These homes are monuments to a slower way of life, a life without the ravages of media, where conversation was entertainment enough and courtesy expected. As you walk by, it's easy to imagine the frosted ice tea glasses dampening the lace doilies on the wicker tables as neighbors laughed and fanned themselves trying to escape the heat of the day. The horse-drawn carriages still roll through town, now manned by tour guides whose colorful renditions of history grow with each telling. It is easy to be swayed by nostalgia in this town, a yearning for a simpler life, but the reality is that life was hard then, as evidenced by the dates on the nearly faded tombstones in the church cemetery. Most of them tell of tragically short lives, with very few over the age of 30. The cemetery is laden with unrealized dreams.
If our short time as cruisers has taught me anything, it is that I am extraordinarily grateful to be doing this thing we have worked so long to do. A dream is a precious commodity rarely formed or realized today and I strive always not to take it for granted. Charleston is one of those places that really brings it home.
Our waterfront Charleston home |
2 comments:
Excellent post. We hope to get back there next year and stay a while. While you are there check out the Blind Tiger Pub http://www.blindtigercharleston.com/
Very good! Thanks for the memories, too...I was stationed there at Charleston Air Force Base in the mid 1990s. Loved it!
Mike
www.siochana.us
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