South Carolina

Our "yard" in Charleston

I honestly don't know why, but I have been constantly surprised at how green and beautiful the south is. I'm not sure what, exactly, I expected but this has been a pleasant surprise. And...since the summer sauna season hasn't begun, the weather is quite comfortable and the bugs are at a minimum. 

Beautiful park along the water.

Charleston, SC has a lot of similarities with Savannah but is livelier. 

There are still many beautifully restored 100+ year old homes but there are more modern era buildings in the mix. The pace here is also quite different…much more hustle and bustle.  

This is the house we toured.

We took a tour of one of the homes in Charleston and, while it was beautiful and interesting, it truly would have driven me crazy to live there. The owner (an attorney) and his family do, in fact, reside in the house and are said to do quite a bit of entertaining but it is hard to believe anyone can be truly comfortable there. The place is absolutely packed with antiques from all manner of place and time. If it weren’t for the value of the items one would consider it a hoarding problem requiring intervention. Heck…maybe it is anyway. The walkways between pieces of furniture would not accommodate a very large person and every antique table had so much stuff on it I couldn’t see how you could even set a drink down. Interestingly, while there were sculptured plants, statuary and a small pond with fountains on the grounds, there was no grass or spot where one could sit and enjoy the sun.   

Ft. Sumter was an amazing spot to visit. It is on Sullivan’s Island in the middle of Charleston Bay and 150 years ago, this is where the first shot of the Civil War was fired when the Confederates attacked. The Union troops were out manned and out gunned but it was 34 hours before they surrendered. 

Cannon shot imbedded in the brick wall.

I thought the most interesting fact was that even though 2,000 shells pummeled the island, not one soldier was killed! The only fatality came after the surrender when a cannon that was fired at the ceremony exploded.

One of the things I really wanted to see while in the South was a plantation so we went to the Boone Hall Plantation outside Charleston for a tour. 

Small example of a cotton "field". Note the "Do Not Pick" sign!

This is actually still a working plantation though now, instead of cotton and indigo, they grow mostly peaches. Of course, there are no longer slaves doing the work.

The first thing you see as you enter the grounds is the 88 beautiful Live Oak trees that were planted in 1843 along the edges of the driveway.  As you drive up the long lane, off to the left are several small brick “houses” that were built as quarters for the house slaves and those who had special skills (carpenters, blacksmith, etc.). 

 

Slave Street

The field hands were believed to have lived in much less “comfortable” accommodations in the field. Even so, these brick buildings are only one tiny room and 8 or more people lived in each. Each cabin had a video and artifacts showing a different aspect of slave life. We also attended a talk given by a local black woman who explained a little about what it was like to be a slave in the Low Country (which is what that area is called). She also demonstrated the “Gullah” language. I’d never really thought of it before, but people were brought from many different countries to be slaves so they not only couldn’t communicate with their English speaking owners but they couldn’t even talk with each other. Thus, Gullah evolved as a conglomeration of different languages so people could speak to each other and be understood. It has a beautiful, musical sound and there is enough English in it that I was able to understand most of the poem she recited. She explained that many of the current descendants are trying to preserve the language for their children (as our Native Americans are as well) but it is difficult. It would take some real effort to be able to speak and/or understand it all and the younger generation is more interested in their iphones and video games.

Sweet Grass Basket that I bought.

Also on the grounds was a woman who was making Sweet Grass Baskets. The craft of making these baskets originated in Africa and the people who were brought to America continued the tradition in an effort to keep some of their culture alive. The baskets are absolutely beautiful and I could not resist buying one.

The main house is quite beautiful and looks exactly as the movies would have you believe it should. According to the tour guide, most plantations homes were just wooden farmhouses and that was the case on this property until 1936 when the original house was torn down and this one was built. This home was used in the filming of the mini-series North and South as well as Queen  and the film, The Notebook. The interior of the home is quite comfortable but not opulent by any means.

One day while I was doing laundry in the RV park, one of the women told me about a nearby tree that she said was a “must see”. It is called Angel Oak and is believed to be over 500 years old. She said its limbs are spread out all over the ground and is beautiful. She also said that there are white squirrels living there. Well, that did it. We couldn’t resist checking this place out.

The tree is, indeed, gigantic and is absolutely gorgeous. Over the years, some of the limbs have been propped up with boards and a lightning rod has been attached (for obvious reasons) but the tree and the forest surrounding it are stunning and very peaceful.

And, yes, there were white squirrels scampering about in the area. Abby would have gone bonkers!

After leaving Charleston, we had one more stop to make before leaving South Carolina. We drove to Dillon where we had a date to meet some "new" relatives! I have two half-sisters that I just connected with a few months ago so I & they were looking forward to meeting face-to-face. Chris & I invited them over to the RV for dinner so we would have plenty of time to visit without wait staff pushing us to move on and we had a delightful evening getting to know each other. We all had a wonderful time and Chris said he couldn't remember when he last laughed that hard. 

 

Crissy, Sandy & Trish

I don't know if or when we will see each other again but I am very happy that we found each other.  

Savannah...Savannah...Savannah

OMG! We fell totally, absolutely, head over heels in love with Savannah, GA. She is a gracious, sensuous Southern Belle of a city and we were smitten from first glance.

As soon as one enters this city the urge to s-l-o-w down is upon you and her seductive powers are palpable. 

Everywhere you turn are stunning homes with unique architecture, spiral staircases, Corinthian columns and intricate wrought iron.

The gardens are clearly planned to encourage lingering. Benches placed in shaded corners or hidden beneath massive Willow trees. Lavendar Wisteria dripping from rooftops, trellises and host trees. The sweet smells of Jasmine, Magnolia, Lilac, Honeysuckle and Roses fill the air and the nose of every passerby.

Narrow brick streets echo with the sounds of horse and carriage. Double wide sidewalks built to accommodate the hoop skirts of old. 

Beautiful parks are everywhere encouraging one to sit quietly enjoying a book or to stroll (not run) and socialize with other similarly enchanted wanderers.

Even the cemeteries encourage one to “sit a while” to remember a loved one, contemplate life or just enjoy the view.

Savannah…you are a perfectly lovely city. I hope to see you again.