Sunday, March 27, 2011

Revisiting America

Stopped so abruptly the last time I blogged.  I believe I did finish with all of our Thursday activities.
Began Friday with a visit to The Charleston Museum, which was America's first museum.This museum is different in that it showcases a variety of artifacts that tell the story of Lowcountry cultural and natural history.  Not your usual museum that focuses on paintings.  We viewed everything from ancient fossils and an enormous whale skeleton to elegant costumes and Civil War artifacts.  There was a wonderful "Kids" hands-on section and we hit it lucky again to be involved in some school groups, but at least these were supervised and were being questioned on what they saw and read.
Walked across to a Tea cafe for a soup and sandwich meal, then made our way to the Calhoun Mansion for a tour.
I do have a book about the mansion, it will be available when I come home, because I don't know that I can describe what we saw.  I've already given some details, and I'm sure you could view it on the internet.  It was a showcase, and the grounds were equally as beautiful.  Parking is always what we dread because it is so limited, but this time we were able to park right in front of the house.  When possible, we let everyone know we had had an interview with the previous owner, Gedney Howe,III.
We had made reservations for dinner(supper) at FIG (food is good) for 5:30, before the concert we were attending, so rather than drive home the 20 miles, rest for an hour, then drive back, we found a parking space, and just stayed in town. 
The restaurant, FIG,owned by the James Beard award winner Chef Mike Lata focuses on fresh products from local owners.  The restaurant has been featured in such magazines as Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Food Network, and The New York Times.  Our waitress asked the chef if he would speak to us for few minutes, so we were able to meet him and talk about the restaurant.  This was our best meal so far, or have I said that before!?
Our concert, The Sound of Charleston, is produced by Charleston Musical Heritage Productions and are weekly presentations through the first six months of the year.  There are variations to the schedule.
All the concerts feature a diverse musical look at the heritage of the state. 
The program began with musicians from the St. Cecelia Society, a string quartet with songs by Fuchs, Pachelbel and Haydn, Civil War camp songs like, "Wait for the Wagon" "Goober Peas", "Oh Come,   Angel Band", "The Yellow Rose of Texas", with guitar, banjo, and concertina, selections from! "Porgy and Bess", like "Summertime", "I Love You Porgy", sung by soprano, D'Jaris Whipper-Lewis, then an amazing piano duet of " Rhapsody in Blue"
played by a 16 year old piano virtuoso, Micah McLaurin and a college junior, Irwin Jiang.  Absolutely wonderful!  My favorite!
What an approiate ending to the concert to sing "Amazing Grace", written while the composer attended the very church we were in.
The church, The Circular Congregational Church was organized in 1681, became the Independant Church of Charles Towne, built on Meeting Street, named after the Meeting House built to house this independent congregation.  In 1806, this unique circular building, by Robert Mills, became known as the Circular Church.  In 1861 the building was destroyed by fire. The fourth and present building, on the same site, integrated brick from the 1886 earthquake into the present structure.  A beautiful sanctuary.
Now, Sunday morning, church at First Baptist of Charleston.  I will not describe any of the details of the building because I'm sure you've heard enough, but I will say it was very old, beautiful, having recently completed renovations and refurbishing.  A K-12 school is part of the church program.
I was a little disappointed.  I was ready for music like none I had heard, but there was a visiting choir, a Negro group, with guitar.  Okay, but not what I wanted to hear.  But the organ prelude and postlude and the wonderful sermon made up for any disappointment.  It was the friendliest church we've been in, and again, mostly older couples, but children were in another service so I didn't really get a true picture of the congregation.  It's amazing how the Lord uses such a variety of ways to reach people, different buildings, programs, services, music, people in so many different roles.  It works!
We begin our last week in Charleston.  We'll pack on Wednesday, leave Thursday, and be in Blowing Rock North Carolina on Friday, April 1.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Revisitiing America

