This is the water fountain just outside the entrance to the Aquarium in Charleston. I couldn't help but try to light it, due to it's uncanny resemblance to a Sabbath candle holder.
Sue and I took a few days off to celebrate our anniversary. We went to Charleston, and then on to Myrtle Beach. The first night we stayed in this beautiful Civil War Era bed and breakfast.
Inside the aquarium there was the usual assortment of coral reef exhibits and all the fish that inhabit them. This spiny looking fellow, with a long Latin name, which I can't spell, was one of my favorites. It must be a lonely life, covered with spines like that. With whom can he cuddle?
I love the old Customs House. It's identical to the one in Baltimore, though this one is located on a wide avenue and surrounded by palm trees, which gives it a whole different look.
From Charleston we headed to Myrtle Beach, about an hour to the North. This was the view from our room. Usually we get a room on a higher floor, but these palms gave the room a sense of privacy, so we were happy to share the balcony with them. They came with some small greenish lizards and we did our best to make them feel welcome, or maybe it was vice versa.
On the way out of Myrtle Beach we stopped at Huntington State Park. It's a very beautiful nature preserve where you can watch egrets, herons, and other wading birds as they play cat and mouse with the alligators. No feeding of the animals is allowed, so you never can tell which one is going to try and eat someone else, people included!
We left Myrtle Beach at 11 AM for the 4 hour drive home. After several unmarked detours, a flat tire, an ignorant tow truck driver, and a couple of rain storms, we arrived home 11 hours after starting out. This is the longest ride on record from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte since about 1925. In spite of the long trip home, it was great to get away for a few days.
Hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July!
