Lydia and Quick Whit Take on Gettysburg! Day 1

And we're off again! This time it's with my newly-engaged friend, Lydia! Just wait to read about what we get into in just over 24 hours...

Lydia and I decided we needed a short trip away, and after weighing some options, we decided on Gettysburg. Reasons: 1. We've never been before; 2. It's only 80 miles away, much shorter than we thought!

First stop: checking into the B&B, the Historic Fairfield Inn, operating continuously since 1757! It is beautiful and adorable, and its charm simply radiates! They let us check in early (a benefit of traveling during the week!), and we put our things in the Patrick Henry Room. Again, beautiful and charming! There was a claw-foot tub in the huge bathroom, and plenty of living space. Patrick Henry stayed there in the late 1700s, and as a matter of fact, his aunt was one of the proprietors!

And we're off! Let's go to the battlefield. Since neither of us had ever been before, we didn't know the vast area, nor that there are literally hundreds of monuments there. I knew it was the biggest battle as far as number of people, but this wasn't a battle fought in someone's field... this was fought in EVERYONE's field and back yard. The town was surrounded by Confederates, then occupied by them. Many people chose to flee the small town, but several families stayed. Soldiers told the civilians to stay in their basements, and as one woman said, it was a credit to both sides that only one civilian died during the conflict, and that was by accident, not with malicious intent.

Moving on along... We were not really impressed with the huge Visitor Center/museum/cylorama (which, I found out, is a 360-degree painting), and honestly I felt like it was exploiting the battle and those who died more than honoring it. So, we decided to head over to Eisenhower's home, which, we learned, is adjacent to the battlefield(s).

So, why there? Because he was a military man, and military men like military history! He actually worked at a military base there during WWI, and after his successes in WWII, he and Mamie decided they wanted to retire in the country, and Gettysburg held positive memories for the 5-Star General. He wanted a house that had seen the battle. They found one they thought had been built in the 1850s, so it fit the bill, but come to find out, it had actually been built in 1745! So it also likely saw some Revolutionary action as well! A lot of the original house had to go, however, but they used the boards from the original wooden structure for ceilings and floors elsewhere! They also made some additions. You can see the difference in the bricks in this picture: See where the drain pipe is? Look at the bricks to the left, then the ones to the right. Very different!

Anyway, the inside was the same type of 50s and 60s style (clutter) that you might expect. But the clutter is actually pretty cool! There's a mantle from the 1860s White House (there when Lincoln--Ike's favorite president--was in the White House. Ike loved this place, and while he was president, he would bring visiting officials and dignitaries there and take them on tours of the battlefield. He wanted people to come to a home because it would make them feel, well, at home.

Back to the battlefield grounds we go! We decided that since there was a 100% chance of rain for the following day, we'd try to do as much outside stuff as we could, saving the indoor things for the next day. We walked to the Soldiers' National Cemetery, where a very rude volunteer, after asking where we were from, to which I answered Tennessee, let us know that no Confederates were buried there because the Union won the battle. Nice. Thanks for the condescending tone and reminder.

Anyway, that's where the Gettysburg Address was given, and we walked around a bit to see what was there, and off we went to see the downtown area. We walked around, found where our ghost tour was to start, and found a place for supper!

Farnsworth Tavern it is! And what a meal we had...

 Watermelon rinds (pickled) and Jennie Wade bread

Spoonbread (tastes a bit like grits)

Mr. Peabody Pembroke helped me enjoy the game pie and sweet potato pudding (to the left), and Lydia and I split the Shoofly Pie on the right! 

Next up: Ghost Tour! Hooray for cannons! This one is haunted.

Meet our tour guide: Sean of the Dead. He was great! Funny, entertaining, and from all I know, factual as well. I was really (really grossly) fascinated by his story about the smells of the area. They have these "phantom smells" that come up every now and then. You see, when the bodies from the battle died, the townspeople had to bury them. Well, being inexperienced and overwhelmed with the number of bodies, they dug shallow trenches and put the bodies in them, covering them over with dirt. A big rain storm came up a couple of days later, and guess what washed back up. Decaying, bloated, gassy dead bodies. And they smelled. They smelled so bad and for so long, people in Harrisburg, 30 miles away, could smell it! Can you imagine living in it? Especially if bodies (keep in mind this is July, one of the hottest months) had died and started rotting in your house? Oh my! People walked around with lavender- or mint-scented hankies over their noses, but who knows how well that worked! So now, there are bad phantom smells, and there are lavender and mint phantom smells. Oh my! 

