Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Nomad Feet in Charleston



Despite an almost insurmountable amount of inertial keeping me mired at the house, I finally stopped whining, got the Hell out of Redneckistan, and spent Saturday on the coast walking around Charleston.  In a way the situation was weird, I got up that morning without anyone screaming my name or having some issue hanging over my head that could possibly keep me from going. Though just to be safe, I actually sneaked out the house as quietly as possible, figuring some issue was lurking in the shadows waiting to derail my plans. 

My first stop was the Waterfront Memorial Park in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Located next the new Charleston Bridge, it is a relaxing green space with a concrete pier that stretches out into the Cooper River allowing people to fish or just find a bench and enjoy the views of the marsh and Charleston Harbor.

While spring has yet to fully set in Waterfront Park is always a perfect place to relax. After I arrived I called my cousin who lives in Charleston  and then found a bench next the marsh. It was not as quiet as I would have liked with Saturday morning traffic going over the bridge but I did thoroughly enjoy getting away from my suburban purgatory  .

A Red-Winged Blackbird hanging out in the marsh. I would be embarrassed to admit how many times I took a picture of this bird before I finally got a decent photograph.


A view of the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval Museum. It's a great place to visit but the management of the aircraft carrier has been FUBARed almost from the moment it opened with upkeep and maintenance of the ship piecemeal at best. Not up to date on the details but the navy has let it be known several times over the years that the Yorktown needs to be properly kept up or scrapped. Beside the aircraft carrier is the destroyer USS Laffey, which I believe was overhauled for the same reason.

 A nice shot of Battery Park, had to borrow this picture because of the huge horde of tourists on the grounds. I have to admit there are times I wish Charleston was still a secret to most of the country. Be that as it may if South Carolina has one redeeming quality it is that city by the sea.

A cool idea someone set up on Logan Street. Just goes to show how special the people who live Charleston are. Because my Middle-Age male slush fund was somewhat short it forced my visit to be brief as well. Late in the afternoon I left for home hoping I can get back sometime soon.




  



11 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, glad you were able to get out for awhile. it always helps to settle me down and put things in perspective. I've heard only wonderful things about Charleston and even spent a few days not too far away but never made it into the city. Take Care.

Mr. Charleston said...

Glad you made an escape BB, even if brief. Don't know if you have ever visited Camden but I've stopped there a couple of times on the way to Charlotte and it's got a lot of historical sites and seems like it would be a good day-trip escape.

Pixel Peeper said...

Sometimes you just have to run away to get your batteries recharged! Charleston is a great place to do just that. I still could kick myself for not visiting there more often while we lived in South Carolina.

Great red-winged blackbird picture! I never say how many pictures I take and delete before I get a decent shot. ;-P

lime said...

glad you finally got some time to go recharge. love that you stumbled across a little free library. i recently found out about them and have been following them. such a great idea!

Verdant Earl said...

Ah, Charleston. Been too long since I've been back. The in-laws are down there and they love it so much. Have to admit...so does this NY guy.

Cirze said...

I spent a part of my childhood visiting cousins in Charleston and always enjoy visiting there, but it's been almost a decade since I had enough free time to do it justice.

You may have started something, buddy.

It could be a movement.

Toward Charleston!

Thanks,

S

P.S. I'm thinking of putting up a Little Free Library box here too.

Marja said...

Cool pictures and I think it is a wise thing to do to just leave it all behind I am very good at it.
Love the bird picture and the book swap. We have here whole bookcases on the street since the earthquake

Commander Zaius said...

Mike and Mr Charleston: My visit was much too short.

Pixel: Your picture was better.

Lime: Yeah, that mini library was cool!

BE: Have you read Pat Conroy's book "South of Broad", set in Charleston its like having a love affair with the city.

Suzan: I remember when Charleston was a sleepy little city we visited to buy clothes. Its grown so much but it does not seem to have changed very much.

Marja: Speaking of the earthquake, how goes the rebuilding?

Life As I Know It Now said...

Ah, the little libraries that started popping up in England and over here now I see.

I went to a conference at the beginning of this week and it was out in the country. I loved the rural atmosphere, I loved the rolling hills, the woods all around. Man, I wanted to move there pronto. Well, except I knew the place was extremely conservative what with all the churches and antiabortion signs by the road. It's bad enough where I live but I know if I lived in an even more rural area my business would be everyone's business and not just my own.

Jo ~ said...

you escaped! good for you. At the moment, my car is in the frickin' shop so I'm stuck.

goatman said...


The redwing blackbirds and those little invisible peeping frogs are harbingers of spring here.
They are both in full swing now with their glorious songs.