December 17, 2004

The boys were up early and into the lodge to start on their school work for the day. They were putting up the itinerary for the weekend – as there are a lot of the regulars that are planning to come out – there are a couple of Christmas events and pot lucks planned. As a result the boys had to find a small Christmas gift for a gift exchange on Saturday – so we headed into Madison for the afternoon. It unfortunately did not warm up enough for the lizards to be out and about – and after tomorrow it is supposed to get colder – and they are predicting about zero Fahrenheit with the wind chill on Monday.

This was a hectic day for Dad as he did all of the meals and dishes today – not sure why but it just sort of worked out that way. He did up a creative stir fry which was met with only a nodding approval from the boys – but Mom and Dad gobbled it down – lots of fresh veggies.

The boys went off to play bingo tonight (and came back with a couple of prizes) – while Dad got in touch with some of his people from work to wish them the best of the season. He was surprised to learn of the moves, changes and retirements – but was re-assured by the co-worker that is covering the position – that everything is still under control. Many thanks to Kelly who through her willingness, commitment and encouragement made taking this trip a reality.

December 18, 2004

The family was provided with Dad’s version of Huevos Ranchero this morning – not bad – even though some of the ingredients were a bit of a stretch. Mom then took the boys up to the club house to do some school work – as well as a batch of Christmas baking. The boys ended up giving out quite a few samples before any of the baking made it home to dad. (Pretty sad when you see someone going by on a tour of the campground with the sales rep. eating a shortbread cookie – and the Dad hadn’t even had a sample yet). Mom however feels more in the Christmas spirit after a batch of shortbread cookies, almond rocha and Jan’s caramel ball cookies in hand.

Boys went up to the kids Christmas party – and Keelan came back with an electronic drum machine – (the mother of the kid who gave it away was just laughing). Oh well it kept them amused – and they have learned that it needs to be operated outside the motor home. (Rumour has it that Dad may have put clear tape over the speaker holes to reduce the volume).

Mom did up some southern BBQ chicken on a Baked Potato to which Dad added Salsa. Not really sure of the ethnic origins of this dish (Irish, Southern, Mexican) but it was sure good and disappeared quickly. An idea stolen from Porkies of a few days ago, the boys figure that we have ‘Arbys Super Stuffed’ potatoes beat hands down

Went back up to the club house this evening while the adult Christmas party was going on. There were 13 golf carts in the parking lot – as that seems to be the preferred mode of transportation in these places. (As at least half of them are Harley Davidson – maybe that is how they get to live out their fantasy in their old age). Anyhow while they were all inside doing their gift exchange – we used the fire that they had made to cook up some s’mores for snack (very tasty).

The weather station out of Atlanta is predicting a very cold winter storm – starting to move in tomorrow and continuing into Monday and Tuesday. They are saying that there will be strong winds and temperatures down to 19 degrees Fahrenheit. They are also predicting snow in some areas – and of course the slightest amount of snow down here seems to signal that school is closed for the day – so the kids are hoping for snow. We’ll have to see if it holds up or not. Good thing that our next move on Tuesday is closer to the moderating influences of the ocean.

December 19, 2004

There was a pot luck breakfast this morning at the club house – and although we did not participate it did look like an interesting idea. Deb and the kids were able to benefit from the leftovers when they were up doing their school work.

The weather was nice until the later part of the afternoon – when the temperature started to drop and a strong north wind picked up. By the time we went to bed it was freezing outside and there was about a thirty mile an hour wind – making it a lot colder. We think that for once we were colder than we would have been back home. The Atlanta station is saying that there may be snow flurries and/or black ice on the way into work tomorrow – and that definitely seems like a possibility. Definitely time to move further south.

We however were snug in the motor home and played Rummoli for most of the evening. Dad was only able to play two hands before he was eliminated – and therefore relegated to the sidelines. Hopefully it will warm up and the wind will die down before we have to move on Tuesday – otherwise it will be a long drive.

Starting Month Four!!!

Well, we have just celebrated the start of our fourth month on the road – and are looking at what we have learned. Many of the apprehensions that were initially present are gone (it took Deb the first week to relax enough to sleep through the night – as she kept worrying about everything that could go wrong) We have now come to accept that we could really enjoy do this – with some minor modifications – on a longer term basis. This does not mean that we will not be returning to work in May – but rather it opens up some options for the future. It has also shown us just how little space we can survive in – and the amount of time that we can spend together just enjoying each other.