And we're walking... We also saw where dead horses from the battle were burned (phantom smoke smell), as well as a house that was built in 1776. The Dobbins House. Now it's an inn and restaurant, but previously it was home to Irish Reverend Alexander Dobbin. And his wife. And their 10 children. And after the first wife dies, it was home to him, his second wife and their 9 children! The room they use as a banquet hall now was then used as one huge room for all the kids (I'm sure not all at the same time, however, since some of them would be of age to be on their own by the time some of the others were born!). So what's the ghost part? It's haunted! The home was used as a field hospital (like pretty much all the other buildings) during the battle, so many soldiers lost their lives here.

Pop quiz! What was the most common surgery during the war?

.......

Amputation! As a matter of fact, at one point there were so many limbs stacked up outside this house, they almost reached the second story window. Now the fireplaces light on their own. Just for some ghostly fun! Here's the house:

The rain had started just before the tour, but it mostly held off until after. But by the time we got to the car and started back to the B&B, it was really coming down! We got ourselves cleaned up and basically collapsed into bed. =) Whew! 

More to come! Next time we'll explore the statues and monuments of the battlefield, learn about the civilians who lived through it, and have a fine meal at the Dobbins Inn! Join us, but in the meantime, here are the pictures! 

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Walkin' in Memphis! Day 3

"Walkin' in Memphis! Walkin' with my feet 10 feet off a Beale! Walkin' in Memphis! And do I really feel the way I feel!" --Marc Cohn. Love the song!

Carol and I had the greatest time! First up: The Mighty Mississippi! Big Mud! The Nile of North America! We stopped over at Tom Lee Park, named for a black man who saw a ship capsize in the River and took his personal boat out to save several of the people onboard.

Tom Lee Memorial

And the bridge! 

And then off to the Peabody! We had a little time to spare, so we parked the car and went inside the hotel to get an eyeful of the beautiful and famous hotel. The weather wasn't too awful just yet, so we also took a jaunt down Main Street, ending up at the famously bluesy Beale, where our history tour was to start. 

And what a tour it was! We saw everything there was to see. Our guide, Michael, was very knowledgeable, and he was cool with my being a fellow tour guide. Sometimes other guides are nervous, so I just don't say anything about it, but he was doing us a favor by giving us a private tour on a day when they don't usually do tours, so I let it slip, and he was even excited about it! 

So, why is Beale Street so cool and historic? Because it was predominantly black as early as the late 1800s, and that's where the blues were born! W.C. Handy wrote the first official blues song as early as 1900. This is also a street where black people owned businesses and met with much success. Particularly in music! In the 1920s, Memphis was known as the Harlem of the South.

First fascinating fact: Memphis was founded in 1819... by Andrew Jackson! Yes, our 7th president, the only one to run the country with a balanced budget, and the first of three presidents from Tennessee founded this great city. Who knew? 

Another fascinating fact is that Memphis became a sort of safe place for runaway slaves during the Civil War because it was occupied by the Union. There was a fort where slaves could stay called Fort Pickering--built by the Confederates, occupied by the Yankees. Memphis's population quadrupled during the way, and half of those were blacks. 

In 1866, Race Riots broke out between some Irish whites and the black population. Of course things like that don't just get erased from memory, so several years later, yellow fever broke out in 1878. Legend has it, this is due to a voodoo curse put on the whites. It was believed that blacks were immune because so few of them contracted the disease, which is the same thing people believed in some cases in the 1700s and possibly earlier than that. Anyway, the fever ended in 1878. 

And now... off to the Peabody! We must see the ducks! We were just a minute or two late, but the ducks had already marched into the pond. We got some pictures there: 

And we decided we'd come back to see the ducks when they march back out at 5:00 pm. For now, up to the rooftop for the best views in town: 

"Big Muddy" is a nickname for the mighty Mississippi. Why? Because it's mucked up with silt and Aluvium! Michael, our tour guide, said people sometimes ask why we don't dam the river and use all that power. And the answer is, because it's too goopy. It would clog things up all the way to St. Louis or farther, so it's best to just let it flow! The joke is that it's too thick to drink and too thin to plow. 

