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.

 

 

 

 

 



Parris Island, SC

 

  We spent Monday at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island. The island is open to the public and it is free. There is a Marine Corps museum that traces the history of the Corps from its founding on November 10, 1775 to the present day.

 

 

The museum is impressive and it took us a few hours to go through it. Upon entrance the visitor enters a rotunda with a miniature version of the Iwo Jima monument.

The circumference of the rotunda depicts the first settlements of the Spanish on the island and surrounding area. Parris Island, Port Royal,  and Beaufort harbor were actually the northern extent of Spanish Florida in the 1500's. Through the years is has been pivotal during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The exhibit takes you to the early part of the 20'th century when the U.S. Navy built dry docks on Parris Island, a brig, and an airfield. The complex was eventually turned over to the Marine Corps in time for U.S. involvement in WW1 at which time it was being used for recruit training. This was a critical time for the Corps because many wanted the Corps absorbed by the navy.

  Anyway the exhibits were informative and there was a display for every action the Marines have been involved in. I found all the weapons and uniforms used by the Marines through the years fascinating.

 

This is a Maxim machine gun which is actually a German weapon. I suppose they used captured guns and it is the same gun held by Iron Mike, the famous statue on the base. Iron Mike was dedicated in 1924 to all the marines who gave their life for their country:

 

After going through the museum we went on the Iron Mike driving history tour. You follow signs around the island and can read about the points of interest in a pamphlet. There is a golf course, RV park, boat launch, history and nature trails and monuments along the tour. The tour ends at the most famous landmark associated with the Marine Corps. This is of course the Iwo Jima Monument. It was sculpted in the likeness of the Pulitzer Prize winning photo taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal:

 

This sculpture actually predates the one outside Arlington National Cemetery and was used to raise money for the bronze version there. It commemorates the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima after a one month battle in which over 6,000 marines were killed in action.  Iwo Jima saw the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to more men than any battle in history; 27 total of which 22 were marines.

 

 

It was a good day and it made you proud to be American. To quote President Eisenhower: "Uncommon valor was a common virtue."









Beaufort, SC and the drive-in

Nothing much to post about. We are just taking it easy. I haven't recieved my first retirement check yet so we are keeping an eye on finances until I do. We went down to Beaufort again. That is where we have to go to get anything we can't get at the local convenience stores here. It is a nice little town with a waterfront and shops and restaurants.

Last night we went to the drive- in movies at Highway 21 Drive-In. We saw a double feature for $7! Can't beat that. It was Rush and Runner Runner. Rush was about Formula 1 racing in the 1970's and the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Some good racing sequences but the beginning is kind of slow. Runner Runner is a Ben Affleck flick about off shore on-line gambling. Ben plays the rich embezzeling villain which is a nice departure for him and Justin Timberlake is the naive math whiz who cracks the scam and becomes the patsy- or so Ben thinks. So-so film that I wouldn't have paid full price for in the theatre.
  Now that the government shut down is over we plan on going to Charleston so I should have plenty to post about. Until then I got the Steelers on today looking for win #2. We have the Cardinals and Red Sox in the series- again. I'll watch if there is nothing else on. The Penguins are off to a tremendous start with Sidney Crosby getting two or three points a game. This is his best start since his rookie year and hopefully he can go injury free this season. Of course it is all meaningless when you get swept out of the playoffs.

A Round of Golf

  Well, I finally got out to play some golf Monday. Is there s better way to celebrate Columbus Day? I was looking on line for a place to play and found a course in Hardeeville, SC which is about 30 miles from where we are. There is nothing around here and most of the courses near Beaufort are private. I use Golfnow and Ezlinks to look for bargains and I found one. It is a Tommy Fazio design called Hilton Head Lakes. And for a $20 greens fee with cart I couldn't go wrong.

  It is the prototypical golf course community that is unfinished with a house here and a house there. The course was nice and wide open which suited me fine this day. I played my usual up and down round: par, bogey, quad bogey, triple bogey, etc. Five pars; eight bogie's; five "others" for a 94. I was paired up with Al for the first 9. Al was 81 years old and lives in Sun City right down the road towards Hilton Head. Al could really hit the ball plus he was a nice guy. Retired Air Force and has been here for about ten years. Al said this course was taken over by new owners a few years ago and were trying to make a go of it. It was formerly Tradition National Golf Course.

Al was only playing nine so I hooked up with a twosome in front of me for the second nine. Scott and Brandon were on vacation from Greensboro, NC. Nice enough fellas but Brandon was one of those guys who hits a second ball every tee box because he sliced or shanked his first one.
  All in all it was a nice day even though the sun never emerged. The wind started to kick up the second nine and I thought it might actually rain but it didn't. I would definitely go back again for $20.

  There was a lot of water of course and I found it right off the first tee. My driver veered right and caught the edge of the lake. Needless to say I only used my driver two more times the rest of the round. I didn't find any more water until the last hole; a long par 4 with a creek fronting the green. The wind was really blowing and I had about 200 to the green for my second so I laid up about 30 yards short of the creek. I duffed my third right into the creek but when I got closer I was actually on the edge of the bank. So with one foot almost in the water and the ball about an inch or two back of my right foot I knocked a sand wedge on the green and two putted for a double.

Savannah, GA

  On Friday we went to Savannah and spent the entire day there. After a 45 minute drive we got into Savannah about 11:45 AM. Not the early start I had hoped for but in hind sight it was plenty of time. We took a guided trolley tour of the historic district which measures one mile by one and a half miles. The tour lasted about 90 minutes and was very informative and our guide was quite entertaining.

 
  Anyway, Savannah is not that big. There are 22 city squares and they all start to look alike after a while. Each one is dedicated to some sort of historical figure or another like the founders of Savannah, war heroes, etc.

