Got on the road and stopped at McDonald’s for one of their “Big Breakfasts” to fuel up. While there n older gentleman came up and sat down at my booth and started chatting...southern hospitality! Ended up talking to Ted (age: 82) for quite some time about everything. He even told me the story of his father’s death at which time he apologized for tearing up. Memories are so vivid sometimes.
I saw a sign leaving Andrews that said “57 miles to Charleston.” I thought I was much further away and so I quickly gave my good friend Dick Donohoe a call to see if I could stay two nights with him, see the wonderful city of Charleston and give my legs a much needed rest (14 days of straight riding!). Dick offered before I could even finish my sentence...what a gift of hospitality he has (His email address even displays this tendency: ‘donohostel’)
Rode through the Francis Marion State Forrest, named after the Swamp Fox, the military leader portrayed in the movie The Patriot. He actually hid in the swamps I rode through!
Came over the new bridge into Charleston (pictured) and made my way to Dick’s condo right on the point overlooking the water! (pictured: Dick at his front steps and me next to a canon right across the street).
After a few pleasantries, we were off on a whirlwind car tour of Charleston. Dick knows so much history that it was truly a professional guided tour. Charleston is full of old and interesting churches so I got plenty of pictures of those (just a few examples pictured). Interestingly, the very first Baptist church in the south was here, the true 1st Baptist. Ironically, it was a transplant from Kittery Maine, of all places (see picture of plaque & church). This was the church from which the Southern Baptist Convention was birthed (and from Maine!)
Charleston is absolutely charming. In the historic district, no building can be built higher than the spire of the 2nd Presbyterian church (7 stories) which keeps the area looking like it did 100’s of years ago. Gas lights still burn outside many homes, many of the streets are brick and even cobblestone (pictured), homes are stucco and are narrow (one room wide - Pictured) but many rooms deep (these houses are euphemistically called “single houses”). They were built that way because they paid taxes on how much of their house was actually on the street. Taxes sculpted so much of American history!
Went to dinner with a freind of Dick’s, Molly, who is a “we”. Allow me explain: There are 3 kinds of people according to Charlestonians; the “we”, the “away” and the “off”. The “we” are people who were born here or have ancestry in Charleston. The “away” are those that were born here but currently live in other places. The “off” is everybody else. I love it!! Charleston is very Charleston-centric. To give you another idea of this they say that the Ashley and the Cooper (pronounced “cupper”) rivers come together at Charleston to FORM the Atlantic! Oh how wonderful.
Dick took me and another guest (Molly) out to eat that night at The Hominy Restaurant. What a treat! I ate some real Charleston food; Purloo and buttermilk pie...delicious!
Coming home we stopped at Molly’s home (Pictured outside) and she gave us a guided tour of the inside of an authentic single house. Her house dates back to 1768 and chocked full of amazing antiques from the time period (Kathy, you would have been in heaven hearing about each piece as she described it and its history to us) The thing that was most amazing to me was that she had a colorful mural painted on all 4 walls of her dining room. It depicted Charleston as it would have looked in 1768 from the roof of her house. It was researched meticulously so as to be historically accurate. Absolutely stunning!
Came home and fell into bed both physically and mentally exhausted. Dick is going to take me on a tour tomorrow of a couple of plantations...can’t wait!
Tim Tomorrow...
PS They say the Charlestonians are like the Chinese in 4 ways:
1) They drink tea (unlike coffee like the rest of us)
2) They eat rice (because it was their major cash crop)
3) They have a peculiar language (many words are pigeon as well as being a cosmopolitan city that did not have a pronounced southern accent like the rest of the south)
4) They worship their ancestors! (much of what occupies their talk is about the good ol’ days before the “recent unpleasantness”...i.e. the Civil War)
Also pictured:
- Sunset from Dick’s balcony. A gorgeous fire red sunset.
- Unitarian church. Notice the banner...they don’t even have a sermon anymore, they call it a “forum!”
- Saw an old MG. I’m going to look it up and see what model it is. Can anyone out there help?
- The first submarine: The Hunley. Was propelled by 11 men pedaling! Don’t worry honey, I have no aspirations to pedal something like this.
- A ‘gaggle’ of Cavalier King Charles dogs. Avonlea wants this breed for her dog this spring.
