Tara's Theme

We are off to Charleston this morning and the weather is cool and partly sunny. We decided to visit a plantation and selected Drayton Hall. The drive was pleasant and thanks to the GPS we found it easily. We drove down a lane lined by old Live Oak Trees draped with Spanish Moss.

We immediately went on a guided tour and we were joined by only one other so it was private and full of information. Our guide was knowledgable and we learned so much about this house and the Drayton family who lived here for several generations starting before the Civil War.

The house is not furnished and is being lovingly preserved by the National Trust. We loved the grand staircases, fireplaces and high ceilings. Later generations of family marked their heights on a door jamb which is now covered in plastic to preserve this tradition. The last owner even had her three dogs recorded here. After our tour we walked on the grounds and, of course, visited the gift shop.

We drove into the historic area of Charleston and had a delicious seafood lunch at the Charleston Seafood House. We walked around the City Market and I purchased a tablecloth and a purse.

Finally we toured the stately Nathaniel Russell house on Meeting Street. This was one of the wealthiest homes in the city and it is beautiful. Situated on a double lot you enter through the lush gardens with footpaths. Carol was impressed by the blooming camelias.

The guided tour takes you in the front door and through the public rooms to the family quarters. Their staircase curves and floats up three stories. Exquisite! The house has magnificent curved doors some with the glass set into carved wooden panels. Wallpaper, marble fireplace surrounds and carved plaster accents make this a delight for the eyes.

Now it is time to drive home and Carol participated in a phone/webinar from one of her jobs. It took almost the entire trip and made the time pass quickly. We picked up some take out and had dinner with Jeff at home.

The Marine Hymn

Carol is visiting and we are busy! She arrived on Friday afternoon and we immediately went out to dinner and a show with Jan and Harvey. We love the South Carolina Repertory Theatre which is a black box seating 72. Each show is a treat and tonight was no exception. The production was Shipwrecked with one actor telling his story and two others doing all the bit parts. One who played a dog was truly enjoyable and talented. We just loved the show and are sad that the theatre is closing this spring, it will be a great loss.

On Saturday we did some errands and walked around the artsy section of Bluffton. Then we were off to Savannah for dinner with Sue and Bob at the Crystal Palace which is an old tavern with great food and atmosphere. Then we all went to a Contra dance at a very old school building. What fun we had learning the steps and listening to the caller and executing the steps. Lots of laughs.

Sunday was busy too as we got up early and drove to Parris Island. Jeff and I have been volunteering at the Marine Recruit Depot for several years running religious services on Sunday mornings. We try to go once a month as our synagogue is responsible for the services each week. For us it means waking up at 6, dressing and leaving the house at 7. We arrive at 7:30 and set up the room. The service lasts from 8 to 10 and then we drive home and take a nap. This week we had 21 recruits and we had a wonderful experience as always. One recruit we had met before had just finished his training and become a Marine. He looked so handsome and proud in his crisp, new uniform. Happily we were able to have Carol join us and share this experience which has become so important to us.

After resting we headed off to another synagogue function. Our monthly film club started at 2 and we are the A/V team. The movie was subtitled and interesting. Poor Carol realized that she had already seen this film, but watched it again. We came home, made dinner and sat like lumps watching TV all night.

There's No Business Like Show Business

Sometimes we are just lucky! Jeff and I have been anxious to see the show The Book of Mormon and it is now playing in Atlanta. Last June we signed up for a bus trip to see the show and have been waiting since then. Turns out they sold the trip for two consecutive Wednesdays and the week before us was cancelled due to an icy storm that shut down the states of Georgia and South Carolina. As our trip approached we had cold and clear weather.

We took Sirius to a kennel on Monday night and drove to Charleston on Tuesday where Jeff had a doctor's appointment. Got home, packed and rested for our adventure. Wednesday morning we boarded a beautiful new bus and started the five hour ride to Atlanta. Along the way we listened to the CD of the show and ate box lunches with turkey sandwiches. The day was gloomy, but we were going. Got to Atlanta and checked into the Doubletree in Buckhead. Spent a few hours in a nearby mall and then got dressed for the evening.

