Drinking Down Charleston

Quite literally. We made it to Charleston in time to hit the food and
wine festival going on. Since coming to the South I've been obsessed
with the food. It's part of what they're known for after all. The
festival was the perfect stop as both local wineries and distilleries
showed up but also a truckload of local restaurants who showcased
their specialties, seafood and more. The bbq crab salad was to die
for and the truffle potatoes were incredible. But who knew I'd like
the pork liver terrine? We got to try more of the local cuisine than
we ever could have in our one day there otherwise.

This was naturally accompanied by all the wine and liquor we could
handle. And then some. I found some new favorites (doubtlessly
unavailable in Utah) and will and I both got sloshed.

To counter this we spent the rest of the evening walking Broad street,
eating Indian food, and strolling the beach at sunset. It was
beautiful.

Can I just say, I love Charlotte.

Mr. Carver Would be Proud

I know. It looks like I'm holding something kinda gross. In reality
it's a boiled peanut. And it's good. Who would've thought?

Doing the Charleston

I'm especially excited about today; we're headed into Charelston for a
food and wine festival. I've been guaranteed some excellent seafood
out here too. It should be fun.

Which reminds me... Yesterday Will and I stopped at the Georgia
welcome center to pick up some literature. While there, Will decided
to hit the restroom where an older gentleman was using his cellphone
while at the urinal. Will washed his hands and started to use the air
dryer. It was apparently loud because the guy turned to him and said,
" Excuse me young man, can't you see I'm on the phone." To which Will
responsed, "Excuse me sir, can't you see you're on your phone while
taking a piss in a public restroom?".

That's my bf. But then he has a very valid point. Who just does that?

Southern Belles?

On a quick sidenote, is this really the latest fashions in Georgia?
Catering to the old church-going southern ladies is my guess.

Riverwalk and Beyond

So aftera late lunch we went into Augusta, GA. It's sort of trendy,
sort of traditional and actually really charming. According to the
random history signs we saw everywhere the city has been pretty much
ravaged between numerous floods, huge fires and wars. It's looking
good today, however.

We walked down the Riverwalk along the Savannah. Its a beautiful
landscaped path with views of the enormous homes across the rive in
the SC side.

After that we explored broad street, miraculously found where Will
used to live, enjoyed the scent of the paper mill (think dirty wet
feet) and capped the evening with tapas at The Bee's Knees. Will
discovered a Sweet Tea-ni which made him quite happy. Only in the
south do they make tea flavored vodka.

Yesterday's Lunch

Let's just talk about Shealy's in Leesville for a moment. It's famous
around those parts; it looks like a converted church dining hall inside
(complete w/ scripture of the day); requires you to wash your hands
while in line; and has the best BBQ ever.

I've never had mustard based BBQ before. It's awesome. Seriously. I'm
sad things like this haven't caught on in the west. So far the food
has yet to disappoint me.

Revolutionary

Today things are already looking greener in NC. The freak snow storm
that dumped on them before we arrived is melting away into deep greens
and thick forested underbrush. It makes me sad that Utah is so
woefully short on wooded areas. Yeah, I know it's a desert. And yeah I
know we like to over-develop anything along I-15 and have no respect
for open spaces or anything that doesn't turn a profit... But I digress.

Anyway we filled yesterday with visits to Eljon, a city containing
Will's best childhood memories, seeing faces from his past and
reminiscing. Sesquicentennial State Park was particularly beautiful
and Will pointed out the numerous magnolia trees and palmettos the
area is known for.

We finished the day in Camden, oldest inland city in SC and the site
of British occupation during the Revolution. It was dusk when we
stumbled on the Kershaw House, where the British commanders set up
their headquarters for the area. It was closed but interesting and
beautiful nonetheless.

Today we're off to Augusta after a brief stop at Shealy's for some
hardcore BBQ. So far my only regret is that Carowinds is closed until
April. Alas.