Charleston, SC pt.1

 A week has gone by since my last post. We have done a lot in that week making four trips to Charleston and another to Beaufort. Charleston is about an hour and a half ride from here so we put some miles on the truck. Our first trip was last Wednesday. We had intentions of going on the tour of Fort Sumter but we got to the dock too late to get the ferry so we went on a walking tour of the city. Charleston is one of the oldest cities in the south and has played an important role in the history of the U.S. As a major port it was the intital destination of slave ships from south Africa until 1808 when the slave trade was banned. Rice, indigo, and cotton were the chief exports and many wealthy farmers owned a home in the city in addition to their plantation(s).
  We parked the truck near Liberty Square where the aquarium is and the departure point for Sort Sumter. It was a long walk to get to downtown and the battery. We eventually made our way to the city market.

 

  The city market runs about three city blocks east (above) to west and is a great place to pick up all sorts of local wares.

I assume the west end of the market is the main entrance:

The upper level is the Daughters of the Confederacy museum. The architecture is amazing all over town.

We walked down East Bay Street towards the battery checking out the architecture as we went.

 

  The battery is the southern extent of the city and is named for the gun placements that protected the city.

 

Of course there are many monuments to the rebels that were ultimately defeated in 1865.

After the battery we strolled down Rainbow Row which is a block of townhouses painted bright colors.

 

 

  We finished off our visit in North Charleston where we visited my Aunt Dolly who I haven't seen since my father's funeral in 2004. She is a real trooper as she is battling cancer and her disposition is so positive I am sure she will conquer her illness. My cousin Shirley came to here house while we were there and we made plans for another visit on Saturday. I hadn't seen my cousin Shirley in over 30 years and I was looking forward to spending more time with her and her family.

  On Saturday we picked up Aunt Dolly to go over to Shirley's house. Dolly is a rabid sports fan and of course a Steeler fan. She said she likes t watch the games snacking on Dr. Pepper and potato ships so I had to hook her up and bring her some.  We  got to my cousin's house and in the garage was a ping pong table. Ping pong runs in the Karanzas blood and Aunt Dolly still has game. I hope I have as much spunk when I am 76 years old not to mention battling cancer. We played a game and I squeezed out a two point win. I played my cousin's 21 year old son and he took two out of three from me. It was a nice visit and it was great seeing Shirley, Rusty, John, and Aunt Dolly.