Nov-Dec 2012 PA-SC

After we returned from Bonaire, we drove to York and had Thanksgiving dinner at Linda and Rick’s house. The following day we started our trip south. We stayed overnight at Randy and Marti’s before leaving MD. In SC, we stopped at Andrew Jackson SP. He was the only American President to serve in three wars (Revolutionary, War of 1812, and 1st Seminole War). Nearby we hiked through the country’s largest old growth bottomland hardwood forest preserve at Congaree NP.

Andrew Jackson

We spent several days in the Charleston area. We took a boat out to Ft Sumter and toured the fort with a Park Ranger. We visited Charles Towne Landing which was the first permanent English settlement in Carolina. We walked the grounds of Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, one of the oldest plantations in the South.  We toured Fort Moultrie, named after its first commander, who had a fort built of palmetto logs. When the British attacked on June 28, 1776, the palmetto logs absorbed the cannon shot and the British lost the battle. This is why there is a palmetto tree on the SC flag and why it is called the “Palmetto State”.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

We camped at James Island County Park, near Charleston. Every year in August, dozens of park volunteers start to assemble the Holiday Festival of Lights with over 700 Christmas displays along a three mile loop. Despite a power bill of $60,000/mo the display makes over a million dollar profit for the county’s park system. I have never seen a light display that even came close to this one. We visited it three times!

Sand Sculpture at James Island Co. Park

Christmas at KOA

We had to cut this trip short and head back to Maryland so I could get my annual biopsy. Even though they found cancer in the prostate last year, none was found this year. I’m not cancer free, but this was a good sign. We attended Christmas parties at Piscataway and Carol & Cordale’s. It was fun to catch up with old friends. We drove to the Philly area and spent some time with Jenn. She gave us a tour of the farm where she works. We visited with Floyd and Lauren. The next day we visited Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell. The bell was about 80 years old, before it received the name “Liberty Bell” by abolitionists and was adopted as a symbol of their cause. We spent the rest of the day with Yanjin’s family in NJ. We headed south to have lunch with Bob at the Dover AFB.

Liberty Bell

Christmas Eve

Chris, Jenn and Pop

Ashley, Chris and Santa Snoopy

We entertained my family on Christmas Eve at Pat’s father’s house. We had Christmas breakfast and dinner at Linda and Rick’s house. We ended the year with a family bowling party.