On Sunday we went to see and hear the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for the first time, for a free family winter concert at their main concert venue in midtown. It was a fun afternoon and the atmosphere was festive! On our drive to Charleston, we stopped halfway at the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park in Augusta, right on the border between Georgia and South Carolina. This wonderful find wasn't in any of the guidebooks, but we always like to visit obscure places off the beaten track!
We started our second day in Charleston at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island, another historical monument in the area, which is located on the eastern side of the Charleston harbour mouth and overlooks Fort Sumter. We enjoyed looking around the fort while the girls completed Junior Ranger booklets to earn another Junior Ranger badge. (They have earned 7 each so far at the various places we have been.) We also enjoyed the warmth and the beach, and flying our kite!
We enjoyed a fantastic trip to explore Fort Sumter, the place where the first shots of the civil war were fired in 1861. During the half hour boat trip through the harbour to the fort, which is situated on a tiny island, we enjoyed watching dolphins swimming alongside, as well as seeing the sights of Charlston from the water. Once we were at the fort, we explored freely and the girls helped the National Monument Rangers raise various flags!
We had a fabulous trip to Charleston, South Carolina (our 6th state visited) over the Thanksgiving weekend. The weather was hot (the drought continues) the history and sights were fascinating and the seafood was delicious! We're all so thankful for thanksgiving break this week as we were in need of some time off our busy routines right now. As well as relaxing at home we have dropped off the girls' annual Operation Christmas Child box at the local mega-church, been Christmas shopping, and visited the orthodontist for check-ups. We're all looking forward to our next adventure to Charleston, South Carolina. Happy Thanksgiving!
On Saturday afternoon we braved the Atlanta weekend traffic to drive to CHaRM, The Center for Hard to Recycle Materials. Atlanta has stopped collecting glass in the weekly curbside recycling as it is now 'too expensive' to recycle it. Glass can only be taken to CHaRM, along with items like unwanted paint, textiles and electronics. After gathering up our glass (and batteries and lightbulbs) for a few months, it was time to take it where it would avoid the landfill and be recycled. CHaRM was not quite a Swedish recycling center but the staff were friendly and helpful. It was a long afternoon out just to drop off recycling, and it was disappointing that this is one of the few recycling options for the entire city.
We are also now experiencing a drought and water restrictions, with no rain for three months, and temperatures that are above the seasonal average. There are currently forest fires in parts of North Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, with the smoke being blown south across Georgia. The air often smells of smoke and makes eyes itchy; Last week the children couldn't go outside during recess time at school due to the poor air quality. No talk of climate change here though. Grandad and Uncle Philip arrived back from their trip to Florida yesterday and today we all embarked on the 850ft ascent of Stone Mountain, the world's largest monolithic granite rock! We enjoyed the panoramic views from the top as well as being away from the city and out in nature again. Yesterday the girls bought some whipped cream with some cat-sitting money they earned over the weekend and this is what happened this morning!
Today is Presidential Election Day and our school was used as a polling station so the girls got a day off. We took the opportunity to go to the Children's Museum of Atlanta situated in the downtown area of the city, which was having a free entry day and the girls had a lot of fun. Meanwhile, Uncle Philip and Grandad have ventured further south to Florida and visited the Everglades National Park today.
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AuthorsSusan, Jonathan, Kerstin & Claudia Archives
September 2017
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