Our group had dinner at Maggiano's and then the bus took us downtown to the Fox Theatre. What a beautiful building with over 4000 comfortable seats. We were in the rear orchestra and just off center. The theatre was built as a Shriner's Mosque and it is exquisite. The ceiling is painted blue with lighting creating a field of stars. There are canopies over the balconies and lanterns hanging above the stage. Even the entryway and lobbies are interesting to see.

The lights went down and the show began  and we were intrigued from the first note. The opening number is the best in the show and we loved the whole thing. Music and dancing were excellent and the writing is so clever. I must warn you that the language is truly raunchy, but we found it funny. I highly recommend this show if you can get over the language and subject matter.

In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then I went with the group to Trader Joe's for a shopping spree. Jeff stayed at the hotel until noon and then met up with the bus for the ride home. I opted to go to the Atlanta History Center and spent a few pleasant hours there. The modern museum building sits on the grounds of a depression era mansion and an old farm. The Swan House is open for tours and I enjoyed seeing this spectacular home completed in 1928 and beautifully furnished.

The highlight is their floating staircase. Their gardens were beautiful and I would love to see them in bloom.

Inside I walked through the Civil War exhibit which was informative and chock full of items collected by a father/son team over their lifetime. Also viewed the Atlanta Olympic exhibition and a folk art collection. Again I would recommend this museum if you visit the Buckhead area.

We returned home on Thursday night and rescued Sirius the next morning. Looking back I realize how lucky we were to go since the next Wednesday as I write this, is another winter storm with icy roads.

It's A Small World

Finally spending a day at DisneyWorld! It is just as beautiful and exciting as when we first visited in 1972 just months after the park opened. The campground is spacious and well run and we love staying there. This morning we took the shuttle bus a few stops to the boat dock where we boarded a small transport to the Magic Kingdom. We stopped along Main Street take the traditional photo with Cinderella's Castle and saw some beautiful topiary. We were lucky to catch a performance of the Dapper Dans who sing great barbershop harmony.

We headed to Tomorrowland where we waited a short time to do the Buzz Lightyear arcade ride. Once again Jeff creamed my score in shooting aliens. Then we rode the Wedway People Mover which is now called Disney Transport and then sat through the Carousel of Progress for the umpteenth time. After lunch we walked through the new Fantasyland and saw the Mickey's Philharmonic 3D movie which is very entertaining. We continued on through Liberty Square and Frontierland without waiting to go on any of the rides which all had long lines.  We took the steam train around and back to Main Street where we headed by boat to the transportation center. There we boarded the monorail to Epcot.

As soon as we arrived we posed for a photo with our pal Pluto.

We walked, shopped and rode in Destination Earth with narration by Judi Dench. Later we walked around the World Showcase and had a leisurely, delicious dinner at the Italian Pavilion. We continued on enjoying all the beauty of the place and ended up using a Fast Pass to see Soarin' which is one of our favorite rides. A great day!

We got back to the campground and realized that NASA was launching a satellite at 9:05. We went outside and saw the rocket streaking up in the east. So exciting to see even though we were about 50 miles away.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar...

Today was not a healthy eating day, but so much fun. We got up early and Sirius and I took a nice walk and visited the doggie park near our campsite. Sirius was the only dog there, but he ran and got some exercise and sunshine. Disney's Fort Wilderness is a large camp with cabin areas and lots of loops for RV's. We are in a pet loop and everyone has at least one dog with them. Lots of places to walk and palms and other trees and green grass everywhere. After our walk Jeff and I drove off to find Harry Potter at Universal Studios. We got there quickly and spent the next hour parking the car and buying our tickets. A very poor entry system with lots of walking.

Once inside it wasn't too crowded and we headed right to the Potter area. On the way we stopped to get me a hot chocolate and then to see a short magic show and the magician was good. But back to our plan and we finally saw the towers of Hogwart's School. The entire area was right out of the movies and the Main Street had all the stores we have come to love. We saw the Hogwart's Express train and I posed for a photo with the conductor. I told him our dog was named Sirius Black and he gasped and asked, "The criminal?"

We got to the school building which holds their premier ride and waited in line about 20 minutes. We stowed our stuff in their free lockers where you use your fingerprint as the lock. Didn't work too well as I could not get it open afterwards and a staff member had to open it for me. Anyway the attraction included walking through the school hallways with talking portraits and Dumbledore's office. Finally we boarded our vehicles and were tossed and shaken through the ride. A little nauseating, but good. Of course you exit through the gift shop where we purchased Gryffindor knit scarves and wore them proudly.

