Day 2!

 We were off again on Saturday morning with a full day in Summerville ahead of us. Granddaughter #2 is in the Summerville Junior League and they were hosting a Home and Garden Tour in the historic part of the city. Once again, we knew that parking would be at a premium so we Ubered to the church where we were starting off, got all of our goodies and boarded the trolley to the first house.

There were four beautiful, historic homes on the tour. No pictures were allowed inside but we got lots of the gardens. I made it through the first house-inside and out-and then my back started arguing with me. Standing still in one place for any length of time is no longer comfortable for me and there was much to be shared about each room so after house #1, I found comfy places in the gardens and let the others enjoy the tour. Granddaughter #3 joined me for much of the time so we had an extra special visit and she got to hear lots of "never before revealed" stories about her Nana's life. Lol Again, pictures from everyone so not necessarily in any order.

Since we really didn't have breakfast, we had worked up quite an appetite by this time so we walked to downtown and found a charming old house turned boutique coffee house/lunch spot. I think by this time we were all too tired and hungry to take pictures but it was a spot full of ambiance and good food.

From there we headed to the main street and could not miss a photo with the "World's Largest Sweet Tea" jar. Summerville is known as the "Birthplace of Sweet Tea" because it was the home to the first successful U.S. tea plantation in the late 1800s. The town actually broke the Guinness World Record for sweet tea in 2016 with its 15' tall container named "Mason" that held 2524 gallons of tea!

Then we were off to browse the shops and visit the park in the square.

These crazy girls couldn't believe that this square spelled its name incorrectly-theirs is Hutchison. Lol

One last stop in town before heading home was at the Azalea Bar and Garden. Caitlin wanted us to see this place because of its ambiance and unique drinks. After looking at the menu, I will admit that I had NO idea there were so many cocktails and mixed drinks available. Being the "purist" that I am, I stuck to a glass of white wine but several others tried some fancy concoctions including one full of edible glitter and a rock candy stirrer.

And then we were headed home for a dinner of everything we hadn't finished eating before-LOL- and another round of Yahtzee and more kitten time.

And in what seemed like an instant, we were in the car and headed back to Florida. Along the way, we needed gas and everyone thought a stop at Buckee's was in order as I was the only one who had never been there. After seeing the HUGE amount of cars and people, I was ready to stay in the car as I am NOT a fan of crowds and waiting in the lines that I assumed would be backed up in there .

I was right, it was crowded but I will also have to admit that the lines-at least the ones we needed- weren't an issue at all. I'm glad I went because now I can say that I have been there and I was kind of amazed at the scope of products they carry but I think I am probably good and will not ever need to go back. I think if it wasn't a stop on a trip-where I just want to get where I am going or home from where I have been-I might enjoy poking around a bit. We are getting one here in a year or so so maybe I will get a chance to do just that.

In any case, it was a wonderful trip and so many new memories were made. I am still trying to catch up on "all of the things" from being gone but I will try to get our St. Pat's Tour finished up soon as "the day" is only a week away! My brother and sister-in-law are coming for the weekend and I think I heard my brother has a race and then we're going to try to get to the Master Gardener's show here in Ocala. Should be a fun weekend. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Whew!!!

 I am back from our whirlwind "Girls' Road Trip". We had so much fun and fit in so much that I'm guessing everyone is feeling much the same as I am right now-a bit tired (especially since we lost an hour) but still exhilarated! We headed to granddaughter #2's home in Summerville, SC on Thursday and then spent all of Friday in Charleston and then all of Saturday in Summerville before heading home on Sunday.

I'm going to try to just hit the highlights in this blog but once I get everyone's pictures where they need to be for me to access them on my computer, I will share many more of the beautiful sights including the breathtaking architecture and natural beauty that these historic areas have to share.

Daughter #1 arrived on Wednesday afternoon and we headed to two lacrosse games which made for a kind of late evening so no pictures to share-just remember the others I have shared and it would be pretty much the same. LOL

We headed to Gainesville the next morning, picked up the rest of the gang and we were off! We are missing daughters #2 and 3 and granddaughters #4 and 5 who had work or school responsibilities so they couldn't join us.

After arriving, Caitlin greeted us with a beautiful charcuterie snack before heading off for a walk around the pond in her neighborhood to let our legs have some exercise after the car ride.

Back to the house for a Mexican dinner and then a hot and heavy game of Yahtzee before presenting me with my birthday cake which made it safely all the way from Wright's Gourmet Deli in Tampa! Thankfully some things never change as this is my all-time favorite coconut cake and they have given it to me every year since forever-except for the year someone made the mistake of taking it off of their menu and they heard about that rather quickly and put it right back!!!

We also got the chance to spend some time with the mama cat and kittens that my granddaughter is fostering after they were rescued from their birth in an apartment building stairwell during the last snow storm in SC.

We were off to Charleston early the next morning and let's just say thank you for Ubers. Luckily Caitlin knows all of the pitfalls of not only trying to cope with the traffic into the city but trying to find parking as well so we just got dropped off right in front of Church and Union where our reservation for brunch was waiting.

Fanciest coffee I've ever had-I could get used to this. Lol

The restaurant is in an old Baptist church and the ceiling is covered in the entire text of the book "The Art of War". The owners of the business apparently consider that message a model for running a business.

