Charleston Battery

Charleston is built on a peninsula, and at the bottom of the peninsula is "The Battery" which now holds a park. 

It was wild being here in February and walking around in short sleeves while my parents back in Maryland were telling me about how much snow they had gotten! 

This park is a wonderful way to showcase South Carolina. The trees are all twisty and bendy, with lush green grass and the trees starting to bud and blossom. Hidden amongst the mossy trees is an old statue or building, all within walking distance of the next hidden gem the small city has to offer. 

The Houses of Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC, is a historic city in South Carolina. It is built on a peninsula that served as a major shipping port because of its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean while still being protected from ocean weather.

While the port may be famous, the real charmer in this town certainly has to be the old houses. These massive mansions which sell for way too much money are lavishly decorated in souther charm style and painted such bright colors. 

We have spent a few days so far simply walking around the town admiring all the different and historic homes that seem to line each and every street. If you plan on stopping by Charleston, be sure to bring your walking shoes! 

Functional Artwork

At the Gibbs Museum in Charleston, they had on display an old sign for a dentist.

Now, back in the old days, the remedy for any painful tooth was to extract it. This left you with a toothless mouth! This dentist commissioned a wood carver to create a sign for his practice that would advertise that he would put your teeth back (in the form of dentures).  

Maddie, an artist and art teacher, has made it very clear that for something to be "art" it must only meet the purpose of being art. If it has any other purpose, then it is that thing and not "art". That being said, it was fun to see how history can look away from the fact that this piece of art was actually a sign board used to attract paying patients to this dentists office and hang it on the museum wall displaying it as "art with a past purpose" even though now it is merely a piece of art. 

South Carolina

Traveling down the east coast of the United States has been interesting, but it all still felt rather familiar to us. Then we got to South Carolina!

Gardens at Middleton Plantation

When we reached Charleston, we took a tour of a nearby plantation. This place was amazing! Now, plantation is just a fancy word for "Huge Farm", meaning that everything here had its purpose. 

The animals that were kept on the plantation all offered some form of economical advantage. The goats were used for their fur, milk, and meat. The birds were kept for their feathers, eggs, and meat. The water buffalo were kept because they are docile, strong workers, and for their meat. Then there came the fields, and plantations have a reputation for what happened on the fields. 

This plantation was one of 19 owned by the Middleton Family. Most of these plantations were used to make lots of money, but this one was used as the headquarters where business deals took place. Therefore, this plantation home was lavish and gorgeous with immaculate gardens on the property. 

This pool, for example, is one of many pools and ponds in the garden. The sights with the trees overhanging the water and the Spanish Moss hanging down from the branches just takes away all your thoughts as you stare off into the perfectly orchestrated design. 

This was our first day in Charleston and we have been thoroughly impressed!

Anchoring Stars

Part of cruising is experiencing new places, but these places could easily (and probably much more easily) be visited by land or air. While the sights at the destination are identical, there is a time when cruising will set its sights apart from any other method of reaching this destination. 

This shirt was developed to embody the wonder of an anchorage, where the mast head anchor lights blend into the night sky as extra stars. The yachts beneath them disappear into the darkness of the night, with only a small light high above them quietly displaying their presence.

You can purchase this shirt at Teespring by following the link below: https://teespring.com/anchoring-stars?tsmac=store&tsmic=rigging-doctor#pid=2&cid=2397&sid=front