CHARLESTON, S.C. and LOW COUNTRY BOIL

Charleston, a delightful city in South Carolina, really does ooze old fashioned charm, has loads of interesting architecture and a history that is at once genteel and violent. The city of Charleston featured in both the American Revolution and the American Civil War and was a major player in the slave trade industry.

During the American revolution,  General Sir Henry Clinton, along with 2,000 men and a naval squadron tried to seize Charles Towne (as Charleston was originally called) hoping for a Loyalist uprising in South Carolina. When the fleet fired cannonballs, they failed to penetrate Fort Sullivan's unfinished, yet thick, palmetto-log walls. No local Loyalists attacked the town from the mainland side, as the British had hoped they would do. America's Col. Moultrie and his men returned fire and inflicted heavy damage on several of the British ships. The British were forced to withdraw their forces, and Fort Sullivan was renamed Fort Moultrie in honor of its commander.

This, personally, ticks me off as I would have liked Charleston to be part of Canada. In fact, when dividing Canada and the United States I believe a gross error in judgement was made when the division line went from east to west and not north to south. We Canadians would then have either Florida or California and wouldn't have to travel to a 'foreign' country to get some winter sunshine and warmth. But I digress.

Customs House.

Charleston became extremely prosperous in the plantation-dominated economy of the post-Revolutionary years. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 revolutionized the processing of this crop, making short-staple cotton profitable. Cotton quickly became South Carolina's major export commodity. Slaves were also the primary labour force within the city, working as domestics, artisans, market workers and laborers.

This plaque is about Gadsden's Wharf where slaves were unloaded and held in confinement awaiting their turn on the auction block.

Originally built in 1767, war and natural disaster led to several rounds of reconstruction and expansion. In its final completed state, the wharf could hold upwards of six ships at a time. Once released from quarantine off the coast at Sullivan’s Island, slave ships proceeded onto Gadsden’s Wharf. An estimated 100,000 West Africans were brought to the wharf between 1783 and 1808 – the peak period of the international trade. Gadsden's Wharf has now been declared sacred ground.

By 1820 Charleston's population had grown to 23,000, maintaining its black (and mostly slave) majority. When a massive slave revolt planned by Denmark Vesey, a free black, was revealed in May 1822, whites reacted with intense fear, as they were well aware of the violent retribution of slaves against whites during the  Haitian Revolution and its many deaths. Soon after, Vesey was tried and executed, hanged in early July with five slaves. Another 28 slaves were later hanged. Later, the state legislature passed laws severely restricting manumission and regulating activities of free blacks and slaves^.

One of the interesting things about Charleston (in my humble opinion) is this violent past is not glossed over. It is out there with plaques, images and museums that depict the deplorable conditions at the time that the slaves had to endure for all to see.

The Invention of Wings, a novel by Sue Monk Kidd, is based on the life of Sarah Moore Grimke a young girl born into a wealthy Charleston family of planters. For her 11th birthday she is given the gift of a young slave girl and so the story begins as Sarah wrestles with the morality of owning another human being. It's a very good read and draws on actual events that took place in Charleston during the time of slavery including the Vesey incident.

Charleston is credited with starting the American Civil War. On December 20, 1860, unhappy about the election of Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina's General Assembly voted to secede from the Union. On January 9, 1861, Citadel cadets opened fire on a Union ship entering Charleston's harbour. On April 12, 1861, shore batteries under the command of General Beauregard opened fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in the harbour. After a 34-hour bombardment, Major Anderson surrendered the fort, thus starting the war. Union forces repeatedly bombarded the city, causing vast damage, and kept up a blockade that shut down most commercial traffic.

While there in March of this year, Erik and I visited Fort Sumter, took a boat cruise and got to see a lot of the beautiful downtown area that retains its old Southern style gentility. We also visited one of the biggest and most impressive candy stores I think either of us has ever seen. Pretty much everything is made on premises and it smelled like chocolate/sugar heaven. Thought it was worthy of a few photos. Photos of Fort Sumter you can get on line but not this.