We've had two bery busy days, not that we've tried to wait until the last to do things, but they were scheduled at these particular times.  Liking Charleston more and more.  Wish I could go down every street, know about every house and who lives in it, know the age of all the huge big trees, see every little thing.
Thursday morning our goal was to find Philip Simmon's home, someone related to him, and see some of his ironwork.  One comment describing him, "Philip Simmons  is a poet of ironwork.  His ability to endow raw iron with pure lyricism is known and admired throughout, not only in South Carolina, but as evidenced by his many honors and awards, he is recognized in all of America."  He is the most celebrated ironworker of the 20th century.  Began to do specialized ornamental ironwork in 1938 and fashioned more than five hundred decorative pieces, gates, fences, baalconies, window grills.  The ci;ty of Charleston is decorated from end to end by his hand.  Our clue to finding his home on Blake street was a wrought iron fence, the only one on the block.  Talked with his nephew,  Carlton Simmons, raised by Philip, who had worked with Philip since a youth, taught by Philip, and continuing his work today.  His shed, very small held all the tools, the 80 year old anvil, forge, and pieces of iron.  When we asked him how much he worked,  according to the job, how many orders, etc:, he said, "No,it's what mood I'm in".  He gave each of us a small scroll-like piece of ironwork.  The 'home will be opened soon as a museum and gift shop, and at the time we were there, he was expecting a tour group.  All of the affairs of the business and home are managed by a foundation.


Left there in time to find the law office of Gedney M. Howe, III, prominent Charleston attorney who spent 20 years restoring the Calhoun Mansion, with 35 rooms and fireplaces, enclosing 24,000 ft. of space.  We had called, told his secrtetary about our adventure, she told Howe, and he granted us the interview.  We were overwhelmed with the grandeur of his office, so couldn't imagine what the home would be like.  He said the roof of the home was caved in, walls falling down, total ruin, but he couldn't see letting such a treasure be demolished.  He paid approximately $250,000 for the home, spent millions restoring and furnishing.   He did  much of the work himself, living in one room, cooking on a hot-plate, finishing one room at the time, as we ell as maintaining a prominent law practice. 
After marrying, having children, who he didn't want to be raised in such an atmosphere, he sold the home in 2004, walked out, and hasn't been bonderful the ack.  He gave us a CD of a dinner party held in the dining room that seats 26 at the table, to help us grasp just how elegant and wonderful entertaining could be in such a setting.
We went to Harris-Teeter supermarket hoping to taste a hot apple fritter mentioned by Kuralt in the book, but talked to the manager, and they don't serve them in the mornings anymore.  As supermarkets go though, I can see why you would shop there.  We each bought a box of cereal just to say we shopped at the same Harris-Teeter.
 Naturally, we were in town, lunch time, and there are so many restaurants;  we chose Magnolia, and of course there were magnolia paintings hanging everywhere, wonderful food, probably the best we've eaten, ( I said that about "The Fat Hen too), adorable waiter, Giles, then a walk to the waterfront to see the beautiful "pineapple "fountain, a ride along the battery in a "pedicab", and to our car to get home in time to rest a minute before our program at Our Savior church,  a one woman, non-denominational , autobiographical presentation.  I'll mention it later, because lunch must be prepared and I need to stop for now. Bye!        

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Revisiting America

Gorgeous Day!
Had to share my encounter with another walker, actually he was running.  We had already passed each other once.  He stopped me and asked where the main road was, (imagine anyone asking me directions; the way to our cottage is sorta like a maze and I'm just now getting it all sorted out; whatever direction I'm walking I consider "north", and yesterday was my first time to go somewhere without "Onstar".)  Anyway, he said, "I get to running, zone out, start praying, and forget where I'm going".  I said," Do you pray?  He said, "Oh, yes," I pray".  We both gave a "thumbs up" and went our separate ways.
What a way to start a day, actually it's going to be a busy one!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Revisiting America

