Comin' Home

The party's over! The awards are given. A wonderful time was had by all. Lee and Mare should be landing in Denver about now, with a two hour drive home. We are not too far from Lexington, Kentucky in a funky little motel. A six hour drive tomorrow should bring us back to the Ant Farm. Pam, once again, proved to be a tour guide par excellence. Thank you for a great adventure. We had a grand time touring Charleston and our drive up to Charlotte was uneventful. The award ceremony at the AAHPERD convention was inspiring, to say the least. I want to thank Lee and Mare for arranging for me to receive this Pathfinder Award...and Hank Bangser, Gail Gamrath, and Denise Izatt for writing for me, and seeing only the best. Below are some pictures from our last day in Charleston. We took a tour of the restored Nathaniel Russell House, then went out with Gullah Tours...a look at the African American, enslaved persons side of the Charleston story. Thanks always to those of you reading this...it is alway fun to put up a blog, and you are patient and loyal followers.



Ourside of Russell House and some of the flora on the grounds






Kissing Crepe Myrtle (my interpretation...not theirs)



Nesting night herons in Battery Park



White people's jail in the "old days." The jail for blacks was on the other side. It was destroyed in an earthquake in the late 1800's



Tenement houses built by the WPA...encouraged by Eleanor Roosevelt...now part of the poorer section of Charleston



The graves of enslaved persons were often knocked over, paved over, and built over through the ages. These headstones, propped against a fence by the parking lot of a Charleston church are some of the "preserved" gravestones. One presumes the graves are beneath the asphalt, grasses, and church buildings and walkways.



The house of world famous, African American blacksmith and wrought iron artist, Philip Simmons. His gates can be seen all over Charleston, at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC and in many foreign countries. The iron work was so prized that when a gate owner changed residences, he would take the gate to the new home.













One of Simmons' famous heart gates, two pictures of his blacksmith's shop,and a portrait of the man himself. He died only a few years ago, but his apprentice continues to work at the forge.



Clowns with the human tennis ball and giant racquet at the AAHPERD convention



Receiving the 2013 Illinois Pathfinder Award...this is for all of the women who made and inspired my career and furthered my passion and appreciation for the human body in motion: Barbara Purrington, Sandy Canon, Shirley Gieck, Jeanne Squires, Anna Clementina Vaz, Leta Walters, Fae Witte, Betty Prange, the dancers at SJSC, Iris Boulton, Gerry Ryberg, Char Anzalone, Millie McManus, Eleanor Metheny, Rosalind Cassidy, Betty van der Smissen, Dot Harris...and so many more. And here's to the women athletes, dancers, joggers, dreamers, believers, movers and shakers of the future. Long may you live and prosper! You Go, Olivia!!







The End
(of this journey)

Location:Brenwood St,Berea,United States

A Morning With Otis and Battery...a Day on the Plantation

We started our morning with Ben, Otis, and Battery. Ben was our guide and Otis and Battery the mules that pulled our tour carriage. Although we covered some of the same territory as our walking tour, we got new information and were better able to understand some of the architecture of Charleston, and its history. We took Lee and Mare to lunch at the same place--S.N.O.B. (slightly north of Broad) where we enjoyed delicious low country cooking yesterday. Broad street is where the very wealthy merchants first settled...slightly north is not quite shabby, still close enough to be a bit ritzy! After lunch we drove out to Drayton House (think Downton Abbey in the new world). This is a plantation that has not been restored. It had been home to 8 generations of Draytons and their enslaved workers. In the 1970's the Drayton owners sold the plantation and the lands to the National Trust. After our tour, we returned to Charleston and had dinner at a local restaurant called Hank's. Imagine our surprise when Mare was tapped on the shoulder. We all looked up and there stood Jeannie Gans...a former New Trier colleague. She and partner Gerry were here vacationing and visiting friends. Gerry will always have my heart because every birthday, he baked me a carrot cake...and can he bake! And that was our day in Charleston. Tomorrow we'll visit the historic Russell House in town, have a tour with Gullah tours and then leave for Charlotte.




In the barn of Palmetto Carriage tours, waitin' for Otis and Battery



Traveling behind Otis and Battery



Houses built in Charleston were built first by British citizens. Homes in Britain were built of stone, but there was not much stone to be had in South Carolina. Consequently, homes were built from brick, stuccoed over, and then the stucco was scored so that it looked as if the home was made of stone. This home, with only it's face finished is called "lazy style."



This is the infamous Hat Man of Charleston. Every part of him is a hat. Mother's would often scare their children saying, "If you don't do this...the hat man will get you." Take a good look!



