🎵🎶On the road again🎵🎶Just can’t wait to get on the road again🎶🎵yes friends, your gypsy wanders are at it again. Of course, I am waiting for Fast Eddie to get hisself ready and out the door, which at before 10:00 AM is a tough job. Me, I hit the floor ready to roll. Fast Eddie becomes his mother, Maxine, and shuffles, groans and otherwise farts around for a good 3 hours...don’t even get me started about packing....and there was an early morning (8:30 in school traffic) trip to Lowe’s as we have a worker bee on the patio painting the ceiling.
We are headed to Charleston, South Carolina-the gentile southern city that is heavy on history (think Fort Sumter, Miss Scarlett & Civil War), seafood and southern cuisine (Pass the oysters, pulled pork and fried green tomatoes and I will have the Peach Cobbler for dessert) and men in seersucker suits, ladies bows in their hair (Bowheads per my sister’s nickname) named Muffy and Sis. What’s not to love? A little background on why Charleston—- particularly when the Astros are World Series bound, and the weather does not get any more special than it is this morning-one of the 10 days a year the Chamber of Commerce pitches as “delightful Houston climate”. Well, after our spring cruise to Iceland and the United Kingdom, we made a decision to press “pause” on cruising...we were paying a hefty price for Fast Eddie to come down with pneumonia...and the 6 week post cruise recovery period at home was a souvenir that we no longer need. We (rather I)came up with a list of places in The US and Canada that would scratch our travel itch and complete all the scratch offs on our global map (thanks Toni C). While Eddie has been to all 50 states, I lack 16 to make our map complete. While I have driven through some of these 16 states, I have not “visited” the states. No cheap drive through for me will make the scratch grade. I want a bona fide visit...taste the cuisine, sleep in a bed and breakfast or nice hotel-no tents-I like the mint on the pillow and hot shower-extra points for fancy bubbler tubs, explore what makes the state unique...and heck, get the Christmas ornament for our travel tree. Prior to pressing “Pause” we were booked on a cruise that left this week out of New Orleans that would have completed our Caribbean Island portion of the map..we planned on a couple of days in New Orleans for the cuisine part...so, pressing pause we decided a four day trip to Charleston might be a good alternative....Never want to stop wandering and exploring....we might grow mold if we stay 365 in Houston.
While I am a planner, Eddie has become a more a Last Minute Lucy...fly by the seat kinda thing, game day decision. I repeatedly asked about various restaurants, things to do, should we get the Tour Pass questions, but he was not feeling the urge to plan. Sunday, during the Texans game, he looked at the various restaurant options and decided that $3 oysters were a little high, really.....especially since he holds the record at Pappas for 11 dozen in one sitting (but they were $3.95 a dozen, then). He looked at the 10 day forecast which includes rain during a large part of our visit. Can you feel the excitement in the air...I know I certainly did. He also decreed that we would be using our “small suitcases” and walking them on and off...which will not happen since our tickets are on a United Express plane-read gate check, small plane no overhead bins. Small suitcases are fine by me. I can wear my tennis shoes, take some lightweight casual shoes for “dress up”, a couple of extra shirts, and a pair of long pants...along with my rain jacket and umbrella. So, Monday I had my stuff packed by 10:00 and was out the door for a pedicure. I left Eddie at home alone, unchaperoned....he decided to “reach out” to a Charleston attorney friend that he has known and worked with for almost 40 years and see if they ( meaning lawyer and his Bowhead) want to do dinner while we are there. 4 day notice...smooth, Mr. Eddie. Well, by the time I had come home and go up to my office to print the tickets, get my travel folder and make last minutes notes...Eddie receives a response from said Lawyer. Eddie was sooo excited that the firm’s annual Oyster roast —-with 5,000 free oysters—-and bbq is planned for Thursday night (and we are now invited) that he journeyed upstairs to share the news. Side bar-Eddie has not be upstairs more than 5 times since we moved back downstairs post Harvey-PTSD? So, what does one wear to a high Southern BBQ and Oyster Roast—Eddie says-think Blue Jean casual only nicer. What the heck is that...reminds me of when we use to go on “business trips” (read boondoggle with golf)...they had a dress notation called Country Club Chic. I always missed the mark-either too dressy or not dressy enough. I always would spend days shopping prior to those trips attempting select the right outfits and shoes for the three nights (which I called “Business Rush Party”—-Ed was the corporate person (rushee) and the lawyers from the various law firms (frat boys or the more PC-Frat persons) would smooze during the coke party (cocktail buffet with open bar) evening, theme party (another buffet and costumes affair with the food and entertainment fitting the theme) and finally pref night -a dressy dinner affair with a band and lawyers dancing -always on my list of favorite things to do. The Frat boys would try to get the Rushee to commit (or pledge) Shell’s business to them. So glad we hung up our Rush Week traveling. So, this will be a Throwback Thursday event...without the Pre shopping...and as a Shell retiree, Eddie is no longer a highly prized rushee. The afternoon was spent rethinking my Wardrobe selections, trying on shoes and “cute” bbq attire (since my closet is just brimming with “cute”, and all) I hope this hotel has an iron available as my clothes currently look like I slept in them-small suitcase and all. We also had to pack some of the industrial strength bug spray that Eddie had purchased for our trip to North Carolina. You see, South Carolina has a particularly type of gnat, called a No-see-em. They love Eddie...and he is allergic to them. The gnat bites look more like angry boils. All potential Instagram or Christmas card pictures of us will be made prior to said Oyster Roast. As he has been to this Oyster Roast many times in the past, guess we will be bring home a new souvenir ailment/medical issue. And we all know Ed suffers in silence so well.
We are currently wheels up in Houston...after checking our small suitcases, surprise!...Four days...so little time, so many adventures. Until then Go ‘Stros!
No comments:
Post a Comment