It’s not often I get an opportunity to take a vacation. Too many animals, too much to do, never enough time. Well, this time I said pshaw! to all that then called my sister to come pet sit my menagerie of eight. She actually loves it. I know, strange, huh? Next thing I knew I was in Charleston, South Carolina with Sharon, who dropped her hubby off for a boys week of golfing.

Ready to tee off

Well, you know what they say, don’t you? While the cat’s away, the mice will play. And boy did we play.

Sharon is my traveling buddy. She’ll go anywhere, anytime, which is a great trait in a traveling partner. I’m also game for spur of the moment trips, so we make a good team. Sharon, however, is a world traveler, having experienced many countries, including visiting all but 2 of the United States. Sadly, I’m still 28 behind her.

Anyway, once we dropped Jim off for guy bonding, we took his new Audi to our first destination, Charleston. Now don’t get me wrong. We’ve been there before but there’s always more to see and do.

Charleston

Anyone will tell you I’m directionally challenged but that’s not a problem when traveling with Sharon. She’s what you’d call prepared. She knows where to go, what to see and how to get there. So I show up, sit back, and simply say, “Where to today?” Consequently, our days and nights are jam-packed with activities. If it’s worth seeing and doing, we saw it and did it.

Traveling buddies

In Charleston, we walked along Rainbow Row, colorful homes holding window boxes adorned with beautiful flowers. We strolled the waterfront, stopping at the unique pineapple fountain. We shopped downtown in quaint little stores and had a nice lunch in what had once been a church. Horse drawn carriages fill the streets and I dare you to find the tiniest piece of litter anywhere.

One of our shared goals (we accomplished) was to have a fancy cocktail every evening.

Our next stop was Savannah, Georgia, filled with southern charm. We took tours around the 285 year old city, listening to entertaining guides fill our heads with fascinating tidbits of history. Here, we covered just about every street in the Historic and Victorian Districts.

EWNBTM Savannah, Georgia, USA at Forsyth Park Fountain.

And since Savannah is known as one of the most haunted cities in America, we took an evening paranormal walking tour, listened in on a ghost tour in a graveyard and toured the house made famous by the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

An abundance of Spanish Moss hangs from live oak trees. Little did I know when I posed for this photo that they also harbor chiggers, itch-engendering red mites. Luckily, this idiot escaped unscathed.

Sharon and I toured Middleton Place Plantation and saw the 500+ year old Angel Oak Tree, 66 feet high with a trunk 28 feet in circumference.

We ate our way through Savannah, our last night scoring a coveted dinner reservation at The Olde Pink House, built in 1771.

Afterward, we dropped in at The Planters Tavern, a candle-lit piano bar underneath the restaurant. As we entered, an elderly woman sat at the piano singing, “Two Old Friends.” How apropos.

Hilton Head was next. Leisure time, here we come. At our hotel on the beach we pampered ourselves with massages at the spa and rode bikes on the beach with sand as soft as powdered sugar.

We sat by the pool, took a swim, and (once again) over-indulged in the culinary and alcohol department. We were definitely on vacation.

Yes, friends, it was quite a busy, memorable, fun-filled adventure. So busy, in fact, that I need another vacation to recover from this one.

Until next time…