Back at the barn...happy travelers by a wall mural



Otis (white) and Battery back out on the road



Drayton House as it stands today. Gone the large circular drive in front of the house, and the two flanking buildings that stood as wings on either side of the original home.



One of the many fireplaces. Every room had one, with a large fireplace in the basement where much of the cooking was done.



A mantle was removed and not replaced, leaving the wood framing from the 1700's early construction open for us to see (natural colored piece of wood running alongside the brick)



Fireplace and decoration in one of the rooms used for dancing. Much of the interior of Drayton House has been painted only three times since it was first built.




Gate leading to the graveyard of many of the enslaved people who worked at Drayton House. The iron work carries the words of one of the people, "Leave 'Em Rest." The circle work on either side represents slave chains and the bird sitting on top of the circle work represents freedom.



Sunset over Charleston

Location:Charleston, SC

Clouds Over Charleston

Well, it's been a fairly eventful trip so far. The drive down through the Smoky Mountains and into warmer country was beautiful. It's been a long time since we've seen such vibrant shades of green, purples, pinks, and whites (the colors of blooming fruit trees). While we were driving, Lee and Mare were beginning to see the first part of a new snow storm developing in the mountains. By the time we got to Charleston and they got to a motel near DIA, there were already 6 inches of new snow in Estes Park...and it was still falling.

But back in South Carolina...I left my wallet in a gas station bathroom about an hour out of Charleston. By the time I discovered that fact, and Pam pulled out the gas receipt so we had a phone number, the wallet was gone. Pam (sweet person she is) spent the next hour + canceling credit cards. We are OK as one card (that Pam is carrying) is authorized for food and tours...so we are OK for all of that. Today we walked about historic Charleston...first on our own.

Pam found a fabulous restaurant for lunch. She had soft shelled crab--really good. I had a Southern specialty called shrimp and grits. It was delicious. After lunch, we joined a two hour walking tour. It was good to walk around and learn some of Charleston's history. It dates back to pre-revolutionary times (if you only count from the time white guys arrived here). Apparently George Washington had a fine time in the city, reporting that one night he danced with 250 ladies. Apparently he loved to dance the minuet. Lafayette stayed here also. Then, of course there were Generals Beauregard and Lee. Apparently Beauregard was having a party on the roof of his house when the shelling on Ft. Sumpter began. They were all expecting this and were just trying to get one more party in before the war started. It's easier to let you see some of the pictures of what we saw today. So, I'll sign off for now, especially since Lee and Mare's plane is expected in about an hour and a half.




No building that is standing for 75 years or more can be knocked down. The Custom House dates from way before the Civil War...or the War of Northern Aggression as it's known here.





Sweet girl who picked up after I lost my wallet.



Charleston Market...Only one section. It stretches for blocks.



Many ways to get around this town...


Interesting doors, flower boxes...and people?





Cobbles were used as ballast when empty British ships came to South Carolinas. The cobbles were dumped on the wharves as the ships were loaded with cotton, rice, and indigo for the return to Britain.



George Washington and many famous Southerners worshipped in this Church of England...now an Episcopal church after the revolutionary war.



Fencing to prevent rebellious slaves from entering homes and yards where they might do harm to white families.



The emblem of one of Charleston's fire companies. If you didn't have an emblem, no one would save your burning house or business.



Three red dots means this is a liquor store. State run. Open from 9-7 and not on Sundays. Plan ahead...and with that, we're off for the airport.

Location:Reid St,Charleston,United States

Off Again

It's Sunday, April 21. My moms dropped me off at a cool place called Bowser B&B in Elizabeth, just outside of Galena.
It belongs to cousins Michelle and Jack. The first thing was my moms got to meet the two goats, the horse next door who escaped into cousin Michelle's pasture, and the four horses. I skipped all that. Next? We went to where I am staying: the kennel. I got to see my little cubicle. It already had my name on it. There is a bed on four short legs (my mom put my car blanket on it) and a water dish. Then we went outside in one of the many runs. A really big golden came with us. He's very nice. We raced around for a bit then went back inside. Guess what? He knows how to open the doors to all of the individual rooms, so he did that. A greyhound, poodles, small dogs, bigger dogs all came pouring out. Such fun. I think I'll have a good time while my moms are in South and North Carolina with my Aunties Lee and Mare. Well, my mom let me write this mostly so that she can make sure her mobile blogger is working. Stay tuned. There may be some adventures.
Love and Happy Spring,
Lucy Blu

Location:Galena, IL