A Visit From Mom and Jesse

Last Thursday, Mom and Jesse arrived from Georgia. It was so wonderful to see them! After showing them around our unpacked apartment, we headed out to see Darren at the newly opened Dick's Sporting Goods. Jesse looked so excited to get to see him, as she ran and gave him a giant hug. We then headed to my new favorite restaurant, McAllister's, so that I could show my mom their giant potatos. She loved them!


After Darren arrived home from work, we took Mom and Jesse to Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place. Jesse caught the lizard pictured above. We spent the evening hanging around the house. I cooked ranch chicken for dinner. Darren went to bed early because he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. I stayed up and played games with mom and Jesse.


Friday morning, we all got up when Darren went to work and headed to Folly Beach. First, we went to the north end of the island, which I've never been to before. From here, you get spectacular views of the Morris Island Lighthouse. Also, on the 1/4 mile walk to the beach from the parking area, we saw some absolutley beautiful flowers. Here's a few pictures of them:







These flowers were everywhere! I loved them! As we continued along the path, it turned to sand and then very quickly opened up into on of the most beautiful views.


Between the high sand and sea grass, you could see the Morris Island lighthouse. I took many other pictures of the lighthouse this day, but this one is by far my favorite. We walked around for a bit on this end of the island. Shelling is not as good here because there is a sand bar about halfway between the beach and the lighthouse. Around 9am, when Folly Beach Park opened, we gathered our things together and headed there. This is a wonderful place to shell. Jesse also met a little girl named Nicole, whom she played with for a little while.


Around noon, Mom went to plant Buttercup's letterbox. Jesse and I hung out on our beach towels. We both and gotten a lot of sun and were hungry. So, when Mom got back, we headed home. We did KFC for dinner and Darren and Jesse rented Dreamgirls. Jesse wound up making some friends in our apartment complex and went to play with them. So, we watched the movie without her.


Saturday morning, I woke up not feeling well at all. So, Darren took Mom and Jesse to a local park for a few hours while I rested at home. Around noon, they returned home. I felt a little better, so I went with then to the USS Yorktown. Not only can you tour the Yorktown, you can also go on a submarine, a coast guard boat, and a destroyer. We started on the submarine, then went to the destroyer and coast guard boat.


The deck of all of the boats offered a great view of the Charleston Harbor. From the flight deck of the USS Yorktown, you can even see the Sullivan's Island Lighthouse. After touring the three smaller vessels, we ate a quick snack at the Yorktown snack bar. Then, we started our tour of the aircraft carrier. There are 6 walking tours you can go on. We did not do them all. My favorite was the flight deck. There were around 10 planes out on the deck for yout to see. You couldn't get in any of them. However, there was a plane down near the snack bar that was avilable for you to sit in the cockpit. That was pretty neat. I do not recommend going to the USS Yorktown when it is hot. We were sweltering. Go in fall or winter. Here are a few more pictures from our visit to the USS Yorktown:







Saturday evening, I cooked chicken tacos. We watched Smokin' Aces while Jesse played with her friends again. We woke up on Mother's Day and had breakfast out. We hung around the house until 11am, at which time Mom and Jesse headed for home. It was so great to see them. I can't wait until they come back and we can show them more wonderful parts of our new city.

A Sunday afternoon ride on the Ashley River Bikeway

On Sunday afternoon, we headed out for our first real ride on our new bikes. We went to the Ashley River Bikeway, which is a 2.5 mile each way paved path. We weren't sure how we'd do, so we picked a shorter path to start with. It was much easier than I thought and know I know we can definatley handle something harder!


We saw a lot of wildlife on the path, the first of which was this giant turtle that was laying right in the middle of the path. Mostly, we sae birds and quite a few babies! here's some pictures of the different birds we saw.













There was so much wildlife everywhere! I was really quite suprised because it seemed like such an urban trail!


Right at the turn-around point on the ride, we also saw this crazy squirrel. Overall, we had a really fun time and I can't wait to get out and ride some more!

Saturday Evening in Dowtown Charleston

Saturday, Darren had to work until 4pm. When he got home, he found that our Entertainment book had came in the mail. So, we decided to head to Downtown Charleston to check out one of the restaurants in the book. Near where we parked, we found a great park called Waterfront Park. We walked around there for a bit before heading for dinner. The park has two beautiful fountains, a pier, and offers great views of the harbor. You can see the USS Yorktown very well form here. There was a bride and groom having pictures taken when we first arrived. It looked like such a beautiful backdrop for a wedding.



After walking around for a bit, we headed for dinner... only to find the place we had planned on going has closed down. So, we headed for Noisy Oyster on Market Street- mainly because we knew where it was and we had seen that it was also in the book. We each enjoyed some flounder and shrimp. Yummy! After dinner, we walked around some more, inlcuding a walk back through Waterfront Park.



