so we’re a little late with this post. but that’s ok. we just forgot to write it last night. our third day in Charleston started early because it was “beach day”. we got up aroun 9am, threw on our beach attire and headed out (with a quick stop at mickey d’s for some breakfast on the way). of the three beaches here in Charleston (Folly, Isle of Palms, and Kiaweh) we decided to try Isle of Palms. we had heard it was crowded and touristy, but it was convenient to us, so we decided to go anyways. we got there at about 10, laid our stuff down in a spot we could see from the water and then quickly submerged ourselves into the Atlantic Ocean. the water was a bit strange. for about the first hour or so it was really really warm and nice. but after that, there were pockets of cold water that would rush by you at about your calves. we decided that the cold water was true ocean water, unaffected by the great multitude of people simultaneously peeing in the ocean and causing the warm temperature of the ocean. slightly disgusted, yet fully enjoying the beach and water, we decided to ignore our recent conclusions and continue swimming.

there were lots of fun sights at the beach. pelicans were kamikaze diving into the ocean to snag some fish, dogs were splashing in the water, other dogs weren’t too sure what this ocean business was all about and were comically timid near the water, and just general jollity among the fine people who decided to visit the Isle of Palms that day. but the most amazing site of all was something i had never seen before. it was these things called “skimmers”. skimmers are basically bite-sized surf boards that you throw down at the edge of the water, it “skims” along the water (hence the name!) and you run and jump on it and “surf” this part of the beach. if you’ve seen the movie think of Legolas throwing down the shield and “skimming” down the steps in the Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. immediately after seeing these boards of funness, i decided that i must own one. however, after continuing to watch these young people on their skimmers, i began to notice something: only young people had them. there weren’t even any teenagers that were using them. it was just small boys between the ages of about 5-12. i also noticed something else: several of them, surely more balanced than i am because of their lower center of gravity, were taking some mighty tough falls off of these skimmers. so, thankfully, good sense prevailed and i decided that i would rather not break my neck (or injure something else!) on my honeymoon. so we bought a couple of boogie boards for the purpose of floating in the ocean instead.

our trip to the beach was very successful. it was a BEAUTIFUL day and we could not have picked a better time to go. the only bad thing was that our sunscreen did not work well enough and sarah got a little “burnted” (as she likes to say) on her face and shoulders. but she’s ok. it was also nice because we, again, got to see some dolphin. except this time they were a lot closer! sarah wouldn’t let me swim out to them though because “you don’t know what else is out there.” so that was sad. not that i’d be able to catch them anyways. but they are definitely beautiful creatures and i really want to try to swim with one someday.

after the beach we decided to come back to the hotel to relax after being in the hot sun for a little over 4 hours. after our rest, it was time to decide what to do with the rest of the evening. we decided to go on a carriage ride through the city and then go to a nice place that was recommended to us by Rich and Olivia Hamlin (Rich was the A&M RUF intern when i was there) called Magnolia’s.

the carriage ride was very nice. it wasn’t a horse-drawn carriage. it was a mule-drawn carriage. they said they do this because mules have more endurance and stamina, and you don’t have to change them out as much as you do horses. whatever the reasons, mules still remain funny-looking creatures. although i found them to have much character and wouldn’t mine having one. our mules’ names were Jack and Diane (who were, at one time, as our tour guide explained to us, “two American mules growing up in the heartland”). Jack was a hard worker. Diane was a slacker and constantly needed the “encouragement stick”. on the tour we saw a lot of the historic Charleston sites including several fascinating (and very old) churches. we were told that all 187 or so churches in Charleston remain open to the public so you can go in them and peruse as you see fit. one church in particular has a very famous pew. it is a pew that George Washington sat in when he visited Charleston shortly after the end of the American Revolution, and has also been occupied by another great American……Oprah. i cannot wait to go back and sit in the place that Oprah has sat. what an honor it will be!

after our carriage ride we were dropped off at the barn and were told to go see Peanut, the company’s miniature horse. he was so small! i’ve seen dogs bigger than he! sarah said he was really adorable, but i thought he was really funny looking. even moreso than the mules. while we were watching him, Peanut spent his time munching on some straw and would occasionally look up at us with his way-too-big-for-his-body eyes. sarah melted at this. i chuckled.

we then took a little stroll around downtown Charleston since we had about 35 minutes until our dinner reservations. we went over to Waterfront Park which is just a park with several fountains. one of the fountains, aptly named “The Children’s Fountain” had a bunch of little tikes running around in it and splashing each other. it was fun to watch. further into the park we came upon an amazing site. there was a group of people…….wait for it……..fencing! i decided this was the high class version of those people that fight each other with foam swords in city parks. these people actually had real swords (even if they are tipped) and fancy white outfits with their names on back. if one can be a balla and still fence, these people were definitely ballas.

we then headed over to Magnolia’s. Magnolia’s was a nice, quaint little place that was dimly lit and nicely decorated. they call themselves an “upscale traditional southern restaurant.” they serve everything from fried chicken and collard greens, to the finest and freshest fish. an hour and a half and $100 later (hey…it’s the honeymoon, right?!) we were so stuffed that the short walk back to the car seemed like miles. sarah had mahi mahi that came with a crab cake, spinach, and mashed potatoes. on a scale of five stars, she says she would give her meal four stars. fitting, since this was a four star restaurant. i had the pork tenderloin that came with an andouille and butternut squash rice and green beans. the tenderloin was covered with an apple, bourbon, and pecan glaze. it was one of the most amazing things i’ve ever tasted. very tender and juicy and the mix of different flavors was incredible. we also each had a glass of some Russian wine that was quite good. then came the desserts. sarah had cream cheese creme brulee that was garnished with strawberry jam and red velvet cake. again, she would give her dessert four stars. i had one of my most favorite desserts: pecan pie. now, i’ve had a lot of pecan pie in my short life on this earth, but i don’t think i’ve ever (nor may i ever have again) had pecan pie that was this amazing. i can’t even begin to describe it….it was that good. completely amazing.

after our dinner, we slooooowly walked back to our car and headed back to the hotel. on our way back, we drove past this guy who truly was a one-man band. he had some crazy contraption fashioned to himself and he was just jammin away. i would try to describe it, but i don’t think i really can. hopefully he will be somewhere in downtown Charleston tonight and we will try to get a picture of him. we passed him so fast we were just kind of like “what WAS that??” when we returned to our hotel, we were caught giving each other a small kiss by this old woman with a very strong New York accent. she came up behind us and said “the world loves a lovah, please continue what you were doing.” slightly embarassed, we decided not to continue (especially now that we had an audience) but were then entertained by her story of how she went to Paris and fell in love with lovers. she was quite charming. we then returned to our room, watched another episode of 24, and turned out the lights on another great day in Charleston.