Charleston, South Carolina

Wednesday and Thursday (May 18 - 19) found us in Charleston, South Carolina. We really enjoyed our stay there! We crossed the beautiful Arthur Ravenel Bridge as we entered Charleston. It has 8 lanes and was opened in 2005. Really impressive!!

Arthur Ravenel Bridge

Our resort, The Lodge at Alley Inn, was in the heart of the historic area. Great location!! The third suite on the bottom floor was ours, and it was just a few steps to the fountain and the lobby. It was a lovely spacious suite with a lot of character!

The Lodge at Alley Inn Resort was built in an old warehouse.

The living room of the suite had a mini kitchen to the right of the fireplace.

Our bedroom had a beautiful rice carved four poster bed.

After checking into the resort, Danny and I drove to Patriot's Point to take the ferry to Ft. Sumter. On the way we saw a pod of dolphins swimming the ferry. A couple of interesting facts we learned were that it was built on an man made island at the mouth of the harbor and even though the fort was almost completely demolished, no one was killed in that first Civil War battle. One Federal soldier was killed after the battle when during a 100 gun salute was being given, so the the salute was stopped.

The ferry boat that we took to Ft. Sumter.

Ft. Sumter as seen from the ferry.

Ft. Sumter's exterior walls were thick and housed the cannons.

From the top one of the structures in the fort looking over the fort wall toward Charleston.

Within the fort there was a five story building that housed the federal soldiers and officers.

Here's Danny taking in the sights at Ft. Sumter.

Late that afternoon, we strolled through the Waterfront Park which had a long pavilion on the pier with porch type swings, lots of fountains and a walking path along the waterfront. We enjoyed watching huge tankers and a cruise ship sail into the port. Then we walked down the "Battery" which is a street of beautiful old homes across the street from the sea wall. Some of the old houses were painted pastel colors and were nicknamed "The Painted Ladies". Most of the old mansions had their own private garden.

The next day we took in the Charleston City Market and bought a few souvenirs. One of the local specialties was basket made of some type of marsh grass. Very pretty and very expensive!

We also toured The USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier. There was so much to take in there!

We enjoyed dinner a great restaurant named Hyman's and then spent an hour or so strolling the streets of historic Charleston looking at the great architecture of the buildings, churches and shops. I found Charleston to be filled with fascinating photo opportunities!

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Our drive to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Monday morning was pleasant, and we enjoyed seeing the wild flowers blooming along the highway. We arrived at Shore Crest Vacation Villas a little after noon and checked into a nice two bedroom condo with a "View" - not much of a view, but we could see the Atlantic Ocean and the beach if we stepped out on the patio and craned our necks around the corner!!

This is the interior of our condo at Shore Crest. Nice place! This is the pretty view of the Atlantic Ocean and the beach from our patio. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us for our "Beach Time!" It was cold, windy and rainy!! BUT, we walked on the beach wearing hooded sweat shirts and with our beach towels wrapped around us! After all, this was our "Beach Time" for the year!!

That evening, we drove down to the Myrtle Beach Board Walk.
Here I am .... notice the heavy clouds overhead and the flags (and my hair) blowing in the wind! Below is another shot of the Board Walk.

There were lots of tourists and traffic in that area and there was a feeling of excitement was in the air!

A new "Sky Wheel" was to open on the Board Walk in a few weeks. The cars were large enough to accommodate a group of people who could have dinner while on the ride. I bet there are some great views from the top! There is always an arcade on any board walk!

The next day, we slept in, went to the resort pools, shopped and watched a Red Box movie in our condo. We left Myrtle Beach the following morning, and as you can see below, the day was going to be beautiful.... sunny and warm! Oh well, we had fun anyway! We pressed on to Charleston, SC for the next leg of our vacation!

Virginia Beach Visit with Aaron and Kara

Danny and I arrived in Virginia Beach on Friday evening, May 13th, and we spent the weekend with Aaron and Kara Shaner. Aaron spent two summers with us as he served as the summer youth minister intern at our congregation. They were great hosts and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together!











Saturday the four of us went to Colonial Williamsburg! The following photos are the great places we toured and saw while there.




















Visitor's Center where we watched a film about events that led up to the Revolutionary War.

This plaque was inlaid in the walkway/bridge that led into Colonial Williamsburg.

One of the highlights was attending "A Conversation with Patrick Henry" where the events that led up to the Revolutionary War was explained from his perspective. That hour flew by and we so enjoyed hearing the actor speak as though he truly was Patrick Henry. Here we are standing with him.

Danny touring one of the museums.

Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and George Washington all attended this church.

The historic church cemetery.

Danny, Kara and Aaron inside the church.

The four of us standing on the lawn in front of the Governor's Palace. Great tour! A surprise to us was the numerous weapons on display in the entry hall--- meant to intimidate any visitors.

The back of the palace was prettier than the front because of the formal gardens.

Governor's Palace Garden

Next we toured the Courthouse where missing church services was considered a crime.

Guess we didn't pay our taxes!

One of the shops on the main street.

A lodge where citizens met to discuss events.

More buildings on the main street.

A residence in Colonial Williamsburg.

The Capitol Building at the end of the main street. Our tour guide explained how laws were made and the challenges that were before the Founding Fathers of our country. As today, there were disagreements as to how to resolve the issues before them.

At the end of the day, we were able to see the Drums and Fife parade.

On Sunday, Danny and I worshipped with Aaron and Kara at Bayside Church of Christ. We were excited to renew a friendship with our long ago friends, Leonard and Gail Reaves who also worship there at Bayside. Here's a photo of the four of us.

Sunday afternoon, we headed to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk, Virginia for a tour.

Here's Danny checking out the displays in the museum.

Isn't this an interesting shot of The Wisconsin Battleship that is anchored just outside of the Naval Museum? Great afternoon!

That evening, we had fun visiting with Aaron and Kara and playing games together. Then off to bed we all went since we were leaving early the next day for Myrtle Beach, SC, and they had to return to work.