Day Tripping

Today was the day we went to Charleston for my Fort Sumter mystery research trip. Sounds like fun, hey? Sometimes, I don't know which is more mysterious—my mysteries or my life! It was a beautiful summer day when we headed across the sailboat like bridge between Georgia and South Carolina. A 90 minute trip turned into 2 and 1/2 hours, as we encountered a gazillion orange cones on the incessant road construction on that antique known as Highway 17. At least there were no alligators on the road! It was the proverbial "one hundred and two in the shade" in Charleston and noon by the time we arrived, so all Papa could think about was lunch and finding a parking place. The best way to get a parking place in Charleston is to inherit one! Otherwise, plan on a 30 minute tour of the city to find a free "not free" parking spot. We ate at S.N.O.B. (stands for Slightly North of Broad, which only makes sense if you know that the really cool place to be/live/be born is...South of Broad!). This place is pure Charleston, sort of a serenade and a siesta in a bottle—great food! Hot cornbread in a sweet grass basket, crab salad to die for (well, the crabs did), iced tea like we only make in the South, and sour cream apple tarts with ice cream and caramel...well, it was nice. Then, back to work: We tried to tackle sites I planned to put in the book, check sales opportunities, double-check odd things, like exactly what earthquake bolts look like and how you spell Hyman's seafood. But mostly we went to go to Fort Sumter. As the day wore on things converged to foil our plans: times, parking, steps, heat, a cracker of a storm, and etc., until we literally "missed the boat." Oh, well, the Fort will still be there next time. I did buy some great Civil War books and saw my own Pretty Darn Scary mysteries for sale in the Old Market, which was exciting. A mere 90 minute 3 hour drive, and we were back in Savannah. So goes the day of a writer: time, money, exhaustion, calories, and not a word written. So guess what I'll be all about tomorrow?!

Image via charlestonsouthernhomes.com