Day 2: Thursday, May 26, 2011
My siblings arrived at my house between 6:30 and 7:00 A.M.
My sibling cannot start the day without her two cups of coffee, so we stopped at McDonald's to get them.
Two hours later, we stopped at Cracker Barrel in Gardendale for breakfast.
I ordered one scrambled egg, with sourdough toast, and bacon.
One of my siblings ordered a kid's pancake meal, and the other sibling ordered bisque and gravy.
I drove South on I-65 toward Birmingham, then turned east on I-20 toward Atlanta, Georgia.
We make several restroom stops and stop somewhere in Augusta, GA, at a BP Gas station to fill up.
One of my siblings paid for the gas.
The trip took nine hours and thirty-eight minutes.
We arrive at apartment 3104, 9345 Blue House Rd, Ladson, SC, at 5:30 P.M. Eastern time.
Another sibling meets us at the gate.
She took us to the apartment where we would be staying.  |
| The living room |
Our apartment has two king-size beds, two full baths, a full kitchen, a living room, a sitting room, a computer room, a washer, a dryer, and all kinds of cookware and dishes.
When we had finished unloading the van and taking our luggage to the apartment. We went to our siblings for dinner.
Our sibling had prepared tri pasta and Chicken salad (chicken breast, Granny Smith apples, grapes, mayonnaise).
Her husband had to work late, so we rode to North Charleston Wal-Mart Super Center Store #3367 4920 Centre Pointe Dr. North Charleston, S. C. 29418 (843) (740-1112)
We bought Dominoes ($24.95), a Yahtzee game ($7.95), 4 bottles of Mt. Dew ($2), cheese dip, chips, and wine coolers.
The four of us played Yahtzee, ate cheese dip, and drank wine coolers.
We tried to play Mexican train (with the dominoes), but everyone had forgotten how to play.
It had been a long day, so I took a hot shower and crawled into bed.
Day 3: Friday, May 27, 2011
We all loaded into the van, and I drove us to downtown Charleston,
South Carolina.
I parked the van at Charleston's Visitor Center located at 375 Meeting Street, Charleston, S.C.
We went inside to get information about downtown, trolley rides, and the food area.
It was Memorial Day weekend, and there was an Art Festival in one of the parks, so downtown was crowded.
I met Bill Fetzer and his puppet, Jerry McGee. They greet and entertain visitors from the South Carolina Aquarium, Children's Museum, and the Visitor Center.
His puppet, Jerry McGee, reminded me of Howdy Doody.
I said I would love to have my picture taken with him.
However, my siblings were nowhere to be found to take my picture.
They had walked to the gift shop.
I had walked in the opposite direction to look at the art.
Bill Fetzer kindly let me take a picture of Jerry McGee and himself.
I thanked him and went in search of my lost siblings.
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| Bill Fetzer and his puppet, Jerry McGee |
We walked down Meeting Street, where we met two women.
We said we were hungry, and a woman walking next to us told us, "Just keep walking until you come to Market Street; you will find several restaurants in that area."
We stopped at Bubba Gump's, 99 S. Market St, Charleston, S. C. 29401 (843-723-5665) to eat lunch.
Bubba Gump's is one of my favorite places to eat.
One of my siblings and I ordered a hamburger, she ordered fries, and I ordered grilled broccoli (cost $7.99 and iced tea $2.50).
My other two siblings both ordered a Texas Cajun Chicken Sandwich for $9.99 with lemon water.
(Chicken breast, crisp bacon, pepper jack cheese, guacamole, one toasted bun with fries.)
It was a lovely day, so we sat outside and watched people stroll by.
When I went inside to use the restroom, I saw a framed suit from Forrest Gump and Jennie's wedding dress hanging on the wall.
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| Greenbow, Alabama, a Stop Forrest Stop |
We paid for our meal and began walking toward the Waterfront Pier on the Atlantic Ocean.
Several swings were sitting along the pier, so we all sat down and enjoyed the cool breeze blowing off the ocean.
I walked to the end of the pier to take pictures of the boats that floated along the waterfront.
We left the pier and started walking toward the Historic homes and buildings in Charleston.
My siblings seemed to be in a rush, but not me.
I had my camera, and I was snapping pictures of old homes, old churches, old buildings, a graveyard, statues, and historic markers.
My siblings found a park bench behind the courthouse and sat down while I walked around taking pictures.
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| My siblings and my Howdy Dowdy hair!!! |
It was a long walk, but we arrived back at the Visitor Center where I had parked.
