A Great Weekend in Charleston

Hello everyone from Master Plan after a long and enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend.  We hope you all enjoyed the holiday spent with loved ones and good food!  Paul and I celebrated Thanksgiving with the other boaters here at the marina at a fun potluck dinner.  The weather was unseasonably warm - we were in t-shirts and shorts - and we truly enjoyed the day with our new friends.  Here are a few photos:

Jen with our neighbors and friends Rick and Linda.

The gang at the table - we had about 30 people total - so two tables - we were at the end of this one.

After dinner, a large freighter went by - it was very cool in the late afternoon sunshine with the marina in the foreground including Master Plan (with our yellow bath mats drying outside).

This is the gang out on the deck overlooking the marina after dinner - including Kirby the wonder dog.

Our friends Susan and Don from Nova Scotia - we met them originally in Elizabeth City - a great, fun couple - so nice they were with us for Thanksgiving!

Our friends John & Melissa from Vermont.  They were supposed to leave Monday, but decided to stay the week and enjoy Thanksgiving - it was so nice they were with us too!

Here we are at the table with my little centerpieces in the foreground.  Note the name tags - of course being the event planner I am, I had the stickers and a sharpie on the boat, so brought them up - it really helped everyone get to know each other - people wrote their first names, and then the name of their boat.  Everybody got into it.

On Friday - the day started with some dolphin sitings and the departure of Piscator (John & Melissa) - they're on their way to Florida and eventually the Bahamas.  We then did some chores, ran some errands, and enjoyed the day.  We were SO excited to see Catharine & Kevin Sullivan - they joined us for cocktails on Master Plan on Friday evening with Kevin's son Rob followed by a delicious dinner at Fig.  It was a wonderful evening. 

On Saturday - we went to Marion Square (about a 10-15 minute walk from the marina) for a Farmers' Market and the Sullivans met us there.  We then walked around a bit and enjoyed an architectural walking tour in the afternoon.  It was awesome - Catharine particularly enjoyed it as she is taking lots of classes about architecture and preservation -she just got her certificate!  You can't find a better place than Charleston for this kind of tour - every corner offers beautiful architecture and lovely sites - a true feast for the eyes!  We then went to this great rooftop terrace for a few cocktails and joined Kevin's kids Molly and Rob for a delicious dinner on Saturday night at a wonderful Italian place.  YUM! 

There were several dolphins near our boat inside the marina - it just never gets old.

A beautiful flower display at the Farmers Market.

Farmers Market - lots of great crafts, food items, etc. - a cool experience.  After Thanksgiving, the weather cooled considerably and t-shirts/shorts were traded in for jeans and fleece - but clear and beautiful.

One of the two hundred churches in Charleston that we saw along our tour - St. Philips - stunning.

There were 8 of us on the tour led by Fern (in yellow) - a delightful Charleston native who was a wonderful guide and a charming and lovely lady - filled with great knowledge of architecture and history.

Sunset over St. Michael's Church from the rooftop bar.

Here we are with the Sullivans on the roof top - it was a little chilly, but an incredible view and part of such a great day spent with dear friends.

Today it was cooler again and very windy.  We got some things done today but mostly relaxed on the boat.  It has been a truly relaxing long weekend filled with so many great moments - we are so thankful to have these incredible experiences. 

The next few weeks will be very busy as I make the final preparations for the one day free clinic which will be in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, December 7th.  Paul and I will rent a car this Thursday and drive to Charlotte (3 hours) and be there for a week.  We are really looking forward to the clinic and seeing all the wonderful people we work with on these amazing events.  I think the Charlotte clinic will be one of our best as there are many great free clinics in the area - so a huge network and support system - we have lots of volunteers signed up - particularly doctors - and already several patients with appointments. 

Thank you again for following along - sending lots of love to all - Jen & Paul

Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.

-Roald Dahl