Hi from Charleston, South Carolina. It's been a few days since we could post as we've hit a little blank spot in the internet service. We have intermittent service at best.

So, we got here on Wednesday and it was very cold. We got to experience record breaking cold temeratures all this week. Yesterday warmed up a bit and was sunny, so we headed out to see plantation homes. We targeted Middleton Plantation Home first as the pictures we had seen of it were stunning. We got there and found out it was $25 a person to go in. Luckily, Yvonne is still free. So, we paid our $50 and went to see it. Luckily, they do a fabulous job of enlightening you to how life was in those times, so we almost felt like we got our money's worth. This particular plantation home was owned by one of the most active successionists, so when the Union soldiers got here, they burned everything down to teach him a lesson. The main house was never rebuilt, but one of the flank buildings was. It was originally a rice plantation. We were told that under the last census before the Civil War, half of the richest men in the USA were from here in South Carolina and were rice farmers. The gardens and land around this home attest to the riches that existed in those days.

We also found out that the rice planting and harvesting technology actually came from the African slaves. They brought the knowlege with them and taught the English how to do it. After the civil war and once they were free, slaves would refuse to work in the dangerous rice swamps, so the rice industry in the south died out. Luckily at this plantation, they kept the land as it was so you can still see how they built the dykes and the rice fields. A very interesting visit.

Yesterday, we got to host Glen and Verlie for dinner. We have run into them in the last three campgrounds and they are now off to Florida. We are excited to be able to hook up with the Taekema's once again in a few weeks. Yvonne will be so happy to have kids to play with again.

Today was a horrible, rainy day, so we spent the day updating our scrap book and doing all sorts of crafts. Yvonne is progressing quite suddenly in her drawing. She is concentrating on colouring in the lines and sat down today and drew a house complete with chimney, doors, doorknob, and windows. She also drew another picture of a person with arms, legs, fingers, hair and facial features. Scribbling is now over. We spent a bit of time on her pre-school books today and she practiced printing B and D. We just let her pick her favourite letters to concentrate on. We've found her printing in the sand on the beach and she can do H, B, D, O and A. We're happy.

So, we won't have much internet over the next few days, so our plans are to see some of historic Charleston as well as take Yvonne on a Halloween maze and Pumpkin Patch tour during the day tomorrow at another plantation.

Take care all and please send us a note once in a while!!!!!