As Lou told you, Sunday morning we went to the French Protestant Huguenot Church in Charleston.  Not as much ritual as the Episcopal Church we attended in Key West, but much more than our usual Baptist or Methodist services.   We went into the sanctuary by the left aisle.  The pews were in enclosed boxes, with a solid wood divider between sections.  The outside of the pew (the aisle side) had a little latch inside the door for entry.  Seating for three is comfortable, but four people were a little crowded (unless all four were very small).  There were four rows of boxes - two on each side of the center aisle.  The prie-dieux were available but not used.  There was a hymnal, liturgy, and Bible in each of the holders on the pews.  The sermon was good, but short.  With so much else to be done; hymns, liturgical readings, responses, announcements, there isn't much time for a sermon.  After the service and a brief lecture on the history of the church, we went to the collation in a beautiful period house about half a block away.  There was a dining room table with trays of sandwiches, various dips with chips, and desserts on a sideboard.  Across the hall was another large room with coffee, soft drinks, and wine.  Very enjoyable experience.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend a service in a Huguenot church.
Tuesday morning, Lou took her car to a dealership to have it checked - the steering, dashboard messages, etc.  She also ran a few errands whilt she was out.  I stayed here and did some of our paperwork and read.  I do love to read.  Thanks again, Ann, for my Kindle.  There is a small library here in the cottage so I have read a few books because they were available.
Tuesday night, we went back into Charleston for the first runway show of Charleston Fashion Week.  Neither of us had ever seen a runway show, and it was a lot of fun.  We had to wait outside the main tent until a little after 7:00, then were admitted.  We had general admission tickets, but were able to move up to the third row before the show started.  Also, we were near the end of the runway so we had a good view of the models as they made their turns and posed for the photographers, of whom there were many.
We saw clothes from two boutiques, and one designer of childrens' clothes who has a boutique.  The models ranged in age from about 3 to 9 or 10.  Really adorable kids and clothes.  The show stealer was a little boy of about 3, mop of dark hair, who walked very slowly and turned before the end of the runway.  When they came out for their group walk, there was a long gap in the line because the little boy wwas walking so slowly.  When the first group passed him on their way back, he immediately turned and followed them instead of completing the walk to the end.  Everybody cheered and laughed.  That was the first part of the show, then there was a 45-minute intermission.  That was a long 45 minutes.  After that, we saw four of the emerging designers in the competition.  A couple of them we really liked, but two of them were a little avant garde for me.  Each designer presented eight looks, complete with jewelry, hair, makeup, accessories, shoes, etc.  Especially shoes.  To me, some of the shoes had absolutely nothing to do with the dresses.  For example, one designer's fabric was a pattern with red, black, blue, white, and beige.  The shoes were a pale green.  Also, some of the clunky shoes were worn with delicate, feminine dresses.  Oh, well!  Guess my idea of fashion is a little out of date (or a lot).  Then there was a featured designer, not in the competition, who showed 20 of his designs.  The inspiration was stated as coming from cathedrals and graveyards.  I can't really describe this, so I leave it to your imagination.  We were after 11:00 getting home, but it was worth it.  Fascinating evening.  If you have a chance to go to a runway show, I highly recommend it.
We are due in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, on April 1.  So we have a lot to do before leaving Charleston.  Some things that were in the book, and some more of our own devising.  We're looking forward to all of it, but will regret having to leave Charleston, as we did Key West and New Orleans.
More soon,
Janie

Revisiting America

Looking back over my blog I realized I didn't comment on our dinner at "The Fat Hen",  a small restaurant , in an old house; really it looks, from the outside, like two houses joined together, a porch with tables, outside seating, nothing fancy, but cloths and candles on the tables which always adds to the ambiance.  My meal was a salmon steak with a bernaise sauce, potatoes, garlic spinach, and the most wonderful lemon cake(we shared a piece).  It's amazing how one chef can take a piece of meat, make it so different from anything else you've ever tasted, but still have the flavor of salmon.  Our waiter spent so much time with us, explaining the menu, tending to our drinks, checking on us every few minutes;  he never seemed hurried, or rushed, or even like he had other tables to tend.  Well, it was a delightful meal, and you'll never know how much it cost.
Janie mentioned the angel tree, which was a sight to see-she gave you the history, dimensions, etc: You see it and yet don't believe it has survived all these years.  Some limbs are propped, and people are limited in what they can do around the tree-no climbing, sitting etc:  The pictures will give you an idea of the size.  One happy thought-it made us look so small.
Sunday, the 20th, we attended church in Charleston, The French Protestant Huguenot Church of Charleston, S.C.  More ritual than our Baptist churches but yet not as formal as the Episcopal service we attended. 
Beautiful stained glass, enclosed pews, chandeliers, and the best choir I've heard(up in the balcony to our back, so I couldn't see them),  good organist, friendly people.  Again, the hymnal, Bible, and prayer book, so I listened more than participated.  Someone gave a short history of the church after the service.  Then, we went to a collation, which is the same as our "fellowships", for coffee and sandwiches.
On April 30, 1680, the ship, Richmond, from London, dropped anchor off Oyster Point in the new province of Carolina, a new site, having been moved from Albemarle Point.  On orders from King Carles,II, the settlement was re-named Charles Town. The Richmond also brought forty-five Huguenots-French Protestant refugees from France's continuing religious persecutions. They had fled to England and waited for months for transportation to a land where they could work and worship in peace and freedom.  King Charles subsidized these skilled people in their effort to establish, on British territory, crops and industries that had been French monopolies.
This church, still standing on the original site on the corner of Queen and Church Streets was founded by these refugees, and later augmented by other groups.  There is quite a history of fires, closings, different ministers, and firemen blowing up this particular church to make gaps in the flames of a fire in 1796 which started in the loft of a nearby stable, spread, leaving many homeless.
 Mural tablets placed around the walls in memory of individuals helped stave off financial crisises.  Many
prominent americans of both North and South who share a Hueguenot heritage have murals on these walls.
A good worship experience, different, but the word was shared.
Now to another experience, my first ever.  Last night we attended the first night of Charleston Fashion Show Week.  Huge white tents set up on the lawn of Marion Square, downtown, and hundreds of people, dressed every which way, some quite tasteful, others awful, basically anything you wore would be okay.  We did dress up a little.
We were treated to runway showings from three boutiques and five new designers.  Most of the clothes were beautiful and something ordinary people would wear, but some were outlandish, and you wonder who would buy them.  The models, not one of them would weigh a hundred pounds, even those that were six feet tall, had that gaunt, pale, expressionless look, which you expect from professional models, but the clothes looked so elegant on them.
On Saturday night, a winner, will be chosen from the sixteen semi-finalist emerging designer competition
East.  We were given the opportunity to pick our favorite last night-mine didn't win.  It was a fun night for us, but we are sure this was not something Charles Kuralt did or wrote about in his book.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Revisiting America

Picking up where I left off (quite some time ago) on the way to Charleston:
