Gayler Family Updates: Weekend in Charleston

Matt had a triathlon this weekend...another race in the Charleston Sprint Series to be exact. It rained a little bit, but provided him with the opportunity to cool down, and jet to a new PR (beating his last by 6 minutes, 10 seconds!). I'm proud of his accomplishments (even though I'll grumble from time to time about the effort/energies it requires), and thankful that the race provided a great reason to make a quick family trip.

Charleston is an amazing town full of history, beauty, and interesting things to do. One of the perks to living in Beaufort is that this spectacular destination is only 1 1/2 hours away! (Ok, almost 2 if I'm driving). It was a wonderful family trip, and I'll try not to get bogged down in the exciting plethora of facts and history on the summary. :D For all the photos from the trip, you can visit the Picasa album, Weekend in Charleston.

I know I'm probably the only one that cares, but I only brought the point-and-shoot camera with me to the museum, and there was a no-flash-allowed policy. Picture quality suffered a little bit.

First stop, Charleston Museum. First museum in America, established in 1773. It's goal is specifically to preserve Charleston and the Lowcountry's history. I think it's humorous the website calls Charleston, "America's most historic city." I admire their pride!

We began our journey through the museum by walking through an exhibit containing a timeline of local artifacts. Zoe was transfixed by the pottery. I know she wanted to see what was inside, dump it out (there's no fun in thinking there's nothing in them, you know), and put it back in again.

We learned mules wore shoes...to walk over the rice paddies. (Yes, there were rice paddies in Charleston!).

We were both impressed by the collection of firearms. Both of us winced when we peeked at this bad boy. A fifty caliber, seven round (that fired simultaneously) demon. Only 600 were made. Why? Because, they set the sails of the ship on fire, and caused more damage to the sailor firing it than the enemy. I don't think this is one of weaponry design's finer moments...

Sometimes, I'm just not paying attention when I'm snapping away. Ian was so cute with his arms crossed over his chest, I thought, why not. But look, he was emulating the painting. Gosh, I love this kid! He's so observant, and everything is so relative to him!

I spotted a safe that was patented by a Gayler. This will need some further research...distant family member perhaps?

Ian's favorite exhibit? One of them was the case of turtles.

He asked, "Daddy, what are these?"

Matt informed him, "Turtles."

Ian was so angry, "No! What are these?"

Matt was amused, and repeated, "Turtles."

Not to be discouraged that easily, he asked once again, "No, Daddy, I mean, what ARE these turtles?"

I reminded Matt that Ian is too smart, and wanted to know the exact KIND of turtles. Then, Matt got the right idea, "Box turtle, leatherback turtle..." Ian's beaming eyes were enough to make me burst with pride. He requested the names several times, too.

Zoe was quite interested in the arrangement of stuffed animals. She would pace in front of them, pointing and calling out their names (attempting to, anyway).

Both children agreed that the kid's museum was a highlight. There were interactive displays, and most importantly a small-scale colonial house...complete with clothing to try on, a fireplace to "light", and music to set the mood.

I highly recommend a visit to the Charleston Museum! It's fun for even the littlest people, and there is such a wide variety of exhibits, everyone will walk away learning something.

After all that fun at the museum, packet pick-up for Matt's race, and a tasty dinner at a local pizza place (Andolini's...must have!), it was time to settle in to the hotel for the night. But first, our family ritual...jumping on the hotel beds!