While visiting Charleston this time in our Fifth-wheel we stayed in a pretty impressive RV park just south of Charleston. The original property had been one large farm that was converted, at some point, to a massive RV park with huge dog park, and a fishing pond that warned of the alligator. Erik chose not to fish there.

Behind these truly impressive live oaks is the original house that was built by the parents of the current owner of the RV park.

Mexican corn bread not so good. Grits - good.

One thing that we both truly love about the south is the food. We can't get enough of the biscuits, we eat grits for breakfast, we both will eat seafood or fish over meat any day of the week and the low-country cooking is just delicious. Everything we tried was good. One of our favourite low-country meals is something called low country boil. Simple, delicious, quick, can be done anywhere and is served in most southern restaurants.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/low-country-boil-recipe.html

Last night for dinner we had Hush Puppies with our meal of Shrimp Gumbo. We are what you might call very happy campers.

GLADYS GARMIN and IT'S A DOG'S LIFE

Have I introduced you to Gladys Garmin? She's the voice of reason. She gets us from place A to place B efficiently, quickly and quietly in a well moderated voice. We like Gladys, she's never steered us wrong, knows the names of pretty much every street in Canada and the USA (maybe Mexico, who knows) and if we inadvertently don't listen to her and take a wrong turn she is johnny-on-the-spot getting us back on track pretty darned fast. The thing though, when Gladys gives us directions, is this. We don't have a clue where we are, what's on our left, or our right, ahead of us and are barely aware of what is behind us. With a map you are able to visualize the road you are on, you know how close you are to the ocean, you know if there is a bridge coming up because you see the water on the map, you know where  the next town is in case you want to divert your route for a bit of sight seeing.

Not so with Gladys. You tell her where you wish to go and she instantly shows you where you are, tells you in a calm voice to follow the route and then shows you the next turn. She tells you that you are to go 1.5 or 125 miles (here in the U.S., kms. in Canada) and turn right or left on such and such a street. Then she guides you in increments until you do the left or right turn and her screen instantly shows you the next distance to the next turning point. She's good, no doubt about it. She tells you your ETA, the speed limit (Kms or MPH, your choice) and your speed. She's pretty incredible really. But sometimes it's nice to have a map on your lap so you can reference the distance from where you are and some other landmark; not so with Gladys. So when Gladys took us down some very picturesque but narrow roads when we left Williamsburg, VA, on our way to Wilmington, NC, we thought perhaps she was leading us astray. We seemed to be turning this way and that with nothing around us except trees, a few fields of cotton and a scattering of houses in various states of disrepair. Eventually the road appeared to end and Gladys informed us to proceed and board the ferry. Hmmmm. The ferry!?!? There's a ferry?? We know nothing about a ferry. Aren't we headed to I95?  We are in a honking great truck pulling a 30' Fifth-wheel behind us and there was no question of turning around if the ferry didn't A) take honking great trucks pulling 30' Fifth-wheels, B) didn't run on week-ends, C) didn't go where we wanted to go. Fact is, due to not having a map we had no idea where we were. The burly and very serious security guards who oversaw the ferry traffic thought it was pretty funny that we couldn't turn around if we needed to. They then told us the route Gladys was taking us on was, in fact, the quickest route and cut at least an hour off the time if we had gone another way to pick up I95. Forgive us Gladys, it was only a temporary and very slight lapse of judgement.

On the ferry taking us to Surrey watching another ferry.

Freddy mesmerized with the view.

Our destination, Wilmington, is a coastal town about 75 miles north of Myrtle Beach. Not particularly a well known tourist destination like Charleston, Savannah or Myrtle Beach it is, nevertheless, a very pretty town with plenty to do. Our purpose for visiting Wilmington was to visit an old friend who recently moved there from California and to meet his brand new rescue Collie, Ollie.

