Bay City, Texas
Weather: low 42 degrees, high 69 degrees, mostly clear skies
Did you notice the temperatures we had today? The jacket felt good this morning! This weather is unseasonably cool, and we're loving it. I can remember past years when we were already seeing highs up to 100 degrees. We'll never complain about weather like this. In fact, we're going to try to find similar weather this summer.
Work continues to go well, and we gained a few hours on the schedule today. The last major hurdle that we had problems with last year comes in two days. Everyone is optimistic that we won't have the same problem this year. The trick now is to quickly solve any other problems that might arise, and keep moving forward. Remember, my goal is to be finished by the 28th of this month.
When I got home from work, Carolyn decided she wanted to go to the local DQ for supper. So, we went to the one nearest the RV and enjoyed a sumptuous meal of chicken strips, white gravy, toast, and french fries. Ummmmm. I can hardly wait until the next time.
I'm off work tomorrow, and I'm ready for it. We have several chores to do, including the laundry and shopping for groceries. Maybe I'll stop at the library before settling in at home for the rest of the day. Oh, one more thing we'll do is meet Lori and the grandkids for lunch. We enjoy the little get togethers, and Saturday is the only day I have time while I'm working.
We have been fortunate enough to have been able to visit a lot of places during our travels. In the vast majority of the places we have visited, the people have been friendly and helpful. There is one place that stands out as being the exception, and that was Charleston, South Carolina. We encountered something that may have been isolated, but it affected our perception of the area. We did not enjoy our stay in Charleston as much as we might have, primarily because of the rudeness we encountered on the roads. An example: our first full day in Charleston, we drove into town, with the intent of taking a bus tour of the city. While looking for a place to park (parking is as scarce as hens’ teeth) we pulled up to a stoplight in the center of town. Keep in mind that the streets are narrow and traffic is thick.
While at the stoplight, I noticed a pickup truck on our left side at the light. Apparently, the truck had an electrical malfunction, losing all electrical power. The engine stopped, the windows would not go down, and the doors locked and could not be unlocked from the inside. The passengers could not get out of the truck, and could not get anyone to help them. They had called 911 asking for help, but it had not arrived. Their windows were down about three inches, and they were frantically trying to get someone to take their keys and unlock the doors from the outside. Everyone was ignoring their pleas for help, including pedestrians, who basically shrugged and walked away. Drivers were blowing their horns, yelling, cursing, etc. The people in the truck caught my attention and asked if I would unlock their passenger side door so they could get out. The light was red, so I jumped out quickly and took the keys through the opening at the top of the door. About that time, the light changed to green. That really set off the horns, yelling, cursing, and so on. I unlocked the door as quickly as I could, jumped back in our truck, and took off as fast as I could. That incident soured we way we looked at Charleston for the rest of our stay. We never went back downtown, and probably missed some interesting sights.
Were we too quick to judge the way people acted in Charleston? Perhaps, but one of the things we like about RVing is that we don't have to stay in a place that we perceive as being unfriendly. Will we give them another chance? Possibly, if we're back in the area. But, it won't be the end of the world for us if we don't go back.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Charleston, South Carolina: The Big Sweet Grass Basket
Not all who wander are lost.
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4 comments:
We live 90 miles south of Charleston. Visit there frequently with overall good experiences. We travel by rv extensively but are not full-timers
if you judge anyplace by one experience or incident you are gong to find numerous places on your negative list.
I follow your blog regularly but your comments are ridiculous on a city rated to be one of the most friendly in this country. Yes you did miss one of the great old historic cities of the south.
Martin
After the incident, we spent several days in the immediate area, and the remainder of the visit was positive. We are aware that one incident shouldn't set the tone for all future visits to the area. I think a model for a friendly city would be Savannah, which several people from South Carolina have told us they would rather visit than Charleston. That doesn't mean we wouldn't give Charleston another chance if we're in the area.
Jerald
Jerald, everybody has bad days so don't let some idiot with less than two brain cells determine your outlook on Charleston. It is truly one of the great historical cities representing and documenting life in the old south. We live across the river in SC about 15 miles from Savannah and go there at least on a weekly basis - shopping doctors and so forth. Savannah is another great place if you like history and you can easily spend several day touring etc.
My first choice for a visit is still Charleston as it seems some what more historically oriented and more varied in things to see and do. Great rv park is James Island Cty Prk about 7 miles from downtown Charleston. It is a county run mega park with a campground as part of the varied facilities.
We have visited 43 states in our present rv and have met a few jerks in all of them including TX, which I believe is your home state. But for the most part 99% of the people we meet are friendly and helpful when approached with a smile and a friendly attitude. Hope you give SC another chance.
Cheers, Martin
I agree that there are idiots everywhere, and we've seen our share of them in Texas. I also agree that approaching the vast majority of people with a smile and a positive attitude will usually disarm a bad attitude.
Our overall assessment of the time spent in South Carolina was positive. As I said previously, we spent several days in the Charleston area after the incident, and the remainder of the time there was good.
One place in particular that we remember with fondness was on James Island where Carolyn bought a grass basket from a very nice lady who explained the history of the baskets and how they collect the grass for them. She still has the basket, and considers it as special to her.
Oh, and the seafood was outstanding. Some of the best we have eaten.
Jerald
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