We walked out on the pier and watched the boats for a while. The boat in the picture is one that we saw. I liked this boat a lot. As we were leaving the pier, Darren saw a girl he works with who was all dressed up for her prom. I guess they were having it somewhere near the park as we saw many prom-goers scattered about. I'll leave you with some pictures of the flowers that I saw as we walked around the city. They were so richly colored and beautiful!

Fort Dorchester

Tuesday afternoon, Darren and I visited the Colonel Dorchester State Historic Site. It's about 1 mile form our house. It is pretty small, but very nice. The picture above is the fort. It is situated right on the river. There are also ruins of an old church and a graveyard. There are several picnic tables to eat at. That's about it. It's a very peaceful area that I suspect doesn't get too busy. There is a nice shade throughout the park. The park office is open from 11am- noon each day.




This is a little lizard we saw while walking around. He saw on a fence that was around what I think is a dig site. They're still uncovering many things at this site. They have some of the things they've found in displays outside the office. This is a great place to visit. And, it's included on the parks pass we got at Charles Towne Landing :)

Finished Knitting Projects

I told myself that I had to finish at least SOME of the knitting projects I'd started before I could play with any of the fun new yarn my mom is bringing me next weekend. Most of my half-done projects are a result of knitting at my old job at the Gwinnett Arena. Above is finished scarf #1, which was made from a simple drop stitch pattern knitted only in garter stitch.




Here is finished scarf #2. Same pattern, just knit with a very different yarn. I really love this pattern. It's quite simple, yet I've always been very pleased with the results. It's not hard, so I really don't have to think too much :) Plus, I can vary the knitted rows in between the drop stitches for a bit of a different look.

Sunday Adventures

On Sunday, Darren and visited a church in Summerville called Seacoast Church. It was nice and the pastor was funny, but I don't think it is the church we will choose to go to. For one, the pastor is at another church and the message is fed onto a large screen. So, there's no actual pastor ofr you to look at in person, which I found odd. Then, I didn't feel that there was much of an opportunity to meet anyone, which is ine big reason we want to get involved in church. So, next week we will try somewhere else.

After church, we went to Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. We got a Parks Passport, so we can go to all the state parks and historic sites we want to for a year. The turtle pixtured above was one the animals we saw while there. We went on an animal walk there. They have a trail that leads through a sort of outdoor zoo. The first stop was the shore birds, where we saw pelicans and other birds I can't identify.


It smelled bad, but the birds were beautiful. After that, we to the otters... where I realized I hadn't charged the camera batteries and they died :( So, we enjoyed many other animals (bears, bison, elk, puma, etc.), but I have no pictures to show you. We'll go back and next time I will have fully charged batteries! Anyhow, as we were heading back down the trail, I caught my foot in a hole in the pavement and fell. I have a nice big bruise on the palm of my hand and my knee. Needless to say, after falling and having no camera, I was ready to go. Not to mention, I think it was the hottest day we've had yet. Anyhow, we found a great place we can't wait to visit again!

H2

Last Thursday, I tried once again to put a harness and leash on H2. She really does not like this! The picture above is her trying to get it off. Here's a few more pictures...





Friday, I took a few shots of her sitting in one of her favorite places- beside the open sliding glass door. She likes to look out the screen and see the bugs, birds, squirrels, and occasional lizard that crawls across the porch. I think the breeze also feels good on her long black fur.

The Ashley River Boat Landing

We found a very nice area about 1 mile from our house that is a boat landing on the Ashley River. There are also picnic tables and a trail. It is a beautiful area! Today, we went there and planted a letterbox. It is a box that Rex gave us just before we left called "Flying the Coop".



We also saw these strange crabs that only had one large pincher under the boardwalk. They looked very strange. This was such a nice area! I know we'll go back here.

CLUES FOR PAUL FRANK IS YOUR FRIEND- HIS SKULL

You will ONLY find these clues on this blog! Thanks hawkeye and JDog for planting this box!

CLUES
Lanier Park - Buford, GA.
Pay Area
Hike Length - 1/2 mile
Locate the bathrooms that are closest to the boat ramp. Find the wide trail behind the bathrooms and follow it into the woods. At the fork continue left. Shortly you will pass a pile of stumps on your left. After that the trail makes a right turn followed shortly by a left turn. As you make the left notice that the trail begins heading slightly downhill. Continue on the trail until you come to a 15 foot tall stump on the right about 20 steps off of the trail.

How We Spent Our Weekend

After BUYING OUR WASHER AND DRYER!!! Saturday morning, we ate lunch at McAllisters. I'd never been there before, but I loved it and definatley want to go back. We both got Texas Sized Spuds (large baked potato) and it was wonderful! They also have very good, very large cookies. After lunch, we headed down to Charleston. We parked at the visitors center and spent several hours walking around downtown. We went to the farmers market at Marion Square, went in some local shops, and enjoyed ice cream at Marble Slab. After walking for a few hours, we decided to drive around for a bit.




