A last minute travel decision led us to the coast of Carolina visiting family and tourist attractions.
With Grandmama's as our home base, we trekked through horrendous traffic across beautiful bridges and waterways to one of the plantation homes of
Charles Pinckney, an author and signer of the U.S. Constitution. My principal reason for choosing this national historic sight was because it was free, however it tied in nicely with our two high-schoolers' studies who are learning Government and the Constitution this year.
Before touring the house, we explored the trails outside. My nephews spotted and captured a couple of lizards. We read about the plantation slaves, and the farming in the area.
Inside the home, we browsed a bit, then watched the short documentary on Charles Pinckney, his family and the historical events during his lifetime. Of special interest was a Gullah Bible (sea island creole language of the African-Americans) lying on the table. We giggled as we tried to mimic the southern dialect as printed.
Charleston's market is a fun place to browse. Local artists of all sorts display their trinkets and wares. It is especially enjoyable at Christmas-time, when the holiday décor and music is abundant.
We slipped down a less-crowded side street to get back to our vehicle, and just had to pause inside this tempting candy store. The smells wafting into the air were marvelous, and they were even giving samples of gooey, melty, warm-from-the-oven pralines.
Our next jaunt of exploration (another fine southern winter day) was to
Angel Oak, an enormous and very old live oak tree on Johns Island.
We popped by my uncle's boiled peanut stand for some regular and Cajun goobers.
Last, but not least, we gathered with the family for a Thanksgiving feast and fun.
Don't forget the brown rice, mac-n-cheese, collard greens, and fried cornbread!