After brunch we started walking. First we hit the Charleston City Market.

 It is always fun to see what is happening here and, as with every vacation, I look for a Christmas ornament to commemorate the trip. I already have a number from Charleston so I was excited when I saw this.

I bought one for each of us. They are magnets so my job now will be to turn them into Christmas ornaments.

After the market we headed to the water. Since this is a conglomeration of everyone's' photos, they are out of order because I am just too tired to get them right. LOL

There was a wonderful breeze down there and we enjoyed a little rest just sitting in the park area and chatting before heading off again-this time to Rainbow Row.

Next we headed to King Street after another short stop in a pretty downtown park. King Street is loaded with many unique shops and we did lots of window shopping but no one felt the need to purchase. Lol

And soon we were off to Henry's-known for being the oldest restaurant in Charleston. We had some time before our dinner reservation so we decided on a few appetizers and some beverages.

And, before we knew it it was time for dinner. Caitlin tried to pick iconic places for our visit-some she has tried and loved and others that are just well known in Charleston and she did a wonderful job. Let's just say that none of us went hungry this trip. Lol

I had tempura flounder which was delicious but several others tried their fried chicken which is a house specialty I guess.

And by now we had done a complete 360 of the city and were back about where we started that morning. Time for another Uber ride home to a night of more laughter than I can remember in a very long time.

The girls wanted to play Uno Attack and I had to admit that it had been a VERY long time since I had played and, for whatever reason-maybe the thousands of steps we had taken that day-I could NOT remember what the symbols on the cards meant and went through the entire night pretty much oblivious until...

I actually won and was awarded a crown and an Uno trophy!!! Still not sure how that happened but I'll take it! lol

And, always more kitten therapy involved.

I honestly had to curb myself to not post every picture I have and others I am still waiting on so there will be more. I honestly thought I could get the whole post in one blog but I am seeing for both my benefit and yours, I can not. And so, I will try to get back tomorrow so you can see the rest of the fun. Time to try to catch up on a few things around here before calling it a day. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Once a Designer...

 I am just here for a very quick minute but I just had to share my chuckle of the day. Yesterday was my birthday and with many, many lacrosse games happening this week I really thought I would probably be having a very quiet day and my celebrating would start when we got to Charleston. I knew I would get some messages and perhaps a phone call or two but I truly was ready to give myself the day and binge a bit more on my new obsession-"The Lincoln Lawyer"-recommended to me by my brother and SIL.

My brother started the day off with a lovely call and we chatted for a bit. As I was finishing up with him. I saw a truck pull up and in came a beautiful bouquet from Daughter #2 and her family. I love flowers but this came as quite a surprise because I know I am going to celebrate with them on another day soon.

Then, I heard a text come in at the same time the phone rang and it was grandson #1 calling from college. I really don't get to actually talk with him too often because his time is super busy but we chatted on and on for a long time and I got to catch up on all kinds of things.

When I finally got to my daughter's text she asked if she and granddaughter #5 could bring over dinner and help me celebrate. It seems as if her very important lacrosse practice was at the same time as her brother's game out of town so my daughter and son-in-law divided to conquer and the girls got to stay in town.

Of course, I am not one to often turn down an invite like that and before I knew it, a delivery from one of my favorite restaurants was at my door with Jen and Presley a minute or two behind. It was lovely to have someone to share my day with in person and it was late by the time they left.

I was just climbing into bed when I got another text-this time from granddaughter #1 asking if I was still awake. I couldn't help but laugh because it was only 8:30 PM but I guess at my age one never knows. Lol We also had a wonderful chat and by the time we were done, I was raring to get to my show and then stayed awake much too long!

Fast forward to just now when I was in the kitchen at the sink and noticed the window frame that I have in my dining room not centered as it usually is. Of course, that would drive the "symmetrical" me crazy so I went around to center it and had to laugh!

You see, last night my interior decorator daughter had gotten up to go to the kitchen while we were eating in the dining room. When she came back I knew she was doing something behind my chair so I turned to see her holding the window frame up to the wall on the left of the opening. She knew that I wasn't crazy about this big, blank wall after we moved things so I guess she was trying to give me an option.

It seems that she forgot her mom is a fan of balance and I immediately said "no" because the other part of the wall would then be empty and, in my opinion, look wrong. Of course, she gave me the "designer" reason that this would be a good solution but I held my ground and, I thought she put it back and sat back down and dinner continued.

Fast forward to this morning when I spied the off center frame and went into the dining room to see this...

I seriously just started laughing because apparently if I wasn't going to go along with her wall idea the "least" she could do for me was to rearrange the vignette. This is how I designed it...

The funny part is that being caught in my "balanced" perspective, I probably would never have tried her layout but I actually like it so much better than what I did so it will remain...still don't like the frame on just one side of the wall though....Lol

That's actually all I have to share. I have to get busy with choosing outfits for my trip and making sure I can fit them all in one small suitcase because with five women heading off for four days, suitcase room will be at a premium. lol And then I'm off to my granddaughter's next lacrosse game. Daughter #1 arrives tomorrow and we're then off to two lacrosse games-one for the girls and one for the boys but thankfully they are both at a school not too far so we can "kill two birds with one stone" so to speak. 

Thinking I won't visit again until after my trip. Stay safe and stay tuned.