4th of July in Wilmington, stock photo

The RV resort park we chose was just on the outskirts of Wilmington and was really pretty stunning. There was a fishing pond with a warning regarding the resident alligator(s), a large and well kept dog run, the usual store with essentials and the sites were roomy and flat flat flat - a good thing if you are RVing.  Sunday was spent on the beach at Wrightsville, one of Wilmington's many beaches, and a mere fifteen minute drive from our RV Park; a great way to spend an hour with the dogs. Poor Kaede was full of energy and wanted to run but with her cone still on and her stitches still in it was not going to be happening. Freddy too wanted to run and play off leash but it wasn't to be. After a romp on the beach (ha ha - romp - I lied - it was a walk) we headed on over to our friend's house for lunch and to meet Ollie, a most beautiful Collie. Ollie had been part of the prison system whereby inmates are given the responsibility of training a dog and getting him ready to be

Ollie, the beautiful collie with his happy and very proud new owner.

Freddy on the left and Ollie with Ollie's new owner.

adopted. It's a most worthwhile program in my opinion, a win-win situation all around. Ollie was gorgeous and although our friend had only owned him for 72 hours they were joined at the hip. Kaede and Ollie (I believe) fell in doggie love but once again her conehead prohibited any rough house playing. Our friend's daughter and her husband and little girl came for lunch with their rescue dog, Missy, an Australian Heeler. She was absolutely adorable too and it was so nice to see four dogs interacting well, all being friendly toward one another and owners keeping a discreet eye on the happenings. I mentioned owning four dogs briefly and Erik said no briefly.

 On the beach at Wrightsville, NC, near Wilmington where our friend from California now lives. It's a beautiful beach, not a lot of people on there this time of year. We saw a few fishermen who were looking for blue fish;  The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as tailor in Australia,^[1] shad on the east coast of South Africa, elf on the west coast. Other common names are blue, chopper, and anchoa.^[2] It is                                                            good eating and a popular gamefish..

 Wouldn't you love to have one of these holiday homes to come to when the cold winds blow?

One of our favourite cities is St. Augustine, Fl. where we will be in a couple of days and this beach extends all the way to St. Augustine. Nice, huh. But first a couple of days in Charleston, SC, another of our favourites. I am wondering if we are going to end up with hundreds of favourite places.






After a couple of really enjoyable days in Wilmington, NC, catching up with old friends, we are now headed south to Charleston, SC (a stunning city to say the least) and then to St. Augustine, FL where we intend to stay for three - four weeks and really set down roots (so to speak). We have been to both cities previously but never in an RV. We are expecting some new and very different experiences this time around in our 300 Sq. Ft. living accommodation and our two dogs.

RAIN, SUN, BATTLES AND CHARM

Day Four: What can you do in a  hotel in a strange city when it's raining hard outside? Well, these are the things I've come up with.

1: Go to the lobby and watch people.
2: Go to the lobby and on into the bar and drink yourself silly.
3: No bar? Empty the mini-bar in your room to the tune of $1,000.
4: Watch soap operas and Dr. Phil over and over again.

What can you do in an RV park when you are in a strange city and it's raining hard outside?

1: Laundry at the handy laundromat on site.
2: Give yourself a pedicure in anticipation of sandals weather pretty soon.
3: If you are Erik you get on the computer and do some consulting work that brings in a few dollars.
4: Watch the dogs sleep.
5: Write a blog.

Now, aren't those some better and more exciting options?

Laundry on a rainy day.

Day four on the road, our first full day in Williamsburg, started off kind of cloudy, giving me a chance to get Kaede and Freddy out for their walks. Then the heavens opened and down came the torrential rains. Not so good in a hotel as we have already acknowledged. The great thing about an RV is you have access to everything you would have in your own home only on a smaller scale and in a different place. Feel like a snack without paying $10.00 for a small bag of peanuts? Just open your fully stocked fridge and voila you have snacks. Healthier ones too. When it's raining there's also plenty of time to think about things that are puzzling. For instance, why in the States (excuse me my American friends) do they still have pennies? They are annoying, take up a lot of room and, as we have discovered in Canada, completely unnecessary. Round up or round down, it all works out in the wash. Secondly, why no dollar coin? Costs $2.50 to do a load of laundry and $2.50 to run a load in the dryer. Having two loads costs $10.00 which means 40 quarters. That's a lot of coins. Now compare to one toonie and two quarters per load, bringing the total number of coins needed for the same two loads to 12. No one has 40 quarters laying around but we all have toonies and quarters in our wallets. Makes sense, right?

