Summer Staycation, part 2

In the summer 0f 2011 when we told everyone we were moving, we heard so many people say how wonderful this place is! Many tried to console Nicholas, who was having a hard time with the move, by saying, 'Don't worry, when you move to a place like that, everybody will come visit you.' They were right, at least a little!

This July, we had 3 weeks of guests and it was awesome! First up, Becca and Aaron from Memphis spent their vacation with us, and we started checking off our to-do list of historical sites around the area.

Up first was a tour to Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor. What an experience! Fort Sumter is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, and an important location throughout the war. We had to take a ferry to get to the fort, which docked at the foot of the USS Yorktown, a WW2 aircraft carrier that is now a historical site/museum in the harbor. Here's a jet that sits on the flight deck...

One of my favorite parts of the tour was being on the water (of course), and seeing the beautiful Ravenel bridge from this vantage point...










I was not aware of the historical significance of Fort Sumter, and it was an incredible experience. Here is the first non-US flag to fly over the Fort - the flag of South Carolina's Palmetto Guard.










There is also a memorial for the Union commander that first held the Fort, and for all of the troops that died there. In this memorial, every flag that was ever flown above the Fort is included (except for the Palmetto Guard Flag above). Nicholas actually took this photo...good shot buddy!







It was a terrific tour, capped off with this snapshot of Caroline resting in a cannon enclave!