Charleston in All Her Glory

I cannot even imagine life in this house.

or this one.  My first thought is that's a lot of cleaning and then I remembered if you live here, you probably have "help".

A lot of the older homes do have real gas lights.  That kind of worries me.

I know what kind of money built these homes, but I do wonder where the money comes from today to buy them.  There were a few For Sale signs around.

This lady was getting a face lift

While we were planning this trip, I had seen a "Man Vs. Food" on the Food Network that featured a restaurant just outside of Charleston, that was on the water, that brought  streamed oysters to your table on what looked to me, like an old coal shovel.  Yummy.  So, Terry had been on Restaurant.com looking for a coupon.  The month of September, they sold out.  So he did get one for October.  If you are not familiar with that website, you can get really good deals for cheap.  For instance,  you can get a $25.00 voucher for $20.00 but they then have 75-80% off so it will then only cost you $4.00.  That kind of thing.  

Well, off we go.... I have been wanting fresh seafood that is not fried. (We are in the south you know.)  We have to travel a bit to get to this restaurant, where the road becomes a mud fest and then there is a worn out sign that says "Not open Sunday and Monday".   It's Monday..... oops.  It was in the small print.   He bought a second one to use in Savannah that did say "not good on holidays".  We never gave Columbus Day any thought, but the restaurant did so we couldn't use that one either. 

 

That is how we wound up in this little restaurant/bar with this gorgeous TV on the wall by us.  When it is off, it's a mirror. 

Right across the street was the City Market. Building after building of all kinds of stuff.  Gullah sweetgrass baskets for sure.

I did find another Charleston print to go on my wall. 

The next morning we headed off for  Drayton Hall, built in 1738 -1742,  just outside of Charleston.  I had been wanting to see it since we lived in South Carolina, but hadn't yet gone.  It's the next stop on this journey.

Oh. My. Goodness.   Vacations are exhausting.  We really did a lot in the days we were gone, but how can you be in a car for hours and still be to tired to move?  

Our trip took us through Jacksonville, N.C., Myrtle Beach,  Charleston and on into Savannah.  Terry always drives while I sit with the camera in my lap.  Still, there are sights you see along the way that go by too fast to capture.  Those are the ones that we look at each other and say, "Did you see that?"  But, a few I did get.

Near Camp Lejeune  this was the first of many times I raised my camera.  The side window says "Picking up my Hero"......  Doesn't that just warm your heart?

We have not been to Myrtle Beach since we took our girls there for Spring Break in 1992.  That was the year Daughter #1 graduated from high school. Her friends were going places, but this Mama would not let her go party alone, so she invited a friend and we all went on Break together.  The other girls were 7 and 9.  Boy, have things changed.   I know I'm an old fuddy duddy when all the traffic and commotion is too much for me.  I have not seen so many miniature golf courses and seafood buffets located in one area.  (I'll have more about our buffet experience in days to come.)

So on to Charleston we drove.  The closer we got, the more we saw the sweetgrass baskets, for sale,  on the side of the road. 

They were originally made by the Gullah ladies of the Carolina low country. 

Like Myrtle Beach, we have not been back to Charleston since we lived in South Carolina in the early 90s. It is still as wonderful as I remembered it.

 

Does anyone have any idea what kind of car this is?  It was a taxi at the Francis Marion Hotel. 

I never get tired of looking at this old architecture

 

Is this not the most subdued Margaritaville you've ever seen? 

Tomorrow we'll do some more sight seeing in Charleston.  So many beautiful homes.  The City Market and more.

 So much to see and so little time to do it in.