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

Killing Me Softly

It is great to hear the beautiful sound of Eric playing steel pan as he spends some time with us.  Apparently, Lucy thinks so too.  Despite the fact that the high notes seem to hurt her ears, she just can't tear herself away from her guy.

Welcome. We're here on the Prairie and have just had the pleasure of attending the Batavia All-City Band Concert--featuring 700 musicians from grade 5 through high school. Grand daughter Olivia Liebing is in the West Side Elementary Band and she plays the clarinet. We were so excited about the concert and the quality of the music, we thought to share a short video with our friends.

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Last Blog from Turkey

This will truly be very short because our Internet connection is the worst we've had and we're really tired. So, four amazing things happened at the end of our trip.
1. The last night on the boat we were at Gocek, tied in to a slip at the dock. As dinner started, a woman and a man we didn't know came on board. They were greeted happily by the captain and went below. Some good friends come to visit the captain, we thought. No--a surprise from Dennis ( who is always full of delightful surprises). The woman was a belly dancer--and did we all have fun! The videos are much better, but some pics will need to suffice for now.
2. On the long drive from Gocek to our next destination, Sirince, Dennis asked if we would like to detour through Bodrum, his home town, to meet his wife Elif and three month old son, Kuzay. Yes, of course we would!
3. In the place we stayed in Sirince, we each had our own cottage at an inn atop a hill. It was beautiful.
4. We visited Ephesus. Those of you who have been there understand that the beauty, crowds, and sights of this ancient, once thriving port city are hard to describe. So, again, a few pictures will have to suffice.
Tomorrow a.m. We leave the hotel at 3:00 a.m. for the first leg of our flight back, which will take us through Frankfurt and then nonstop on to Denver. We'll be so happy to be back, but what a time we've had. Thanks for traveling with us.
Much love,
B n P




John with our belly dancer




Dennis with his new motorcycle in Bodrum




The family...bad pic




Pam n Kuzay--of course




Porch n front door of our cottage




From the living room




Welcome to Ephesus












Piecing shards together to reconstruct wall murals. Talk about a puzzle!




Mausoleum and library

Location:Istanbul