Charleston, Part Two

I visited the Nathaniel Russell House.

Nathaniel Russell had this house built for $80,000 in 1809. It could've cost him less, but Russell, a Rhode Island merchant, didn't believe in slavery and insisted on paying the black laborers.

This stunning elliptical staircase ascends three floors.

Mandi's mom, Annette, recommended the carriage ride tour and I'm so glad she did.

My tour guide was was a very funny woman who looked like a miniature man.

Palmetto Carriage Ride

The city market spans about three blocks with hundreds of vendors.

The market has been there for over 200 years!

Some lovely gentlemen in the City Market gave me directions on how to walk to the Old Slave Mart Museum and I thought I followed them correctly. But I got lost . . . and then didn't have time to go.

Which is okay. Now I have another reason to return to Charleston . . . .

I picked Duff up from the Conference Center and we drove to Boone Hall.

It's criticized by some for being too commercial, but this tree-lined drive, which we have seen many times in movies, was worth seeing with our own eyes.

Thursday evening, I got a call from Duff. Could I bring his laptop for the Ancestry meeting announcing all their new features? I was so happy to be invited.

The demonstration went very well.

I met some of Duff's co-workers that I've heard so much about.

He's blessed to work with such great people.

I spent Saturday with Duff at the Conference Center for Ancestry Day. The more I learn about genealogy, the more fascinating it is for me. I met some of the loveliest people.

Here is Duff getting ready for his lecture.

It was fun to see how much people appreciate what Duff does. One woman rushed up to me after the lecture. She said, "You're Duff's wife. I know because I saw you drinking out of his water bottle. I have watched all of his webinars." By the end of our conversation, I had been invited to stay at her home in Georgia.

[Sorry for the blurry picture.]

There was a movie theater right by our hotel.

We had heard some good reviews on Water for Elephants, but we neither of us cared for it that much.

We enjoyed Thor much more!

I also went to see Jane Eyre for a second time while Duff was working. The GPS helped me find my way to a seedy part of town. The theater was in a run-down strip mall. I bought my ticket in a bar and walked through a small darkened theater to another theater. It was a very small room and me and ten senior citizens settled down to watch the show.

Luckily for several, the bathroom was right there in the theater!

We stayed at Homewood Suites close to the Conference Center. There was an amazing breakfast every morning, free dinner every evening, and a complete kitchen and a living room.

I fell in love with Charleston. What a lovely and charming city.

What a memorable trip.