Charleston: family, history and laughs

The drive from Brunswick to Charleston was short, but of course included some rain.

Welcome to South Carolina

The rain was light and didn't cause us any travel problems.  We pulled into Oak Plantation Campground in early afternoon and got setup for a couple of nights stay.  Our campsite had some shade, which gave us a little relief from the heat.  Actually, the weather wasn't that bad considering the time of year.

We met up with Tim's brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Andrea.  They purchased an old plantation home near downtown Summerville.  We had a great dinner and made plans to tour a historic mansion in downtown Charleston the next day.

Linda by Calhoun Mansion sign in Charleston, SC

Of course, we didn't know it at the time, but a few weeks later the tragic murders of 9 people would occur a few blocks away from Calhoun Mansion at a church.  You would never think that something like that would happen there.  You never know.
The mansion tour was fantastic.  Many people call this mansion the "OMG mansion".  Besides an awesome mansion it is also a terrific museum, because of the contents in the mansion.

Andrea, Scott & Linda in front of the Calhoun Mansion

The picture below was taken on the front porch of the mansion with Freddie, our tour guide.  Scott and Andrea had arranged for a private tour of the mansion, which includes many rooms the public don't see.  Our tour guide was terrific.

Linda, Andrea, Scott & tour guide Freddie on Calhoun Mansion porch

Ornate hinge on front door

Rope design indicating wealth carved into the front door

Dining table loaded with fantastic items

Baby carriage

Linda, Scott, Andrea & Freddie on the top lookout of Calhoun Mansion

The mansion contained so many items collected by the current owner (and occupant) that it would be a difficult to catalog them all.  The owner travels the world and brings unique items back to the mansion, sometimes by the container full.  You could spend weeks in the museum, I mean mansion and not see everything.  Each object also has its own story.  The tour of the mansion with Scott and Andrea was awesome.  We'll go back again!

Friday ended with an show.  Not any show, but a show that left you laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.  We've been big fans of Jay Leno for decades.  Our good friend, Roseanne, saw him when he appeared in the Tampa Bay area.  She said the show was great.  We couldn't go then.  Looking at our schedule, we realized he was doing a show in Charleston. We went Friday night.  Yes, we left in stitches and our stomachs sore from laughing.  Below is a rather poor picture of Leno.

Jay Leno on stage in Charleston, SC

The next day we drove to Charlotte, NC for a short stay.  See our next post.