THE BATTERY AND RAINBOW ROW IN CHARLESTON

Charleston was one of the places that I couldn't wait to visit.  I have wanted to visit here for years.  I love the old south homes and their charm. I am a die hard Gone With The Wind fan and sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era. I could envision myself as a real southern belle.

I arrived in Charleston on Wednesday and Daughter and her 2 girls came to visit on Thursday.  Daughter loves the old time charm of these homes too. So, we decided to make a trip to the area of downtown Charleston known as The Battery and to visit the Old City Market.

We arrived at the Battery and all I can say is Wow! There are rows and rows and roads and roads of old southern homes with the big porches and the pillars on cobblestone streets. I kept waiting to see ladies walking around with the big hooped dresses and their parasols.  Did I say I LOVE THIS? I could live here.  There are houses that have been totally restored, houses that have had some restoration, and houses that are undergoing restoration at this time.  There were a couple of houses for sale and according to Zillow, for a mere 5.5 million, I could own one of them that had 10,000+ square feet.  Anyone out there want to contribute to fund?  I am not proud.  I will take any handouts if it helps me live in one of these homes.

A lot of these homes had beautiful courtyards around them.

There were parts that reminded me a lot of New Orleans.  They even had an area called the French Quarter.

Don't you love the beautiful flowers?

Look at these porches!
 

There were even horse drawn carriages with guides doing tours of the area. Now wouldn't you expect to see horse drawn carriages around these homes? Daughter and I wanted to knock on their door and ask if we could come inside and see what the inside looked like. Now, if they were really from the south, they would have asked us in and offered us some sweet tea.  Don't you think? :)

Right adjacent to The Battery is an area called Rainbow Row.  It is about 2 blocks of Georgian Row Houses that are painted pink, yellow, blue, green, and purple.  Originally, shop owners had their shops on the ground floor and lived upstairs.  King George had levied taxes on the "footprint" that the shop owners put on the ground.  So, instead of expanding their business/home out, they expanded up.  That kept them from having to pay additional taxes.  That is also why they are called "Georgian" Row Houses - King George.  Because they sat on the waterfront and since the harbor was blockaded during and after the Civil War, the merchants closed their businesses and this area became the slum area of Charleston.  In the 1920s, the city of Charleston was getting ready to bulldoze all of the buildings.  However, Susan Pringle Frost, the founder of the Preservation Society of Charleston, bought six of the buildings.  She painted them yellow, but she lacked the money to do anymore restoration immediately. In 1931, a friend of hers from New York, Dorothy Haskell Porcher Legge purchased a section of these houses and began to renovate them. She chose to paint her houses pink based on a colonial Caribbean color scheme. Since she was known to be wealthy, other owners and future owners followed suit, creating the "rainbow" of pastel colors present today. The coloring of the houses helped keep the houses cool inside as well as give the area its name. By 1945, most of the houses had been restored.

There are 2 great parks in this area. White Point Gardens/Battery Park and Waterfront Park. I got some pictures of White Point Gardens/Battery Park which are below.  I only walked through one little tip of Waterfront Park because I had been walking a lot and it was close to 100 degrees and I was trying to get back to a/c quickly at this point. There is a fountain at Waterfront Park that people can play in.  Believe me, if I could have, I would have been in the fountain!  Both parks are really beautiful.  White Point Gardens/Battery Park had replicas of old cannons that sat in the park to defend the city.  At both parks, you can see Ft. Sumter which is a ferry ride away.  Ft. Sumter is the site of the first shot fired in the Civil War.

This park is right across the street from the ocean and the breeze is wonderful and refreshing on a very hot day! It is extremely shady and has lots of park benches to sit and relax on.

I love these old trees that form canopies over walkways and streets.

Let me mention one more time that I loved this area! I could spend a lot more time just walking and taking pictures.  No wonder this area is one of the top tourist places to visit in Charleston.  If you are ever in Charleston, you have to visit.

CONGAREE NATIONAL PARK

OK, I'm going to ask this again.  I want to see a show of hands of anyone who has heard of THIS national park.  That's what I thought.  I had no idea either!