Oh the ramblings of a blogger while she waits to get the clothes from the dryer on a very rainy day in Williamsburg, Va. Did I mention, it's raining but it's still 64F/18c.

Day Five and it's sunny sunny sunny today. The rain has stopped and we are up and out by 10:00 am and headed straight for Historic Jamestown, "as it existed 400 years ago. The place has become a national icon whose meaning is entangled with the legend of Pocohontas and John Smith."  Jamestown was the beginning and the end of colonization of America; being the first permanent English settlement in America and the scene of the final battle in the American Revolution when America gained its independence from Great Britain. The original town is no longer standing but archeologists have tried to recreate the footprint of Jamestown via placement of bricks to depict where houses and other buildings once stood. The preservation of Jamestown has been on-going since 1893 and is still continuing today.

Pocohontas was captured by the English and held for ransom. She converted to Christianity, became Rebecca, and when she was released chose to stay with the English. She married John Rolfe in 1614 and had one son, Thomas, in 1615. She was portrayed as a 'civilized' savage and paraded around London in hopes that people would see fit to finance the new colony of Jamestown. She died of undisclosed causes in England and is buried in Gravesend in an unknown grave.

From Jamestown we ventured over to Colonial Williamsburg via the very beautiful Colonial Parkway. We found it interesting that the Parkway and other roads in that part of Virginia are made of concrete rather than asphalt. I could find no explanation for this via Google.  The Colonial Parkway is a twenty-three mile/38 kilometer scenic roadway stretching from the York River at Yorktown to the James River at Jamestown. It connects Virginia's historic triangle: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Several million travelers a year use this route to enjoy the natural and cultural beauty of Virginia. Williamsburg is the home of the College of William & Mary, which was established in 1693, and is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States; its alumni include three U.S. presidents as well as many other important figures in the nation's early history.

The word that springs to my mind when describing Williamsburg is 'charming'. It conjures up images of the old south, genteel living, gracious lawns, well kept boulevards and well kept homes. Of course, we only saw that side of Williamsburg due to a wrong turn that found us going around and around a neighbourhood that seemingly had no exit.  We had lunch in one of the many many many very cool cafes, pubs, diners, coffee shops that are scattered about the district that I would describe as touristy, trendy, and lovely. We also noted that Williamsburg is very dog friendly; they are allowed to be at most of the restaurants that had outdoor seating, much to our delight.

After lunch we drove again along the Colonial Parkway (did I mention it's a wonderful drive) to the Yorktown Battlefieled.. At Yorktown, in the fall of 1781, General George Washington, with allied American and French forces, besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis’s British army. On October 19, Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the war and ensuring independence. There is a display of cannons that I forgot to take photos of. From the battlefield you can walk to Yorktown, the MOST charming place in the world, so far. Honestly, it's an enclave of stunning period homes, a post office, a museum of photographs from the civil war, antique and art shops, and all beautifully manicured with the York River as the perfect backdrop. I visited the Nelson House, which was the home to the commander of the Virginia Milita and was given a private tour by the curator who, I suspect, was having a slow day. She laughed when I entered and jokingly told me, "No redcoats in here." At first I wasn't sure what she meant then realized I had on a red jacket (see picture above) so I laughed back and said, "Actually, I am one." The house is pretty impressive with some of the original wood flooring still intact. The curator directed my attention to a door way to the left that she said 'went up to the third floor where the servant children all slept' and it suddenly struck me what a dichotomy it was; people fighting for their independence from their oppressor while finding no fault with owning human beings who had no rights. I said this to the curator and she said the tobacco industry was to blame as there were so many bodies needed to do all the work that everyone kind of just turned a blind eye. A visit toYorktown was the perfect way to end a beautiful sunny day in Virginia.

Alas the next morning we awoke to frost on the pumpkin; time to pull up stakes and head south once more. Wilmington, North Carolina is where we shall wake up tomorrow morning and then Charleston, South Carolina followed by St. Augustine, Florida after that. Stay tuned, there will be more. There will be beaches and sand and cocktails.