So, that's the view from the top of the Peabody. But what's the big deal about this hotel? Why is it so fancy, and why is it well-known? Where did the name come from? Well the original hotel, located on Main and Monroe Streets and opened by Robert Campbell Brinkley in 1869, was named for the owner's late friend, George Peabody, in honor Mr. Peabody's contributions to the South. And actually, former President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis lived there in 1870. That hotel closed in 1923, but an exact replica of the hotel was built at the current location (Union Avenue) in1925. 

A few years went by, and in the 1930s the hotel manager thought it would be great (after a hunting trip and a few Jack Daniels) if he and his buddy brought back some live duck decoys and put them in the lobby fountain. When they awoke the next morning and realized what they'd done, they panicked! They thought the ducks would be terrorizing guests, pooping all over the place, etc., but no, they were still in the fountain, charming the guests! It's been a tradition ever since. 

But my favorite part is what happened in 1940. A Mr. Edward Pembroke, former animal trainer for the Barnum and Bailey Circus, volunteered to care for and train the ducks to march to and from the elevator. He was the first Duck Master, and he held the position until 1991. Needless to say, it's adorable! Pictures to come momentarily. Keep reading... 

Anyway, every president since Truman (current president still has a couple of years to be included) has stayed at the hotel. Elvis Presley's prom was held in one of their ballrooms in 1953, Society folk have always gone there to "be seen," several writers have written famous things there (songs, poems, novels, etc.), and actually, Elvis Presley's contract with RCA was not only written up here, but it was written on Peabody Hotel letterhead! Rumor has it that Neil Diamond wrote "Sweet Caroline" at the hotel when he got bumped from recording something else because Elvis decided to record that day, and Elvis took precedence! 

All fun facts. Hope you enjoyed them as much as I!

Moving along... Back to the river. Indians settled here centuries ago, but Spanish conquistador de Soto thought it would be great if he claimed the land for Spain and used the Indians for breeding and as warriors. That didn't exactly fly, and de Soto died a year later, across the river, of malaria. About 100 years later, French-Canadian explorer Louis Joliet came to town, but the Indians were all gone by then, likely from European diseases from de Soto and his men. 

Fast forward to the time of the American Revolution, and the area now known as Memphis was considered part of the colony of North Carolina--it was the far frontier! The years moved on, and that's when Jackson came along in 1819, made a bum deal with the Indians currently inhabiting West Tennessee, and gained Memphis for the state of Tennessee. 

And there you have it! After that, this was Cotton Country. King Cotton. That area has amazing topsoil, 50 feet down in some places. This discovery at the beginning of the 19th century and the growing market for cotton combined to mean more labor. And that happened to manifest itself in the form of slavery. In the late 1700s, people really thought slavery would go "out of style" soon, but now that there's this new need for labor, slavery seemed to be there to stay. 

Memphis became a sort of safe haven for runaway slaves both before and during the Civil War. There was a stop on the underground railroad just outside of town: The Burkle Estate, now called Slave Haven. Carol and I took a tour of the house, and it was very informative! During the war, the Union occupied Memphis, so blacks felt safer there if they could get to town. 

I know that sounds like I've bounced around a lot, and I guess I did, but I hope you followed! Anyway, we ended up our tour at what used to be Confederate Park. The name was changed to Memphis Park, but it's still more widely known as Confederate Park (even on Google). Michael was a fantastic tour guide, and I'm so glad he showed us around! We left him at Tamp & Tap, a restaurant across the street from the Peabody. We were hungry, and it was great! They even have strawberry chess squares! 

And we happened to time things just perfectly. It came an absolute downpour while we ate, but it stopped when we finished! We wanted to go to the Slave Haven museum, which was just past walking distance (especially with the possibility of more rain!), so we drove there. And we were so glad because it came a real live thunder-and-lightning storm while we were in there! Sorry, no pictures inside the museum. 