This national park is located southeast of Columbia, SC.  This 24,000-acre park protects the largest contiguous area of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the United States.  Until the latter half of the 1800s, there were over 52 million acres of floodplain forests in the southeastern United States--with over one million acres in South Carolina alone. In the 1880s, the lumber industry began harvesting these forests.  Congaree's trees escaped large-scale cutting due to the difficulty of logging in a wetland area and to the timber conservation ethic of Francis Beidler, whose lumber company purchased bottomland forests in South Carolina between 1890 and 1905.  In the 1950s, conservationist Harry Hampton recognized that the Congaree forest was one of the few remaining ecosystems of its kind and began efforts to protect it.  Two decades later, when logging again threatened the area's giant trees, a public campaign led Congress to establish Congaree Swamp National Monument in 1976.  In November 2003, it became Congaree National Park.  Today it is a sanctuary for plants and animals, a research site for scientists, and a peaceful place to explore a forest of towering trees and diverse wildlife. 

Congaree is known for its hiking trails but there is also a 20 mile marked canoe trail on Cedar Creek.  Primitive and backcountry camping is available.  It is free to enter.  There is an elevated boardwalk trail that is 2.4 miles and is the most popular trail.

So, Monday, Mr. W, Daughter, and I went to hike around the boardwalk trail at Congaree.  Curly and Popcorn were starting Vacation Bible School at their church so we had only a brief window of time to take this hike.  We left Daughter's house at 9:20 and had to be back by noon to pick up the girls.

I had read information about the park and everything I read said to be sure and wear bug repellent.  Great.  But, I sprayed down and fortunately, it was cloudy on Monday so it wasn't too bad as far as temperature goes. Believe them about the bug spray. The bugs were out in force. At one point Daughter told Mr. W that he looked like "Pigpen" from Charlie Brown with all the bugs flying around his head. :)

I was not aware that the Visitor's Center was closed on Mondays. But, they had pamphlets that you could take along on the trails that gave you information.  It was basically a self-guided tour.  Here's the first sign we saw.

Like someone would have to tell me to give them distance and respect?

This park is known for its bald cypress and loblolly pines.  This is very unusual for pines and hardwoods to grow this close together and reach the size that both have. They are all huge and the park either holds or previously held champion heights and circumference size in both species of trees.  The loblolly pines have outgrown the hardwoods but they are not regenerating.

As we were walking on the boardwalk, there was a bird sitting in its nest in a limb that was right by the boardwalk. We were hoping to get a picture of the bird in the nest but it flew off.  The nest was high enough in the tree that only Mr. W was tall enough to raise his arm as high as he could and point the camera down blindly to take a picture of what we were hoping was in the nest.  Sure enough, there were eggs.  Pretty cool.

They had markers along the boardwalk that matched the points of interest in the pamphlet.  Mr. W was our tour guide.

It really was a beautiful walk.

 

Daughter went to school at Stephen F. Austin University.  They were the Lumberjacks.  Notice her hand on the fallen tree.  That was the sign that went along with their school chant at sporting events. "Axe 'em Jacks".  What better place for an ex-Lumberjack than a forest?

It made me nervous for her to get off the boardwalk for the picture.  Remember the sign?

One of these held the South Carolina record for tallest and biggest.  Can you guess which one? :)

When we reached the lake below, which was marker number 12 out of 24 on the self-guided tour, the boardwalk was blocked due to damage. What?  OK, so I thought we turn around and go back the way we came.  But, Mr. W wanted to get off the boardwalk and take another trail that actually walked through the woods where the venomous snakes could be crawling around! Of course, I had not worn my hiking shoes because I'm thinking I'm only going to be walking on a level, off the ground, boardwalk. So, as we are walking through the woods, Mr. W reads us what we missed at markers 13-17 to keep my mind off the POSSIBILITY of snakes! Then, all of sudden the trail meets back up with the boardwalk and I hop back on at marker 18.  Thank you God!

 

I know I will be back in the area again and this is a great place to come for a nice walk/hike.  So, I'm sure I will be back.  If you aren't in shape for a strenuous hike or you don't want to spend the entire day on a hike, this is a great place.  Older kids would probably love going on a walk on any of the trails.  If you are in the area, check it out.