 

 One square with a fountain:

 





After taking the trolley tour we were famished so we made our way to River Street which is where in the olden days the ships docked to load and unload their cargo. Now it is shops and restaurants of course.

 

The Savannah River (The town is named for the river):

 

The cotton exchange was also located here where almost all of the cotton grown in the south was sent by ship all over the world. We walked until we saw something not too upscale for a burger and a beer. We saw a sign the read "the coldest cheapest beer in town" so we stopped and had a late lunch alfresco on the cheap. Doreen struck up a conversation with some guy from Wisconsin while I was ordering lunch: (yes, that is an old Yuengling sign in the window)

 

 

  If you are into architecture and colonial design then this is the place for you. It is amazing that Savannah remained intact and unscathed during the Civil War and it has been maintained meticulously ever since. (the city was abandoned when General Sherman entered the city without a fight to prevent its destruction such as what happened to Atlanta).

City hall with its 23 carat gold dome:

Savannah is popular for movies also. Scenes from Forest Gump and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil were shot here. They actually put the bench that Forest sat on waiting for the bus in a museum.

 

There was a shoot going on while we were there. Good old Sponge Bob Square Pants gets another installment and there were streets closed during shooting.

 

 

 

  As you can see I finally was able to post pictures from my camera. No small feat because I had to import them to Picasa, resize them, and e-mail them to myself. Thanks to Tori Nyman who gave me the tip. I thought I had my camera on the lowest resolution but apparently I didn't.
  All in all Savannah is a pretty neat place and I recommend it as a day trip if you are in the area.

Salutations from the Palmetto State

  Today is Monday 10/7. We arrived here in South Carolina Friday about 3:30 PM. We left western North Carolina about 10 AM. Our plans are screwed by the government shutdown- we never made it to Smoky Mountain NP and we had plans of visiting Fort Sumter and all the cool places in Charleston, SC. That will all have to wait.
  We are at the KOA in Yemassee, SC. It is about an hours drive to either Charleston or Savannah and we are close to Hilton Head, Beaufort, and Bluffton. We decided to stay here for a month because it is a good base; however there is not a lot to do not in the immediate area. The campground is fabulous. The sites are spacious and shaded and the staff is very friendly.

We were suprised to find out they have a pizza parlor and a wine and coffee bar right here. They even have wine tastings six nights a week. Of course that was perfect on Friday when we got in. We set up, got cleaned up and headed over for some pizza and wings and did the wine tasting. They also have a pool and there is an awesome secluded lake with a nice path going all the way around it. Maybe I can actually catch a fish. I will be on the look out for gators though.

 

 The temperatures have been in the high eighties and the pool water is about 60. It is ice cold! I learned that you just go all in. The campground is deserted so I have had the whole pool to myself. Most people it seems stop for the night or the weekend and move on.

  Well, it looks like rain for the next two days. (although the sun is shining now) A good time to replenish our provisions plus take care of other issues. We had a mishap at our last stop. One of the wardrobe drawers came undone during transit and broke right off the track. Of course the one's at Lowes or Home Depot don't fit so I have to find them on line. I also want to get a water filter because I refuse to buy bottled water to drink. Doreen also is on a mission to find Pepsi and/ or Mountain Dew Throwback since that is the only soda (pop) she can drink.

  How ABOUT THOSE BUCCOS! I can't wait to see if they play the Braves in the NLCS. Wouldn't that be ironic: a chance at retribution for 1992. The Pens are off to their usual great start. I will miss not having the NHL center ice package. I must have watched 80 percent of the games the last several years. The closest sports bar is in Beaufort. Hopefully I can catch the game Tuesday agaisnt Carolina since the Pirates are off, hopefully awaiting their next opponent.

Miles this leg: 286.7

Total miles: 1343.0





The Day at Biltmore Estate

  Today is Wednesday 10/2/13. It is a glorious day in Woodfin, NC. The Pittsburgh Pirates won their first post season game in 21 years last night and will face the Cardinals in a best of five division series round. Thank God for the Pirates because the Steelers are woeful. At least I have some type of sports entertainment.
  Today we visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Biltmore is the largest private residence in the country built by George W. Vanderbilt in 1895. It is an absolutely amazing edifice. The house is modeled in the style of a French chateau but there isn't a chateau in all of France this grand.

It is hard to believe it was built at the turn on the 20'th century when things such as electricity, refrigeration, central heat, and the telephone were in their infancy but are all built into the home. There are acres of gardens and lawns that were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who laid out Central Park in New York City among the 8000 acres. He also helped in the selection of the site because Vanderbilt wanted to maintain open spaces and have magnificent views from different areas of the house such as the loggia off the library and tapestry room.

  I won't bore the reader with facts and statistics about the estate but you have got to love a guy who has a: billiard room with secret passages; a gun room; a 23,000 volume two storey library; a seven storey banquet hall; a smoking room; an indoor bowling alley; an indoor 70,000 gallon swimming pool (that had to be emptied and refilled after only a few days because there was no filtration system back then); 65 fireplaces; an entire bachelor's wing; and a stable with running water and heat. (which is now a restaurant where we ate lunch in one of the stalls. Just call me Mr. Ed).
  Mr. Vanderbilt passed away in 1914 and his wife Edith opened the estate to the public in 1930 during the Depression to support the local economy. Their only child Cornelia would eventually become the owner with her husband, the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil. The descendants still own the property and I am sure make a nice profit at $44 to $59 a head for admission. There is also a winery and of course wine tastings that are included with the admission along with access to all the gardens. I'll take grapes over flowers any day.
 Until next time: in vino veritas.