Why Not Just Queue Up Another Disney Trip? Link to New TR 6/24 p136!

[MEK]

Good luck today, Mary Ellen! I am sure you will sing beautifully!

Thanks Jackie! Overall, I think it went well except with a blip with the first song. I have to use a cheat sheet with chords and words and I got lost momentary in my attempts to keep eye contact with the audience and flubbed a word. Otherwise, all was good!

I just knew your pictures of Charleston would make me homesick, and I was right! I want to move back there right this minute.

Jackie - I can only imagine how homesick those pictures must make you because I really do believe Charleston is the most beautiful city I have ever visited in the USA. I look at those pictures and I can't wait to go back. I told Denny I no longer want to retire to Florida. Instead I want to retire to Charleston and give tours of historic houses!

Wow Charleston looks amazing! You sure visited some great cities. I love the fountain and the fact that there were flowers in late October.

Charleston was amazing. I absolutely loved it there and know I understand why it has such a wonderful reputation. Just gorgeous! Yes - late October and it was a beautiful summer day!

All the old churches do look pretty and am glad you found them comforting. I'm glad your tour guide was lovely but I wouldn't be happy by a 'no touch, no picture rule either'

I like churches. I like graveyards. I find them both so interesting, comforting, and full of wonderful details. I love that they are public places that anyone can visit.

I think by the time we got to Charleston I was used to the no touch, no picture rule. Having a lovely guide makes it more palatable!

Good luck for tonight - hope everything goes according to plan and yay on the shopping! on it being 2 more days until you leave!!! In case I don't get to post on here again have an amazing trip!!!

Thanks - last night went very well. I'm so happy I was invited to participate and I'm glad its over!

It's actually two nights from today as I don't leave until Wednesday evening!

All caught up! I'm not even sure where to start commenting!!

Your kayaking adventure looks fabulous! That's on my list for next summer! Finally go kayaking!

The kayaking was so much fun. You should definitely give it a try. I loved it. So relaxing, but you feel like you are exercising too! I'm glad I didn't chicken out!

summer! Finally go kayaking!

Charleston looks stunning!! I can't get over the beauty of the old south! HHI is definitely on my list!!!

I think those of us who have spent our whole lives in the North East can really appreciate the beauty of the south. It really was stunning and I hope you get a chance to visit Charleston. You should definitely visit HHI with the kids. They would love it!

I can't believe you're leavin in 2 days!!!! I'm super excited for you!!!!

Wedenesday evening baby!

Charleston looks beautiful.....I'd like to get there someday.

I definitely recommend it! It's just fabulous!

Best wishes on your singing, and good luck booking your ADRs!

The singing went pretty well. All in all I'm satisfied and I got a couple good garage band recordings while I was rehearsing, so I hope to eventually get them on youtube. I want to take some pictures down in Disney specifically to "go" with the words.

I was off on my ADR date. I think its actually tomorrow which stinks because I will be teaching a class all day and can't get to it first thing in the morning. Oh well - there really are only a couple ADRs I want so its no biggie. But I did want to get a Le Cellier lunch for my brother and SIL.

Yay for Kohl's, going there later to spend my $20 on a watch for the DH. ME i do so love to buy clearanced Chaps summer tops in the fall & winter. Too bad that they are not sold in season for those prices!

Seriously! Actually, that's the first time I've ever seen that many chaps summer blouses on the %80-90 off rack. It was crazy. I even put some back.

Maybe I should go turn my Kohls case in tonight. I need to do it soon, like real soon!

Enjoy your trip, I'm not sure when I will be going again to WDW.

Thanks! I think we will all have a great time!

Now I want to do a combined Charleston, Savannah trip. I did do an Outer Banks, Williamsburg trip once. That worked out well except for the part of going to pick up my sister near D.C. because no planes were leaving due to 9-11-01!

