Do the Charleston

Since we never planned to be this far east, we were left without a plan in Charleston, SC. Turns out, we were just as happy without one. The town is gorgeous and has a rich history. We spent some time in Battery Park where Bode could climb on cannons. From this point onward, Bode now refers to these places as ‘Cannon Parks.’ He has a whole routine that includes saying “fire in the hole!” and taking cover.

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We had a pretty specific ‘No weapons allowed’ rule back in California, but honestly, that never worked out very well. I’d go to three stores to find water ‘squirters’ not shaped like guns and Bode and his friends would still pretend they were weapons. Light sabers, swords, pistols – all things that can be fashioned from a stick by any imaginative kid. And guess what? The kids who have these toys are totally normal. While I’m still not a fan of my son mimicking violence, I’m realizing it’s part of being a boy, and yet another California parent disconnect.

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We drove Red Beard through the historical areas, the French Quarter, etc. It’s a very nice place, but we just didn’t find anything specific that we wanted to do. There was also the persistent smell of chemical refinery wafting around town – maybe the wind was blowing in the wrong direction – so we just decided to bag it. Refineries are pretty common sights and smells in The South, especially on the coasts, and something we had conveniently forgotten. The city was beautiful, but after a few hours we decided to get in a little more daylight drive time.

Savannah was our destination, but we were losing light and we were getting tired. We made it to Beaufort. Beaufort is a pretty little town with a little old downtown shopping area and a scenic harbor.  Nice place.

That night we got an email from JT, saying “Hey, did you guys just drive into Beaufort? I think I saw you!” The second official Red Beard sighting that we know of. Pretty cool, but also kinda strange. Anyway, we wanted to meet up, but he was in the middle of some intense firefighter training and we were headed out the next day, so no dice this time.

We’ve been able to make connections up and down the East Cost and could probably just hop between hosts for this part of the trip, but we haven’t been capable of planning anything or giving anyone advance notice, so we’re just winging it as usual.

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Between crossing the Mason-Dixon Line and the long driving days, we’ve given in to fast food occasionally,  but my stomach was clamoring for something not fried and possibly even healthy. Sushi in Beaufort, SC? Right on! I’m not sure how many other kids say this when asked about dinner, but I can guarantee that I didn’t until around 35: “Sushi! Sushi…I LOVE sushi!”

Bode ate 6 rolls, edamame, and then asked if we could order another roll. We did—and he ate 3 more.

5 thoughts on “Do the Charleston

  • November 24, 2009 at 11:12 AM
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    Some of our best vacations and trips were the unplaned side roads. We love to wing it! Little harder to do that now days with kids but still doable. Yea Sushi took awile with me too! LOL!

  • November 24, 2009 at 6:03 PM
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    Amy and Pony’s honeymoon consisted of Savannah with a side trip to Charleston. Her photos were beautiful, as yours are too.

  • November 24, 2009 at 9:26 PM
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    my friend brian swears he saw you guys the other day in LA. third official sighting.

  • November 24, 2009 at 11:39 PM
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    You can tell Bode he has one-up on me, I still don’t eat sushi…

  • December 2, 2009 at 5:44 PM
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    Hey –

    Glad to hear you are all still having a memorable time!

    As I think the first “official” Red Beard sighter – I thought I would point out that my initials are JT as well. What a coincidence!

    Enjoying reading about your travels!

    Joe

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