SESQUICENTENNIAL STATE PARK

I am staying at Sesquicentennial State Park while visiting Daughter in Columbia, SC.  When I first started researching places to stay while here, I thought Sesqui (as it is called by the locals) was out. On their website, they say that their sites will only fit up to a 35 ft. rig.  Mine is 38 ft.  So, the search was on but I found out rather quickly that there aren't any RV parks close to them other than this state park. Most were at least a 30 minute drive one way to visit.  When you are trying to spend as much time as you can together, a 30 minute drive is not something you want to do twice a day if you can help it. I had a dilemma that I was really trying to work out.

However, when I was at the RV rally back in April, I happened to mention to someone there that I was planning on visiting Daughter but was having a problem finding some place to stay.  This person had once lived in Columbia and their son still lived in Columbia.  He asked me why I wasn't staying at Sesqui.  I told him what the website said and he said that he stays there when visiting his son and that there were 4 sites that would accommodate my 5W. There is always someone who has been somewhere you need information about!  He gave me the site numbers, I looked online to make sure one of those sites was still available for this week and booked my reservations.  Yippee!

I really prefer to stay in a state park IF they have full hookups, which most do not.  This one does not.  It only has 30 amp. service and no sewer hook up.  Actually, Mr. W and I found out in Virginia Beach that we can go 10 days without having to dump the sewer or the gray water but I don't like to have to watch that carefully on how much water I'm running in the trailer and how many bathroom trips I am making in the trailer! I also prefer having 50 amp service so I can run both a/c's and also run my microwave, coffee pot, hair dryer, etc. without having to turn off one or both a/c's so I don't blow the breaker.  But, since it is only 10 minutes from Daughter and it is only for a week.  I can make do with this.

The other thing that Mr. W does not like is that the camping area does not have any paved roads.  You know what that means.  Every time a car drives by, road dust goes everywhere.  The soil everywhere in Columbia is very sandy.  Mr. W thinks South Carolina must have been built on top of a big sand dune. :)

This state park has a lake and it has a really nice 2 mile loop around the lake that is like a very nice paved sidewalk.  There is a little waterfall over a small dam they built.  It has a bike trail but the bike trail is nothing but sand.  In some places, the sand is pretty compact and would not be bad for riding on, but in other places, the sand is very loose and your bike starts going "squirrelly" on the path.  That is not a good thing.

They do rent canoes and kayaks for the lake.  However, the office where you rent the canoes and kayaks is open ONLY from 11:00-12:00 and 4:00-5:00, 6 days a week. I should have that job! Oh wait, I don't want ANY job. This is also the place where you can buy ice and few other things they have stocked in the office. You better be ready to shop during the whole 2 hours they are open.

There is no place to swim.  But, there are 2 playground areas and several pavilions that you can use to have lunch or maybe a birthday party.  They have what they call a "training center" here too.  Mr. W thinks it is an amphitheater but I haven't walked to it to see what my take is on it.

So, I've posted a few pics of everything.  I will be headed back this way for Thanksgiving, so I will probably be staying here again.  Hopefully, I won't need to run both a/c's, so the 30 amp service won't matter.  But, I guess I'll still need to watch out for the gray and black tanks. Oh well, it is worth it to see my grown girl and my 2 little precious girls!

My campsite

The road you drive through the campground on.

I thought this was odd. A payphone right in the middle of the outdoor common area in front of the office. Strange that they still have a payphone and strange that it is in a state park.

This is the office where you rent the canoes/kayaks and buy ice or a few emergency items you might need.

One of the playgrounds

The other playground

The lake

The paved pathway around the lake.  There are a lot of people who come here every morning to either walk or run the path.

Another picture of the lake

This is the little waterfall made by this little dam.

Mr. W could not help himself.  He saw these cool trees with low hanging limbs and had to climb one.  Boys will be boys.

TOURING THE HOUSE AND THE FARMER'S MARKET

Every Saturday morning during certain times of the year, Columbia closes down a couple blocks of Main St. and have what they call Soda City Farmer's Market.  Since Columbia is referred to by the native Columbians as Cola, I guess Soda City is a pretty catchy name. 

