Serendipity: Charleston, Part One

While Duff worked at the convention I was able to experience the Deep South for the first time. (Disney World doesn't count, really.)

I first went to the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, which has been in the Drayton family for 15 generations.

The original house was burned down during the Civil War and this house, on another of the family's 50 plantations, was brought here. This is the back of the house. The front of the house faces the Ashley River.

I toured the house, the grounds, the slave houses and the gardens. I was surprised to find out that rice was the crop that made the South Carolinians so wealthy.

The entrance to the lush gardens, which were opened to the public in 1870--the first public gardens in the United States.

"Give fools their gold and knaves their power,

Let fortune's bubbles rise and fall,

Who sows a field or trains a flower

or plants a tree, is more than all."

Whittier

I loved the Spanish Moss that hung on the trees. It adds to the romantic feeling of the South. I was surprised to hear that it gets its nourishment from the air and the rain and doesn't harm the tree.

I met a young Hawaiian gardener who I could hardly understand. He told me that milk costs $50 a gallon in Hawaii and only $5 in South Carolina, which is why he moved there. When I told him that I could get it for $2 in Utah he asked if I had a room to rent.

I was told over and over that it was sad that I missed the blooming of the azaleas, but I did make it for the magnolias, which I adore, and other beautiful blooms.

These stunning oak trees live for hundreds of years.

Slave cabins

Duff was able to get off work early that first day and we went to see Fort Sumter.

Our ferry

We passed this beautiful bridge--the Arthur Ravenal Bridge on the Cooper River (Cooper is pronounced "Cuppa."). On a different day I missed a turn and drove across that beautiful bridge.

It was interesting to be at the spot where the Civil War began. The Confederate Army fired the first shot and the Union Army surrendered after only 34 hours.

The fort doesn't look very impressive now, but was once 50 feet high, before the Union Army's almost four-year bombardment during the Civil War.

We walked around the city.

We visited St. Michael's Episcopalian Church, the oldest surviving church building in Charleston.

Robert E. Lee and George Washington worshipped there when they were in town.

It is located on one of the Four Corners of the Law. A Post Office, a County Court Building, and City Hall are located on the other three corners, so God's law, federal law, county law, and city law are all represented.

Two signers of the Constitution are buried in the church cemetery.

This is the pathway through the block by the church offices and the cemetery.

One of the beautiful stained glass windows

The pulpit

Outside the church, we met Marilyn Dingle, a talented sweetgrass basket maker. This tradition has been handed down from generation to generation.

Marilyn is holding the trivet that we bought from her.

When she found out we were there celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary she gave us two sweetgrass flowers.

Her website is [ here ].

Rainbow Row/Battery

We had a lot of fun walking around this part of town. So charming. The gardens on the sides and backs of these homes are so lovely.

I was surprised to find out that these houses are selling from 1 to 8 million dollars. They are much larger than they look because they are long and skinny. Many have combined the original home, the carriage house and the servants' quarters.

Cypress Gardens

I'm so glad that Mandi's mom, Annette, recommended these gardens to me.

Many movies have been made here.

One of the scenes in The Patriot was filmed at the spot below.