Happy Thanksgiving!

From the farm, to the table . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, not really . . . Tom Turkey up there is still safe at the Columbia Zoo, and our turkey came from the grocery store!  Looks good, though, doesn’t it!?!

We’re still at the Navy Base FamCamp in Charleston, and celebrated Thanksgiving with my niece, Katy, her husband, Shane, and our great-nephew, Jaxon.  We spent the morning at the RV, making bread and sweet potatoes for dinner, along with an apple tart and sugar cookies for dessert.  Around 2pm, we headed over to their house, and dinner was well underway.

Katy was in charge of the mashed potatoes,

while Shane carved the turkey and made gravy, 

Tom and I set the table and opened the wine,

and Nicolas kept Jaxon occupied.

Soon enough, it was time to sit down at the table to enjoy a delicious meal!  Jaxon got his first . . .

and believe me, he did not stay that clean for long!!  Everything was really good, and we all ate way too much, and were ready for a nap when we were done . . . but the little guy was the only one who got one!

By the time naptime was over, everything was cleaned up and we were ready for dessert . . . pumpkin pie, apple tart, and cookies!

Then it was bubble-time!

All cleaned up and snuggling with Mommy!

Then it was time for “Round 2” . . . bananas . . .

but SOOOO much better with cool-whip!

And time for another bath!!! 

We’ve been enjoying our visit with Katy, Shane & Jaxon, are were really glad to celebrate Thanksgiving together!  It was a much smaller family celebration than we are all used to, but we had a great time!

  HAPPY THANKSGIVING from all of us!!

Downtown Charleston

On Saturday morning, we went to the Farmer’s Market with Katy, Shane & Jaxon.  Despite the cool temperatures, Charleston was bustling with lots of people.

It was a nice morning for walking around outside, and Jaxon stayed entertained by his cousins,

and his Uncle Tom,

and his stroller.

There were still some booths with fresh vegetables, and some with jewelry and other art, and some cooking food. 

 

 

 

Tom filled up on free samples, but Nick decided that he wanted to try crepes. He had his with bananas and peanut butter. He said it was pretty good, but would probably try something fruitier next time.

 

 

 

 

From the Farmer’s Market, we walked through the upscale shopping areas and over to The Market.

We walked through all the booths,

where we saw lots of South Carolina items – food, sweetgrass baskets, T-shirts, jewelry – and a variety of other things that we didn’t need, including hats . . .

(Bryce is looking pretty dapper, isn’t he??!!)

and puppets . . .

Bryce kept Jaxon entertained with a game of “Peek-a-Boo” while we shopped.

Back out on the street, we saw lots of carriage tours – some pulled by donkeys, and some pulled by horses.

From there, we stopped in a tea & spice shop, where everybody enjoyed smelling all the different scents . . . even Jaxon!

I finally made a purchase – some teas, and dipping spices for bread, all of which smelled really good!

With our shopping complete, Katy & Shane went home to put Jaxon down for a nap, and we continued to explore Charleston.  We drove down to the Battery and found a place to park.  The Battery is a park at the tip of the peninsula, where there are cannons,

and memorials,

among some very old, large trees.

Some of the trees are so old, that we saw re-rod holding the limbs together, and this one tree’s trunk was filled with what looked like concrete. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were lots of sailboats on the water,

and we could just barely see Ft. Sumter through the fog.

We’ll take the boys out to the Fort one day next week when the weather improves.

We walked through several of the residential streets, admiring the beautiful old houses with their balconies,

and courtyard gardens.

We made our way back to the Battery, being careful not to trip on the uneven pavement . . . lol!

The kids had their fill of old houses, so we got back to the car and headed out of town.  On the way out, we travelled over the B-I-G bridge,

and were amazed to see that it included a pedestrian/bike lane.  I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to walk or ride a bike over a bridge as tall and as long as this one!

Safely to the opposite side, we arrived in Mt. Pleasant, where we found a Firehouse Sub Shop and stopped for a late lunch before returning to the RV.  The subs were really good, and Bryce especially liked the custom Coke machine!  He wants to get one for the RV . . . yeah, right!

 

It was a nice day, and we enjoyed our tour of downtown Charleston!

Easy travel day

Today was our travel day from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, and after all the rain yesterday, we were very pleased to wake up to blue skies and sunshine.  We took 17 south, through several small towns, and picked up I-526 just outside of Charleston and took that (over a couple of tall bridges) out to the Navy Base.  It was just 100 miles, and a really easy drive!

We met up with our nephew, Shane, and he got us checked into the FamCamp where we’ll spend the next 10 days.

It’s a nice little campground, with a very friendly camphost, and we’re just a short walk away from Katy & Shane’s house.  After getting set up and having a quick lunch, we drove over to see Katy & Jaxon.  He’s getting so big . . . and is still such a sweetie!  He just loves Bryce, especially his shiny braces!

We toured their house, and got some insight into their life in the Navy, and when everybody started getting hungry we went out for pizza.  It was a nice evening, and we were well entertained by Jaxon!  After dinner, they went home to get the little guy into bed, and we stopped at WalMart for some groceries.

We’re looking forward to our days here . . . visiting with Katy, Shane & Jaxon . . . and seeing some of the sights of Charleston!