12 Hours

Yesterday we spent the day in Charleston, SC, for a change of pace before the boys return to school this week. In the span of twelve hours we drove to Charleston, visited the aquarium, ate lunch in Mt. Pleasant, toured the USS Yorktown, window shopped on King Street, had a delightful dinner at Manza, and drove back to Columbia.

Zola especially loved the South Carolina Aquarium. For the first time she was able to get up close to animals and fish in a way that she is not normally able to (like at the zoo, for example). She seemed to find this both fascinating and a little frightening at times. Speaking of up close and personal, Milo made friends with a boa constrictor. All the boys, Justin included, enjoyed the view outside the aquarium, which overlooks the harbor. They probably could have spent all day watching the Chinese ships carrying containers docking and unloading.

Our visit to Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown was the highlight of the boys' day, without a doubt. They loved all the weapons, boats, airplanes, and the submarine. With Zola in the sling we wound our way through the great aircraft carrier, up and down many flights of narrow stairs, up to the main deck and then further up to the captain's quarters and other command areas. The ship was so physically large that Calder had a hard time believing we were actually on a boat and not in some gigantic building. He repeatedly asked "when are we going to be on the boat?" Both Milo and Calder also really enjoyed sitting in the cockpit of a World War II era fighter jet.

After a little window shopping on King Street, the boys exerted some extra energy running around Marion Square Park, and Milo practiced his tree climbing skills.

More pictures of our twelve hours in Charleston are here.