Chicken-n-Waffles,
sunglasses, hot sauce, and more - a day in Charleston with Mark, Jon,
and Suzanne. While we all did our own thing in the morning (laundry,
running, coffee), by lunchtime we were a foursome that took on
Charleston. But first...lunch. 3 salads, a fruit bowl, and a waffle
& fried chicken sandwich. Yep...fried chicken between 2 waffles with
butter, syrup, and a side of potato chips. I'm not going to tell anyone
that Mark ordered the chicken-n-waffles. That wouldn't be right. And
I'm certainly not going to divulge how quickly he ate it. Anyway, I hear
it was good...very good. From lunch, we headed by car to Sullivan's
Island to visit the beach (and to retrieve Jon's sunglasses from the
BBQ joint from the previous evening). Jon's quest was successful so we
enjoyed coffee and pastries outside in celebration. We all wore our
sunglasses.
The
short stroll to the beach and the beach itself were fantastic. Coastal
Carolina is like no where else - marsh, sweetgrass, egrets, palmetto
trees, rivers, and wide beaches. Truly a beautiful and unique part of
the country. We strolled, talked, and took it all in (and Suzanne even
squeezed in a brief work call...nice office!).
Next,
we headed back to the city through marshland and over the bridges. Once
back, we did a driving tour of the historic quarter (the Battery,
Rainbow Row, Harleston, etc.). Along Rainbow Row we saw a movie filming
in progress - Major motion picture? History Channel piece? Or Mark's
favorite guess...a Discovery Channel expose on Haunted Houses? This
mystery may go unsolved as we didn't stop to ask. While I obnoxiously
shouted out actor's names (Sandra Bullock, Rozanne Barr, Brad Pitt, and
so on), I saw not one. After this, we took a walk along Market St. and
stopped in most sweets shops and one hot sauce shop. Purchases were made
at each (boat provisions, right?) so we needed to celebrate with IPA's,
Porter Ale, and mojitos. It's not what you think! We didn't each drink
these things...Mark and I had an IPA each, Jon the Porter (which could
be a band name), and Suzanne the mojito. Being north of 40 years old,
that was as crazy as we could get. From there, a trip to Harris Teeter
to reprovision (some staples to go with those sweets) and then back to
the boat where we enjoyed a nightcap and some of Mark's newly-purchased
hot sauce (Blair's Death Sauce). Muerte! It was hot!
I was home by 10:00pm
so the Stray Cat Crew could rest up for a day of engine repairs and an
historic home tour. Did I mention that Jon and Mark stole moments here
and there to search online for engine parts and make calls to parts
stores? Wouldn't be a successful boat (or Jeep) trip without necessary
repairs. While they were unsuccessful in securing said parts, all were
optimistic for what Tuesday would bring. An engineer and a mechanic...what could go wrong?
It
was very much my pleasure and such an unexpected treat to spend a day
(and dinner the night before) with the Stray Cat Crew! Better quality
people you will not meet. So happy that they get to partake of this
odyssey. Best of good luck as you sail south, and make sure to take time
to smell the roses (seaweed?) along the way.
Gary
Oh!
I'd be remiss if I omitted the fact that part of the uniform of young
women in Charleston seems to be black tights (as pants). And most appear
to be in good shape. Had Suzanne not pointed this out, we guys would
never have noticed. Thanks Suzanne. ;)
Editors notes: The movie is "South of Hell" starring...nobody knows. And regarding the young ladies of the city and their choice of clothing, you may be shocked to learn that the boys had no problem noticing all on their own. It was awesome to spend the day with Gary and the only regret was that Kim could not be with us. We <3 Kim and Gary.
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