We really learned a lot at the museum. Quilt patterns had special meaning, drums were universal communication devices, and of course songs has special meaning, too. Slaves would come to this house, wait for the owner to give them the go-ahead, and RUN the distance of two blocks to the River, where a boat would be waiting for them. And then they were off. They just needed to make it to the Ohio River, and they'd be able to cross over into Canada and be free. Of course, no one kept records of how many slaves came through as runaways, and there is any number of homes on the underground railroad that we don't even know about. No one kept documentation because if any of that had been found, they'd be thrown in jail or killed! The only reason we know about this house is because of Mr. Burkle's granddaughter, who listened to her grandfather's stories as a girl and told the oral history to others in the 1970s. Fascinating! 

Again, with the threat of rain, we decided to just drive around downtown for a while and look at the buildings. They're amazing! Some of them must have such a history, but many of the businesses in the buildings have gone out of business, and no one who wants them can afford to own and maintain an historic building. Here's an example: 

Amazing building. This is the Tennessee Brewery. After a quick Wikipedia search, we discovered it was a HUGE brewery in its heyday. We heard later that someone has indeed bought this one and is planning to renovate and reopen, but WOW! What an undertaking! 

And then it was time for the ducks! We got back to the Peabody around 4:30 for the 5:00 event, and people were already filling the lobby! The Duck March was about to commence...

Getting ready...

Here they come! 

Here they are! 

And there they go!

SO CUTE! And in honor of the Duck March, I decided to make a new friend...

Please meet Mr. Peabody Pembroke! Named for the Peabody and the original Duck Master, Mr. Pembroke. He's my new travel companion. Please like him on Facebook! =) 

https://www.facebook.com/mrpeabodypembroke?ref=hl

He will be accompanying me on subsequent trips. Thanks for joining me in Memphis! Subscribe to my blog (at the top of this post) or check back in the next few days for our adventures in Gettysburg! 

More pictures are here:
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Coastin' in Collierville: Memphis Days 1 & 2

And here we are in the western most part of West Tennessee: Memphis! I flew in Tuesday afternoon, but the excitement started even earlier than that...

So there we were, all the people on the airplane and me. First leg of the trip: DCA to Newark, NJ. Business suits everywhere. And there we went, backing up from the gate. Taxiing to the runway...

BUT WAIT! A man, wearing shorts and a polo, unbuckled his seatbelt, got up, and rushed to the flight attendant. He'd left his laptop bag in the airport, right there on the seat. She made a quick call and said that as soon as we landed in Newark, they'd try to get him on the first flight back to DC to pick it up. And then we waited. And then, we started moving again--back to the gate! And we waited. And suddenly there she was, some lady doing the ground work bringing his bag to the plane! Something about having backed up his files, but his glasses were in there... a million dollars worth of material or intellectual property... and at long last, the man was reunited with his bag! And off we go!

Or do we. All of a sudden, the pilot comes over the loudspeaker and says, "Well, folks, the good news is that man got his bag back. The bad news is, our new take-off time is 11:59." We were supposed to leave at 11:18. Oh dear. Glad I had a long connection in Newark! So there we sat, waiting... Thankfully, once we did get in the air, the flight was easy and we were only 5 minutes late! Amazing!

After just over an hour in Newark, it was off to Memphis at last! Carol was waiting for me in the airport, and a happy reunion was had by all! First stop, Shelby Farms Park for paddle boating!

Paddle paddle paddle... it's hard work, but we got it done! Yes, it was hot. Yes, we were disgustingly sweaty. Yes, we saw ducklings. And yes, we were glad we did it! 

As soon as we got back to Carol's house, Carol showed me where to put my stuff and told me I should jump in the pool. Now that's a true friend. =) Her husband grilled filets, we had creamed corn (my favorite form of corn) and squash and quinoa salad, and for dessert, it was Hershey Bar Cake for us! After visiting and mapping out a plan of attack for the next day, bedtime arrived at 8:30. It was a good night! 

And what a morning! It was already muggy by 6:30, but time to run! There's a great little trail out by their house, and I explored the neighborhoods, too. Looks like a good ol' Tennessee subdivision: Beautiful, big homes, large porches and driveways, a yard--not at all like the town homes in the DC area, and quite a lower price tag as well. It's amazing what a factor location can be!

Shower, breakfast, and out the door! Next activity: Square Beans coffee shop at the Collierville Square! 

SO cute! They have old theater seats in there, pictures that were taken over a hundred years ago upstairs, and memorabilia from Collierville over the years. I wish I could go there every morning! 

We walked around the square sipping our coffee for a while. The buildings have been very well-preserved from what I could tell, and though many (but not all!) have changed owners and purposes, it seems many have been in continuous use through the years. And they have a great mural, too! 

Water tower in the background=very Southern! 

The other fun things on the square are the train cars that you can actually walk through and take pictures with: 

Carol in the hallway of the 1940s Executive Car--virtually unmodified since the '40s. 

And a true Southern girl, hoppin' on the caboose! 

The Executive Car was cool because it looks very much the same as it did when it was new--original light fixtures, colors, etc. It was small, of course, but quite swanky! It has a shower, a couple of bathrooms, a dining car, kitchen, living area, and of course sleeping rooms! (More pictures in the link below!)

And then it was time to discover Davies Manor Plantation! It's a former plantation house that stayed in one family, the Davies family. It's now a house museum. We arrived about 10:50 under the belief that they opened at 10:30. When we arrived, however, we quickly discovered they open at noon! We called the phone number on the sign to see what we could do about this, since there's nothing else in that area to really see or do. The woman in the office said we could take the road around to the back and walk around the grounds if we liked--and we did! There are several outbuildings there, as well as many, many deer! 

Eventually someone came around, and I quickly used my docent status and friendly Southern skills to befriend her. =) She gave us some more information and some water, and said the docent should arrive in 20 minutes or so. The tour was nice. There are several family pieces in the house, as well as antiques of the time. The house itself had been added onto over the years, which is always interesting to see--walls that don't exactly match, etc. Here's the house from the walkway:

Satisfied with our tour and on a time frame, it was time to go to tea! My mom's friend Debbie runs a tea restaurant and shop out of her home, so no trip to Memphis is complete without tea at Debbie's! 

And someone was there to greet us! Debbie does a lot of parties for ladies and groups for holidays, get togethers, etc., but this day, it was tea for three! We enjoyed a lovely meal, and it was so fun to catch up with Debbie! Here is our meal: 

Chowder and tea sandwiches

Tea sandwiches, scones, lemon bars, and tarts

If ever you're in the Memphis area, you will definitely want to see if Debbie has some space for you! She's an excellent cook, and her home is beautiful. Her husband built it specifically so she could have her business there! 

See more pictures here, and follow along next time... We have a tour scheduled, and we'll be walking' in Memphis! 

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Charleston Days 2 and 3: A Run with War

Run, run, run! That's what I wanted to do on this first morning in Charleston. Let's see the sights!

Down Ashley Avenue we go, past Colonial Lake and down around Battery Park. And this guy had come out to say hello!

Along the waterfront, I could see Fort Sumter in the distance, as well as Castle Pinckney in the foreground (could not find much info on Castle Pinckney, except the Pinckney family was one of the first in the Carolinas, and the name is still found in town; someone has bought and is restoring Castle Pickney, so perhaps next time I'll go see it in the flesh!). Past some B&B's, along the original city wall, and then I found it! 

Pronounced "Hazel" Street, but it sure does look like "Hassell" Street! That makes me wonder if my folks were ever citizen here. 

I got a little bit lost (Charleston is not set up on a very good grid system), but eventually I found my way back to the B&B and showered in time for breakfast! I met the nicest couple from Florida. We had peach crepes with blueberry sauce and some really good cream stuff. Delicious! 

After breakfast, I wrote some postcards (but I think I had an absent-minded moment and forgot to put addresses on some of them... whoops!) and took the opportunity to rest a bit, and then I went to meet my friend Paul Garberini again! We'd agreed yesterday to meet this morning for a 17th and 18th century tour. He was so kind, he even gave me a book about Revolutionary Charleston because I was so interested in it! 

Fun facts: North and South Carolina began as just one colony, Carolina; it split for some complex "crown colony" reasons in 1729. Carolina began officially in 1663 with eight land grants, one for each of the original Lords Proprietors. Their names are still distinguishable today! And the picture below shows a portion of the original city wall: 

And this is what happens if you try to repair a wall using original bricks but present-day mortar: 

Oops! The wrong mortar eats away at the old bricks! 