Thus far our experience on the road has been nothing but positive – and if you are careful – it is amazing how frugally you can live on the road and still have a really good time – and see many interesting and different things. We have not been staying in the high tourist areas or larger metropolitan areas – so we have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many of the “normal” people. We will have to see what things are like when we get into some of the areas of Florida where there are more snowbirds – as we really like the more rural areas.

Christmas on the road for Deb and the boys will be a new experience – but it brings back memories for Pat who spent many Christmas’s travelling with his family when he was young. We do have a small Christmas tree – on the dash – complete with loonie toons ornaments and matching lights around the front seats and a string of outside Christmas lights – and although it may not be the three trunks full of stuff that we usually put out – it does feel festive. Deb keeps putting on the Christmas songs in the club house although the boys have begun to ask her not to sing.

We have been thinking about our friends and family – which we are missing – but telephone and e-mail contact, seem to help. We have seen many things that we would like to share with others, and at other times see things that will bring a particular person to mind. We have also been thinking about our work – and feeling somewhat guilty about being able to be away for this long and those that have to cover for us (okay so maybe this whole southern laid back attitude hasn’t totally kicked in yet). We have heard about people who are retiring before we get back – and are saddened that we miss out on being there to say goodbye to them. It is difficult when we have good friends and family that are fighting illnesses – and we do not feel that we can be there are much as we would like. However we have tried our best to stay in touch, and given the opportunity that we have had – we are still glad about the decision we have made – although there are some regrets.

The boys too are missing their friends, but are often too busy to notice it for long. They usually say that they have all these things that they want to tell and show their friends – and are both writing daily journals in order to have their own memories of the trip.

So, all in all, we are continuing on and have the next month tentatively planned out – and then will have to see where things go from there.

(For those people who were placing wagers on whether or not Pat could stay away from work this long – he will be able to make the hundred day mark (which falls on Christmas Day) – without many symptoms of withdrawal … but does insist that he will be back. Beside which, Pat’s co-worker has threatened to hunt him down if he is not back by the time camping season starts… news for you Kelly – it hasn’t ended).

December 20, 2004

It did get cold over night – and reports are that freezing temperatures reached down to central Florida. Therefore it would have probably difficult for us to totally escape this cold front. Thankfully the wind died down this morning and therefore did not feel as cold as it would have in Atlanta where the winds were still at about 30 to 40 miles an hour.

Boys and mom were to the club house for school work – while Dad went in and did a brief grocery shop – and then started packing up our stuff to get ready to move tomorrow. With us usually spending 7 days at a place – we seem to make ourselves at home – and are setting up bar-b-ques, Christmas lights, bikes, etc. Therefore it does take a bit of time to pack up.

The afternoon turned out to be sunny and clear – but the temperature never got above 10 degrees Celsius. It was unfortunate that the weather did not improve enough so that we could go out on the lake in our boat – but it was just too brisk.

December 21, 2004

Travel day. Weather had warmed up a little bit – and the wind had died down. We headed west through Augusta and on to Hollywood, South Carolina – just outside of Charleston. Today was a day of several firsts. We saw trees with Spanish Moss hanging from them – making them look very eerie. We have entered the low country (read swamp) and are seeing all of the swamp vegetation. We are also starting to see Palm Trees growing in many places along the side of the road.

We got into the campground about 3:00 PM this afternoon. The campground is not part of the RPI network – and does not have all the amenities that we have gotten used to lately. However, we are only here for a couple of days while we check out some of the grand old homes and plantations in and around Charleston.

We did a quick bit of touring around the local area to see what was around and plan our itinerary for tomorrow (as it gets dark about 5:30 and no point starting much this late in the day). There are several “Plantations” about 20 minutes away – and after checking two of the major ones out – decided on which one we would see. Stopped by a little seafood shop – that although did not look like much from the outside – was very busy with a locale clientele. Ended up getting (or being talked into trying) a dozen Deep Fried Crab (they are the small ones) as well as some fish and chips and hush-puppies. Although the Crab is a little fiddly to eat – it tastes great – as did the batter in which it was cooked. We still have some left – so the debate is whether we keep the remainder this Christmas eve – or eat it before then and or get some more on our way out of town. The crabs are $1.25 each, so the option of getting more crabs – is definitely worth considering.

