Edith's First Visit to Santa

When I heard that the Ohio Statehouse's annual holiday festival included visits to Santa and Mrs. Claus, it was decided: We would go. Paul and I met when we were pages at the Statehouse -- what better place for Edith's first visit to Santa?

Edith, however, would have been happier with no visit to Santa. No smiles for that girl. Maybe next year.

Ohio Statehouse, facing High Street

A Charleston, S.C., Cold Spell

We headed south in November to catch a bit of sun, but it didn't work out according to plan.

We weren't planning on going to the beach, of course, but we had hoped to ditch the coats. We were able to do just that during the day in Savannah, Ga., but that wasn't the case when we headed to Charleston, S.C., in the middle of the week.

It was cold. COLD.  Hat, gloves, winter coats -- the works. The weather didn't make exploring quite as much fun, but we didn't let it stop us from wandering around. And luckily it was only very cold one of the two full days we were there, and only chilly on the second.

Here's a bit of what we saw, with some random photos coming up in a future post.

Angel Oak tree, estimated to be more than 1,500 years old,
outside of Charleston

Shopping along King Street

City Market from the front ...

... from the side ...

... inside ...

... and from afar.

View from Waterfront Park

Rainbow Row, aka pretty houses

Visiting Fort Sumter & the Charleston Tea Plantation

Waiting to board the boat to Fort Sumter

Our time in Charleston, S.C., included one morning trip and one afternoon trip. Neither took more than a couple of hours, and both were well worth the time.

In the morning we visited the Charleston Tea Plantation, a short drive outside of the city. This is the only tea plantation inside North America, which surprised me. I had assumed that tea was just as much of a southern crop as tobacco or cotton.

We took a trolley tour around the plantation, learned how it was gathered in season and had all the samples we could drink in the gift shop. I particularly liked the iced peach tea.

Special machinery to harvest tea

That afternoon we visited Fort Sumter, just off Charleston's shore. Bonus: As we waited on the boat, we saw dolphins in the water! I didn't even know dolphins lived off South Carolina.

But back to Fort Sumter. Paul particularly wanted to visit since this is where the Civil War began. While I found it interesting, I also found it extremely cold. The city was going through a cold spell, and Edith and I were bundled up. Being on an island didn't help things.

After a quick orientation and look around (and even if you aren't interested in the history of the site, it is very scenic), Edith and I spent the remainder of the time in a small, warm museum and talking to the cashier in the gift shop. But even the shop had a great view, so not all was lost.