Charleston Day 2.5 and the Return

So here we are at home, and trying to fight the laziness and actually post the last pics of the trip. Whitney twisted my arm and got me to post this time-- she fought my defiance with accusations of laziness. I agreed.

Anyway, here you go, in no particular order:

One last view of the plantation garden, to highlight how beautiful the day was. But it was dang cold.

A peacock. Whitney hadn't seen one since she was a child, so it was one of the final things we had to seek out before we left to make our trip complete.

(She was also surprised to find out that they sound like horribly screeching, dying cats when they call. Who knew!)

Just some peacocks being peacocks. Another fact that surprised Whitney (but not Duncan, who had the privilege of growing up with SOLELY the educational shows of PBS as a child) is that these things can roost in tall trees. And they breathe fire.

A pig. They're fat. And yes, they DO smell, a lot, especially on a windy day. Like today.

Me: stumbling out the hotel room door, bags and other luggage draped across every limb, on my way to the car.

Whitney: A BALD EAGEL! DUNCAN, TEH BALD EEGLR! I"M SO EXCITED I CAN"T EVEN SPELL RIGHT!

Me: Sigh...

The bald eagle was the other bird Whitney was really excited to find. We went for a walk the night before, and Whitney swore she saw a bald eagle, but we couldn't verify it. But this morning, as we left the room to take some luggage to the car, at that MOMENT, as if by divine providence, there was the eagle, soaring overhead, cawing "Whitney! I didn't forget, here I am! Revel in my glory!" And she did, and it was wonderful.

A smiling alligator. They can hold their breath for an hour, can go a year without eating, and shed teeth by the thousands over their lifetimes, which rival ours in length.

Yes, PBS again. Just kidding, we had an awesome tour guide.

Moments later, the bird was swept, tweeting in terror, into the gusting vortex.

The beauty of the evening walk by the lake.

Hope you enjoyed following our trip as much as we enjoyed being there!