Let's see, haven't blogged in a few days. We spent Tuesday night "at home" and after dinner heard music, so we headed over to the campground's open air pavilion and were treated to a concert by the blind musician and singer Sarah Getto. She was great! What a nice treat. Buddy enjoyed it also, of course.
On Wednesday, after a lovely sunny afternoon at the beach (although it was windy!), off to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos (but we snuck one in of me during the preshow, holding my souvenir "boot drink"!).
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| Laura with her boot drink. |
So the show was pure cornpone, but very cute, with North vs. South as the theme, and great horsemanship on display -- trick riders, barrel riding, racing, precision riding, etc. The food was "countrified" -- a small whole chicken, half potato, soup, corn, slice of pork -- all to be eaten without utensils.
All in all, we enjoyed it. And yes, I am sure the Oak Ridge Boys concert would have been far superior in terms of quality entertainment, but somehow, this show epitomized "looking for America" more.
Off to Hilton Head
After a very long drive, we arrived in Hilton Head around 5:30 pm or so, and were met by Beau's dear friend Dave Reed (they went all through grammar school and high school together).
Some images from the drive:
And here are the two lifelong (nearly) friends:
Dave had also arranged for us to stay at our RV resort for free -- it is absolutely gorgeous. These photos don't really show how beautiful the environs are, but we are on a lovely paved site (that belongs to Dave's cousin) with lush landscaping. And the RVs here put ours to shame.
Dave and his lovely wife Claudette then had us over to their beautiful home for a scrumptious pot roast dinner -- we were so late and rushed that we forgot to bring even a bottle of wine! Buddy met two new friends, Schätze and Star (little Pekingeses). Star and Buddy did have a few arguments, but all in all the dogs were fine.
Below, Beau, Buddy, Claudette, and Star.
Yesterday, we went to Charleston -- unfortunately, the trip took much longer than we had anticipated, so it was a relatively short visit. We got there about 1:30, scarfed down a quick lunch at a waterfront restaurant (Buddy joined us in his bag), and then hopped onto a carriage ride for a tour of the historic city.
Here, an explanation of how some people became Charleston residents way back when:
A city of gracious southern architecture and steeped in history, Charleston is a charming city of wonderful old homes and delightful people.
We also saw the results of the 1886 earthquake in Charleston (they estimate today that it was between 7 and 9 on the Richter scale): earthquake bolts. These were placed through a house to bring it back together after the quake!
Also saw the first Huguenot church in America and the only one still in active use, according to our tour guide, and a house where the hearts on the shutters meant you could find "love" (ahem) inside.
Our horse, Laddie, came from a tour company in Beaufort, SC, where he had a much shorter route, and so occasionally he just stopped in the middle of our trip, thinking he was finished. Very amusing. Here he is, a sweet Belgian draft horse:
Another beauty:
Oh -- this is a very interesting piece of etymology: The houses in Charleston often had a separate kitchen house, to keep heat and fire away from the main house. The slaves were made to whistle when bringing food to the owners, to prevent them from pilfering food (you cannot whistle and eat at the same time, I suppose). Well, all this whistling would attract dogs. So the slaves fried some cornmeal dough balls and put these in their apron pockets to throw to the dogs and distract them from the food. The slaves would throw these and say "hush, puppies!" -- and that is where the term hush puppies (delicious!) came from! Fascinating and true, according to Sean, our tour guide.
After the tour, we went to the Slave Market -- a misnomer of sorts, in that it was a farmer's market from which the slaves shopped for food and supplies -- to buy a gift for Claudette. We ended up buying an unusual Charleston sweetgrass basket. These are very special handmade baskets crafted by Low Country families for generations. An explanation:
Nearly 400 years ago, Low Country slaves brought (from West Africa) their craft of weaving baskets from a local grass. Originally used for the practical purpose of collecting rice and cotton in plantation fields, the skill has been passed from generation to generation. There are limited (if any) instructional books on sweetgrass basket making. However, sweetgrass basketry is protected under South Carolina Law, and you can create your own for personal use. The gift of being an inherited descendant is a tradition that is upheld within a proud group of people. Their ancestral story is cherished and honored by many.
We also haggled with a lovely and witty Gulla (Creole) woman selling spices and Low Country rice mixes. Her name was Rainey and I wish I had videotaped the exchange -- she put me in my place so many times. "Girl, now you just leave your husband and me be, we is negotiating a good price for y'all, and you is interferin'!" "I am goin to church and throw a brick at the altar for you." (Have no idea what that meant, but she said it in such a funny way you had to laugh.) We bought some soup mixes and herbal concoctions called "Ass in the Tub" and "Herbal Viagra." Claudette appreciated both!
We are thinking of staying another day to spend Halloween with our good friends.
Tanks, Panky
