We drove for several hours on the way to Charleston, SC to attend a wedding. Nate and Sean were about as well behaved as anyone could expect. Thankfully we had grandma along as a "granny nanny" and that made a world of difference, an extra pair of eyes to help keep watch over them. But after a few hours of being cooped up on the ride, the kids needed to get some kicks and wiggles out. So when we finally arrived we marched them right up to the top of the Ravenel Bridge over the Cooper River, with it's great views of Charleston Harbor.
The next morning it was time for a little sightseeing and some history lessons. Nate missed three days of school for the trip so he needed some "education." Nate and Sean sure enjoyed the boat ride across the harbor to the little island with Fort Sumter. I'm not sure they truly appreciated the significance either of the Civil War or the fort's prominent role at the start of it, but they liked walking through the ruins and onto the battery. What is it about guys and guns?
At Patriots Point we got to tour the USS Yorktown, a retired aircraft carrier that's now a floating museum. It's a big ship but there were lots of tiny, narrow corridors all throughout it. Nate and Sean explored from one end to the other, climbed up more ladder staircases than anyone can count, and finally made their way onto the flight deck.
All that history, all that touring, and even so, Nate's favorite part of the day happened when he saw two live dolphins by the dock.
The next day we had a chance to tour around the historic district of Charleston, SC in the morning before the wedding. Here, Nate looks like a little angel with wings made of water. Or maybe a bat. Yes, a bat would be a much better analogy for Mr. Nate. He was a good sport though, and didn't whine too much as we dragged him along one cobblestone street after another.
Monkey see, monkey do, of course so Sean had to pose on the exact same granite pillar in front of the same fountain. Two years old, going on six. It's tough to get a good picture of Sean because he's so indifferent to the camera (unlike his glamor-shot brother) so this was an unusual opportunity we had to take. Sean also did remarkably well on this little adventure even though we didn't have enough time to take him on the promised carriage ride.
Here's a rare photo of dad and the boys all together. Usually dad sits on the other side of the camera taking the pictures. It's not apparent from the picture but it was a very windy day. We were about blown off of that little pier on Charleston Harbor. Once the clouds lifted we ditched those windbreakers and got on with our day.
