I'm in love with Charleston, part three

On the third day of our trip, June 30th, we walked out of the carriage house headed to breakfast. Ick. It felt like we'd walked into the steam room at the gym. The last two days of our journey had been hot, pretty significantly hot, but it was nothing we weren't used to. This day, though, was different. When the temperature is already 90 degrees by 7:30 AM, you're in for it.

We walked to the weekly Charleston Farmers Market to see what we could see. It was the biggest and most varied farmers market I've ever been to. I absolutely loved it.

After wandering around for over an hour, we purchased beautiful pottery from Kate's favorite pottery guy (River Road Pottery) and gorgeous vintage necklaces from Scarlet Poppy. I adore my new necklace!

I also sweated more than I ever remember sweating...ever. We were literally dripping, along with everyone around us. When the Scarlet Poppy lady was helping me try on my necklace, she was sweating all over me and I was sweating right back on her. Disgusting. While it did get to be about 105 degrees this day, the humidity was what was so awful. It literally felt like we were swimming, with all our clothes on. Our sunglasses fogged up every time we went outside. Our clothes stuck to us. Our skin was clammy. Our curly hair grew bigger by the minute. Our makeup melted away. My camera lens quickly covered in condensation every time I took my lens cap off.

{Hello, condensation. Thanks for ruining my shot.}

After leaving the market, we made our way to the Aiken-Rhett House. Kate worked there while in grad school, and I was excited to see the house that I'd heard so many stories about.

{Gorgeousness!}

After visiting with one of Kate's old coworkers, she led me on a wonderful private tour of the (un-air conditioned) home. I absolutely loved touring these old homes. It made me a bit sad that pictures weren't allowed inside any of them, but I completely understand why.

We made our way back into the heat and slogged about a mile in the other direction to go eat lunch. Kate really wanted to eat at Jestine's Kitchen, and I'm so glad she made that call. The restaurant is very cute and "down-home", the service was wonderful, and the food was spectacular. I had meatloaf, macaroni & cheese, red rice (yall seriously have to eat you some of this...it's amazing), and banana pudding. So, so good. This was a way more substantial lunch than I'm used to eating, but after looking back on what came next, I'm glad I had some sustenance.

We continued walking/dripping down Meeting Street to make our way to the Nathaniel Russell House. 

This house is one that has been completely restored, and it looks as if Mr. Russell himself is fixing to come home for supper. Such a beautifully restored home, and I very much enjoyed our visit there.

At this point, we found ourselves with a wide-open afternoon. Kate's friend Jossy had very (VERY) generously allowed us to have access to her employee discount pass, so we went through the list looking for something that appealed to us. We decided on a ferry ride and tour at Fort Sumter.

What was not completely apparent to me at the time was that the ferry landing was nearly two miles away, and we decided to trek on foot. We also had less than an hour before the ferry departed, so there was no time to waste. The temperature at this point was 1,452 degrees, it was 1:00 PM, and it seemed that there was no shade on either side of the street. Awesome. We walked the whole way in near silence because it seemed that talking would take too much effort, and both of us needed to focus all of our attention on staying alive. It was a struggle. By the time we arrived at the port, we were both completely drenched, red-faced, and greatly in need of rehydration. We showed the nice ticket man our pass and headed to the bathroom to survey the damage. I had to laugh when I saw my reflection in the mirror...I was a shell of my former self. Know who wasn't laughing? The Pretty, Pretty Princess washing her hands beside me. She had clearly just emerged from an air-conditioned car and must have lacked sweat glands. And a sense of humor.

You know what seats were left by the time we got on the ferry? The ones in the sun. We reluctantly accepted our fate and sat down. The ride over was actually quite pleasant, despite the fierce sunshine.

{the ruins of Castle Pinckney in Charleston Harbor}

{the site of the first shots of the Civil War...that big black thing in the middle was built in 1898 and I think it's absolutely hideous...just my two cents :)} 

Fun fact: Fort Sumter is built on a natural sandbar, but the sandbar wasn't large enough for a structure this size (the fort used to be three stories tall). There also weren't enough rocks available in the South to supplement the sandbar. So, rocks from the Northeast (Maine, I think) were brought in, plopped on the sandbar, and Fort Sumter was built on top of them. Very technically, this point of Confederate pride is built on Yankee soil. I got the biggest kick out of that.

