WHEN: August 20-27, 2011
WHERE: South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia
No, this is not a post about 3 siblings from the 1890's. In fact, it's a post about things that are very young.
My parents, sister, husband, and nephew came to visit us in Charleston last week. It was shorter than we all would have liked but anytime spent with family is special. We were excited to see the latest addition to our family, Henry ('Rhee'), for the first time since we went up to visit him in April. They change so fast at this age and after a few months away, nephews and neices change a lot. Rhee definitely has more of a personality now (at 5 months) than when we first saw him when he was just 4 weeks old. He always smiles, never naps, and rarely is fussy (unless hungry or dirty). He was so well behaved as we drove him all over town and kept him up late every night.
Proud grandparents
Of course, we had to take everyone downtown and show them around. Coast is one of our hot spots downtown and a stop we usually make when showing guests around. We did not eat here this time, but we did eat good while they were here!
Jay being Jay
We both wear pink and flowers, so?
Muh ladies
No matter how good you think this looks, it tastes even better! It was our first time eating here (Mellow Mushroom) and I can't think of a place with better pizza. We are hooked now!
Grandpa did a lot of babysitting. Do you think he minded?
Blue Steel??
Babies look good on her :)
Rhee only napped during the cars rides around town
Mom helped Stacie paint our vintage dresser. Thanks, mom! It meant I didn't have to :)
He's a sailor boy
We did not make it in to any plantations, but we did drive by the ones near our house. This is the home at Middleton Plantation. Middleton is America's oldest landscaped gardens and is the birthplace of Arthur Middleton (1742-1787), a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Beautiful live oak and Spanish moss on the grounds at Middleton Plantation
"I think...
I might...
fall asleep..."
Enjoying every moment with Rhee
Our horse "Henry" before our carriage tour
On our carriage tour with our guide "Steve"
Chalmers St., the longest original cobblestone street remaining in downtown Charleston. The street is made of ballast stones brought over in ships from Europe during the colonial period.
Henry was asleep on my lap for most of the carriage ride
Henry the horse and Henry the nephew
We made sure we hogged Rhee the last day they were here
A family shot at Jim 'N Nick's BBQ. My favorite food with my favorite people!
The next youngest member in this story of last week was Hurricane Irene. While Charleston did not see any widespread damage from the storm, it was Stacie's and my closest encounter with a hurricane in 4 years of living on the East Coast.
The next youngest member in this story of last week was Hurricane Irene. While Charleston did not see any widespread damage from the storm, it was Stacie's and my closest encounter with a hurricane in 4 years of living on the East Coast.
The National Hurricane Center's forecast track last Monday had Irene's first US landfall occuring in Charleston, as a major hurricane (Category 3, 4 or 5). That was 5 days out, however, and difficult for anyone to forecast with any great certainty. Thankfully, she made landfall far enough north to spare our area from any significant damage.
Hurrciane Irene passing off the South Carolina coast last Friday night.
She was a large storm (area) and looked like something out of a textbook. Thankfully, she made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, much less powerful than was initially forecasted.
The eye of Hurricane Irene last Saturday morning. Stacie and I have had no experience with a hurricane in the past 4 years, but she came awfully close to all 3 places we've lived on the East Coast. That's the closest we ever need to get to a hurricane!
Video of the breach caused by Hurricane Irene at Rodanthe, NC in the Outer Banks. NC Hwy. 12 (seen here), which runs the length of the Outer Banks, has been breached several times in the past; Hurricane Isabel (2003) was the last to breach the highway.
Time-lapse video of Hurricane Irene as she spun across the Northern Atlantic basin last week
US 5-day rainfall forecast
Enjoy your (hopefully) long weekend!
Finally, Virginia.
We were out with our family in downtown Charleston, waiting for our carriage ride to start, when we got word that a rare earthquake had hit Virginia. My sister and husband live in Virginia (about an hour from the quake's epicenter). They were a little bummed they missed the quake but my mom did feel an aftershock later in the week once they had returned. Thankfully there was no damage to their house, other than
some crooked pictures on the wall and a tumbled stack of shoe boxes. We did not feel the quake in Charleston (because we were outside) but people in second and upper floors in Charleston said they felt the quake.
Reported US earthquakes for August 22
Stacie and I are on our way to the mountains this weekend. We are meeting her best friend from birth and their family, in Gatlinburg, TN. We are staying in Asheville, NC tonight and will drive over to Gatlinburg tomorrow. This is the first time in 4 years living out East that we will have been to the mountains (besides moving from Iowa). Another first this summer has brought us. And yes, it is still summer! I don't care if it's September. If it's still hot out, the calendar says its summer, and the beaches are still busy on the weekends...its summer to me! I'm not ready for fall yet. I know Stacie is ready for fall, and a trip to the mountains (i.e. away from the heat and humidity) is just what she ordered. Hopefully we escape the tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico that is on it's way to the southern Appalachians next week. The current forecast shows parts of the Gulf Coast could see nearly 20" of rain over the next five days. Let's pray we can escape Gatlinburg before that makes its way to Tennessee!
Enjoy your (hopefully) long weekend!
