Things to do in Charleston
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It was hot in South Carolina. This actually cheered me -- it's not gotten really hot here this year, not for long, at any rate, or not when I was here. I had to travel to get some summer.
Our program is to stay on Edisto beach for a week -- quiet, non-trendy beach -- then we go to Charleston for a few days. We always think, oh, we'll never fill up three days in Charleston; maybe we shouldn't stay so long -- but we're always busy when we're there. This year we went to see the Hunley -- that confederate submarine that got found and hauled up out of the water. Later, when they're done with the restoration, it will be on view someplace, I'm assuming, but for now, one can go to the conservation lab on Saturdays or Sundays, when the scientists are off grocery shopping and whatnot, and look at the thing in its conservation bath. Satisfying combination of history and science. How to amuse our little family.
Then we went and ate. We do a lot of that in Charleston.
Our favorite restaurant is Slightly North of Broad. They specialize in traditional southern food that's been tweaked -- they make the ubiquitous Key Lime Pie, for instance, but they serve it with a passion fruit sauce. Intelligent food.
One of our Charleston friends knows a lot about good food, and a few years ago we were debating about asking her what she thought of S.N.O.B. -- but then we thought, no, we love that restaurant, and we don't know beans about food really, and what if she says, "Aaaugh! How can you eat at that pretentious dump!" -- we'd be all shattered and it would ruin it for us. So we never asked, but last year we were buying dinner, and asked where she wanted to be taken, and to our delight, she wanted S.N.O.B.
So we're happy. We ate there twice this year.
Now I'm back in the office, answering the email (main message: No, it's not too late to register for classes. Stop panicking.) The new professors are starting to arrive, too -- that's nice. They come with boxes of books, and charming personal effects to stick in the offices, and they actually read the email they get, and have opinions about things they're asked to opine on. Very refreshing.
I loved my vacation, really I did, but I'm so glad to be home and back on a regular schedule. I liked drinking my own tea this morning.
And the cats! We don't have cats that sulk when you come home. We have cats that run to the door like puppies and then won't leave you for hours. Cuddly beasts.
Got a lot of reading done, as usual; finished rereading Vanity Fair, and think I might try more Thackeray later. Might be while later, though, since I've been thinking that really, it doesn't make any sense not to have read War and Peace, so I bought a copy. It's sorta heavy.
As for the knitting, I did indeed finish my Fox Fibre sweater, but you can't see it -- it's just a plain old slouchy sweatshirty contraption, and I'm not going to photograph it -- it ought to be nice on fall weekends, though. I now get to wash it, and see the color get darker. That was the whole point.
I've also nearly finished my Fortissima fake Fair Isle socks -- what a hoot! "Isn't that cheating?" my brother-in-law asked. Yes. Yes, Henry, it is.
Will post picture tomorrow.
It was hot in South Carolina. This actually cheered me -- it's not gotten really hot here this year, not for long, at any rate, or not when I was here. I had to travel to get some summer.
Our program is to stay on Edisto beach for a week -- quiet, non-trendy beach -- then we go to Charleston for a few days. We always think, oh, we'll never fill up three days in Charleston; maybe we shouldn't stay so long -- but we're always busy when we're there. This year we went to see the Hunley -- that confederate submarine that got found and hauled up out of the water. Later, when they're done with the restoration, it will be on view someplace, I'm assuming, but for now, one can go to the conservation lab on Saturdays or Sundays, when the scientists are off grocery shopping and whatnot, and look at the thing in its conservation bath. Satisfying combination of history and science. How to amuse our little family.
Then we went and ate. We do a lot of that in Charleston.
Our favorite restaurant is Slightly North of Broad. They specialize in traditional southern food that's been tweaked -- they make the ubiquitous Key Lime Pie, for instance, but they serve it with a passion fruit sauce. Intelligent food.
One of our Charleston friends knows a lot about good food, and a few years ago we were debating about asking her what she thought of S.N.O.B. -- but then we thought, no, we love that restaurant, and we don't know beans about food really, and what if she says, "Aaaugh! How can you eat at that pretentious dump!" -- we'd be all shattered and it would ruin it for us. So we never asked, but last year we were buying dinner, and asked where she wanted to be taken, and to our delight, she wanted S.N.O.B.
So we're happy. We ate there twice this year.
Now I'm back in the office, answering the email (main message: No, it's not too late to register for classes. Stop panicking.) The new professors are starting to arrive, too -- that's nice. They come with boxes of books, and charming personal effects to stick in the offices, and they actually read the email they get, and have opinions about things they're asked to opine on. Very refreshing.
I loved my vacation, really I did, but I'm so glad to be home and back on a regular schedule. I liked drinking my own tea this morning.
And the cats! We don't have cats that sulk when you come home. We have cats that run to the door like puppies and then won't leave you for hours. Cuddly beasts.
Got a lot of reading done, as usual; finished rereading Vanity Fair, and think I might try more Thackeray later. Might be while later, though, since I've been thinking that really, it doesn't make any sense not to have read War and Peace, so I bought a copy. It's sorta heavy.
As for the knitting, I did indeed finish my Fox Fibre sweater, but you can't see it -- it's just a plain old slouchy sweatshirty contraption, and I'm not going to photograph it -- it ought to be nice on fall weekends, though. I now get to wash it, and see the color get darker. That was the whole point.
I've also nearly finished my Fortissima fake Fair Isle socks -- what a hoot! "Isn't that cheating?" my brother-in-law asked. Yes. Yes, Henry, it is.
Will post picture tomorrow.
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