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