Nothin' Could Be Finah...

than to be in Carolina... Okay, we admit it. We've fallen in love with South Carolina, too! We breezed through North Carolina and made stops at the Ava Gardner Museum in her home town of Smithfield and the AirBorne Museum in Fayetteville. Ava was born of sharecropper parents who were highly protective of her, but allowed her to go to New York to stay with her oldest sister (18 years her senior). The New York brother-in-law was a photographer who displayed photos of Ava in his shop window. Someone connected with the movies saw her photo and sent her for a screen test. Because of her distinct Southern accent, movie executives felt she should be renamed Betsy Johnson...or some such folksy moniker. But Ava stood by her guns and kept her birth name. Needless to say, she shook off her accent and did very well in Hollywood.

Then it was on to South Carolina. The truck was sputtering again and, thank goodness and our guardian angels, we were within 5 minutes of a Ford dealership in Florence where we spent the afternoon. Once again, the dealership was able to stop everything and help us. Then we were on our merry way to Bishopville, where we toured the Cotton Museum and wrote the previous blog from their gorgeous library. Doesn't the photo make it look inviting? Our next stop was Myrtle Beach where we ended up staying FOUR nights! What a great place! I know the town swells to hundreds of thousands during the summer, but it was nearly deserted when we were there. Yay! Our campground was right on the beach and we could look out the window to watch the dune grasses sway in the breeze and watch the small waves touch shore. At night, we could hear the roar of the ocean...not quite as loud as the Pacific, but nice just the same. The campground has the longest pier on the East Coast, so we walked out there and talked with the fishermen. And at dusk, we saw dolphins swimming in the waves toward shore. Susie, remember when we went to see the sunrise on the ocean on Sanibel? Well, we both watched it in Myrtle Beach and what a thrill! I could actually become a morning person if I lived on the beach on the East Coast! Myrtle Beach surprised me as I had pictured small cottages dotting the shore with a few golf courses sprinkled in. Boy, was I wrong! As you can see, the shoreline is full of high rises and reminded me more of Miami Beach. Our campground is one of the last hold-outs along the shoreline without high rise condos. We couldn't have found a more perfect place to stay. We're already trying to figure out how to spend winters there! I think Myrtle Beach might be a bit like Branson, Missouri, as it is full of theatres with live entertainment. The first night we were there, we went to see Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Christmas Show. I've never seen so many beautiful horses in one place! The show was full of animals, music, and beautiful costuming. What more could I want? The next night, we went to see the Carolina Opry Christmas Show and were SO impressed by the talent exhibited there. Again...what gorgeous costuming! The show was full of humor...really fun! We hated to leave Myrtle Beach, but figured our next stop was Charleston...not a bad trade!

Just outside Charleston along the highway, we saw stands filled with baskets. Well, we had to stop to see what they were. The Gullah women from the barrier islands along the coast of South Carolina weave baskets out of the sweet grass that grows in the dunes. The woman from whom I bought my basket learned to weave at the age of 8 alongside her grandmother. She is now 72 and has taught her daughters and daughters-in-law. The generation coming of age right now, though, is not learning to weave. Many are afraid it will becoming a dying art. The woman showed me how she did the weaving...she just stands around and keeps her hands busy...She filed down a spoon handle to a dull point. It is this instrument that allows her to stick the sweet grass through the previous row's weaving. What a pleasure it was to talk with her...I wanted a photo, but learned she may have been wary as the Gullah traditionally believe the camera steals the soul.

Charleston is the most welcoming city! The signage is clear and there is RV parking right downtown! Believe me, we have not found this everywhere! We took a Grayline tour with a native Charlestonian who shared some of the insights into the town. Notice the Single House with the front door opening to the piazza (Charleston's term for a porch). Charleston is full of this style of house with secret gardens fit in here and there. The wrought iron throughout the town is astounding--many of it done by an African-American blacksmith who recently turned 96! Dubose Heyward wrote "Porgy" while living on "Cabbage Row," which he renamed "Catfish Row." Then Ira Gershwin lived nearby while he wrote the opera, "Porgy and Bess." There were SO many beautiful homes and churches in Charleston that we gave up photographing them and decided to buy a book! We learned that 40% of Charleston's homeowners (the really big, expensive homes) live elsewhere for their principal residence. And that the usual cost of painting one of these gorgeous homes is $80,000! Yikes! But thank goodness someone has this kind of money to restore the architecture to its former glory. And why was Charleston so wealthy in the first place? When the tour guide inquired this of the group, it was Clinton David who responded correctly: Rice. And poor Charleston has been hit by many city-wide fires, an earthquake (possibly a 7.5--prior to the Richter Scale measurement), and Hurricane Hugo.

I had read the book, "Sullivan's Island" by Dorothea Benton Frank, so, of course, wanted to see what Sullivan's Island was like. It was full of hurricane-proof-style homes and a natural landscape filled with pines and palms. The beach was beautiful and long...where we happened upon a "land boarder." He had lofted a foil of a parachute into the air which was attached via strings to a handle. He stood on a skateboard-type footing, held onto the handle, and the kite pulled him along the hard sand. He was having so much fun! Perhaps others have seen this done on California beaches, but we had not.

South Carolina also has America's only tea plantation. So, of course, we had to go learn about tea. Did you know that tea is a type of camellia? The blossom certainly gives that away. And the fragrance! It's amazing...certainly drew a lot of butterflies. There is only one type of tea and the point at which it stops being dried determines the type of tea: Black, Oolong, and Green The tea plants are harvested on the tops and side by a big hedger (John, don't get one of these for Devon!) that clips off the newest growth. The tea leaves are then chopped and dried. Black tea for 45 minutes, Oolong for 15 minutes, and none for green tea. Interesting, huh?

Savannah beckoned, so we fought rain to get there! But, lucky for us, the morning was gorgeous for our carriage ride through town before the skies opened up again. Savannah, like Charleston, is full of wrought iron. But did you know that the townspeople removed and buried all the wrought iron before General William Tecumseh Sherman arrived? Pretty wiley. We did see Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady & Sons. It's in a pretty run-down, yet touristy part of Savannah. And there were lines around the block to get in!!! River Street is full of shops and restaurants and a highlight of that area are the riverboat cruises and the waving girl statue. In the early years of the 20th century, the city light-tender's sister, Florence Martus, became known to seamen all over the world for waving at every ship. One legend maintains that she promised her sailor sweetheart to greet every ship until his return. Romantic, huh?

We're now ready to head to Saint Augustine, Florida, to see some Spanish influence again.