Many thanks to anyone who prayed for good weather in Charleston on Thursday. The atmosphere could not have been more cooperative as there was not a cloud in the sky. I almost felt guilty having such a pleasant Maundy Thursday.
I awoke before sunrise to the site of surfers out of the balcony door. I had the brilliant idea of sleeping with the door open to hear the sound of the ocean. The effect was nice but the sub-freezing temperatures were a little much, even for me (especially since I volunteered to sleep on the floor). It worked out well as we wanted to get an early start during our one full day in Charleston. My initial groggy thought was - those swimmers are the darkest people I have ever seen. As it turns out, they were just wearing wetsuits.
PAT awoke shortly after I did. After we had showered (separately I might add), we began the difficult task of awakening JTH. PAT initially tried beating him with pillows. Though PAT swung with great force, the blows had little impact. He then tried to rouse him by laying with him. This too did not seem to phase his slumber. Finally, JTH awoke to badgering. I think this might be a textbook case of a rude awakening.
We gave JTH an hour to prepare for the day while we ran errands. We went to the Folly Beach Wal-Mart to procure three items. I needed a Flash Drive as my laptop’s wireless service failed and this device would allow me to transfer my blog to PAT’s computer. (Have I mentioned how ineffective Vista is?) We also wanted to buy some IBC Cream Soda and a water gun. The water pistol has been a tried and true method of awakening JTH and we wanted to be prepared for the following morning. (When he gets married, this will be his wife’s wedding gift.)
While these are all items Wal-Mart typically carries, this franchise failed us miserably. They did have a Flash Drive, though I had to buy an expensive model that holds 1G as they did not feature the smaller, less expensive model. They did not carry the other items at all. What kind of Wal-Mart does not carry poorly made plastic water guns?
Fortunately, a Piggly Wiggly was able to meet our needs several miles down the road. I never thought I would be so happy to see a Piggly Wiggly. Do we have these in Knoxville?
PAT and I also went to investigate two local landmarks that have received facelifts since our last visit. The beach house, owned by First Baptist Church of Charleston, that has so often provided our lodging has been given a much needed paint job. We opted not to use the key I had made to inspect the interior. When one has limited time, breaking and entering must be brushed aside for more noble pursuits, few though they may be.
As noted in Wednesday’s blog, our beloved local dive, the Anchor Line Restaurant has been closed. It has since been remodeled, but is not yet open for business and the establishment looks as though it will take on a new name. The once powder blue building has been repainted with a red roof and a base hue that PAT described as either avocado or olive green. I will take his word for it. I am glad we knew ahead of time that the restaurant was no longer in existence as it softened the blow.
It is amazing what one can get done before JTH wakes up.
We returned to the hotel and rejoined JTH. After I published my blog for you good people, we ventured out at 10 am. Since everyone in the ocean was also in a wetsuit, we opted to pass on a morning swim. Instead, we made our way downtown.
En route, we first stopped at Folly Beach’s Goodwill. I was highly disappointed as this may be the first Goodwill I have entered that did not have even one Jim Nabors (aka TV’s “Gomer Pyle”) record on vinyl. I may have no interest in ever buying or listening to a Jim Nabors album, but it has always been reassuring that they are a reliable constant in a world of change. What is the world coming to?
I did find a navy blue t-shirt featuring the defunct World Championship Wrestling so the trip was not made in vain.
We then made our way downtown, complete with our obligatory inadvertent detour through the projects. It is amazing how often we have visited Charleston and how little to grasp its geography. After the brief delay, we found our way to Market Street.
We ate at a Charleston staple, A.W. Shucks. I ate Shuck’s “Award-Winning” Stuffed Shrimp (which I have every trip) as an appetizer and their casserole (which I had never had before) as an entree. The shrimp are one of the place's trademarks - three plump shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with Carolina deviled crab, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried to perfection. I am not sure that anything would not taste good deep-fried and wrapped in bacon.
We then shopped at the Market. The Market reestablished order in the universe as it is always dependable. It never changes. The girl we bought jewelry from informed us that her boss had occupied the same booth since 1981. I would not doubt that his product had not changed since then either.
Before returning to Folly, JTH made his mandatory visit to the QuikSilver store. Unable to find parking, PAT and I let him out and circled the block. Due to predictable communication mishaps, we repeated this process dozens of times before reconnecting with our friend. To add insult to injury, he bought nothing.
After crossing the bridge again, we shopped at the Children’s Cancer Society Thrift Store (located at 835 Savannah Highwayon James Island). If the previous thrift store was mildly disappointing, this one was a smashing success as I made four purchases:
- 1. A black Applebees Carside To-Go shirt. This is a type of confession as I acknowledge my obsession.
- 2. A green 2006 Hilary Duff Crew shirt form her 2006 tour. Hilary is one of my guiltiest pleasures.
- 3. A grey t-shirt advertising the World Adult Kickball Association. How could i not support a kickball group?
4. A Mandy Patinkin CD titled “Oscar & Steve.” The CD is composed of the Princess Bride (and more recently “Criminal Minds”) actor singing the songs of Oscar Hammerstein II and Stephen Sodheim. Both him singing and the CD’s concept seemed surreal. Dare I say, “Inconceivable!”? I now know what we will be listening to on the road home...
Each item was priced at a mere $2.99. How could I resist?
We then returned to the hotel, and where I watched Marquette defeat Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament (and napped) while JTH and PAT perused the beach.
We ate that night at the Charleston Crab Shack (the location at 145 Wappoo Creek Dr on James Island). I had never eaten there, though JTH had. One of the first things visitors notice is that the restaurant’s sign is mounted upside down. Evidently a show called “Flip This House” was filmed there and left the inverted sign to remember them by.
I ate a combination platter of shrimp, a crab cake, and crab legs. I would be remiss if I did not say, “The crab cakes are phenomenal!” (Read: Wedding Crashers reference.) I had not eaten crab legs in years and I remembered why. It is not because I do not like the flavor, but rather because I do not find them worth the effort. It was worth ordering crab legs just to see how much pleasure JTH derived from playing with them.
We took one last night beach walk in the cold before returning to our room to watch the NCAA Tournament’s first round and get some rest. For the record, I picked 14 of 16 first round games in my Yahoo bracket. That is better than I normally do. I did have USC in the Elite Eight, so my futility has been ensured.
One more addition to the record: In two days, JTH has exceeded 100 text messages. Extend your plan soon!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment