Posted on November 26, 2009 by jason
We got a nice email from Kevin from Jacksonville,FL who wanted to invite us over, but it said… “It would be cool to have you stop by, but I am currently living in Afghanistan. It would be so uncool to have your family drive here.” Yeah – we agree. Kabul or the Florida beaches? Further south we go…
What’s the oldest city in America?
St. Augustine?
Yep, that’s what they say. First thing we found was a park with a carousel. Bode rode 3 times. Next we went to the historic downtown. We parked next to a small median park with a few cannons. Bode now has to go around and climb on all of them. He pretends to load them, add gunpowder, light them. Then he runs off ducks and yells ‘fire in the hole!’. Usually I’ll cover my head and wait for his explosion sound. It’s pretty funny when others in the park duck and cover their heads, too.
We went through the market area and enjoyed it. It’s kind of Spanish colonial with cobblestone streets, has a tropical feel and lot’s of tourist milling about.
Castillo de San Marcos was a big hit… it had lots of cannons, a drawbridge, and stories about pirates. The kid loves pirates.
Posted on November 23, 2009 by angela
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.
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.
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.
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.