So, Daughter had not been and wanted to go.  I was all for it. It opened at 9:00 and closed at 1:00.  We decided to try to get there as close to 9:00 as we could.  I think we made it there by 9:30.

This is a look at the vendors set up on main street.

Yeah Pops, Chill Out!

This was a bakery booth. Daughter bought a baguette but wasn't impressed. I thought it was OK.  Pops (Mr. W) and Popcorn ate most of it.

As you can see there were tamales for sale! They looked pretty good.  However, I have decided not to try anymore "Mexican" food until I get back to Texas.  Everything I have been served under the pretense of being Mexican food is NOT Mexican food.

There were a couple of entertainers along the street.  This guy just played his guitar and did not sing.  There was another guy further down that did both.

EVERYWHERE in this area! Boiled peanuts are "the" thing in Tennessee, Virginia, North and South Carolina. So, of course there had to be a booth here.

This guy was making a clay jar.  There were several vendors who made some kind of dish/pottery. Most were very nice.

Two little girls who got a popsicle made by the vendor and it was all natural ingredients! They thought they were going to get chocolate but Daughter made them get one that was all natural.  It sure didn't stop them from eating the whole thing.

 There was a food truck there.  It was actually in an old school bus.  Daughter had gotten very excited about the food truck but I'm not even sure if she saw it.  There were several vendors selling fruits and veggies.  I bought some peaches.  There were several vendors selling pastries, cakes, cookies, muffins, and bread.  I also bought a Hummingbird Cake.  I LOVE Hummingbird Cake and I can't tell you the last time I ate a piece of Hummingbird Cake.  Believe me, it is good.  There were vendors selling food ready to eat.  The Marriott even had a food stand set up right outside their building.  Daughter is excited to go back on another Saturday and take SIL.

They are in the process of buying a house.  It has been a crazy experience but are pretty confident that they have found their house.  Daughter wanted us to see it so we took a trip over to her house. 

They did not want to move to the "burbs".  They are urban, close to downtown people.  I'm not just talking about living in Columbia, SC. They would be that way in most any city they moved to. There is an area in Columbia called Forest Acres.  Most all the homes in this area were built in the 60s.  Most of the homeowners are in their late 70s and 80s.  Younger couples are starting to buy these houses and redo them.  It is close to downtown and is in walking distance to a lot of things. The man and woman who own the house that Daughter is buying are now both in a nursing home and their daughter is selling the house.  It doesn't look like much has been done to the house since the 1960s.  But, Daughter has some great ideas and overall the house has good bones.  Here are some pics.

Front of house

This is the family room.  They are planning to paint the paneling  and the brick on the fireplace. They are putting hardwood floors throughout the house.

As you can see, the owners have put granite counter tops which are nice.  They are going to paint the cabinets.

The formal dining.  The wallpaper in here is really not bad.  But, it is coming down and I think they are going to paint above the chair rail one color and below the chair rail another color.

This is the spare bedroom that is downstairs.  (This will be my room when I visit. :) ) Wallpaper down and paint.

This is the master bedroom.

This is the girls' room.  The wooden shutters are nice.  Popcorn loves the "chandelier" in her room but Daughter told her it is coming down. :)

This is the bathroom upstairs.  The owners had put in a new tile floor, a new toilet, and a new vanity already. The wallpaper with Japanese women is coming down. 

 

I think this was good choice for them.  It has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.  It is in an area where the houses are selling just about as quickly as people put them on the market.  They are suppose to close at the end of this month.  I can't wait to see how it looks the next time I come for a visit.

I also went to a flea market today.  There are 2 really big ones in one of the suburbs that happen every Friday and Saturday.  There was a vendor that was selling a much larger selection of fruits and veggies.  They had HOMEGROWN tomatoes! I LOVE homegrown tomatoes! I could just slice them, put salt and pepper on them, and eat just that for a meal.  Needless to say, I bought some tomatoes. I also bought some miniature plums that great.  The last thing I bought was okra.  I have been wanting to make okra and tomatoes, so now I can. It was too stinking hot to do much browsing at the flea market.  So, we went to Sonic to have lunch and then went for a swim at Daughter's apartment so we could cool off! Ahhhh, swimming pools are a great thing! One of my children needs to install a pool in their back yard! Wouldn't you agree?