Charleston and various thoughts...

Last weekend, I went to Charleston for a reunion with friends from THE, where we proceeded to have a fabulous time, despite delayed flights, missed connecting flights, uncooperative weather (the 10% chance of rain turned into a 15 hr or so steady drizzle, followed by very cold and windy weather), and missing luggage. If you have never been to Charleston, it is well worth the trip and definitely fascinating to get outside the Virginia/ Pennsylvania/ Massachusetts colonial history. Though we were escaping for vacation, we found out on Friday that Ron Paul was speaking at our hotel and CNN was using it as their local base for SC GOP Primary coverage. Craziness. Anyway...I was chagrined to realize when I got home (and my camera arrived a day late due to my suitcase being mislaid by the airline), that I had very few pictures of the people on the trip, and half of those I do, are actually pictures taken by M or K. Nonetheless, enjoy.

The Old ExchangeThe only section of surviving original "Charles Towne" sea wall, in the basement of the Old Exchange. (Photo Courtesy of M&K)
St. Michael's Episcopal Church is the oldest church (with the tallest spire) in the city. St. Michael's Graveyard Are you a member of the local fireman's association? (Photo Courtesy of M&K)
Pineapple Fountain, Waterfront Park

St. Philip's Episcopal Church. They had camillas blooming. I was very homesick for the sunny South.Charleston charm. A stranger in a foreign land. Being born in South Carolina and a favorite son, only qualified Vice President John Calhoun to be buried in the friends/strangers section of St. Philip's Cemetary. You had to be a native Charlestonian to be buried in the actual churchyard.Rainbow Row Another Charlestonian Great House
I loved the details, the detailed moldings, and state symbols worked into the building and ironwork. Yes, the spikes were for protection against slave revolt, pointing both inward and outward.

W00sh and Autumn.
We took a ferryboat out to Fort Sumter.The powder magazine was hit during one of the attacks on the fort. You can still see the force of the blast in this leaning wall.
JM reading a book to Autumn. The guys thought it was very funny that the Paperbag Princess was one of my favorite books as a child. Read it to find out why:-P

(Photo Courtesy of M&K)

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I used to be a great reader. I was one of those children that got in trouble for staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning to finish a book. Then, I went to THE, and having so much assigned reading seemed to kill my love of books. Since graduation, I have been lucky to finish a few a year and inwardly groaned when my boss challenged the whole staff to read at least a book a month. However, I suddenly feel that I have gotten back on track, starting eight books and finishing five of them in the last month, for well over 2000 pages of reading. WOOHOO:-D
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Anyway, as you may have gathered from the sporatic posts, life has been very hectic with lots of company and lots of travel. As I am sure you have already gathered from other sources, congratulations are to be offered to Aaron and Elisa on the birth of Ellen "Ellie" Marie (6lbs 4oz, 19.5 inches long) on 1/4/2008, and to Drew and Leah on the birth of Benjamin Asher (6lbs 9oz, 19.5 inches long) on 1/23/2008.