the beautiful live oak trees further solidified this notion.

once at the dock, we were met by a very cheery woman named emily. she was happy to lead us up the path to the beautiful 4 story inn with a front porch that is truly the focal point of the establishment. (it reminded me of that grand hotel in michigan, but not quite as large- the UP version even spawned a wonderful beer- big porch ale.) as we crossed the threshold to the 106 year old structure, the transformation was complete. we were in the 1900's. the windows were all open to let the georgia sea breeze blow through the well- crafted screens. we were first led to a sitting room where a fresh made cilantro guacamole was served with tortilla chips. next to this tray were four beautiful trout fillets with cream cheese, capers, finely chopped onions, and butterfly crackers. both hors d'ouvres were fabulous. i had been travelling literally, ALL DAY, so i was hungry. so hungry i took a plate of guacamole with me on our tour of the mansion. a library, the back kitchen, a gift shop, and the bar were viewed, and all led to the intimate feeling given by a by-gone era.

after the tour, we were given an hour of free time before the "dinner bell". we visited the bar for some wild horse chardonnay, and an atlanta brewed sweetwater georgia brown. off to the porch to enjoy our libations we went. we took three rocking chairs near the steps, for we knew we would be exploring the grounds shortly. we enjoyed the beautiful grounds as some of the 150 wild horses grazed on the large front lawn. this same front lawn saw john f kennedy jr.'s wedding reception a few years back. this made the place so popular for weddings, they had to limit the number of wedings to 8 a year. we walked between the brick pillars of a pergalo that led to another structure, and the slight overgrowth added more fuel to the time travel fire. one last walk for some photos of the sea framed by spanish moss, and it was time for dinner.

we went downstairs to the intimate dining room and were seated at beautiful wood table. i usually pay no attention to what kind of table i'm eating at. but this one i did. perfect size, natural wood, and sturdy describe this table. our first course was a corn pudding with sweet red peppers atop. the circular shaped dish was excellent. just enough egg to keep it all together, and very fresh corn rounded a spectacular flavor treat. there was also some long grain bread with a sweet butter. im glad there was not any more butter on the table, because i would have filled up on bread.

the main course showed me that, yes, i was not just in awe of my surroundings, this chef knew his stuff. a meaty, bone-in pork chop arrived atop peas and rice (as they say in the bahamas), and a brownish red roux that only enhanced to the flavor. the tenderness and especially the "juiceyness" of the chop is what made this dish. i don't order pork chops out very often, but i'll say this was the best piece of pork i have ever put in my mouth. words can't convey in this box how good the chop was, so i won't try.

for dessert, we were served a raspberry chocolate cream roll. fresh raspberries on the side. it was good, my parents loved it, but i thought it was middle of the road. it didn't matter, i was sold, this place is special. i breathe history, so i was in love. much the way i love cities. they evolve, and you grow with them, and I fall in love. san francisco, new york, dallas, santa fe. i could go on all day about my black book.

as we were wrapping up dinner, we said good-bye to our new friends from lexington, made a few purchases at the shop from mary ferguson, who along with the captain of the boat that brought us over were the two fergusons i met on the visit. thats what it felt like,a visit with friends at their summer home. every member of the staff i came in contact with while AT the inn were some of the most genial people you could meet. that is what you get in the south. a place that i hold as dear to my heart as any. something about the "genteelity" of our people. and yes. kentucky is a southern state in my eyes. we left on a faster fishing boat for our return trip. the captain was cool, and an evening lightening storm rounded out the experience and prepared me to come back to the present time and make the 1 hour 10 minute drive back to sea island. another wonderful property that will get its day very soon. ****stars excellent worth the trip any day of the year. AE