The house is filled with things they love and things they have collected on their world travels. Rory has decorateded it with color and charm and it speaks perfectly to their interests and passions. They were gracious and welcoming and we enjoyed our visit thoroughly.
Rory made reservations for all of us to tour the govenor's mansion. (This is the same govenor who has made himself famous for flying down to Argentina...) The grounds are beautiful. The trees on both sides of the house are palmetto palms, the offical tree of South Carolina, (They are on EVERTHING and everything is named palmetto something.)
The interior of the mansion is lovely. Just what you would expect a southern govenors home to look like. This is the main drawing room.
We followed up our tour with lunch at the culinary school of the university, and then Rory took us to see the State House while Rick went off to watch the girls basketball practice. This back approach has a statue of Strom Thurmond.
The House of Representatives...
...and Rory and me in the Senate chamber.
Columbia was burned by Sherman during the Civil War. The outside of the State House has stars marking cannon damage. It's all on one side of the building. It points out the senseless destruction and poor efficiency of the weapons - and that's a GOOD thing. This beautiful building should not have been destroyed.
We hugged our goodbyes and headed on to Charleston. First stop - the Charleston Museum, Americas first museum, founded in 1773.A model of the H.L. Hunley stands outside the museum. This little submarine played a small role in the Civil War when in 1863 it became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship. It was also lost with the 32 Confederate crewmen aboard. The Hunley was found in 1995 just outside of Charleston Harbor and raised in 2000.
I loved the display of old quilts and the special exhibits of silver and wedding dresses. 
Charleston is a feast for the eyes. The beautifully cobblestoned strees and the granite sidewalks. Watching where you step is very important here.
The is the entry to the market on Meeting St. and Market St. This has always been a market with all manner of food, livestock, and goods being sold. Today it's mostly tourist stuff. We celebrated our anniversary at a restaurant at the opposite end, 5 blocks away, called S.N.O.B. Stands for Slightly North Of Broad.
This historic Exchange building is now a museum. I got a stiff neck from looking up as we walked the streets of Charleston.
It's fun to walk the little streets of the historic district. Turn down an "alley" and discover that it's a full fledged street with homes lining both sides. Lots are narrow and deep so homes are placed sideways. A small door faces the street. That little door opens to a long veranda facing a side yard that is the garden of the home. Often a formal garden. And in this part of town - a very expensive car is parked in a little slot just big enough to hold it.
The mansions line the streets facing the water. Charleston is sort of a peninsula. It's the curve along the bottom where the big homes reside.
This is a Catholic Church.
Battery Park. Finn made lots of friends. One lady even stopped her car to admire our Kerry Blue.
I was really taken with the Sweetgrass baskets that are regional to Charleston. Actually, the Sweetgrass Highway is in Mt. Pleasant over the Ravenal Bridge. Here I am shopping one of the stands. Lots of work goes into these items and the makers take pride and honor in the craft.
We finally found one we both wanted - and could afford. We bought an elephant ear pattern basket from Ann Simmons on Meeting Street in Charleston. It's a beauty!
Finn spent time in Fetch Doggy Day Care. He doesn't stop playing ALL DAY and they were wondering if he was tired when we picked him up. This is our pooped pup.
I loved the display of old quilts and the special exhibits of silver and wedding dresses. 
Charleston is a feast for the eyes. The beautifully cobblestoned strees and the granite sidewalks. Watching where you step is very important here.
The is the entry to the market on Meeting St. and Market St. This has always been a market with all manner of food, livestock, and goods being sold. Today it's mostly tourist stuff. We celebrated our anniversary at a restaurant at the opposite end, 5 blocks away, called S.N.O.B. Stands for Slightly North Of Broad.
This historic Exchange building is now a museum. I got a stiff neck from looking up as we walked the streets of Charleston.
It's fun to walk the little streets of the historic district. Turn down an "alley" and discover that it's a full fledged street with homes lining both sides. Lots are narrow and deep so homes are placed sideways. A small door faces the street. That little door opens to a long veranda facing a side yard that is the garden of the home. Often a formal garden. And in this part of town - a very expensive car is parked in a little slot just big enough to hold it.
The mansions line the streets facing the water. Charleston is sort of a peninsula. It's the curve along the bottom where the big homes reside.
This is a Catholic Church.
Battery Park. Finn made lots of friends. One lady even stopped her car to admire our Kerry Blue.
I was really taken with the Sweetgrass baskets that are regional to Charleston. Actually, the Sweetgrass Highway is in Mt. Pleasant over the Ravenal Bridge. Here I am shopping one of the stands. Lots of work goes into these items and the makers take pride and honor in the craft.
We finally found one we both wanted - and could afford. We bought an elephant ear pattern basket from Ann Simmons on Meeting Street in Charleston. It's a beauty!
Finn spent time in Fetch Doggy Day Care. He doesn't stop playing ALL DAY and they were wondering if he was tired when we picked him up. This is our pooped pup.
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