Charleston

Outside one of the slave houses. The windows were added later, once sharecroppers started rented the buildings.

In front of the big house.

The oaks in SC are amazing!

Walking over to slave street (slave houses on the right)

Getting some ground time during the Gullah culture presentation

Singing "Gullah" songs and dressed in "Gullah" clothes. She called us her "chill'en" and sometimes spoke so much in gullah dialogue that we couldn't understand her.

Down by the tidal creek--Addy gets her closed eyes from her mother, obviously.

Under the oaks

These oaks were really something else. 

As you can tell--we couldn't stop taking pictures!

Sweet silhouette

Curious curious

It was to take a buggy ride through more of the grounds to see the crops currently growing.

Part of the corn maze

?

Cotton on a bush! It looks just like cotton balls growing on trees, but has pesky seeds/husks on the inside. Charleston has a year-long growth season because they never get a frost that lasts more than a few hours.

In front of the U.S.S. Yorktown

On the hangar deck

One of several barracks. The barracks are spread out so they wouldn't be sitting ducks if the ship got attacked.

Somehow she was comfortable to fall asleep in the wrap before long.

In the engine room

Next to a big turbine and in front of a large de-salination tank. It totally makes sense but I never realized that aircraft carriers take all their water from the ocean and just remove the salt!

The "stairs" were more like ladders.

Backpack napper

The sick bay. They even had a baby cradle in case they picked up refugees with infants.

On the flight deck

Next to an amphibious helicopter! I didn't even know those existed!

Lots of different planes here, can't go into all of the details.

Cool super skinny Vietnam helicopter.

What our carriage ride looked like.

Rainbow row in Charleston. Originally painted different colors as influenced by residents from Barbados.

Happy tourist

There was an earthquake in the 1800s. Pre-earthquake buildings had long steel poles running the length of the building which they would then crank in the middle to squeeze the house together again. Not good earthquake preparedness, but maybe good recovery?

Beautiful homes

Many Presidents stayed in these homes when visiting Charleston.

The low country

Some guy fishing and the Ravenal bridge

At Fort Moultrie. Much of the Fort was built around and in hills. The earth was used to protect the fort from exploding bricks etc, but I think it felt a lot like Hobbiton!

We had to remember to take breaks for eating--this break was for yogurt and apple puffs.

First steps in the ocean!

At Angel Oak (Kit and Addy on left)

Massive, with branches growing down into the ground and then back up again!

Addy, say "Oak!"

A massive branch

Octopus-like

Such a fun trip to Charleston, SC!