Kate and I made it back onto the ferry in enough time to nab two shady seats. We quite enjoyed the breeze...and the shade...on the ride back! We hiked the two miles back to our bed & breakfast because we both refused to go out to eat in the shape we were in. After shower #2 for the day, we drove out to Folly Beach to meet Jossy and new friend Becca at Taco Boy. We had tons of fun enjoying the laidback, beachy atmosphere and great food. I had Carnitas Nachos and highly recommend them. We capped off the night by going to the beach, wading out in the water, and enjoying the reflection of the nearly full moon on the ocean. An absolute perfect ending to an exhausting, but wonderful, day!

I'm in love with Charleston, part two

We started our second day, June 29th, with breakfast on the back porch of our bed & breakfast. The Barksdale House Inn cooked up a lovely breakfast every day we were there, and we came to look forward to our early morning meals on the porch.

When we were planning our trip, I told Kate that one thing I really wanted to see was a plantation house somewhere out in the country. I also wanted it to have one of those really impressive drives with a "tree tunnel" dripping with Spanish moss. Drayton Hall proved to be just the place.

Kate's friend Trish works at Drayton Hall and treated us to a private tour. The interesting thing about Drayton Hall is that it's preserved, not restored. I'd never seen a home like this. The preservation team makes sure the home is structurally sound and not falling apart, but they have no plans to "gussy it up". Very cool to see. This is surely one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen.

{a signing uncovered on the fireplace surround...the date is July 4, 1824} 

 {all hand-carved}

{hand-carved mahogany swags} 

{Drayton family growth chart...even though the Draytons no longer own the home, they are still able to come in and mark the height of their little Draytons on this chart}

{not sure why this one appeals to me so much, but I absolutely love it}

{In my highly self-critical opinion, this is one of the best pictures I've ever taken. In love.}

 {I was excited to take a picture of this real, Lowcountry swamp. As I turned to walk away, I stepped on what I thought was solid ground...}

{...which led to this...which led to a pit stop at the bathroom where I, while wearing a dress, had to wash my foot in a sink. My middle name should be Grace.}

To escape the 417 degree temperatures for a bit, we ate a wonderful lunch at the Sunflower Cafe. We then drove out to the Angel Oak on Johns Island, another of my "must-sees". I have always wanted to see one of those towering, Southern live oak trees with the branches that seem to go on for miles. Enter, the Angel Oak:

 {the only picture Kate and I took together the entire trip...I need to get WAY better about stepping out from behind the camera and getting in front of it!}

Absolutely spectacular. If you're ever in the Charleston area, you must go see this tree. I promise, it's worth it!

Kate and I drove back to Charleston and met her friends Jossy, Trish, and Amelia for happy hour at Fleet Landing, right on the harbor. I enjoyed getting to spend time with Kate's grad school friends. I'd heard so much about them over the last few years that I felt like I already knew them!

After two pomegranate martinis and nearly three hours of nonstop chatter, we were in need of some food. Jossy, Kate, and I had supper on the porch at Cru Cafe. My goat cheese salad and fried brie with fig compote was ridiculously good. Like, I had to just stop talking for a few minutes to become one with my food...that good.

Since the temperature had dropped 200 degrees after the sun went away, Kate and I opted to walk back to our bed & breakfast. She took me through some of the more quiet residential streets in Charleston, and I was still in awe of the beauty all around me. Simply gorgeous.

Good thing we got plenty of sleep this night, because the next day brought more activity than we had ever envisioned!

Independence Day...with a bang

I had a lovely time celebrating America's birthday and our independence with my family. We had a fabulous lunch, shared lots of laughs, and enjoyed some time just chillin' and relaxing. What a delight!

One of the very best parts of the day, however, came early in the morning. The University of Alabama had made plans to implode the Rose Towers dorm building to make way for newer, more updated dorms. While it made me sad to think of Rose Towers not towering over the river anymore, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to see a building implode right in front of me. I'm all about experiencing new things and knew this one was a must-see.

*I will add: if this had been a building on Auburn's campus, where I spent four glorious years of my life, I certainly would not have been a spectator. That might actually break my heart into little bitty pieces. I had some sad friends on facebook today and it really made me feel for them. While it was just a building to me, it was home to them and the setting for fun college memories. I hope they don't think I'm insensitive by sharing this here. It's much easier and more fun to watch something like this if you have no attachment to it.*

I made a very early journey into Tuscaloosa so that we could make it to the viewing spot by 7:15. I had great company and enjoyed my time with some of the fam. We were all pumped. Grandad has decades of experience as a construction project manager, so he was little-kid-on-Christmas excited to see something that is directly opposite what he does on a daily basis.

