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Post by Ensign Sandra on Oct 8, 2013 0:18:33 GMT
Day One:
No travel mishaps this year. I headed to Virginia to spend several days with Major and Mrs. Little Brother and the Miniature Marine before reporting at Charleston. We had a lovely time and managed to schedule our fun so as not to be disturbed by the current unpleasantness in the District. The family is all well and enjoying their new home and the major’s very regular work schedule, which allows for a much more normal family life.
On Wednesday 2 October, Bucky very kindly retrieved me from Charleston International Airport and we crossed over the Ashley River to join the company. We were all hunnnnnngreeee and hopped the hotel shuttle to downtown to kick off the festivities at Tommy Condon’s. The QM and I honored our mutual Celtic heritage by tucking in to the shepherd’s pie. I’m told it’s the devil of a time skinning the little beggars, but it sure was tasty! ;-D We returned from dinner and joined the Otters and the Cabin…um, children? One of them is definitely not a girl…for a drink in the hotel bar. (Ed: Mr. Cabingirl has now attended two conventions and desperately needs a board identity of his own. Suggestions welcome.)
to be continued....
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Post by Ensign Sandra on Oct 8, 2013 0:50:10 GMT
Day Two: In which we have a lovely tour of Charleston Harbor, narrated by a recovering history teacher. He was very engaging and related fascinating tales of the city itself and the many notable events in the harbor and surrounding islands. I hadn’t known that the always-rebellious Carolinians fought His Majesty’s Navy to a standstill on June 28, 1776. This gave the Continental Congress the confidence to go ahead and sign the Declaration of Independence when the news arrived in Philadelphia six days later. Our dear Nigel had to listen to yet another account of our colonial forebears whupping the Redcoats, but he’s a real American now and is allowed to cheer for the home team. The story of the events leading up to the assault on Fort Sumter, which touched off the Civil War, was equally compelling. South Carolina was spoiling for a fight after having voted to leave the Union and President Lincoln was incredibly nimble at massaging the situation so that they fired the first shots, which allowed him to bring the force of the federal government to bear in response. After returning to the dock we had a quick picnic snack courtesy of Captain Estelle and proceeded to The Citadel, which is the state’s military academy. Many of the cadets do receive ROTC scholarships and are commissioned upon graduating, but this is not required. Our young guide was a very impressive young woman. She is in line to become only the forty-third African American woman earn her degree from the institution. We had a most enjoyable time learning about the traditions and history of the corps of cadets. Back at the hotel Mags and I enjoyed a very brisk dip in the pool, after which the hands were piped to dinner. This evening’s restaurant was Aw Shucks, a local seafood establishment. I can recommend their Legendary Casserole and red rice very highly. We then proceeded to the viewing room to settle in with The Duel. Our Hero did all that hero stuff and Simpson died on schedule. Messrs. Otter and Cabingirl upheld the finest Horatian traditions by way of the beer taps. but wait, there's more....
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Post by Phizz on Oct 8, 2013 1:28:01 GMT
Waiting with bated breath for the rest of the Ensign Report!!
Thanks for letting us homebodies know what you were up to!!!
~Phizz
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Post by LadyJamers on Oct 8, 2013 1:40:01 GMT
Love it so far! Can't wait for more!
How about unoriginal Cabinboy for Mr Cabingirl?
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Post by Sundowner on Oct 8, 2013 15:34:30 GMT
More! More! Oh, how I wish I'd been able to attend this year as well. I miss all the fun and all of you soooo much. *sniffle*
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Post by Ensign Sandra on Oct 9, 2013 0:27:31 GMT
Day Three We spent the morning with the fat diplomat in the pantry. Alas, no one had packed her copy of the music vids, so we were unable to rock out to Oranian Rhapsody. We made do with the Muppet version instead. After that it was time for some retail pillaging down at the Charleston Market. I found some lovely note-cards by a local artist and pondered the beautiful handmade sweet-grass baskets that are a signature feature of Charleston. We were meant to have a tour of Fort Sumter after lunch, but Those People in Washington were (and are, as of this writing) still being stupid and therefore all federal sites are closed until further notice. Pamski, Mags, Spidur, and I drowned our dee-sa-pointment in barbeque and headed back down to Aquarium Wharf for another harbor tour, this time a sail cruise aboard the Charleston Pride. There wasn’t a great deal of wind, but it was a truly tranquil experience to just sit and enjoy the salt air and the breeze. Oh, and the champagne. They were selling adorable little split bottles and it seemed like a better idea than Bud, which turned out to be true. From there it was back to the hotel to cool off in the pool again and put on our glad-rags for the group dinner. Several members of Mayhem’s charming family joined us and seemed none the worse for the experience. I think that we had margaritas after that but am not entirely sure. These two things may be related. We also enjoyed conversation and the Otters' lovely port and See's chocolate. tune in again next time...
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Post by Ensign Sandra on Oct 9, 2013 0:56:34 GMT
Day Four
Mr. Midshipman Ugg made his tools and Acting Lieutenant Harnblurrr enjoyed his walks in the sunshine with a beautiful woman. Goldilocks Archie finally ate his damn porridge.