December 22, 2004

Off early this morning to the Magnolia Plantation for what was supposed to be a brief two hour stop – but ended up spending closer to 4 1/2 hours there. The Plantation had a long tree lined driveway that had Spanish moss (originally called Spaniards Beard) hanging from it. Spanish Moss grows on trees and plants and despite how it looks – does not hurt the plant in any way. It is only alive when it is on the plant and dies when it falls to the ground. (They also say that it is related to the pineapple – but personally I just can’t see it). On one side of the road, was a large swamp area (Audubon Swamp Garden) and on the other side were acres of gardens and ponds with bridges over them, etc. At the admissions gate as we were paying to get in, an older lady came bustling up to the window – proceeded to give the boys and us candies, and told us we had to stop by the gift shop when we needed our coffee refilled – and then proceeded to tell us about her family, her grandson entering the navy, etc. Southern hospitality at its finest. (Throughout the day we ran into this lady several times – and each time she was checking to see what we had seen and what we needed).

While waiting to take the first scheduled tram ride around the swamps and plantation we walked through the small petting zoo and about half of the large gardens. The birds and animals at the zoo greeted us – their first customers of the day – with hungry interest – as they had yet to have been fed. The boys even got to pet a couple of the deer, as they nuzzled in or licked their hands looking for food. The tram ride through the swamp was very interesting with all sorts of birds about – however the weather was a bit too cool for the alligators to be out sunning themselves – but we worked hard trying to find them. Point of interest – alligators need to keep their body temperature at between 70 and 76 degrees in order for them to be able to digest their food and not get an infection – which is why they can often be seen sunning themselves on the roads, river banks or gator boards in the swamps.

Once we got back from the tram ride, we went back to finish off the pond gardens, see the thousand year old oak tree, and then walk through the Audubon Swamp Garden. The swamps themselves were all covered in a green coloured algae like substance known as Duck’s weed – which really millions of tiny plants – each one producing the smallest known flower. The swamp had many Cyprus trees (easy to distinguish due to their knee – which there is debates over what is their purpose. Some say it help the tree maintain stability in the swamp, while others contend that they help the tree “breathe”.) – but also cedar, maple, oak magnolia and many other species. The air had a nice moist and earthy smell to it.

A couple of interesting facts about the Magnolia Plantation. Its river banks were used as the staging point for the British attack on Charleston during the American Revolution (1780). Cornwallis was able to come into Charleston and effect the easy surrender of Charleston and the 7000 American Troops. Cornwallis however let himself get trapped on one of the peninsulas of the low country – and the French fleet came in and cut them off – resulting in Cornwallis’s surrender.

During the American Civil War – in 1865 the Union Troops had overtaken the area burnt the plantation home and had taken the Adam Bennett (Chief Slave) and threatened to hang him if he did not tell them where the manor treasures were hidden. Even after several threats, Bennett refused to tell them and General Sherman’s troops eventually left empty handed – at which point Bennett walked 250 to North Carolina to find John Drayton (Owner and master) at his summer cabin to tell him what had occurred and that everything was safe.

Reverend Drayton was reduced from great wealth to extreme poverty by the civil war – and had to sacrifice much of his property in order to rebuild his home. The Plantation was reduced to its present 500 acre size – and many different enterprises were attempted to keep things going. This included cotton, rice (which was wiped out when the tidal surge from a hurricane brought salt water into the fields), tea (which the plants were destroyed by an early migration of birds that feed on the plant), mining phosphates, etc. One of the other things that he did at this time was to change the gardens from the original French formal gardens (at that time they were the oldest in America) to the more informal English style. Adam Bennett and many others of his family stayed on to help – and the Bennett family plots are located on the swamp side of the property. There are still descendents of the Adam Bennett working the gardens and taking pride in the grounds.

Into Charleston and hunted for a parking spot for about 15 minutes. Locals say it’s not that busy and sometimes you have to park up to two miles away – especially when the jazz festival is in town. As it was hard to know exactly where to go to see the old house homes that Charleston is famous for, we arranged a carriage tour around town. As we had a couple of hours before the tour we walked through the slave’s market – which is today a big flea and merchants market. The name causes some concern to people but it was never a market where slaves were sold – but rather a garden market where slaves often went to sell, purchase or trade produce and goods. The market had many nice things – including woven sweet grass baskets – which were very ornate – and expensive. One lady took the time to explain to the boys how this was a craft that had been brought by the slaves from Africa – and had been originally used to make rice baskets – but had expanded to many different designs and patterns. She said that most of the slave colonies had lost this craft – but there had been a real effort among those in Charleston to keep this heritage – and teach the young people. As a result there were probably 15 different basket sellers in the market – however the prices were quite substantial. The boys ended up getting a silver necklace each as a last minute Christmas gift – which they were proudly wearing the next day (courtesy of an elf).