You would LOVE it. Seriously. Both cities are so cool and so appealing for different reasons. Charleston is so refined and Savannah is so eclectic. So much history and you know you LOVE old houses.

I hope today went well!

Thanks~ I'm pretty please with how it went and I'm also glad its over.

IYour sunset pictures are so beautiful, I'm glad you went a little crazy with taking that many!

I don't think anyone needs as many sunset pictures as I took on this trip, but I couldn't help myself. I am like a little picture hoarder sometimes!

Charleston looks beautiful. And now I'm thinking a HHI/cruise trip would be awfully nice for the future. :scartchin:

Brook - that's a fabulous idea. I never thought about that before, but that's definitely a winner. and I know just who I can get to book my cruise!

Have a WONDERFUL trip to WDW! You will be updating on Facebook right?

Thank you and absolutely. Plus, I finally figured out how to turn the location services back on. I had originally turned it off when I loaded the FB app. You'll probably know where I am every hour!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

MEK, you have a wonderful eye for photography. The pictures are amazing.

Charleston looks beautiful! It looks like we will be down there for a day next summer, so I'll have to pick your brain over points of interest.

I hope your singing went well over the weekend. Can't wait to hear about your upcoming Disney trip!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Mary Ellen, your pictures of Charleston are gorgeous. I've never visited South Carolina before but if I ever do, Charleston is going to be at the top of the list of places to see.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Have a fantastic trip!!!!!!!!

 

[KatMark]

MaryEllen, in case I don't get back here tonight, I wanted to tell you to have a safe trip and a most magical time. I hope you end up loving OKW as much as we did.

 

[Moira222]

Oh I just love Charleston, thanks for all the great pics Mary Ellen! I was there in the late 90's, when my sister & brother in law (Navy) were stationed there. Is that yummy wings place still near the marketplace?

Don't you just love how colorful the houses are when you look up the street?

When are you going in June? Will we over lap???? We are there 6/4 - 6/8. I don't remember seeing dates for a June trip so sorry if you did post. Drinks would be fun though I am not sure DH could handle two Mary Ellens!

 

[MEK]

MEK, you have a wonderful eye for photography. The pictures are amazing.

Thanks! That means a lot coming from you because the pictures in your TR are A-Mazing! I think I lucked out on the Charleston pics - good subject matter and all that.

Charleston looks beautiful! It looks like we will be down there for a day next summer, so I'll have to pick your brain over points of interest.

Well, I know the Boone Hall Plantation is a big draw, but we didn't get to see it. It's over in Mt Pleasant, so its outside of the historic district per se. I think when I go back I want to tour a plantation and take a boat tour.

I hope your singing went well over the weekend. Can't wait to hear about your upcoming Disney trip!

Overall, I'm pretty please with how things went last night. Thanks!

I'll be coming from Disney with lots of TR material, I hope!

Mary Ellen, your pictures of Charleston are gorgeous. I've never visited South Carolina before but if I ever do, Charleston is going to be at the top of the list of places to see.

Charleston was absolutely beautiful. I really recommend it if you ever get a chance to visit. It's just so gorgeous!

Have a fantastic trip!!!!!!!!

Thanks! My ticket makes it look like I am leaving tomorrow, but its actually not until Wednesday!

MaryEllen, in case I don't get back here tonight, I wanted to tell you to have a safe trip and a most magical time. I hope you end up loving OKW as much as we did.

Thanks! I know we are going to love OKW! Your pictures all got me super psyched for it!

Oh I just love Charleston, thanks for all the great pics Mary Ellen! I was there in the late 90's, when my sister & brother in law (Navy) were stationed there. Is that yummy wings place still near the marketplace?

OMG - I have no idea about the wing place, but I'll tell you what - My GF's had some mean barbecue. What a great place to be stationed at, don't you agree?

Don't you just love how colorful the houses are when you look up the street?

I absolutely was enthralled with the beautiful pastel colors of the houses - just gorgeous!