Lou had eaten at The Lady & Sons in Savannah before but I had not.  So we took the time to run into downtown and had lunch there.  We were rushed because of our parking meter and trying to be on Kiawah Island before 5:00 pm.  But it was worth the effort.  We had the buffet and it was delicious. 
Even with the buffet, they serve you a cheese biscuit and a hoecake before your meal and dessert after.
Lou had the banana pudding and I had Paula's original recipe "gooey" cake.  Good and gooey.  Quite an array of choices on the buffet line - the "fried" corn was great, a particular favorite of mine.  None of the Deens were about, but we didn't really expect them to be.  And we arrived on Kiawah a little after four. This week has been fun.  Started with a horse-drawn carriage ride.  The drivers are in grey "confederate" pants with a red sash, white shirt, and a Rebel soldier's hat.  Our driver was Steve and our horse was George.  George was a very big horse - lightly mottled gray - a French Percheron that we were told is spoiled rotten.  Steve and George both handled their jobs extremely well.  Interesting tour with a lot of the history of Charleston.  The Battery was part of the drive as well as Rainbow Row, Broad Street, and several old and historic churches.  Charleston isn't called the "Holy City" for nothing - 184 (guide book) to 188 (Steve) church spires are present in the skyline.  Not to mention all of the churches, many of them, on the surrounding islands and in the countryside.  After the ride, we had lunch at Hyman's Seafood, a Charleston "must do," but I was a little disappointed.  The shrimp po' boy was good but not unusually so.  From there, we drove to the harbor and boarded a ferry boat for a ride around the city and islands.  We saw Ft. Sumter, Ft. Moultrie, the Battery, and lots of interesting sights including the aircraft carrier Yorktown.  The state of South Carolina is named the Palmetto State because of the Civil War action at Ft. Moultrie.  It seems that the fort was constructed of palmetto logs which are quite spongy.  The cannon balls of the Union Army either lodged in the logs or bounced off.  The Rebels would then harvest the cannon balls and shoot them back.  Great story, huh?  Apparently, it's true and a fascinating part of the history of the state.  What other tree can claim that kind of glory? There's another tree with a claim to fame in the area.  On Thursday, we stopped at Angel Oak park on the way home.  Angel Oak is a live oak that is 1,500+ years old.  It would have sprouted before Columbus' voyage.  The statistics on the tree are amazing:  its age, height of 65 feet, diameter of spread of 160 feet, trunk circumference of 25 feet, and it covers 17,100 square feet of ground.  Remember the last line of Kilmer's poem, "But only God can make a tree."?  And this is a magnificent tree.
Tuesday was an off-day.  Then on Wednesday we went to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens - another one of the Charleston "must do"s.  This one was worth it.  The plantation and gardens have been in the Drayton family for 11 generations.  This is the third house on the property.  The first two houses were destroyed by fires.  The current house was originally a hunting camp house (rather a large one) that was disassembled, floated down the Ashley River, and reassembled at the current site.  We toured the house and it was very impressive.    During the 20s "jazz age" one of the guests was Orson Welles.  We also took the boat tram up the Ashley and saw some interesting wildlife.  Moor hens, anhingas (the "snake" bird), egrets, herons, and lots of alligators, a couple of them huge.
Thursday was Charleston City Market day.  Several large, open, brick buildings lined up one behind the other make up the market.  Inside the buildings are "stalls" selling everything from jewelry to the famous sweetgrass baskets.  Art, carvings, photography, old signs, and food were for sale.  We sampled the benne seed wafers, a Charleston favorite, and they were delicious.  On the way home, we ate dinner at The Fat Hen on John's Island.  We had a nice window table in a corner of the glassed-in front porch and enjoyed the light and openness.  Dinner was excellent and our waiter, Hy, was great.  We had an appetizer of fried green tomatoes, and shared a dessert of lemon coconut cream cake.  To die for.  Lou's entree was salmon with Bearnaise sauce and mine was mahi mahi with a great sauce and locally grown vegetables.  Yesterday and today were spent resting up for next week.  We already have tickets to three evening events and will share our adventures with you in our next postings.  Charleston is great.
Janie