Fun fact. Charleston is the only walled city in what is now the United States. The other two walled cities in North America are St. Augustine, FL; and Quebec, Canada. 

We also stopped in at the Old Exchange and Provost. It would have been the first building that ships would see as they came into the Harbor in the 1770s. This building served as a prison, post office, place to pay taxes, town meetings, and the place where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time in Charleston on August 5, 1776. 

And now about Fort Moultrie. It has a lot more history than Fort Sumter, believe it or not! As a matter of fact... let's just go there! Paul finished up his tour with me, then offered to drive me to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island! You can only get there by car (and maybe by boat), so I wouldn't have been able to go otherwise. Across the bridge we go! 

So, the British navy came in to attack Charleston in 1776. Fort Moultrie, made of sand and Palmetto wood, was Charleston's first line of defense. You know what's good about Palmetto wood? It repels or absorbs cannons and bullets! So it was basically indestructible. Colonel Moultrie was, of course, the hero of the battle, and that is how the fort came across its name. 

Fun fact. Have you ever noticed the white spot on the South Carolina flag that looks like a crescent moon? And the Palmetto tree--which, incidentally, is South Carolina's state tree? 

Hm... That white shape on this fella's hat looks an awful lot like the alleged "crescent moon" on the flag. And the Palmetto tree... wasn't that the material the fort was made from and that made the for impervious to cannon fire? Why yes! It seems as though we have indeed found the origins of the South Carolina State Flag. There is much more speculation, of course, so believe what you like. That's the fun of history... sometimes we don't know for sure, so we can occasionally decide which ending we like best and go with it! But truly, that explanation seems to have the most credibility of all the theories Paul mentioned to me.

Anyway, Fort Moultrie has the Revolutionary history, Quasi-War history, Civil War history, and I believe more, but I neglected to write those down. Oops! 

By now it was lunch time, and Quick Whit's little crepes did not hold her over as long as she'd have liked. Time for a hamburger, which is something I usually only have once every couple of years--but I was sure craving one! Paul dropped me off at the Blind Tiger Pub, famous for its speak-easy days during Prohibition! 

Meet the Broad Street Burger: Fried green tomatoes, goat cheese, and sweet potato fries. There's a bun under all that as well. Quick Whit was satisfied the rest of the day! Mmm-mmm! 

Moving on! More to see! More to do! To the Old Exchange and Provost! 

It was quite intriguing, the Old Exchange and Provost. It served so many different purposes, and a tour of the basement (which served as a jail) revealed the original sea-front wall, as well as the fun fact that the Carolinians hid several hundred pounds of gunpowder from the British for years--while the British occupied the building! Sneaky sneaky...

And we're walking... Walking as fast as we can... But it's too late! I had just missed the dolphin cruise boat, but fortunately I could still hop on the Water Taxi--if I ran to catch the boat! Fortunately for me, the Water Taxi guys were very good-humored. I saw at almost every stop that they regularly have to wait for stragglers! Here's how the trip started out: 

Lovely, partly sunny, breezy...

And this is how we ended up... dark and ominous! Uh oh! 

The rain mostly stayed to the north of the city, but when it started to sprinkle, I was fortunate enough to duck inside a shop. The woman working there was so kind and so friendly... I miss the South! 

And we're walking... the rain didn't last long, so I was back on my way in no time. I walked over to a CVS to pick up some blister band-aids. No, I was not wearing new shoes, I was actually wearing my last pair of running shoes, which I thought would be ideal for walking so much... but nope! Those blister band-aids really are miraculous, though--cushiony, water-proof, multi-day use. They're great! 

And back to the B&B. Walking, walking, walking. I feel like I really got to know the residential streets of Charleston! I stopped off for some to-go food from Hominy Grill, even though I was not yet hungry since lunch, because it was just a block away from the B&B, and it came so highly recommended. I got the fried green tomatoes (when in the South!) appetizer and the buttermilk pie: 

Ha! That was good for a giggle. =) 

The Ashley Inn also provides snacks in the afternoon/early evening: fudge, fruit, cheese, wine, etc. The fudge was quite possibly the best I ever put in my mouth! Wow. That was worth coming back for! 