We even had time to for a brief crab dip snack at one of the local pubs before going on the carriage ride. The pub (The Noisy Oyster) was right across from the market and it was sunny enough that we were sitting by their opening garage windows. The majority of Charleston is at sea level or below and only extends up to 10 feet above that. When hurricane Hugo came through back in 1988 – the majority of this area was up to 8 feet of water at the storms peak and under chest deep water for the better part of week after the storm. There was a restaurateur in Calgary who bought 8 train cars full of furniture and fixtures for the seafood restaurants and pubs he was opening (i.e. Seahorse). These train cars were part of the insurance salvage that was done in Charleston and area. It is easy to see why this was such a find for the great white north when you look at the decor and availability of material down here.

Charleston also has a law that requires that any building over 75 years of age can not be torn down and must maintain its architectural significance. As a result there have been some interesting retrofits – like horse stables converted into apartments, original carriage houses converted into thermally controlled garages in which to store your Ferrari.

The carriage driver (whose name was John Brain – and he said he was the only Brain’s in the outfit) was a wealth of information both about the city itself and other things in general. First off, the trees we have been seeing are not really palm trees but are more correctly called a Palmetto. The Palmetto is the state tree of South Carolina – although it is more accurately called classified as a shrub. Therefore John said it should be more accurately to call it the state shrub. John was also lamenting that the government had recently released the scholastic scores for all the states, indicating that South Carolina came in 49th out of 50 states and John thanked God for Mississippi – otherwise they would have been last.

Charleston has suffered a number of major hardships during its existence. There were numerous fires which ravaged the town – with a major one just at the start of the civil war. As Charleston was where the civil war started – the union forces wanted to send a message and for several years bombarded Charleston continuously. It was said that there was an order that the forces at Fort Sumner were to fire a cannonball every 15 minutes into the city. They used the church spire in the center of town as a sighting reference – and there are still three cannonball embedded in the steeple. John said that there is still ordinance from the civil war being found and about a dozen times a year the bomb squad is called out to deal with a live shell. He said that earlier this fall several guys working on a construction crew – came across a cannon shell – and decided to throw it in the back of their truck with all the “cans” and bring it into the police station themselves. The result was that they had to cordon off a two block area of downtown Charleston and evacuate the police station while the bomb squad secured and detonated the shell as the fuse was still live and unstable. (Sounds like the makings of a good sitcom episode).

Charleston has also had several major floods due to hurricanes and at least one severe earthquake 108 years ago (John states that they have several minor tremors each week – and are just waiting for the big one).

The earthquake resulted in some interesting additions to the town. The big church sphere has several beams coming of it mid way up. They act as a cantilever to try and correct the lean that the earthquake caused. There are a number of buildings that have big earthquake bolts were used with turn bolts to slowly straighten the buildings. There were also some buildings that we saw where you could see the walls shift by upwards of a foot down the side as a result of the earthquake (the one is a hotel and still used – and it is supposed to be a “novelty” to sleep in the “shifted” room).

Not surprising, Charleston was where the insurance industry started in the America’s. With all the grand homes and the number of disasters that struck the city – people started an insurance business to protect homes. Initially each insurance company had their own fire department and would fight the fires at their client’s homes or the homes of neighbouring houses to protect their clients. To identify which home was insured by which company- circular metal plaques were mounted on the front of the homes. At one point there were as many as 14 separate companies insuring houses in the city – it was not until much later that first a volunteer fire department and then a paid one came into existence. These plaques still adorn many of the older homes – and the originals are highly sought after as collectables – and there are several places making expensive reproductions that people can use to “decorate” their home.

Speaking of expensive – this is also the place where the expression Snob came from. There are two areas of old Charleston that were viewed as the exclusive areas – one being better than the other. Those people that lived “Slightly North of Broad” Street were viewed as being well off and better than the rest of the town’s people but still not the “made it” rich – who lived “South of Broad”. These designations are still used by some of the locals today – to indicate just how socially positioned your home was. John indicated that if a house comes available they are very expensive and exclusive – selling for at least 3 million and up. Some of the homes have been in families for years – and there is one large three story portico mansion at White Park that is only occupied by a single elderly lady – whose nine children having been raised in the house have now left the area. Speculation is that this house may come on the market soon – to settle the estate – and there are apparently many parties that are already expressing interested in it. These areas are so exclusive – that they have even passed a local ordinance that forbids the tour carriages from entering the area after 5:00 at night.