Next on the agenda was a trip out to Mt. Pleasant to visit the submarine H. L. Hunley and see the restoration work and archeological studies that are underway. She was a Confederate vessel and became the first such to sink an enemy shipl in combat. She was also wretchedly unlucky, having killed two crews before the one that completed that mission and then did them in as well.
We then tried to make dinner reservations at Poogan’s Porch, a famous local restaurant, but were foiled by the hordes of families in town for Parents’ Weekend at The Citadel. On the ride back to Charleston it occurred to me that we might be able to eat lunch there, which proved to be the case. The she-crab soup was delicious. The astute reader may have begun to notice that most of my contributions to the festivities were to do with food.
Next we strolled around down-town and toured some historic houses. The Russell House was very much to my taste; the Calhoun House was not. It is currently owned and inhabited by what seem to be the bastard children of a mating between magpies and hoarders. Lots and lots of stuff, all of it rare and expensive, much of it beautiful; the end result is sensory overload. You can’t really appreciate any of the pieces because they’re all crowded in together. We hiked up along the Battery to the park with the famous pineapple fountain. Last time I was in Charleston, back in the last century, wading was prohibited. The authorities have apparently given up on that, so Mags and I substituted sloshing around there for our regularly scheduled afternoon dip in the pool. By this time it was beer-thirty, so we grabbed deli sandwiches and headed back to the viewing room. Our evening show was Amazing Grace; naturally we drooled all over Ioan and The Bandersnatch. I found it especially poignant to watch a film about the abolition movement in Britain while visiting the American city through which most enslaved Africans entered the country. You can really feel the ghosts of Charleston’s past.
more later....
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Post by shipoftheline on Oct 9, 2013 3:28:53 GMT
I'll add to the Day Three account. While part of the crew was enjoying the salt air (and apparently champagne as well) aboard the Charleston Pride, the rest of the gang took a stroll in lovely downtown Charleston. After a brief stop at the Customs House, we headed down towards the battery for a tour of the Old Exchange building. The Customs House is currently used by the Office of Homeland Security but much to our surprise, we were able to walk right in unimpeded. Such fools! During the tour of the Old Exchange building, we were able to see part of the old city wall in the basement, as well as the dungeons where famous pirates were held. Some of us decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. During our quest for a taxi, I stopped to ask a parking lot attendant where one might be able to find one. He didn't know but excitedly pointed to my HHUS13 button and said he loved Hornblower. It turned out he is a big fan of the books and the movies. I ended up giving him my pin and pointing him in the direction of the site. He said he might join us next year. Cute, young guy.... he might not survive. LOL! What a difference from the old guy in the parking booth at the Maritime Museum at Patriots Point. When Estelle and I stopped to pay, he asked us what the button was all about since he had already seen several people wearing them. We said we were part of a Hornblower fan group, at which point he proceeded to talk about how hard it is to play the French horn. Estelle tried to explain to no avail. Clearly a person who says "What?"
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Post by shipoftheline on Oct 9, 2013 3:47:10 GMT
Here is a picture of the Charleston crew with some of Mayhem's lovely family getting ready to board the harbor tour. Edit: At Lady B's suggestion, here are those in the photo: Front row from L-R: Mayhem's daughter Silvia, her husband and their three little boys: Thing 1, Thing 2 and Thing 3 (that's what the t-shirts said). CaptSueB, Mayhem, Pamski, mmt, ship, Mayhem's daughter in law Jen, her son Patrick with her grandson in the sling and Cabingirl. Back row from L-R: Another one of Mayhem's sons (between Silvia and CaptSueB), Otter (between CaptSueB and Mayhem), Ensign Sandra, Nigel (between Sandra and Spidur), Spidur, Mags, Bucky and Mr. Cabingirl. I think that covers everyone.
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Post by Biki on Oct 9, 2013 4:42:30 GMT
hahahahaha!! This has been fabulous to read!! If I couldn't attend, this is the absolute next best thing!!!
Biki
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Post by QueueMistressMags on Oct 9, 2013 16:34:15 GMT
Well done once again, Ensign! *salutes smartly* Can't wait to read the rest. Day One: (Ed: Mr. Cabingirl has now attended two conventions and desperately needs a board identity of his own. Suggestions welcome.) Nigel's Pal? Maybe not.
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Post by Phizz on Oct 9, 2013 23:46:56 GMT
Jan, thanks so much for your great pics! Almost A's good A's being there!
~Phizz
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Post by Bucky on Oct 10, 2013 0:15:43 GMT
Fantastic pictures Jan! Love them. I wish I was a picture taker, but I haven't had much luck with cameras!
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usHHan
Midshipman
Finding my sea legs once more...
Posts: 66
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Post by usHHan on Oct 10, 2013 2:15:05 GMT
Yay, pics! (Boo...I wish I had been there...) Yay, it looks (and sounds, based on the "reports") like it was another successful con!
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Post by shipoftheline on Oct 10, 2013 2:18:49 GMT
It was fabulous. Estelle and Pamski did an outstanding job.
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