So then I showered, ate, put pictures on Facebook, slept the best sleep ever, and got up again the next morning for another run! I was feeling ambitious (and feeling the finality of my last day in Charleston), and Paul had told me about a nearby park, so off I went! 

Lovely fountain. 

Tur-Duck-En? 

Beautiful flowers! 

That is exactly what I wanted on my morning run. What a way to greet the day! Hampton Park is a beautiful running spot, or anyone interested in running where you travel! 

After a shower and a few moments of resting those wearing feet of mine (and re-bandaging), this is what greeted me on the piazza: 

Yes, a beautiful, sunshiny day and a sausage turnover with scrambled eggs and fruit! What a delight. I spent my final hours in Charleston enjoying the B&B, reading, and starting on my blog as I waited for my taxi back to the airport. My sweet husband greeted me at Dulles airport. Join me next week as I visit my friend Carol Sims in Memphis, TN! 

But for now, please enjoy these pictures: 

Charleston Day 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100304569841918.1073741859.52700845&type=1&l=5731e8d54b

Charleston Day 3: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100304579826908.1073741860.52700845&type=1&l=ee1e7fbd7e

Charleston Day 1: A Whale of a Tale!

Hello, all! As some of you may know, I made a recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Come along with me through this enchanting garden!

Steve teases me because when I travel, I hit the ground running by expecting on-time departures and arrivals and scheduling activities very soon after anticipated arrival. Turns out, he's right. But he wasn't there to tease me in person! 

And in the spirit of packing in the fun, let's go! First things first, let's get to the B&B: The Ashley Inn, named for the Ashley River to the west of the B&B, named for Lord Ashley Cooper, one of the original 8 Lords Proprietors of Carolina. 

Fun fact about Ashley Cooper: his secretary was John Locke. Another fun fact about Charleston in general: the Cooper River runs to the east of the Charleston peninsula. Yes, Ashley and Cooper. And apparently some Charlestonians say the Ashley and Cooper Rivers join at Charleston to form the Atlantic. 

Renting a car was going to be quite expensive, and the bus could take a long time from what someone at the Inn told me. But a cab was relatively inexpensive, so I opted for that! The cab driver was a Christian, which made for a good ride. He was so kind, and when he found out I'm a Christian, too, he started calling me sister. =) One of the best parts about traveling is God's aptitude for putting Christians in the most needed and unexpected places. 

And before we even got to the the B&B, I got a text from my own personal tour guide saying he was there waiting for me! I arrived and checked in just a few minutes later, changed into my rain boots (for the threat of rain and the puddles from an earlier storm), and off we went! Paul Garberini of Uniquely Charleston Tours was an absolute delight! He's as passionate about his tours and his city as I am about mine! We had such fun. Come read about what I learned! 

We rode in his tour van as he pointed out sights along the way--Ashley Hall, which is the girls' school Laura Bush attended; the 1801 jail where the last hanging in the country occurred (Neeley Duncan in 1911); Colonial Lake; the ruins of the original Charleston Museum, which was the first museum in the country, but it burned to the ground in the 1970s. 

Moving right along! Tours guides always know the best free parking spots, even in the trickiest of cities. We parked behind the Unitarian Church. The garden picture at the top is from the graveyard behind the church. It's a truly beautiful building, and it has a secret... there's a church inside the church! Instead of tearing down the first church when they wanted to update it, the just built around it. 

And onward we walked to the fanciest part of town: South of Broad Street. And boy are those homes beautiful! Particularly this one: 

This is the Miles Brewton House, 1769, one of the oldest homes in Charleston, and it has stayed in the same family all this time! It's also been considered the finest in town throughout its history. Generals of various sides in various wars have stayed here for that very reason. The sign beside the house states the following: 

Miles Brewton House

Private Residence

Outstanding example of Georgian Architecture in America. Built between 1765 and 1769 by Miles Brewton, Revolutionary patriot, with designs of Ezra Waite, architect. Inherited 1775 by Brewton's sister, Rebecca Motte, Revolutionary herione, in whose family it has remained. British Headquarters 1780-1782, under Clinton and Rawdon. Federal Headquarters 1865.