Revisiting America

While   preparing my cholesterol breakfast this morning( I allow myself that at least once a week, sausage,biscuit, eggs, jam) the smoke alarm,which is veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy sensitive, went off and I immediately flashed back to the Extended Stay motel in New Orleans, but thank goodness the only head that came out of the door was Janie's, who, it being Saturday morning, was trying to sleep in;  I expected firemen to come rushing through the door with their pickaxes, but my only consolation is, the fire trucks on the island are white, so the whole episode would have been less conspicuous in the neighborhood.  Small favors are appreciated.
Forgot to mention, since we're on the subject of food, we came  through Savannah and visited "Paula Dean and Sons Restaurant";  she is so very popular with so many people.  Reservations are expected, but we had no way to make one, so we walked up to the booth, asked, and was refused.  I guess the disappointed expressions on our faces, or the fact that we told her about our trip and she was sorry for us, or, wanted the publicity for the restaurant, she said to wait a minute and she would see what she could do for us.  She did, and we ate a wonderful meal, buffet, southern fried chicken, any thing you would want.  So good, and we do recommend it.
Our carriage ride and harbor tour, a good combination because it was cheaper, was excellent.  Our licensed tour guide, Steve, in confederate uniform(really, just a red sash) was pleasant and very knowedgeable, but to be liciensed there are certain rules, regulations, and tests.  At least he was able to control the huge horse, George, and mention all in the script.  Passed many churches and was able to understand why Charleston is called the "Holy City" because there are over 180 steeples in the city.  Beautiful streets, homes of many colors,  the battery, a row of houses on the waterfront, and we did pass athe home of the founder of "Piggly Wiggly," and naturally. iron pigs decorated the front of the house.
In order to do the three most improtant things recommended by the Carriage people, their tour, eat at Hyman's seafood restaurant(voted the most popular sefood restaurant in the Southeast, I don't know by whom) and see the Mangolia plantation and gardens, we went to Hyman's for lunch before the harbor tour.
You meet the most interesting people when you carry extra packs of Sweet and Low in your purse.  Two nicely dressed ladies came in the restaurant, and I overheard one tell the other, "they have no Sweet and Low",so, I chimed in and told her I had some in my purse.  She could not stop thanking me, and when the other lady passed by our table, she thanked me profusely.  Really, I'm expecting to get a "thank-you" note any day now.  The food was delicious, a shrimp po-boy, with at least 20 shrimp, a foot-long bun, slaw, hush-puppies.  Ample food to get us through the harbor tour. 
Did you know that Charleston Harbor (was once the playground of Blackbeard, or that South Carolina became known as the Palmetto State because of a battle fought at Fort Moultrie, or that the Boston Tea Party -because Charleston defied England first-happened here on James Island, or that the Civil War began with a cannon shot fired on Fort Sumter, or did you know when it
was fired?  (All these questions came off a brochure)  But, they were all answered on the 90 minute-narrated boat tour as we cruised past many historic landmarks, the Yorktown, Fort Sumter, Cooper River Bridge, the Battery.  Perfect weather, very pleasant.  ( I didn't answer all the questions, but the answers are available on the internet.)
Another day took us to Magnolia Plantation and gardens.  Beautiful home, not quite the look of the usual plantation home(pictures are forthcoming).  This home has been the ancestral home of the Drayton family since 1676, now the home to the eleventh generation, believed to be the only plantation in the state under the original family ownership from such an  early date.  A piece of  Charleston history, having played a part in the colonial settlement, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. Our guided tour gave us a beautiful look at the family, home, and gardens.  The 30 acres of the garden, considered by many to be the most beautiful garden in the world, has the distinction of being the oldest major public garden in America.  I only walked a little bit in the garden, and wondered about all these claims, because it didn't seem all that grand having seen Bellingraph and Victoria Gardens.  Maybe I didn't go far enough into the gardens.  One thing that I liked about the grounds around the plantation was the naturalness-not so manicured that you were afraid to step out of bounds.
All my life I have had the opportunity to go to McIntosh bluff and see an alligator, and here at the Magnolia plantation, I paid to take a nature boat tour, and filmed a dozen alligators.  It just seemed the thing to do.  We did see unusual wild creatures of the refuge.  These canals went through the 150 acre former rice field.
Just one more thing.  The Old City Market downtown, built in 1841, was like many others, but a must see.  Many small booths, vendors, and everything from paintings,  to linens, to jewelry, ceramics, but the most noticable were the hundreds of sweetgrass baskets;  every size, shape, and price, and many being woven as we watched.  This craft is a tradition, passed from one generation to another.  There is no
"Weaving Sweetgrass for Dummies" book.  No secrets of the craft are shared.  They're historic as well as becoming increasingly rare.  The design, hand-stiching, and shapes are a treat to  see, and the fact that a basket can take anywhere from 12 hours to three months to complete makes each basket very unique.
In addition to many family members pursuing other career interests, large-scale land devlopment has overtaken many of the wild marshes and swamps where sweetgrass grows, making the grass harder to find.  This art has changed from a practical tool to a fine art that represents their rich heritage and meticulous skill.  Once sold in the early 1900's for several dollars, can now command a price from less than $100 to $20,000.  There are examples in the Smithsonian.
To close;  we are enjoying the most  beautiful weather, the scenery ever-changing, the beach almost private, and I'm still amazed at the number of people working to keep everything emaculate.  Walking several mornings ago mowers were running before daylight, working with their lights on.  Such a beaautiful place.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Revisiting America

Where were we?
It's been so long since I blogged I'm not sure where to begin, other than to say I've renamed this area, "slow country", rather than "low country", because we're even slower paced here than in Key West.
So, I've bogged down rather than "blogged" down.  Enough of that!
I do have a schedule of up-coming events. 
A carriage ride around Charleston as well as a harbor tour, a visit to the Charleston Museum, America's first museum,  Fort Sumter, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, the Hunley submarine, Yorktown battleship, a concert, " The Sound of Charleston",featuring jazz, gospel, spirituals, Gershwin, Civil war songs, another production called, "Moments of Joy", that looks more like a gospel music concert(which will be great), an evening at Charleston Fashion Week which will feature award-winning designers, as well as a "runway" showing from local boutiques.  And I'm sure the last week here will be a catch-up time to not leave out something important.
We are really taking to heart the fact that Kuralt didn't do an awful lot while in Charleston, so we are following suit.
The weather very pleasant, cool and sunny, a little rain, not like the downpours at home, and warming to high 70's this week which will make it nice for our excursions.
So, until I report on all these activities, enjoy every day, whatever comes your way! 

