Tuesday was the first day of the official tour. Our bus for the next few days;

Dawn, our guide:

First stop, The Citadel, a Senior Military College:

Freshman are required to walk in the gutter at 120 steps per minute.

On to Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens. Forty oaks line the driveway.

Nine cabins of the enslaved remain. Each presents a different aspect of life.

Cabin 9 was quite special.

An excellent introduction of Gullah Geechee culture and history:

Look! Blue sky. The hurricanes have turned out to sea. We are in the clear. There are 21 people in our tour group, 24 canceled. So glad we decided to take a chance.

Everyone went to dinner at Hyman’s – omg, HUGE portions. We are rocking sideways on a “jogglin board”.

After the food tour, we walked to the Old Slave Mart Museum (no pictures allowed inside).

then to the Provost Dungeon.

Many window boxes beautifully maintained and replanted for every season.

Dinner at an Irish pub:

A somewhat wet day but no hurricane impact.

Yesterday was a travel day for Ann, Linda, Kathy and me. We went despite the threat of Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda plus “unrelated rain storms.” Leaving our hotel for a day of exploring:

Occasional light rain all day, temps in the high 70s.

We took a food tour around lunchtime. The tour group at Port of Call, our first stop

where we had Chicken Bog:

Cheese biscuits at Calli’s:

Next stop (can’t remember name of the restaurant), a Low Country Platter with she-crab soup, pimento cheese with crackers, shrimp & grits, and sweet hush puppies with honey butter.

Between each stop, we learned about the city. Philadelphia Alley:

French Huguenot Church:

At Well Hung (which refers to clusters of grapes, not what might be running through your mind right now), we had Coca Cola Shortribs with mashed potatoes – easily the most delicious item on the tour.

And finally, at River City Sweets, a pecan cluster for dessert.

Yes, we are all stuffed. Fun tour.

Nine of us met at Justin’s on Friday and rode to Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland.

In Rio Oso. Brenda, me, Cheryl, Brad, Milan, Sandi, Kimberly, Jane, Lennore:

We took the long way (18 miles) to Bishop’s.

So many things to do here, a few of us especially like Mrs B’s Bakery or one of the other food vendors with seasonal decadent treats.

The ride back was shorter, just 13 miles. Great ride day with great friends.

BarbaraL invited me to see a presentation at a library in Davis. She has great connections due to her work with the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library.

BarbaraL has met Eddie Anh several times and got his book into the California State Library.

Eddie’s graphic memoir, Advocate, tells the story of growing up as the child of South Korean immigrants and dealing with the clash between his parents’ expectations of financial success with his desire to become an environmental lawyer at a non-profit organization. He is a self-taught graphic artist.

I think this picture was taken as I pronounced the “ch” in “cheese” – lol. Me, Eddie, Annie, BarbaraL: