Betty and Karen come for a visit

Betty and Karen come for a visit

In Mid-October, Betty and Karen flew in from Oklahoma for a one-week visit.  First on the agenda - Nana got to hold her first great-grandchild.  

 

On Monday we toured Charleston along with Eric, Elissa, Jonathan, Sydney and neighbors Melissa and David.

We shopped in the Charleston City Market where I found a gorgeous purse - unfortunately it was a bit out of my price range.

We also visited Battery Park and admired the view of Charleston Harbor.

Eric by one of the mortars used in the Federal bombardment of Fort Sumter.  

 On Tuesday, we returned to Charleston for a carriage tour of the city. 

We went down Rainbow Row and Karen found the dogwood gate that inspired the design for the necklace she purchased at the City Market.  

We all loved the beautiful metal work on all the old houses.

Karen and I in Battery Park

After a picnic in battery park with Elissa and Sydney, we left Charleston to spend a couple of days in Savannah.  On the way to Savannah, we stopped at Carolina Cherry Co. and picked up a couple of mini pies and ate them at the Sheldon Church ruins - one of my favorite stops.  

Karen is a huge fan of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which took place in Savannah so on Wednesday we spent the day touring all the locations mentioned in the book and movie.  Our first stop was Forsythe park.  As we walked down by the river front, Karen found the Lady Chablis still performing in Savannah.  

We had lunch at the haunted Moon River Grill.  We didn't see any ghosts.  I decided that I would hate to work in the "Tax Determination Room".  

We toured the Mercer Williams house. 

 We walked around Bonaventure Cemetery and looked at all the pretty angels.

After a long day of touring, we found a cute coffee shop.  Each room had a different decor.  Eric and I sat in the throne chairs in one room.  

On Friday back in Summerville, Betty, Karen, Sydney and I toured the Drayton Hall Plantation along the Ashley River.  Drayton Hall is the oldest preserved plantation house in America that is open to the public.  It was built between 1738 and 1742.  

The African American cemetery on the property was so sad and lonely.  The sign over the entrance says "Leave 'em Rest". 

 

In the afternoon, Betty, Karen and I visited the ruins of Fort Dorchester.  Fort Dorchester was founded as a market village 20 miles up the Ashley River from Charleston.  It was a market town for area farmers and craftsmen.  The town prospered for nearly 100 years from 1697 through the Revolutionary War.  The Anglican church's bell tower that was built in 1751 still stands.  I found it interesting that the Puritans (Congregationalists) that founded the settlement were taxed to build this church and tower since Anglicanism was the official religion of the South Carolina Colony.  

Friday evening we got our four generations together for one last photo before Karen and Betty headed back to Oklahoma.