Friday, March 4, 2011

Revisiting America

As of Tuesday, March 1, we're staying on Kiawah Island outside of Charleston, South Carolina.  The next chapter begins..........
It was very hard to leave Key West, our newfound friends there, and our house on the canal.  The consolations are that we are on a lagoon, near the ocean, and have a great cottage - 2 bedrooms; 2 baths; fireplace in the sitting room which is furnished very nicely; full kitchen with dishwasher, JennAir stove, full complement of dishes, silverware, and glassware; two back porches, one with screening, a table, and chairs; and a small front porch.  Really lovely place.  We have watched birds land on the lagoon - a pelican and a duck - fish jumping, and birds flying around and over.  (No Iggy, though.)  Since we have an electric dishwasher now, I was afraid that my usefulness might suffer.  Then I started cataloging all of our trip receipts, memorabilia, business cards, etc.  I then determined that I am not only the techie, I am also the accountant (God help us!) and the archivist.  So there.
We left Key West early on Sunday morning, the last day of February, and arrived in Charleston on the first day of March as planned.  There were some delays on the first leg of the trip, though.  We ran into two forest fires that made driving conditions hazardous because of the smoke accumulation. The first time, the delay was about two hours, and we were made to drive a distance of about twelve miles to another entrance to I-95.  That route was still blocked, so we drove back exactly the way we had come.  After making that loop, we were finally directed to another highway that took us out of the way but finally got us back to I-95 North.  The other "fire" delay was much shorter and had no alternate routes.
We finally got to Jacksonville about 7:00 pm, checked in to the motel, then went to dinner before going to the room.  Early night because we were quite tired.
Visited with our nephew and his family, Will and Janet Dickey.  Had coffee and orange juice with them, then stayed to talk a little more after Janet had to leave for work.  So good to see them.  It had been quite a few years for me.  The last part of the trip to Charleston was uneventful.  We were really happy with the resort area and our cottage.  Very nice and very comfortable.  Lou and I both were amazed at how many people work at the resort.  There are several shopping areas, 5 golf courses, pools, tennis courts,
beaches, roads, trails to walk or bike on, etc.  There were people working on houses, parking lots, trees, greens, shops, etc.  We made the comment that everytime a leaf falls, someone is there to blow it away with one of those backpack machines.  Loud, but effective.
Unpacked the car Tuesday night and sorted and straightened on Wednesday.   The drive to the island was beautiful.  A little two-lane country road bounded on both sides by towering, spreading trees covered with long strands of moss (we think they are oaks).  Some of the trees are so close to the road that they carry signs that reflect the light.  Otherwise, there would be a lot of damaged cars and trees.  Just thank God that all of those beautiful trees were not cut when they built the road.  Also, very tall pine trees, some palms, and lots of other vegetation.  There were also open areas with marsh land and low-growing vegetation so that you could see a lot of blue sky.  So different from Key West.  More like the marshy/swampy areas around New Orleans.
Yesterday, we went into Charleston on a mission.   We located the address of the coffee house where we will attend an art exhibit tonight.  Thought that would make it easier for us today.  We've viewed some of the artist's works online at rebeccahinson.com.  Will tell you more after the event.  Then we went to Sam's and Walmart for grocery shopping.  Hopefully, we bought enough food to last the month because grocery shopping is not that much fun.  Deadly dull, in fact.
Today has been spent in ordinary daily activities just as if we were back home.  But we're not.  I still have to pinch myself sometimes to realize that, yes, we are actually making the trip instead of talking about doing it.  So far, everything has been wonderful.  New Orleans with all of its food, street scene, art, and music.  Key West with its laid-back atmosphere, conches, Iggy, miles and miles of water and awesome sunsets, and food.  Now Charleston, with all of its low-country charm and all of the fascinating things we can discover here.  Can't wait to tell you more as we explore.
Janie

