Haven't had much of an urge to write this past week, so to break up the monotony for now, I'll post some more pictures of our last vacation.

These pictures were taken at Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC.

Fort Sumter is notorious for being known as the place where the American Civil War first erupted. On April 12, 1862, the Confederate artillery opened fire on the fort and 36 hours later, the Union garrison surrendered.

To get to the fort, which is located at the mouth of Charleston harbor, you have to take a 30-minute boat ride from one of two locations: Patriots Point Maritime Museum, across the harbor, or from Liberty Square in Charleston.

Once at the fort, there isn't much to see of the structure itself, as it was blown half to smithereens during the war. The original structure was two stories tall, but now is reduced to the one-level outside walls.

There is, however, an incredible view of the mouth of the harbor and the ocean beyond. The water was filled with all types of watercraft, including massive transport tankers. We spied dolphins right off the edge of the fort, not twenty feet away. .


I have learned though, that I am definitely someone who doesn't do well on sea-faring boats. Only twice have I become seasick. One of those times was on my honeymoon when we went snorkling with a tour group. I heaved my guts out over the rail after tossing on the waves for a while. The second time was on the way to Fort Sumter and back. Not a fun time. I did, however, manage to get some nice photos regardless of my misery.

I do highly recommend this tour as a highlight of Charleston. The kids learned some history, had a fun time on the boat ride, got to tour the aircraft carrier, the Yorktown, over at the maritime museum, and got to see mommy seasick. What kid wouldn't love all of that?