WE'RE OFF!!!

The months of planning, the test drives, the hitching and unhitching, the shopping, it's all come down to this. We are off. Monday, November 3rd has FINALLY arrived and bright and early we are ready to get in the truck and pull that Fifth-wheel on the first leg of our adventure. Our check list, meticulously prepared by way of spread sheets by Erik, was produced and followed to the letter. And let's get real here, there is a lot of stuff to check off and make sure is working. Through the check list we went, making sure what was supposed to move did and what was not supposed to move didn't. 

It's a stunning part of the St. Lawrence River that we live on and share with New York State. Just beautiful and a wonderful place to return to in the spring. But for now, we are going south. Through upper New York and on down through Pennsylvania to our first RV Park while on the road.We were excited to see what these parks were all about and if they were as good as they looked in their websites. Being a Realtor I know all about beautiful pictures of disappointing subjects.  It was great to get off the highway and turn down beautiful country roads, hills on each side of us, and drive up to the gates of Twin Pines.

We were not disappointed.

 Unhitching and setting up the Fifth wheel wasn't exactly a 'piece of cake' but we are pretty efficient at it as we have Erik's valuable and easy to follow check list of things to do to follow upon ARRIVAL:  Unhitch, Outside, Inside. This campsite had something for everyone. Doggies had loads of places to be taken for walks and there was even a fenced in dog park where they got to unwind a little. Waking up the next morning there was no rush, just leisurely breakfasts, walks with dogs and then the flip side of the check list, DEPARTURE:  Inside, Outside, Hitching and we were off to our second destination, Shenandoah Valley Camp Ground in Virginia.

Day Two: much more of the same; driving down the I81 through the rest of Pennsylvania and then briefly through the tips of Maryland and West Virginia. The scenery, even from the freeway, was beautiful. Pennsylvania is very hilly but gave way to more rolling countryside in Maryland and West Virginia with the mountains on each side. Virginia is one of the prettiest States, in my opinion. Can't exactly say why, it just appeals to me. It's a mix of beautiful topography, interesting towns, big cities and steeped  in American  history. Today, our first day in Virginia, we spent in a small town called Mount Jackson, just a few kilometers from our RV Park, buying a few groceries and generally getting ourselves acclimated to the WARM temperature. Did I mention it was a balmy 74F?

For anyone concerned about the comfort of the dogs (you know who you are) please be assured they are quite comfy in the back seat on their beds. Even little cone head has plenty of room

One thing I have noticed while driving south, besides the great scenery passing us by, is the number of Ontario and Quebec license plates I see on the roads. and it makes me wonder: Who is running the country while I'm away?

Third Day: as we leave Shenandoah Valley we will be heading more toward the coast for a three night stay in Anvil Campground near Williamsburg, VA. This place is pure history. 

Here we are. Wasn't that quick. Awww, the wonders of the internet. Our trip from Shenandoah to Williamsburg was purely magical. We crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains via I64 and saw some of the most beautiful scenes possible. Sadly, I have a fear of heights and spent most of the trip looking straight ahead or with my eyes closed so was unable to take great pictures. Again, thanks to the wonders of the internet I have been able to download pictures taken by souls braver than I could ever be. Seriously, it was stunning, the vistas, the colours of autumn that are about a month behind ours in southern Ontario, the sheer magnitude of the mountains that make it seem as if there is nothing else out there, only the mountains. No civilization, no towns, no cities. Nothing. Just nature.

We are now happily ensconced in our little home away from home just outside of Williamsburg. Weather is lovely, we've had a barbeque, a couple of glasses of wine, doggies are fed, walked and happy. All is right with the world. Tomorrow will be a visit to historic Williamsburg and I'm sure it's going to be very interesting and fun.  

Day Four: Good morning. Note to self. Talk to Kaede and Freddy about the time change from Daylight Savings Time - 5:30 is just too early. Next installment, Williamsburg and points south. Stay tuned.