John also explained the southern tradition that was used to indicate that a home was ready to receive visitors. The lady of the home would place a basket of fruit on the front porch as a sign that the home was prepared to receive guests. This apparently started when the man of the manor would return (originally from the sea) and bring with them fruits from the Caribbean as a gift. When an appropriate period of re-union was completed – the remaining fruit was placed in a basket on the front porch – to invite others to come by and partake in the fruit and visit. This was then reduced to just a pineapple – that was either placed on the porch or on the fence or gate (origin of pineapples ornaments on wrought iron fences) and today you can even see pineapple signs that people place in their window to show that they are ready to receive guests (especially during the holiday season). Dad thought that this was a great idea that would be something we could look at – giving us time to clean up the home before guests arrived (always a fear). However John went on to explain that the fruit basket and pineapple also became a signal used by the southern lady to tell her gentleman friends not to come a calling because her husband was at home – so we are not too sure if this is a good idea or not.

The houses and architecture in Charleston were phenomenal. Both the homes and their attached garden and fountains were spectacular. Even though these were not “large” estates as far as land holdings – they were very beautiful “town” homes. Some of the homes were living museums – and you could tour parts of the home during daytime hours – and several others had converted stable rooms into exclusive Bed and Breakfast locations. There was even one undergoing extensive renovations and being converted into small exclusive apartments – that were mostly rented before the renovations were completed – due to the exclusiveness of the area – and the closeness to the deep sea marina in which to park your luxury yacht.

Charleston is one of only three walled cities in the America – and although mostly gone – you can still see remnants of where the walls were once they are pointed out to you. The other walled cities are Quebec City – and St. Augustine, Florida. As we are going to St. Augustine later next week – our tour will have included all three walled cities (by accident – not design).

Back to campground some time after dark and had a feed of fish and cold crab outside – as it was such a warm night. The boys were then able to go and play with an 8 year old girl (Kirsten) in the campground behind us for awhile – playing hide and seek in the dark and bushes. Kirsten’s dad came over and we got into a conversation about the south and politics in general. He claims to be a history buff and his family having been raised in Georgia – and claims that what they are teaching in school in regard to history is either inaccurate or so sanitized (PC) that it does not bear a resemblance to the truth. He stated that the Civil War was largely the result of monetary factors – and power indifferences – similar to what the American Revolution had been fought on earlier. One of the things that he claimed was that the last state to abolish slavery was New Jersey. Also the limits to his understanding about the beef and wood trade issues were interesting – and being he had made his money in the construction business – he had been given many stories about the wood tariff’s that just were not accurate. Got into one brief discussion about the war of 1812 – at which point he pointed out that the British / Canadian troops came into and successfully overran Washington DC and were headed inland – when a tornado / hurricane came and killed and injured many of the troops – far more than had been lost in battle to this point. He indicated that this act of “god” showed that God was on their side. This led into a discussion of religion and politics in which he indicated that he was more conservative than the conservatives in his government – and that he is starting to question some of the moral decisions that his government had made in light of “weapons of mass destruction” things and is unsure what to do. He would like to see his government get to the point where it could admit the mistakes that it has made but was unwilling to vote for Kerry as he felt that it was not a good alternative.

December 23, 2004

Today was a move day. It rained during the night and was warm and muggy this morning. Boys were up quickly and went out to play with Kirsten while we were getting packed up.

Headed south through Savannah and on to Woodbine Georgia. As this is one of the busier holiday travel days and I-95 is the main route to Florida – the interstate was packed with cars from everywhere trying to get to somewhere warm. We were seeing many cars from Ontario and Quebec – after we had become quite used to being the only Canadians around.

Pulled into a garage just outside of Woodbine – that had a 17 foot alligator (stuffed) in the front area. Keelan finally saw how big the alligators could get and was not sure if he wants to go walking on the boardwalk in the swamps again. They were also selling and providing samples of in shell boiled and spiced peanuts. They seem to be an acquired taste – and none of us seem interested in eating enough of them to acquire it.

Into the campground – very small – and has some wind damage to the trees (looks like a hurricane hit) and does not have all the amenities of some of the other have had – but it is friendly and the people insisted that we take part in their Christmas dinner celebrations.

We then reset up all of the Christmas decorations including the elf and a new ‘magnolia flower angel that Deb picked up at the plantation, Christmas lights around the awning and our 14 inch tree. Now its time for Christmas Carols and movies (Miracle on 34th Street is Deb’s favourite).