home again...

As many of you know, I typically head to N.W. Arkansas this time of year to visit friends and to shop the Arkansas craft fairs. I love it there in October. This year, however, it was just too expensive to fly and driving was out of the question so instead, Mike's cousin and I headed to Savannah GA and then on to Charleston SC. We were only in Savannah for a few hours - long enough to walk the Riverfront and head on to Uncle Bubba's for some good eats. We then headed out to Charleston. Talk about a beautiful historic city! I loved it! The homes are something else and the history of it all is spectacular. We took a tour the first morning and then attended a "Taste of the Low Country" cooking demo in the afternoon. It was great! I was even turned on to eating grits! I'm not talking the yukky ones I tried at a chain restaurant some time ago, these were REAL stone ground yellow corn grits! So yummy, I bought a bag and cooked them for Mike and the girls when I got home! The next day, we set out again for some shopping and some walking on our own. It's a beautiful place to visit and I'd go back in a heartbeat. I definitely had a great time with Debbie as usual and look forward to our trip next year to who knows where! Here are some pics - enjoy!

Uncle Bubba's in Savannah GA. Named after Paula Deen's brother.

This was what I ate at Uncle Bubba's - it's called Fried Swai and shrimp. Swai is a very mild white fish. It was wonderful.

Some Charleston history for you: All the homes in Charleston are called either Charleston Singles (as in the photo above) or Charleston Doubles (in the photo below). Singles are homes built one room wide in size. Yes, believe it or not, the above home is only one room in width. Doubles are built two rooms wide with the door in the middle. The home below, although it looks just as wide as the one in the photo above is two rooms wide - one room on each side of the door. They can be as many rooms as they want in depth. This was done because the people were taxed on how much property faced the street. Also, all homes are built with the piazza (or what we call patio) either on the west side of the home or the south side. This is so they get the breeze off the ocean. While we were walking, we did notice that this was true of all the homes - we didn't find one with the piazza facing any other direction!

A Charleston Double home.

On this particular doorway, you will see the white rope-like carving around the doorway. Back then, people liked to "advertise" their wealth this way - the thicker the rope, the more money the family had.

Debbie and I toured this home - it is as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Note, it is a Charleston Single (one room wide). It is three stories high. The owner is part of the original family that lived there many, many years ago. She lives on the bottom floor which is also the only air conditioned part of the home. The second story houses the "social rooms and dining room". The third story is reserved as a bed and breakfast. The house is pink because the original owner was the town dentist and pink "is the color of healthy gums." To this day, the current owner wears something pink every day.

In Charleston, no buildings can be torn down. They all must be refurbished. This used to be the old train depot. It is now the home of the Visitor's Center. This is the back, where the tour buses pick up and drop off visitors.

This area of homes is called Rainbow Row because the colors of the houses. If you notice on the pink house (the second from the left), you will see round things under the sets of windows. These are actually "bolts" attached to rods that run through the homes to hold them together during earthquakes!

Just about all the sidewalks were slate and the side roads were cobblestone or brick.

One of many parks in the city.

The Chalreston City Market - we did a little shopping here!

This is Ashley. She is Gullah. Gullah are African Americans who live in the Low Country region of South Carolina and some parts of Georgia. They are known for preserving more of their heritage and culture than any other African Americans in the U.S. Ashley made me a beautiful basket. You can read more about the Gullah people by clicking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullah

I really liked the side of this home. It is a Charleston Single (one room wide) but here you can see how long it is. Also note, homes here are made of an oil wood. Most are then covered with stucco and left plain or the stucco may be carved to make it look like stone.