Next stop was getting a butter beer from one of the vendors. It was frozen and frothy and delicious. I made a froth mustache just like Harry did in the movies.

We went into the candy store and peeked in other windows. So much fun! We had lunch at Broomsticks Cafe and that finished our Potter experience.

We spent the rest of our time walking through the other areas in Islands of Adventure. We had fun in Cartoon Land and met Woody Woodpecker.

The only other ride we went on was the carousel in Dr. Seuss Land. We had enough of being shaken and not stirred.

The day was sunny, but very cold and we rested up and I took Sirius for a long walk. We saw a flock of wild turkeys running around and were attacked by an angry squirrel who literally flew out of a garbage can and ran between Sirius and me. Later Jeff and I walked to the settlement where they have a buffet restaurant. It is like Golden Corral, but more expensive and the food is not as good. On the way out we could see the fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom which is across the lagoon from the campground.

Yellow Submarine

This morning we drove to Orlando and checked into Fort Wilderness Campground at DisneyWorld. The day started out warm and sunny until we arrived Sea World. We were lucky to be eating lunch inside when it started to pour and quickly turned cold. More luck as the rain stopped and we were able to enjoy our day. We were disappointed with Sea World as it seemed tired compared to previous visits. We did enjoy a few rides and seeing the beautiful flowers, ducks, birds and flamingoes.

 Everything was very expensive and some attractions were closed. The aquarium was very interesting with nice displays of manta rays and sharks. Lots of beautiful corals, sea horses and sea dragons. I climbed into a small tank for this photo op.

We did love the sea lion and otter show which included a huge walrus.

Two other attractions we enjoyed were Antarctica with playful penguins and the Arctic with sea lions, a walrus and a polar bear.

We ended the day with a ride on their sea creature merry go round.

The park closed at 6 pm and we got back to the campground in time to walk Sirius and eat leftovers for dinner. Now we are watching TV and we get over 90 channels plus good internet. Supposed to be cold tomorrow and we are planning to go to the Harry Potter World at Universal.

Let the Sun Shine

On the road again and writing from The Villages in Florida. Cousins Terry and Marilyn are spending another year here and avoiding the cold weather and snow in Chicago. We are having fun visiting and eating up a storm. Jeff, Sirius and I drove here in the RV on Saturday afternoon just in time to enjoy a home made dinner with our cousins and Rick. It is our annual reunion and so much fun.

On Sunday we met for brunch at TooJays which is an authentic deli and loved the food. Jeff took home a pound of delicious rugelach and they are all gone now. Terry and Marilyn took us to see a new shopping area and recreation center.

We were very impressed with the Eisenhower Center. It has a grand lobby and six large card rooms plus a theatre with a raised stage and comfy chairs. Each room is decorated with military memorabilia and uniforms. All the items were donated by residents and it is an impressive collection worthy of a museum. I toured all the rooms and saw many interesting exhibits and photos. Comfortable seating areas were placed throughout the facility, so a great place to spend some time or pick up a card game or organized activity.

The new shopping area has an impressive entrance and some interesting birds in the lagoons. I saw American White Pelicans, Wood Storks, Hooded Mergansers and other Ducks and Herons.

In the afternoon Jeff and Rick retired to the RV to watch football while the gals hung out, shopped and gabbed. Later we met for dinner at Carrabba's.

Today is Monday and we all slept late. I was on a mission to get the RV clean. Washed out the fridge and then dusted, did the bathroom and vacuumed. Now I feel better and the place looks great! We met for lunch at a bagel joint where we sat outside so Sirius could join us. Who knew that he likes bagels and cousin Marilyn shared her lunch with him. We sat there for a long time enjoying the sunshine and conversation. Afterwards Terry found a dog park where Sirius could get some exercise while we all watched. Now we are home resting and waiting for our next meal. It is such a beautiful day and so appreciated. Rick took this family portrait.

Update, we met for dinner at a Sonny's where everyone but me enjoyed ribs. I had BBQ chicken and afterwards we said our goodbyes. In the morning we will head south to Orlando and Rick will drive south to participate in a Roads Scholar program in Fort Lauderdale.