Two things we knew were thoroughly confirmed on this trip: 1) Charleston and the surrounding area are very interesting, and 2) Sarah really knows how to plan and host a trip (no slight to Kyle; I just think Sarah does the logistics on these things). Every day had just the right touch – we had rest when we needed it, but were on the go the rest of the time so we could see as much as possible in the time allotted.
On the 26th of December we went to downtown Charleston, toured a historic home (Edmonston-Alston House) that is just amazing, enjoyed walking around the waterfront area including White Point Garden Park, and finished with another fantastic home-cooked meal. This time dinner was Ceviche and Charleston Boil.
The tour of the Edmonston-Alston House includes a lot of discussion of history. One can imagine watching the Civil War break out on Fort Sumter out in the harbor. And of course, with South Carolina on the wrong side of that struggle, there are statues and other tributes to the Confederacy. We took a picture of the boys in front a statue labeled, “To the Confederate Defenders of Charleston” and refer to that picture as “Irony.” We are so blessed that our country has moved in the right direction. Even in the South, our family’s diversity rarely caught anybody’s attention.
The notable exception happened on the freeway: Kyle was driving his truck with David sitting next to him and me (Randy) next to David. I can’t recall who was in the back seat. Another pickup passed us with a black man in the passenger’s seat. I watched him as he was casually looking our way until he saw David in the middle and his mind had a great deal of difficulty processing what he was seeing. He just completely locked on to David until his truck was well ahead of us. The look on his face seemed to be one of pure bewilderment. I wish I had video or pictures of the moment. But otherwise, the looks we got were just like home meaning, really, that people are quite comfortable with mixed-race families.
None of us had eaten Ceviche or Charleston Boil before. Both were fantastic! And, keeping with the Jensen way, there were multiple varieties. My favorite Ceviche was the shrimp.
Click the photo above to see more. Watch the video below (there’s a fair amount of wind noise).