Enjoying Charleston!

Greetings dear family and friends!  I type this from Master Plan on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Charleston - it's sunny and warm here today - shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops are the outfit of choice today. We are really enjoying this beautiful city.  On Friday morning, I was at my "desk" working and Paul said "Woah - look at that monster coming in" - sure enough, I looked up and this enormous freight boat was coming into the pier next to us.  We found out that it was full of BMW's.  Throughout the day, they off-loaded them in the parking lot next to us - then they will eventually be loaded onto trains (in the same parking lot) and on their merry way to wherever they're going.  It's pretty fascinating.  Charleston is a very active harbor and we have seen a huge amount of container ships going by.  I always say to Paul when I see the ships - "that's how our corn flakes get on the grocery store shelves."  Amazing.

Freight boat arrival Friday morning filled with BMW cars.

Freight boat at dock as they unload the cars . . .

This schooner ship docks close to us and does tours - here it is on Friday evening with the USS Yorktown in the background (served in Pearl Harbor and is now a museum)

A view of the marina from the marina office - Master Plan is right in the middle.

On Friday evening, we entertained on Master Plan for the first time during this adventure - we had our neighbors Rick and Linda over, along with John & Melissa - who we had met in Elizabeth City, then dined with in Belhaven - and caught up with us on Friday.  They're from Vermont and they built their beautiful sailboat - Piscator.  Great people - they're here in Charleston until probably Tuesday - we had dinner with them last night and the six of us went out for Sunday brunch this morning. 


Rick and Linda - in the catamaran in front of us - Make It So - and their "wonder dog" Kirby - are delightful people - they're here until after Christmas, so it has been wonderful getting to know them.  Kirby is a great dog - and we've enjoyed him so much - he loves the dinghy - here is a shot of him getting a ride with Rick today.

We are really enjoying this marina - it is pretty common for us to see dolphins playing in the water just outside the marina in the morning.  There are a ton of shrimp in the water here - you can actually hear a faint crackling noise at night when you're in bed which is the sound of the shrimp eating - it's pretty cool - so we see dolphins and pelicans around quite a bit for a nice little snack.

Yesterday, we spent a lot of time walking around the city exploring and we took a carriage tour as well - there is great history here and beautiful architecture - a real feast for the eyes at every corner.  There are also some amazing restaurants here - we haven't missed a meal (nothing new) and everything has been delicious.  Lots of great seafood - crab, oysters, shrimp . . .  YUM.

Paul on The Battery - a great walkway along the water with beautiful homes and parks.

Yours truly at Waterfront Park - lovely fountain and walkway along the water.

U.S. Customs House

Marion Square - complete with a statue of Calhoun and a beautiful church.

Oleander in downtown - so beautiful against the gorgeous blue sky.

Today, we are relaxing around the boat.  We went to a Sunday Jazz brunch this morning and then took a great walk around - a nice, lazy day.  We plan to attend a fun pot-luck dinner on Thanksgiving with the other boaters at the marina - which we are looking forward to.  We have an awful lot to be thankful for - but we will still miss our family and friends at home.  Our friends Catharine and Kevin are coming to Charleston on Friday for the weekend and we are very excited to see them! 

We'll keep you posted as we continue to enjoy and explore Charleston.  Thanks for following along - you are in our hearts - love, Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:
Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering!  - Fanny Crosby