Caroling on the town green on Christmas Eve. We set a record with the temp in the 60s.
Excitement with the gifts
Hmm, Band-Aids in the stocking again
There was a toothbrush to go with the candy
Clothes for Caroline
Erin got Julie's first book!
Tessie got her own big Teddy
Christmas Day we flew into Charleston, where the temp was in the 80s
We met Nana, Grandpa Mike and the entire Gray family in Rock Hill, SC for a brief get-together at the local McDonald's. (somehow more photos were not taken)
In the inflation over the years of National Park statuses, Congaree is now a full-fledged National Park
At least they're honest about the mosquitoes
The main attraction in the park is a boardwalk system through the swamp. With the water levels at 17 feet above normal (3 feet above flood stage), we knew that we were in for some wet walking.
Tessie liked the giant tree exhibit with realistic bird sounds piped in
Eyeball bender: what is this? Hint - I guarantee it is touching your body right now.
Cotton!
Charles Pinckney played a leading role at the Constitutional Convention and his house outside Charleston had beautiful grounds
Erin signs the document
The live oaks were massive
Fort Sumter out there in the mist required a boat trip, whereas landside Fort Moultrie did not
On the drive Heather searched the web for restaurants with good Southern food. Fried chicken and collards.
Hush puppies were a hit
Grits were not
More beige food for Tessie
We played lots of hangman, although sometimes Erin's words were unconventional
Fort Pulaski east of Savannah had a real moat
and jail (dungeon) to climb around
It was the girls' favorite stop
Fort Frederica on St. Simon's Island, GA, was established by the British in the 1700s. It had an elaborate Junior Ranger program with a haversack full of props
Colonial Tessie
Having recently visited Cape Cod and seen where cold-stunned sea turtles were collected, it was extra cool to see their final destination, a rehabilitation facility on Jekyll Island, GA.
Tessie recognized this guy from Finding Nemo
This one's easy...
... so is this...
...but can you figure out this one?
Cumberland Island National Seashore used to be owned by the Carnegie family and still has their mansions on it
In school we learned that the Spanish and English established the first permanent settlements in the New World in the 1500 and 1600s. It was a surprise then to learn that the French established Fort Caroline in 1564 near Jacksonville, FL. They lasted less than a year before being slaughtered by the Spanish at St. Augustine.
Shorts and T-shirts on December 28th!
After three days of hugging the Atlantic coast, we finally made it to the beach at Palm Coast, FL.
The girls tried their first Shirley Temple
Now in Atlanta, Tessie loved riding on Grandma Lu's lap
At the MLK National Historic Site, the girls marched for racial equality
and visited yet another Civil War battlesite at Kennesaw Mountain. Their year of being dragged to National Park sites is finally over: the final tallies: 100 sites, 84 Jr Ranger badges, and 20 patches.
Tessie saw her first in-theater movie, the Good Dinosaur, while the older girls saw the new Star Wars
We had a great visit with Joe, Tracy, and Jenna
Grandma Lu's facility had some bookcases filled with unusual nonfiction. Apparently it's all about the hocks and the topline.
It was dancing weather on Christmas
The silence at Congaree was eerie
The instructions were to play with games and make a lot of noise
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