When are you going in June? Will we over lap???? We are there 6/4 - 6/8. I don't remember seeing dates for a June trip so sorry if you did post. Drinks would be fun though I am not sure DH could handle two Mary Ellens!

Drat - I don't arrive until the 9th. Too bad! I keep missing people on both sides of my trip.

Yup - two Mary Ellens in the same place might be a bit much!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

ME, if you do decide to become a tour guide in Charleston when you retire, I can make your historical clothes!

I do so love old houses! I understand the no touch & no picture rules. Flash photos cause damage to textiles & paper, touching will eventually ruin the pieces from skin oils. When we had a historical log cabin furnished with our own antiques along with the sites things, people would pick things up & sit on our bed & furniture! We lived in the cabin all weekend during events.

OKW is a resort that I would like to try! Have a great time!

 

[MEK]

Charleston Part 2

Hey Ya All!

So - my tickers off by a day. I don't leave until Wednesday night. I'll probably be passing Jen (Nermel) in the airport or in the sky as she heads home.

So I told you I was determined to finish this TR. Well, its not going to happen, but I thought I'd entertain you with some more Charleston pics. I am getting a little frustrated since photobucket doesn't seem to be working correctly and I have duplicates and triplets of some pics, but I'm thinking some didn't upload at all. GRRRRRRH!

I left off last with our first house tour and now we had reached the Charleston River. The waterfront was lovely, so we walked along it and headed northwest back into the city.

More spectacular houses

We headed in this direction thinking we would surely find a restaurant in the next block or two

But we kept walking

We were all pretty hungry and thirsty. It was hot - like summer hot - and beverages we brought from HH were long gone.

We were so shocked we hadn't stumbled upon a restaurants that we actually stopped an asked someone.

And then ....finally.... we found the Southend Brewery

http://southendbrewery.com/menu-best-food-charleston-sc/

I don't have a picture of the outside of the building (shocking, I know), but my mind was on other things at the time (like food).

Inside, we did get our waiter to take our picture.

Ok - so it came out dark, but its still better than nothing.

Inside

I do remember posting on FB that I was with two blondes drinking two blondes beer. Witty, I know!

The beer was good and the food was better. The ladies had the BBQ pork and they cleaned their plates. Now - look at them - they are skinny girls - they never clean their plates, so this meant they LOVED it.

I had the vegetable sandwich which featured more fried green tomato and a bunch of other veggies - delish!

In random order:

P showed us her earlier purchase

Lunch was super yummy and I could have easily enjoyed another beer but we had more sight seeing to do. Our next stop was the

http://edmondstonalston.com/

Edmonston alston House

Continued........

 

[MEK]

Continued.......

This tour was run by an elderly gentleman, who just like the woman earlier in the day, was very nicely dressed. It must be a criteria for the job.

We waited outside on a small porch for the tour to begin. I guess my post lunch lethargy was kicking in because I don't remember that much about the tour other than I liked it. When we went up to the second floor and there was a lovely verandah with a beautiful view of the river. We were allowed to take pictures up there but I guess those are some of the ones that didn't upload with photobucket the other night.

So pretend these were taken from the upstairs verandah because its a similar view......

Even though I don't recall the details of this tour, it was very enjoyable and I recommend it. When it was over we started walking back in the general direction of the car.

Now here's where I'm sure I must be missing some pics from the last upload. Here's whats left

I had to get a close look at this plant because from a distance it looked like a pointsetta

Because I never did get a good look at canton china in any of the houses, I took a long range shot of this piece in an antique store

Next stop - Kaminsky's bakery

This is another little gem that Jackie told me about. Again, I'm missing a couple pictures in the upload, but check out the choices......

They even had the most divine looking dessert shooters. Yum!

When we first sat down I was way more thirsty than hungry and our wonderful little waitress brought us ice cold water and plenty of it. We had a hard time deciding what to order, but I convinced the ladies that even though we were all quite full from lunch we HAD to split something. So we ordered this most wonderful velvet cheesecake....

