Weds. & Thurs., Nov. 5 & 6, 2025
Finally, after weeks of planning it was time to embark on our Fourth Annual Boys' Football Weekend with grandson Jacob and son Michael.
To review, we started these annual adventures in 2022 when we attended the Colorado-Washington game in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies won 54-7.
We followed that up in 2023 by going to the Boston College-Army tilt in West Point, New York. The BC Eagles won a doozy that wet afternoon, 27-24.
We opted to follow up with another service academy visit in 2024 as we attended the Memphis-Navy contest at Annapolis, Maryland. This one was wild and wooly as the Midshipmen prevailed 56-44.
We were headed to the southeast corner of the country for this year's football weekend to attend the Florida State at Clemson game in Clemson, South Carolina.
Most of Wednesday, for me, was spent doing final packing and logistics work while the boys were both in school.
At last, Laurie drove our trio of travelers down to LAX to catch the 11:45 p.m. redeye non-stop flight to Charlotte, North Carolina.
We got through the TSA Security Check nearly flawlessly.
By nearly, I mean that Michael's bag was an issue.
Apparently it tested positive for gun shot residue!
Michael explained that he was a Civil War reenactor and that he had been firing cannons over the past weekend while wearing the Civil War uniform that was in his bag.
The TSA agent said that was cool and just waived him through.
We were flying on American Airlines
Our flight was ON TIME!
That was no small thing to celebrate as the current government shutdown was wreaking havoc with the nation's air transportation industry.
The occupants of seats 13 A, B & C
Four hours and 30 minutes later
we arrived in North Carolina
The airport in Charlotte was colorful . . .
. . . and artsy
The Charlotte skyline in the distance
We picked our Ford Escape rental car at the Budget Rental facility and then started off on a three hour and 15 minute drive south to Charleston, South Carolina.
We were heading there for two reasons, to view Civil war artifacts, Jacob and Michael's passion, and an aquarium. Jacob's desire to become a Marine Biologist is, at least, on a par with his Civil War interests.
About half way to Charleston we
pulled off the Interstate for breakfast
in Winnsboro, SC
Wait, what does that Exxon sign say to the left of them?
$2.79 for a gallon of gasoline?
The cost of living is a tad lower in South Carolina than in California.
Waffles! Bacon!! Grits!!!
OK, Jacob wasn't crazy about the grits
All in all, Michael and Jacob enjoyed
their first Waffle House experience
Had it been at 2:00 a.m., after the bars closed, it would have been a totally different experience though.
We arrived in beautiful Charleston on a pleasant Thursday afternoon.
One of many restaurants of interest
We parked near this church
Charleston is a city of many, many church steeples.
In the parking lot, Jacob and Michael started donning their Civil War garb to prepare for what we thought was our first tourist stop.
To get to our stop, we first had to
stroll through the wondrous
Charleston City Market
It is three blocks long
Charleston is famous for its
intricate weaved baskets
Christmas is just around the corner
A craftsman at work
The things one finds in the
Charleston City Market
Of course, I bought the
Padre Pio coffee for Michael
He is Michael's favorite saint.
These baskets were amazing,
I had to get one for Laurie
This happy, outgoing artisan
sold me one of her works
She said that a basket like the one I purchased takes about seven hours to create.
Laurie will hopefully like it
as much as I did
The Confederate Museum at Market Hall
Jacob and Michael were READY!
South Carolina has lots of history
The Daughters of the Confederacy
organize and run the museum
While small in size, it was crammed full of all sorts of interesting artifacts.
Yet another banner
You know, it might still work today.
The museum had a good sized library for visitors to peruse.
Jacob dug in for some time
Lots and lots of flags were on display
South Carolinians are traditionally
great at growing facial hair
During the Civil War, South Carolina
produced 32 Generals
This is not one of those
32 South Carolina Generals
This is General Pierre Gustave Toutant (P.G.T.) Beauregard from Louisiana. He was in charge of the Confederate forces, including cadets from The Citadel which is the Military College of South Carolina located in Charleston, who bombarded Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.
This was the first battle of the Civil War that started on April 12, 1861.
The Union forces hunkered down in Fort Sumter were led by Major Robert Anderson who was Beauregard's artillery instructor at West Point and his good friend.
Such are the twists of fate in all civil wars.
An array of Civil War knick-knacks
Michael and Jacob reflected in the
Rebel flag that flew over Fort Sumter
when the Confederates took it over
Same two Unionists
Jacob's gray coat may get him hung as a Union spy.
Confederate Battle Flag
of Company B, Artillery Battalion,
Hampton Legion
Captain William K. Bachmann led this artillery unit and had the names of the battles that they were part of sewn onto it.
On the back side of this Battle Flag, six more battles are listed: Gettysburg, West Point, Gains Mill, Fredericksburg, Meyers Farm and Frazers Farm.
Company B was part of some serious fighting during those four bloody years to say the least.
Jacob wanted one of these
jackets in the worst way
Scheming on how to get
one of those jackets home
Swords were a MUST in those days!
So many, many things to see
Another Confederate Battle Flag
next to . . .
. . . a Rebel cannon
As Jacob and Michael now both fire cannons at their Civil War reenactments, this drew their interest.
Gaining more knowledge about
the life of an artilleryman
Buttons and Stars worn by
Confedaerate General Robert E. Lee
A drinking cup from Lee's camp chest
I bet that left a mark
Freed slaves in Charleston had to
wear one of these badges to clearly
state their status and line of work
In the mid-19th century, a huckster was anyone who sold wares or provisions in the street.
Think basket weavers for example.
Who doesn't look GREAT in epaulets?
Jacob back to the library
A nice cupola in the Confederate
Museum's entryway
Trooper Jacob was happy with
our first stop but we had much
more to see today
On to Liberty Square which held
not one but two spots of interest for us
We have a budding Marine Biologist
in our troop as you may know
This would be our launch point
tomorrow morning
The South Carolina Aquarium
was small but most interesting
The view of the U.S.S. Yorktown
Museum across the bay
Let's dig in to this spot specializing
in Atlantic Ocean sea life
Jacob getting up close and personal
Why the aquarium has a Golden Eagle
was a bit of a mystery to me
A Rainbow Trout, I believe
Anything to gain more knowledge
of all things marine oriented
This Robust Redhorse was
a new species to me
A sleek Longnose Gar
Sharks can be problematic
What the deuce is he touching?
Oh, they were horseshoe crabs
Seahorses fascinate me
A Queen Angelfish
A fierce and dangerous Lionfish
Rehabilitating a sea turtle
What a view of the Charleston Harbor
Jacob's wingspan is about that
of an average sized ray
Jacob was so happy with our visit to the aquarium. Anything to keep feeding his possible career goals.
On to the other half of Liberty Square's wonders.
The Fort Sumter Visitors Center
We planned ferry out to the Fort tomorrow morning, but today we had time to explore this center that was kept open during the government shut down thanks to an anonymous private donor's generosity.
Fort Sumter was all about bombardments
The Union flag over Fort Sumter
Rice was big in the South
We were having a SMASHING day
Bales of cotton were more important
than rice to the Southern economy
That is one HUGE Union flag
Confederate States of America
military hardware
Another Free Slave Tag like the
one at the Confederate Museum
We had already seen a lot but we were not done by any stretch.
Charleston's Rainbow Row
A old but proud tiger guarding
the Peoples Building
Farther down Broad Street we found ourselves at Charleston's "Four Corners of Law" at the intersection of Broad and Meeting Streets.
This term was coined in the 1930s by Robert Ripley in one of his episodes of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"
The term refers to the four buildings located at this intersection that includes the Charleston City Hall, the Charleston County Court, the United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse and St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
Charleston City Hall
Housing the City's Laws.
The Charleston County Courthouse
Guardian of the County's Statutes.
The United States Post Office and
Federal Courthouse
Ensuring adherence to our national laws.
St. Michael's Episcopal Church
Ever mindful of God's laws.
Inside St. Michael's
We realized that it was now late afternoon and that we were getting hungry.
We needed to find sustenance soon.
We worked our way back up Broad Street.
Shepheards Tavern
This marker is placed where this tavern once stood. It was the birthplace of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry on May 31, 1801.
We were now hungrier.
This looked interesting
Established in 1893 means it
stood the test of time
We enter and ate quite well, thank you!
Between the redeye flight, the long drive from Charlotte to Charleston, the Waffle House, the City Market, the Confederate Museum, the South Carolina Aquarium, the Fort Sumter Visitors Center, Rainbow Row, the Four Corners of Law and a really good meal at the Blind Tiger Pub, we were plum tuckered.
It was time to check into our comfortable Cambria Hotel in nearby Mount Pleasant and get some rest.
But first, one more slap in the face from history . . .
This Slave Auction site now
houses a law attorney partnership
We had had a FULL day to be sure, we needed to rest.
I say this, in part, because today I took 10,199 steps which was a far cry from my normal aversion to physical exercise.
Friday is going to be another GREAT ADVENTURE!
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