We found several cool old cemeteries. One offered beautiful views of the Cooper River Bridge. We drove through an area called Hampton Park and stopped at a nice waterfront park called Brittlebank Park. There is a dock, lots of open green space, and it is right on the Ashley River. This is where we wound up parking to go to the Riverdogs game. It is right beside the stadium. As we walked to the stadium, I found my 2nd bookcrossing book! It's a Red Hat Society book. It's not really what I like to read, but still cool to find it. I will probably just leave it somewhere for someone who will like it more.



There was a t-shirt giveaway at the game, so we both got free t-shirts. This also meant the game was very crowded. The Riverdogs took on the Savannah Sand Gnats in what had to be one of the most boring games I've been to. The field umpire was really not on top of his game and the guy behind us liked to let him know that.



Sunday we went to Wannamaker Park, which is actually less than 8 miles from our house. Swimming in the water, we sae these beautiful geese and goslings. There were 7 goslings in all, I believe. After seeing them, we found the Wannamaker Park letterbox.



As we were walking back to the path, we saw that the geese and goslings had came on shore. We were very quiet and they allowed us to get quite close to them. As we were leaving, some noisy people came by on bicycles and they quickly fled to the water. We continued on to find one more box in the park. After that, we were very hungry and had a a bite to eat before continuing on to find You out your hand where!? letterbox. We headed home after this. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend getting to know our area better!

Caught My 1st Bookcrossing Book

I've released over 20 books back in GA, but I never found any... it wasn't that big down there (which I keep saying even though it's actually closer to the equater in Summerville...). Anyhow, we were getting ready to go to Sam's Club and I checked my email. There was a release alert for Summerville! A book had been left at Atlanta Bread Company on Main Street. We decided that would be our first stop. And there, on a table by the fireplace, was The Hounds of Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's a Sherlock Holmes mystery. I'm very excited and cannot wait to find more books!

Our Day at Edisto

So, we finally got to Edisto around lunch, after spending the morning running errands (post office, bank, looking at a washer and dryer, etc.) We're hungry and one of the few places to eat on the island is Subway. So, we grab a few subs and head over to Edisto Island State Park. Just inside the beach entrance are picnic tables, shaded by some beautiful trees. We choose our table and start to eat. There are a lot of birds around. All of the sudden Darren starts wiping his head. He asked me if I saw bird poop on his head. I didn't. He felt like something wet had fallen on his head. So, a few minutes later, he exclaimed "It DID poop one me!" Sure enough, right on his shoulder is this HUGE glob of bird poop! I couldn't stop laughing. Honestly, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Darren immediatley decides we are getting another table- one that is NOT underthe trees. We move our sandwiches and drinks. In the less than a minute it takes Darren to go back for the chips and cookies, the birds are already on the table trying to take them!



So, after the eventful lunch, we decide to head for the beach. First, we stopped at the gift shop and bought a great new patch for our backpack. It's navy, has the palmetto logo, and "Edisto Beach State Park". It was the best beach day weather-wise that we've had. It was warmer and not quite as windy as it has been. We walked a long way on the beach and found many shells. I found a large, unbroken conch shell. It's the largest shell I've found yet. By the time we left, we both had nice farmers tans! Next, we looked for and found Dual Circimferences by The Trail Blazers. It was hidden in a very cool tree right in the state park. Next, it was on to A Dunce of a Box by Mavenrae. The box was hidden near a beach access point on the other side of the island. After finding that, we drove through the back road on the island and just enjoyed the scenery.



Just before leaving the island, we stopped at another, smaller park to get A Salty Sea Biscuit by the Trail Blazers. We also played on the playground for a few minutes.



There was a cool bubble things that we really liked on the playground. We played around taking pictures in it for a while.



As we left the island, we stopped to get Fit for a King by Mavenrae. We saw these birds on the road to get the box... any idea what they are? They were very large! Anyhow, we were exhausted when we got home, but it was a great day! I cannot WAIT to go back!

I am so glad the move is over! We're still unpacking the boxes, but we are making progress. I unpacked the last kitchen box this morning. That felt really good! Now, I'm sitting in the office and that's another story... and one that I am not looking forward to finishing. I found a job posting I am interested in last night. The Charleston County Public Library is looking for a children's librarian who is willing to return to school to pursue a Masters of Library Science. Sounds like a perfect job for me.

By the way, the picture is of Jesse, my little sister, in the UHaul the day we picked it up. I HATE UHauls now!

WOW! It's been a long time!

We have decided to starts using this again since we moved... we need to keep up with everyone! More later...

Our 1st Wedding Anniversary

Today we celebrated the one year anniversary of the best day of our lives. There's been a box planted by my mom to commemerate today. Reading what she wrote about us made me feel really special. It was a great day. We got to a Stone Mountain Christmas around 5pm. The picture above is us at the 4D movie. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the lights and festivities. We stayed for a few hours and then ate dinner at Provino's. It was delicious. We then headed home to eat some of our delicious wedding cake. Deane, a friend of my familiy, has been saving it for the past year. She did a great job- it was still delicious! We burned our unity candle has we watched the Majestic. Then, we talked for a while a went to sleep. A great day for both of us.