Next stop, Battery Park. There's a hotel there where JFK entertained a certain lady during World War II--a woman whom a certain federal agency kept records on... because she was a Nazi spy! 

Round the park we go, gazing upon beautiful homes, B&Bs, the river, Fort Sumter, Castle Pinckney... and fig ivy steps: 

They have to use fig ivy instead of the stuff they use in England because of the type of bricks they made there in Charleston. The English ivy would break right through the bricks! Another fun fact about Charleston home style: the black color on the shutters, doors, etc., is actually GREEN! It's still called Charleston Green. It starts off as a true green, but as oxidization happens, it turns black. I'm not a chemist, so I don't understand why, but that's what they say! 

We saw some more sights, and Mr. Garberini even went over the two-hour timeframe for me because I kept wanting to know more! He took me back to the B&B, and then off I went on my own! 

See? Here I am at the Charleston Visitor Center! It's actually a very cool visitor center, in a building that was originally a train station. 

So, where did I get the name for this particular blog post? At the Charleston Museum (in a different, unburned location). Many, many years ago (in 1880), an Atlantic Right Whale swam into Charleston Harbor, but there was one problem--he couldn't find his way out! Soon thereafter, the men of Charleston began to hunt this whale. Large as he was, people paid 25 cents a piece to see him when they brought him ashore on Concord Street. Now we can see his skeleton, hanging elegantly from the ceiling of the Charleston Museum. 

I stopped in at a couple of house museums after that. The Joseph Manigault (pronounced "man-i-go") House is one of the oldest house museums in the country. The other house I went to (and I hoofed it, just making the 3:30 tour!) was the Heyward-Washington House, where my friend George Washington stayed on his tour of Charleston in 1791! But you know the best thing about the house? It has a functioning necessary! Yes, I used it. 

See? 21st century plumbing!

After that I went in search--in search of historic Charleston after museum hours! I found the market--oldest in the country--the waterfront, the Huguenot Church, St. Phillip's Episcopal Church, but the one I really wanted to see was Philadelphia Alley!

It's a very beautiful place, and quite peaceful. Just one question, though... was it founded in 1766 or 1776? ;)

And by then, it was suppertime! A friend had recommended Magnolia's, and while it's quite a fancy-dancy type of place, but if I'm only going to be in this town just over 48 hours, I have to make my meals count. Please feel free to lick your lips and salivate as you gaze longingly at my shellfish and grits--shrimp, scallops, and lobster in a rich lobster sauce over creamy grits! That's fried spinach on the top--we are in the South, you know, where we fry our vegetables to make them good!

And while I should have stopped there, I did not. I thought about the cobbler, passed over the cheesecake, thought a moment about the strawberry shortcake, but at last I settled on the truest of summer delights: sorbet and ice cream! The sorbet was peach, and undeniably some of the best I've had, but the delight came in the form of an ice cream I've never seen in a store... Yes, every meal should end with a scoop or two of white chocolate ice cream. Yum! 

Poor Whit, eating alone. Not quite. My sweet, hard-working husband arrived home and fixed his supper at the same time I was eating mine! We texted throughout my meal. The actors sitting next to me may have thought me terribly odd--riff-raff in shorts and a t-shirt, eating a fancy meal alone and texting--but there's no one else I'd rather have been spending time with, even just virtual time! He sent me this picture, likening me to Samantha and himself to the frog prince:

Holding hands--so sweet!

Ok, I know we're all exhausted, but we have just one more treat. It's a ghost tour! Our guide, John, was amazing! He was very knowledgeable and engaging, and when I told him I, too, am a tour guide, we got to talk guide-y stuff. Touring is much more regulated in other cities, though I'm glad it's still pretty free and easy in Old Town Alexandria! Some of our stops included Poogan's Porch, the fourth most haunted restaurant in the country; The Mills House Hotel, where ghosts breeze through as frequently as the guests, despite the fact that it was demolished and rebuilt in 1971 just as it was first built in 1853; the Circular Church, housing the oldest grave in Charleston (from 1695); and the most famous haunted place in Charleston, St. Phillip's graveyard!

That was day one in Charleston--don't worry, there's just one more day, but that will be reserved for the next post! If you'd like to see more pictures, please feel free to go here:
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Join me next time for Charleston Day 2: A Run with War