We did and ate a lot while Chandra was here. Steve has suggested that we eat salads for a week to detox from all that good southern food.
Sunday we had a roast dinner. Something about roast dinners will always remind me of home and Sunday. Rowan took longer than Nadia to warm up to Chandra, but by the end of Sunday they were good pals.
On Labor Day morning we had grand plans, but they were squashed with the threat of rain. Weather reports can't really be trusted down here, even if they say 100% chance of rain. We ended up going on a walk on the dam here. It contains Lake Murray, the local go-to place for some relief from the heat.
We immediately put Chandra to work.
Afterwards, I got to go see the Help with Chand. The theater was PACKED and people were literally sitting on the stairs. It was interesting to see that movie in the South and I enjoyed all the whispered commentary around us. That night we had Our Best Bites chipotle pork tacos that my friend Julie recommended. They were delicious! For dessert, Chandra made these most amazing blueberry cheesecake bars with the kids. They were heavenly (yes, my life revolves around food).
Tuesday we went to the zoo and botanical gardens. We practically had the zoo to ourselves, which I later discovered might have been in part due to a tornado watch. The weather was cooler than when we went the last time and we were able to see all of the exhibits. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Chandra's extensive knowledge about animals. It almost made me wish we had Animal Planet.
The kangaroo walk:
Two baby girls
Nadia was more interested in Chandra than the tiger it seems.
The same could not be said for the fish exhibit. She did not want to leave this one.
Finding a lizard in the botanical gardens.
Later on, we went to a local award winning Southern style buffet with hush puppies, corn fritters, pit barbequed meat, fried rolls, baked beans, collard greens (still not a big fan), banana and chocolate pudding, peach cobbler, baked apples and the list goes on. I looked 5 months pregnant when we left.
Wednesday we hung out mostly. Chand played Just Dance Kids with the gang when Rowan got home from school. It was pretty cute to watch all three of them together.
Steve and Chand went to go see Captain America together that evening. It was nice of Chandra to be willing to be our dates to movies that Steve and I wouldn't go together to.
Thursday we went to downtown Columbia and walked around the State House grounds. It's a beautiful structure and pretty cool to see some of the marks (cannon balls and crumbling due to fire) from the Civil War still apparent on the building.
Some random statue. (I'm a real history buff)
When we were done, we took Steve out for lunch at a local burger joint called Pawley's that had been featured on Dives, Diners, and Drive-ins on the Food Network. The burgers were impressive, but the service and the rest was not.
This is what happens when I ask Steve to take a picture and why you won't see many of them on this blog. I look 40 years old.
Oh well, at least my kids are always cute.
We then left Steve and went to go check out the State Farmer's Market. It wasn't anything like I was visualizing. It was a huge compound with produce facilities and a few buildings where farmers would sell their produce by the box. So if you want to go to a place where you can buy a box of jalapeno peppers while conversing with local farmers, this is the spot for you. My father-in-law would love this market.
I didn't want to leave empty handed, so I bought a ton of peaches and a huge watermelon. I also got called "baby" a bunch of times and I didn't even pay extra for it. Granted it was from an old black farmer who probably calls everyone that. He had "the boy" pick out a "fine watermelon" for me too. It was admittedly an experience that makes me smile.
Friday we went to the State Museum. I was a little underwhelmed, but I've been spoiled by Chicago's amazing museums. Nadia seemed to enjoy it. My favorite part was the quilts they had on display, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures of those.
This was a cool replica of the H.L Hunley submarine used in the Civil War. Not something I would want to be in underwater. The spear was made mostly out of wood.
Saturday morning, Chand and I went garage saling. I got a lot of good stuff for Christmas, a food dehydrator and weed barrier fabric. You know you are old when you get excited about weed barrier fabric and food dehydrators. When we got home, we packed up the car and took off for Charleston for the weekend. The beach was our first destination, so we went to Isle of the Palms.
When we got to our hotel, we got cleaned up and headed over to 5 Guys. I think I liked it better than Pawley's to be honest. Then we dropped Steve and the kids at the hotel and took advantage of the factory outlet stores. We didn't buy much, but it was nice to walk around and check out all the stores.
In the morning, we got ready at our leisure and then packed up for Kiawah Island. I'd heard that it was the best beach in Charleston and we were not disappointed. I won't go to another beach after we saw this one. It was less populated, had more shells and fish, and it just had a beautiful landscape. If you go to South Carolina, you simply must go- it was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.
Aunt Chandra going for a walk.
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We left after a few hours to go peruse downtown Charleston before we had to take Chandra to the airport. It was amazing. The architecture, seeing sailors walking around, the rigsaws, horse-drawn carriages, the ocean- it is an incredible experience.
Once a month, they will close down one of the historic streets for
shoppers to walk around. Chandra and I enjoyed window shopping at stores clearly out of our budget.
As a last hurrah, we walked along a historic street that borders the ocean. I kind of love Charleston.
Thanks for coming Chand! We love and miss you!!
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