{Mimi describing the details she'd read in the newspaper...I'm pretty sure she now knows enough to implode a building herself}

{I don't remember what they were talking about but I do know that this is one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken. Ever, ever. A keeper for sure.}

{one last shot}

Having never seen an implosion (other than on TV), I didn't quite have a feel for the logistics. There were firetrucks spraying the building to minimize the dust, I learned. Makes sense. I also learned that no charges were placed higher than the eighth floor to ensure that the building fell in on itself instead of exploding from the top. Good to know. Getting hit in the head with a brick-turned-missile would kinda put a damper on the Independence Day festivities. Super glad I'm not in charge of something like this.

We got a one minute warning so I set up my camera (on my tripod). I have a great action setting that enables you to press the shutter once and take 25 consecutive shots in 25 seconds...way faster than you could ever do it manually. I had big dreams of getting spectacular implosion shots.

However, I learned something else yesterday. When you hear the charges start sounding, and you immediately press the shutter on your camera, you've jumped the gun too quickly. You see, the building hovers for a few seconds after the charges fire. THEN it collapses. If you do what I did, you won't get a single picture of the collapse...which is exactly what happened. I have 25 consecutive pictures of the building standing completely upright just BEFORE it fell. Ha! I've laughed and laughed over that. Things like this happen specifically to keep us humble, right? Now that I've told you all this, if you need a photographer for a pivotal, life-changing event such as a wedding, graduation, or championship game, call me :)

Thankfully, I got to see the implosion with my eyeballs and was able to film with my phone. I debated not putting the video on here because, while the implosion is amazing, I sound like an absolute goober. I had no idea I would be that excited seeing such a thing, and it's all caught on video. Thanks for being my friend anyway. And if you have ideas for any suitable alternatives to the word "cool", please let me know ASAP. This is apparently something I need to work on.

Isn't that incredible? Just a poof of dust and an entire massive 12-story building is gone. I am absolutely fascinated by people whose brains think this way, because that is the COMPLETE opposite of how mine functions. I would, without a doubt, make the world's worst engineer. 

{Nothing left but a cloud of dust and a gigantic pile of rubble. Twenty seconds and DONE. Boggles the mind.}

I hope you and yours had a thrilling...or totally relaxing, because that's great too...day of celebration yesterday!

Happy birthday, America

Happy birthday to my dear America. We think you're pretty wonderful. Know who else is wonderful? The men and women who have served, will serve, or currently are serving our country in the military. This grand ol' flag wouldn't fly without them.

Enjoy this special day, friends!

I'm in love with Charleston, part one

I returned yesterday from a glorious, much-anticipated trip to Charleston, South Carolina with my dear friend Kate. She lived there for two years while in grad school, but I was making my very first trip. It's official...I have fallen in love. With a city, that is. I loved every second of our trip and already can't wait to go back!

We headed out the morning of the 28th at 6:00 AM. Gotta get an early start when you've got an 8-hour drive (and a time zone change) in front of you! The drive actually seemed to go by surprisingly quickly. We checked into our lovely bed & breakfast (the Barksdale House Inn) and headed out to do some exploring.

{the carriage house at our bed & breakfast...the bottom left windows were ours} 

{our pretty room} 

 {Randolph Hall on the College of Charleston campus...scenes from "The Patriot" were filmed here}

{You know what's awesome? Spanish moss is awesome.} 

{gatehouse...scenes from "The Notebook" were filmed here}

{a Unitarian cemetery we stumbled upon}

{loved this shot}

After taking these, I was walking around completely stunned at the sheer beauty of this city. Our next stop was the Battery. I had told Kate that one of my "must sees" was the legendary houses that sit right beside Charleston Harbor. Words can't even describe the size and grandeur and extravagance of these homes. Holy moly.

It still boggles my mind that people actually live in these houses. Like, this is their home. When they invite people over, this is where they invite them to. Insane!

We ended our tour here when Kate's friend Jossy picked us up to go eat. Jossy was working every day we were there, but she met us every night to hang out. She's absolutely precious and I feel like I can call her a friend now.

We ate at Virginia's, which was a perfect introduction to Charleston cuisine. I had a veggie plate with red rice (which I had never had before but was a HUGE fan), mac & cheese, squash casserole, broccoli, and sliced tomatoes. Since I'm starting my Whole30 on July 5th, I told myself I could "go out with a bang" in Charleston. I sure did, and I am certainly ready to start eating something a little lighter :) 

After that, we headed across the street to O-ku for drinks. I had a coconut lime martini, which was absolutely delightful.   

I only thought I had fallen in love with Charleston at this point. It got better and better each day, and I can't wait to share it here!