I looked for Mr. Fetzer and his puppy, but they were gone.
It costs seven dollars to park. I paid the attendant, and we rode to our apartment in Ladson.
We stopped at Piggy Wiggly in Ladson to get some food to cook for dinner (Chicken, key lime pie, more wine coolers), then back to our apartment to play Mexican Train.
Day 4: Saturday, May 28, 2011
We spent the day at the pool swimming, playing ball, and relaxing.
One of my siblings and my brother-in-law went to purchase lottery tickets.
We each won something on the scratch-offs, so Teresa and Robert went to the store to buy more.
Teresa won $90; nobody else won anything.
That afternoon, we played Yahtzee and Mexican Train.
We snacked on Cheese Dip and Key Lime Pie.
I took a quick shower and went to bed.
Day 5: Sunday, May 29, 2011
We went to the Patriots Point Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
We each bought a ticket for the ferry to Fort Sumter, which cost each of us eighteen dollars.
One of my siblings gets seasick when she rides a boat, so she went to the gift shop to buy something for nausea.
I had two twenty-dollar bills in my shorts, but when I went to buy my ticket, they were gone. I looked everywhere for it.
I laid the money on the counter, and someone picked it up.
I looked everywhere, even went back to the van to look for the money, but it was gone.
We were the first in line to take the boat tour.
We sat on the right-hand side of the boat, but ended up standing at the front.
The ride took thirty minutes. We saw Dolphins going in and out of the water.
We all bought a bottle of water to take with us, it was a very hot day.
We walked along the long pier to Fort Sumter. Two major battles of the Civil War took place here.
We did not stay to listen to the talk but walked around the fort taking pictures.
There were historic markers, cannons, statues, and a museum with lots of information about the Civil War.
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| Fort Sumter |
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| Looking for seashells |
We walked along the seashore looking for seashells.
We walked to the boat; it was too hot to stay outside on the deck, so we all went inside, where it was cool.
About halfway, I went back outside onto the deck to see the panoramic view of the Charleston harbor, downtown Charleston, the USS Yorktown Ship, and the Revenue Bridge. I got some great shots.
Directions to: Patriots Point, Mt. Pleasant, S.C
Charleston International Airport
Distance: 12 miles
Drive time: 20 minutes
Directions - I-26 east to exit 220
Cross over the Ravenel Bridge
At the foot of the Bridge, merge right onto Coleman Blvd (703)
At the first traffic light on Coleman, turn right onto Bud Darby Lane
Follow Bud Darby Lane until it ends, then turn onto Patriots Point Road.
We went to Gillian's Steamer and Raw Bar, 3852 Ladson Rd, Ladson, South Carolina, for dinner.
My sibling, who won the ninety dollars, bought everyone's dinner.
Paula ordered She Crab Soup ($4.95), BLT Wedge Salad, and Fried Chicken Finger Dinner.
Becky and Teresa ordered the same except for the soup. $10.95 ea.
I ordered a BLT Salad with Shrimp for $11.95, and an iced tea for $2.50.
We had complimentary appetizers: shrimp dip, Buffalo wings, potato skins, and peel-and-eat shrimp.
We stop at PW Ga, 9616 Hwy 7,8, Ladson, S. C., to fill up with gas. We are leaving tomorrow for $54.71.
We all went for a swim at the apartment complex after a full day of sightseeing.
The water was great and very relaxing.
We saw a storm brewing in the distance, so we got out of the swimming pool and walked to our apartment.
We took out the Yahtzee game and the dominoes. We spent the remainder of the evening playing games.
When we finished playing games, I took a shower and went to bed.
Day 6: Memorial Day Monday, May 30, 2011
We grabbed a few snacks and loaded the van, stopping to tell our sibling and her husband.
We stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel, 1182 Dogwood Dr. SE, Conyers, GA.
I drove 279.92 miles in four hours and sixteen minutes.
We stopped in Bremen Ga at Chevron 156 U. S. Highway 27 Byp, Bremen, GA 30110-1970 (770) (537-0996) to fill up with gas. My siblings paid for the gas.
Our last stop was at Hardens in Athens, where I ordered a kid's chicken-finger meal. One of my siblings ordered a sandwich, and the other said her family was waiting for her; they were going out to eat.
We were forty minutes and 37.83 miles from home.
I drove to and from Ladson, South Carolina, without any problems and had a great time with my siblings.
I cannot wait until we take another trip together. We always have fun just the two of us.
