Wildlife and Fourth of July holiday in South Carolina.
We spent a few days in Charleston SC around the Fourth of July holiday. It allowed me to enjoy time with family, swimming and boating on the Ashley River, dining in some excellent restaurants, and photographing wildlife.
A delightful couple of hours touring the heart of the historic district in Charleston, SC.
I’ve been visiting Charleston, South Carolina for over 35 years, and yet feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface in exploring its 350-year history. Our focus while here is nearly always on family activities, and we have only rarely taken the opportunity to be tourists and tour some of the historic sights. This weekend we signed up for a walking tour of the core area of the historic district. Charleston is one of the oldest (European) cities in North America, founded over 350 years ago. Many of the earliest buildings still survive, despite two devastating wars, a citywide fire, an earthquake, and numerous hurricanes. The cobblestone streets, narrow lanes, and variety of architecture are truly breathtaking. See the gallery for a few photos of the highlights.
A longstanding family tradition.
Our family gathers for Thanksgiving in a meadow on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, for a feast and family reunion. In recent decades it has been held every year, on even years – but last year we had to postpone it due to the pandemic. So it was with great excitement and relief when the family gathered again, this year, reconnecting after three years. Only 80 attended this year – whereas almost 120 appeared three years ago – but it was a beautiful day, with fine weather and fine food and fine family.
Lunch was a potluck event, with an incredible spread of salads, sides, meats, and desserts.
The meadow is surrounded by oaks adorned by Spanish moss, adjacent to a pond filled with brilliant green duckweed.
After lunch, a skeet-shooting contest.
No visit to Charleston is complete without BBQ.
I haven’t visited Charleston (or anywhere in the southeast) for two and half years, so it was essential, during this visit, to find some good barbecue. Charleston has, of course, many barbecue restaurants; thus we found ourselves checking out one of the newer favorites, Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ. We visited at lunchtime on a Saturday – and were lucky to find a table for two. It’s a simple counter-service joint: wait in a long line, order at the counter, get a number, and some time later your order will be delivered to the table.
David Kotz 