WOW, WOW, WOW - this piece of cheesecake was hands down the best I have ever had.

Thank you Jackie - you were so right about this place!

I think I will try to re upload all my pics again into a new album and see if I can finally capture them all.

BTW - they serve cocktails as Kaminsky's. Yup - that's right - the people at the table neck to us were all happily consuming martinis.

From Kaminisky's we walked back to the parking garage.

I have no idea how far we walked, but it was FAR. My feet hurt more than any Disney trip. I was glad to get back to the car.

We did go into the gift shop at Hymans (which as on the way back) and the wine shop where they allowed me to taste the wine I wanted to get for Denny. Couldn't resist this picture on the wall.

P drove back from Charleston and I scored the front seat which allowed me to, yet again, capture a fantastic sunset.

And I grabbed this picture of the scenery

So that's it for tonight.

If I have a chance on Wednesday morning I will post pics from our check-out. I have some good ones from the beach. Oops - just ruined the surprise.

If not - I will see ya all when I get back from the happiest place on Earth as I delete another trip from my queue!

 

[rndmr2]

That Bakery had some yummy looking things in their case. That's funny a bakery sold cocktails.

Beautiful sunset pics, the pics of the waterfront in Charleston were pretty too.

Have a great trip!! Can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Everything in Charleston looks gorgeous...especially the items in that bakery!! That cheesecake looks awesome!

Well, again, have a fantastic trip!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love the pics...wow them houses look huge!!

Yay on finally getting some food! I'm pretending that I'm stood on a verandah whilst looking at your shots and all I can say is what a view! I could easily get used to seeing that on a daily basis

Kaminsky's bakery looks amazing as does your velvet cheesecake! Seeing those isn't helping with my mission to stay away from sweet things!

Great pics of the sunset once again..you sure lucked out with them on this trip.

Have an amazing time at Disney World!!!!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Enjoying your Charleston photos. Those houses are gorgeous. And a bakery with a bar... now there's some good thinkin'.

I may not catch you before your departure so have a great time and say hi to Mickey for me!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Okay, now I've added Charleston to my list of places to visit. I'm going to have to take a week or so to hit all these gorgeous southern spots!

Good thing I had lunch before seeing those pictures from your lunch and dessert!! Oh my!! Looks so yummy!! Although, I didn't have dessert with my lunch.

I'm off in search of a treat...

In case I don't "see" you - have a wonderful magical trip!!!

 

[KatMark]

Your pictures, as always, spectacular.

But that cheesecake really has my eye at the moment since I am back to dieting. I am just drooling.

Have a great trip, MEK.

 

[eandesmom]

Gorgeous sunset pics!

I am seriously hungry just looking at this update, so many yummy noms!

Have a wonderful wonderful trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MEK]

I don't know about you guys, but I love Disney day! I went to bed early last night - feel asleep watching Waht Not to Wear Reruns. So I am up bright and early and I have a ton of things to do, including driving Nick to school. I figure that way Denny and I can just pick him up from school and head directly to the airport. Nick is a procrastinator and I don't want to be sitting here pacing while waiting for him to get home. Plus, it gives him an extra 1/2 hour in class!

Thanks for all the wonderful replies and I will definitely try to get to them before we leave this afternoon. We will probably be leaving the house around 1:45, pick up Nick, and head down i95 to BWI. Flight doesn't leave until 5:45 so that should give us plenty of time in case there is traffic or whatever.

So, I will post updates from FB and if you want to friend me on FB just send a request. I am pretty easy to find. I also finally figured out how to turn on the location services in my FB (which I originally turned off when I set up my phone), so watch out - I'll probably be checking in from all over WDW!

Bye for now!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Hope you have a magical trip!

I am sooooo looking forward to all of the pics!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Have a very merry trip!