Revisiting America

Good morning!
Seems like weeks since I've blogged.  We've been so busy getting settled in our new place. 
Left Key West, very reluctantly,  at 6:24 a.m. Monday morning, February 28( very good timing we thought because we had set our departure time for 6:00 a.m.).  We were so thrilled that Brooke, our neighbor, saw our house lights on and came out as we were leaving to give us addresses because we were not able to see them on Sunday and properly say good bye.  Such a nice family, Brad, Brooke, Cade, and Braden Miles.
An apology before I completely leave Key West.  Re-reading my last blog, I wrote Bog Coppitt Baptist Church, which could be okay because there are many bogs in Key West, but the proper name for the church is Big Coppitt Baptist Church.  Sorry!
Knowing we wanted to be in Jacksonville for the night, we didn't stop except to eat, wrong.  We were delayed, re-routed, and re-routed, for almost two hours because of a fire, north of the Mims, Titusville area, and we never knew the cause, but the fire created a lot of confusion for the police and assisting personnel. (As I'm typing Janie is talking to our sister, Shirley, about the fire, she had seen it on the news, so this fire was also a woods fire.) We were so pleased to be on our way again when traffic started slowing and smoke became thicker, another fire, a a woods fire.  We were able to drive through this but at a much slower speed.  Finally, we reached Jacksonville, called our nephew, Will Dickey, to set a time to meet, disregarded our thoughts of a light meal and ate at Red Lobster, crashed early, and got a good nights sleep.
We were actually off the interstate on the street going to Will's house, so it was easy to find.  So glad we were there early enough to see Janet before she left for work, it was Will's day off.  Had a great time visiting over several cups of coffee.  Matt, the oldest son, a junior in college, Brian, a junior in  high school( he was asleep, at home, because of testing for certain classes).  Lovely home, seemingly at ease with their lot in life, plans for the future.  We left feeling so good about our visit with Will and Janet.
Arrived in Charleston, or Kiawah Island, about 4:00, got our key,(this is really an up-scale community).
a pass for the vehicle, and finally got to our house.  A gated community, beautiful wooded landscape, a limb falls and someone picks it up, every kind of lodging situation, villas, condos, houses, apts, all being readied for the summer season.  Our condo is a great space: two bedrooms and baths, lovely sitting area, fireplace, utility room with washer- dryer, wonderful kitchen, spacious porch and a screened porch.  Wow!  All for the price we paid for our extended stay place in New Orleans.  We're learning.!  Thanks to Lou Ann ( my wonderful daughter-in-law, you'll know all my family quite well by the time this adventure is over) for telling us about VRBO(vacation rental by owner).  We've booked several of our next months in this way.
Wednesday was spent unpacking, getting organized, and planning our rest of the week activities.  I know you're asking, "Why are they lugging around all that stuff, mainly clothes,?"  Well, my best answer is:  when we checked in, in our summery, white Key West clothes, people were wearing long pants, sweaters, and jackets.  Now, this morning, the temperature was in the fifties, wind chill factor at 38, and wind, 15 miles per hour.  How nice to be able to unpack just what we needed.  So, we'll continue to pack and unpack everywhere we go.  We're a half-mile from the beach, we have access to all twelve miles of it, and all I have to do is drive to it, or I can walk, but it wouldn't look so good in my swim-sun-bathing attire( we have to keep up appearances, there are certain rules and regulations, and I wouldn't want to be asked to leave).
Wilene and Burl Quimby have a cousin in the Dillon, South Carolina area,  who has an artist-granddaughter that is having a showing of her work, in downtown Charleston, tonight from 5:30 until 8:00.  We've made the connection, and plan to go.  Hope we'll meet someone who knows someone mentioned in the book, we can't forget our mission.  Talked to Jane McNeil on the phone and can't wait to meet her.  Thanks Quimby for making this possible for us.
My morning walks started Wednesday-partly through a residential area, by tennis courts, stores, golf courses, and then a clearing of marsh land, and a view that points to the ocean; you can see forever.
I just want to keep walking to see what's beyond the next curve, but have to save energy to get back.  This area is just too beautiful-just like the pictures you see on postcards, magazines, and brochures.  But, they still can't capture the real beauty of it.  You just have to see it to believe it!
Okay, time to plan lunch, which will be a little late because of our plans to go into Charleston, and we won't have time to eat before we leave at 4:30.  Have I told you, I'm the cook, and Janie is the dish-washer, techie.  How nice that we have a dishwasher here, so she may have to assume other duties, just kidding.
Will talk to you soon, and thanks again for encouraging us to blog,  We love what we're doing.