Design: Beach Day

I absolutely love being back in South Carolina! One of the best things is the ability to plan get-togethers for the alumni of Alpha Omega. While living out of state, I was able to plan or help plan the annual Alumni Weekend, but a lot of ladies find it hard to attend. We have folks living all over the state and I like to encourage people in the various areas to meet together. Being back allows me to facilitate these gatherings.

Currently I'm about 2 hours from the beach and it has been calling me. I thought it would be fun to organize a beach day with the Alpha Omega Alumni. Summer is always busy with people traveling, so I am not sure how many will be able to come. But I figure I have to at least try.

Fonts used:
Hawaiian Punk
Meganhand

The Holy City: Pitt Street Bridge

One of my all-time favorite places in my hometown is called the Old Village. Charles and I got married at a church in that part of town and our reception was right down the street at Alhambra Hall. A couple blocks away is the Pitt Street Bridge. Whenever we are in town we make an effort to stop by for a stroll. If you go around Sunset you are almost guaranteed amazing photos!

The Holy City: Audubon Swamp Garden

Magnolia Plantation is also home to the Audubon Swamp Garden. Charles had wanted to visit Cypress Gardens while we were home, but they were still closed from the crazy flooding that happened in October. We figured the Audubon Swamp Garden would give us a little taste until we can return and visit Cypress Gardens.

We saw several alligators while walking around Magnolia Plantation and the Swamp Garden. This one was the closest, but luckily we were not eaten.

The Holy City: Magnolia Plantation

Another attraction I have never visited while living in the Charleston area is one of the many plantations in the area. We found a Groupon for Magnolia Plantation and decided to check it out. I did not realize that several of the plantations were close to my in-law's house. Convenient!

When we first arrived, we encountered a peacock in the parking lot. They are such beautiful creatures! Later, while walking around the gardens, we came across his counterpart--a pea hen. We recently learned that is the name for a female. We have been watching 72 Cutest Animals on Netflix. Together they are called pea fowl.

The garden was lovely. They are lots of paths to walk down and wonderful views overlooking the water.

We saw sooooo many of these guys throughout the gardens. Must be a nice place to live!

These flowers reminded me of the flowers in Alice in Wonderland. One of my favorite movies!

We did not tour the house on this visit, but the lower level consists of the gift shop. It was a lot larger than I expected and filled with lots of neat items.

The bamboo garden. It was neat to walk among such large bamboo plants.

Cypress "knees"

The Holy City: Fort Sumter

Did you know that Charleston, South Carolina is this year's World's Best City (according to Travel + Leisure)? My home town of Mount Pleasant is adjacent to Charleston. This July my parents rented a beach house and we all went down for a visit.

View from the beach house balcony

I was craving humidity (yes, you read that correctly) and the beautiful views of palm trees, beach and marsh. This trip satisfied all those cravings and more.

On our first full day, we visited Fort Sumter. Even though I grew up in the area I had never visited this historic site. The boat ride out to the Fort was lovely and educational.

View while waiting to board the boat

The first thing we saw after stepping foot inside for the tour was a rifle musket demonstration. I really enjoyed this. I had just read a book that took place during the Civil War and talked a lot about firing rifle muskets. (The book is called I Shall Be Near You and I HIGHLY recommend reading it).

The USS Yorktown. We didn't visit it on this trip, but maybe next time

Charleston skyline

The rifle musket demo. I'm glad I don't have to wear that uniform on a hot summer day in Charleston

 

After the tour and boat ride back, we visited Jack's Cosmic Dogs for lunch. This is a Mount Pleasant/Charleston institution and, again, another place I've never patronized. My chili dog was yum, yum, yum! And the atmosphere is fun with a vintage flair.

My bookshelf

Growing up with a mom who wanted to be a librarian, we read a lot. I remember many visits to the library to pick out books to read.

Then at some point I made up my mind that it wasn't cool to read. I don't know why it mattered. I still read from time to time, but definitely not as much.

Over the past few years I have returned to reading just for the fun of it. It started off reading before going to bed. I find it is an excellent way to turn my brain off so I do not lie away thinking of everything under the sun and not being able to sleep.

And now that I'm stuck at work for lunch instead of being able to come home, I read on my lunch break, too. I have several co-workers that stop in the break room and will ask me what I'm reading. They have kids and say how they wished they had more time to read. One of the ladies told me that last weekend she finally took some time, sat in her comfy chair and read while her boys played. I was so happy for her that she was able to take some time for herself. I think all parents should do that!

I just finished a nice book called Charleston. Of course I would enjoy that, right? It took place in the 90's, so it was the Charleston of my youth. As always when I read books that take place in the Lowcountry, I got homesick. The story was interesting and hit home. It was about a lady who grew up in Charleston and then moved away for college and was living in London. She had been gone for about 10 years and then came home for a visit. She described her feelings about being home...how it was all so familiar and she just picked back up where she left off. I feel the same way every time I am back.

Our next book club book is called Brooklyn: A Novel. I am about 20% through the book. We picked it from a list of books that were becoming movies this year. So far, I am not sure it would make for a great movie. The story has been slow to get under way. I am hoping it picks up soon.

Home is where...

Almost 100% of the time I would say home is wherever my husband is. The only exception is when I'm in Charleston.

I had the chance to visit this past weekend and soaked up every minute. I ate really good food, saw a few people, and spent time with my family. It was much needed.

Here are some of the highlights (and recommendations if you are in the area):

Sesame Burgers and Beer: they have really unusual, but delicious, toppings for burgers. The first time I ate there I had peanut butter, banana and bacon (the Memphis) on my burger. Delicious! This time I got 3 sliders--Memphis, chili and cheese (Colorado) and Hawaiian. Yummy!

Boulevard Diner: Great local spot. I enjoyed the Carolina Club which is your basic club sandwich, but it has pecan mayo. They also have some of the best desserts. I had a hard time deciding but went with the banana chocolate chip cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Amazing!

Waterfront Park: Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston is always a great place to visit, but this time I took my sister to Mt. Pleasant's version. We went right around sunset and the weather was perfect. It was nice to walk down the pier, see people fishing and swinging and to take a few pictures.

 

The Market: This is a must anytime you're in town. I haven't been since they remodeled and now there is a section with air conditioning! I'm glad they didn't make the whole Market that way. I think it would take away from the experience.

Charleston Riverdogs: I've been going to Riverdogs games for years (since their old stadium--which caused a small debate with my Dad about if they were the Riverdogs at their old park). It's always fun and the "new" park is right off the marsh with a gorgeous view. They lost, but we had great seats and enjoyed fireworks afterward.