Charleston

The Charleston visit was great and I'm so happy that Tiffany, Chris, and the girls are loving being there after their whirlwind move. It seems they are not alone in thinking Charleston is a great place to live. Masses of people are flocking there and Tiffany and Chris have already met a number of families who have relocated from the DC area in this past year. Slower pace, lower cost of living, beaches nearby, and no real winter weather. Sounds good right?

I was there for Halloween which was a hoot. They take their decorating seriously there, and it had a bit of a deep south spooky feel. Anyone remember Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? That kind of spooky feel, even though that was Savannah and this is Charleston. Everyone was super friendly though, and Penny & Juliet had a great time.

Tiffany took me to an early birthday dinner downtown to a sushi restaurant called O-Ku which was excellent. Chris was so nice and stayed home with the girls while we played. Definitely would go back - love my sushi! A major foodie town.

Strolling through the neighborhood on the way to a small park on the grounds of an old 1700's plantation. Richmond Plantation was the name and the house is long gone. The homes in the neighborhood close to Tiffany are gorgeous and fairly new but built in the plantation style that is so attractive.

Juliet wished to ride in the stroller to the park - conserving energy I think

What a hidden gem. I'd be here everyday maybe painting if I was around more.

Very low key and relaxed visit. It's a 9 hour drive but that's the beauty of plane travel. There's nothing direct from Ft. Myers, so while jumping from Ft Myers to Charlotte to Charleston does not make geographic sense, still takes a lot less time to get there.

Bizarre lizard sighting I've never seen. Top photo was taken in Tiffany's courtyard and bottom photo same place next day. Never seen a lizard (and this is a Carolina anole) do a partial color change.

A pod of dolphins live around there - caught one on camera anyway

Coloring is very important at restaurants

Headed to a marina restaurant in Isle of Palm called The Boathouse with the whole family. Beautiful location where the beaches are and we caught it right as the sun was going down.

Went to a fun quaint restaurant  called Vintage Coffee Cafe for breakfast before Tiffany dropped me off at the airport. Yup, that's a truck in the middle of outdoor seating. The kids love it and it has really great and unique breakfast food. Thumbs up on the Walker city of choice! We'll be back for Thanksgiving and Mark will get a chance to see what it's all about.