August 8th - 14th

Nina, Aunt Dee, Cindy, Mom & Dad

Big finale for summer break with kids.  8th was the pick up day and a surprise visit from NJ... Aunt Dee and Nina were in Laurenburg to visit mom & dad.  Cindy joined us too with Mike and they stayed at our place in Bville.  We were then off to Columbia where I had a day with the medical team of TaskForce-1 at the Fire Academy.. meanwhile the kids and Sharon took in sites and did some Geocaching in Columbia.

 silly hats that the kids love... they are all the rage right now

The next day I had an interview in Union SC (can you say Bennettsville, but further west).  Non the less it went well with the folks from AthenaMD.  From there we drove 4 hrs. to our main destination for the rest of the week.  Murrells Inlet, SC... the old fishing village on the beaches just south of Myrtle.  We checked into the Ellington East resort and had a tricked out fully appointed condo to hang our hats for the next 3-days.

We took daily dips in the indoor/outdoor pool, played some cool put-put, worked out at the fitness center, took some hikes about the property and made a trip to the beaches at Litchfield and PI.  For the most part we ate in, since we had our own kitchen... but we did have some of the best NY styled pizza in SC at a place in MI.

http://www.expedia.com/Myrtle-Beach-Hotels-Ellington-Resort-At-Wachesaw-East-A-Festiva-Resort.h898111.Hotel-Information

Before parting Union, we did visit the secessionist Governor of SC (1857-1860) Gov. Gist's mansion there.  Rose Hill Plantation.

Rose Hill Plantation (Gov. Gist's Mansion)

Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site offers a look at antebellum South Carolina in a serene, rural setting. It's also the historic home of South Carolina's "Secession Governor," William H. Gist.

Rose Hill's restored mansion and period furnishings, beautiful gardens, historic trees and nature trail on the Tyger River in the old Union District provide a peaceful contrast to the history of the Gist family in South Carolina.

Gist was the grandson of an embattled Loyalist during the Revolutionary War and he himself was a devout defender of States' Rights. He led South Carolina into secession which encouraged other states to follow, and form the Confederate States of America.

Rose Hill Plantation grew from a family homestead into a prosperous Upcountry plantation under the labor of enslaved African-Americans.  The site is an ideal place to explore the prosperous Antebellum lifestyle of upcountry planter families and the role of cotton, slaves and tenant farmers in South Carolina's history. for more info:  http://www.stateparks.com/rose_hill.html 

Just a few miles down the road from Rose Hill is the cemetery for the Gist Family... wort the drive a bit out of the way, but you can see where this prominent SC family and their son who gave his life in the Civil War to the CSA are laid to rest.