Saturday the 2nd of February we took a day trip to Charleston with Bonnie and Sherri, two of Ron’s nieces. Charleston is an amazingly beautiful town. We started in the battery and old antebellum area around the harbor. From the seawall we could view Fort Sumter,
at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, where the first shots of the Civil war were fired. While gazing out at Sumter our attention was diverted to a porpoise
playing around in the harbor, our first wild porpoise sighting. We toured the Battery area including Rainbow Row, so named for the rainbow of colors that the houses are painted. Many of these old historic houses are now bed and breakfasts, sites to stay at for a later trip. 
We spent a good deal of our time wandering around the Market St area downtown, including walking and browsing in the Charleston Market. Now this is a place for artists and craftsmen, but in a bygone era it was the old slave market. One of the more interesting, but expensive, works were the sweet grass baskets. These are painstakingly woven from grass and are beautifully intricate. Unfortunately we saw some priced at $350 apiece.
Of course being from the Northwest we had to take a side trip, to the Harris and Teeters grocery store to visit the Starbucks inside. It is very difficult being in a primitive area without our favorite White Chocolate Mochas. It helps us understand how the very first settlers in the area felt.
After our refreshments, and introducing Bonnie to her first Starbucks, we headed across the new Ravenel Bridge and over to Patriot's Point.
This is a place where a naval and maritime museum has been established and
the aircraft carrier Yorktown, along with the destroyer USS Laffey, submarine USS Clamagoe and Coast Guard Cutter USCG Ingham are berthed as exhibits. It is an impressive display with planes on the flight deck. Alas, time constraints did not allow for the full tour. We did see the first signs of spring however, just out side the park. Just down the road the College of Charleston baseball team was practicing in its stadium, making us (me) long for the OS Beaver season to start up again.
at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, where the first shots of the Civil war were fired. While gazing out at Sumter our attention was diverted to a porpoiseplaying around in the harbor, our first wild porpoise sighting. We toured the Battery area including Rainbow Row, so named for the rainbow of colors that the houses are painted. Many of these old historic houses are now bed and breakfasts, sites to stay at for a later trip. We spent a good deal of our time wandering around the Market St area downtown, including walking and browsing in the Charleston Market. Now this is a place for artists and craftsmen, but in a bygone era it was the old slave market. One of the more interesting, but expensive, works were the sweet grass baskets. These are painstakingly woven from grass and are beautifully intricate. Unfortunately we saw some priced at $350 apiece.Of course being from the Northwest we had to take a side trip, to the Harris and Teeters grocery store to visit the Starbucks inside. It is very difficult being in a primitive area without our favorite White Chocolate Mochas. It helps us understand how the very first settlers in the area felt.
After our refreshments, and introducing Bonnie to her first Starbucks, we headed across the new Ravenel Bridge and over to Patriot's Point.
This is a place where a naval and maritime museum has been established andthe aircraft carrier Yorktown, along with the destroyer USS Laffey, submarine USS Clamagoe and Coast Guard Cutter USCG Ingham are berthed as exhibits. It is an impressive display with planes on the flight deck. Alas, time constraints did not allow for the full tour. We did see the first signs of spring however, just out side the park. Just down the road the College of Charleston baseball team was practicing in its stadium, making us (me) long for the OS Beaver season to start up again.From Patriot's Point went to the Citadel College, where Sherri’s husband graduated from college. This old military college was founded in 1842, and is still turning boys into men and leaders of society. Although the existing campus has moved from its original location in Marion Square,
it has been in the present site since 1918, so the sense of history is still strong. 
We closed out our day with dinner and a trip to Folly Beach. We ate dinner at the Charleston 
Crab House on the banks of the Ashley River. We arrived at this choice because the restaurant was redone on an episode of Flip This House, and we along with Sherri had viewed it. They had excellent food and we had the chance to watch at least 8 porpoises playing in the river. We closed out with a walk on the beach and reluctantly headed back to Round O. We vowed to return on our own one more time before we leave.
it has been in the present site since 1918, so the sense of history is still strong. We closed out our day with dinner and a trip to Folly Beach. We ate dinner at the Charleston Crab House on the banks of the Ashley River. We arrived at this choice because the restaurant was redone on an episode of Flip This House, and we along with Sherri had viewed it. They had excellent food and we had the chance to watch at least 8 porpoises playing in the river. We closed out with a walk on the beach and reluctantly headed back to Round O. We vowed to return on our own one more time before we leave.
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