Spring Vacation pt 2 "The Ghost"

Brian, May your day be filled with sunshine and wonderful treats!

Happy Birthday from your mom (Tina) and the rest of us here at, In the Garden

Spring vacation pt 2.

By Skeeter

We had house guest for a week and I played tour guide while taking them to some of my favorite places around town here in Georgia.

One place I try to take visitors, if they have the time, is to the River walk in Downtown Augusta. This old railroad trestle which crosses the Savannah River is always an eye catcher and yes, the train still runs on it and right through the middle of town! We spotted this beautiful bush along the River Walk. I spotted these while in Gulf Shores but failed to snap a picture due to the nasty rainy weather. The Saint informs me that this is a bottle brush bush. How does he know this stuff and I don't?
I can see why they are called Bottle Brush. It seem like you could really scrub a bottle out with the blooms. But not so as the blooms were soft as feathers.

Most of the beautiful Azaleas were past their prime on the River walk, so no pics of those. I did snap a picture of a strange tree that I will add to the game next week of Name these plants Game...

We rushed home to pack our bags for a little over night stay in Charleston, SC. Ah, one of my favorite places to visit. Above you see Smokey, Blue dog and Roxy Bear packed and ready to go in the Lady Bug Bag. Ha, adults and their toys...

Our first stop was to the USS Yorktown air craft carrier. This thing is huge and we walked up and down every single stair (ladder) in the entire ship. Needless to say, our legs were a bit sore after that?

Not only the USS Yorktown is docked at Patriots Point but a Coast Guard, Battleship and Submarine also. So a full day of fun on the ships. One thing I learned for sure, I don't want to live on one of these things.Our friends talked us into staying in a Bed & Breakfast. While in Germany we always stayed in Pensions; which are a B&B type facility, but we had never before stayed in a B&B in the USA so this was going to be a treat for us. As we drove into the driveway, we were surrounded by lush green beauty.

We met with our Hostess and she gave us all the info we needed for a nice stay at the King George IV She mentioned the head of the house was outside planting flowers. I asked if I could join her and she said we were here for vacation and not work. I joked that planting flowers was not work for me. I got that look from the Saint. You know that look, the look of, Don't you even think it girl!...

We could tell this house has been added onto over the years as most old homes and it had such charm.

Beautiful Ferns were hanging on all three floors of balconies.

We were greeted by more Ferns on the entry to our porch as well as two quaint water features on the wall by the door. Our room was beautiful and filled with antique furnishings of the home's era. The room reminded me of my bedroom I had as a child. It was a similar type room with Fireplace, Tall Ceiling, Wood floors, Big windows and all. Ah, the memories of growing up in that old house on Commerce street.

The wallpaper was a bit much, or as the Saint said, "a might Busy"! Thank goodness we like flowers. The beautiful wooden floor and rug made up for the "Busy" wallpaper. Our friends were on the third floor in a suite room. It was furnished with beautiful period antiques as well.

The Sofa was so Victorian and comfy as well. I believe the Inn Keeper told us the painting over the sofa was the original home owner. Notice the TV on the desk behind the Saint? I don't believe it was ever turned on as I know the TV in our room was not. The Saint was relaxing by the fireplace before dinner.

Difficult to see as the sun was coming in the window but this tub is a Claw-foot tub and yep, I took baths in one of those as a child also. This one had a shower, the one in our old house, did not.

The suite also had a kitchen. I wanted to take that Cafe Table and Chairs home to put in my Garden. tee hee...

We had a nice dinner in town then toured around until the sun went down then back to our friends suite for drinks.

When the Saint and I went back to our room, he crawled into bed and set the alarm clock to wake us up to meet our friends for breakfast. I had our travel alarm clock with us also and set it as a back up in case the other clock's alarm did not work. The room's clock was just like the clock we have at home and we knew it would probably work but I am a "Just in Case" kind of gal. After I set the alarm, I picked up a journal from the mantel and started to read the entries. These journals are written by guests of the room with a little tale of their stay. I kept noticing references to a ghost name Paul being in Room 1. I asked the Saint what room we were in and he said I think 5. I said, nope, I think our friends are in room 5. I got out of bed and looked at our key number and it was indeed room number 1. Arg, we are in a room with a ghost Saint! With having a few drinks in me, I decided I was not scared of a ghost and played it off as a prank by previous guests of the room. During the night, every time I woke up, I looked around the room to see if we had company. Yep, I was thinking maybe we did have someone in our room with us.

The next morning both alarm clocks went off at the same time. I thought that kind of funny as no two clocks are set at the same time down to the second. I got up first and jumped into the shower and right out. No Hot Water! Arg, I joked that maybe Paul the Ghost took our hot water away. lol. That was the quickest shower I ever had in my life and the hair dryer felt so good while drying my hair!

The Saint got ready then we headed out the door for breakfast. That is when I noticed my watch was an hour behind in time. I assumed the battery had stopped. I mentioned it to the Saint and his watch had the same time as me. Hum, we then looked at the clocks in the room and they both were an hour ahead of time! Okay, what is going on here. I know my clock was correct as I set the time when we were packing at home the night before because the battery fell out! I also looked at the clock when we got into bed when setting the alarm! We stalled a bit, then went on to the breakfast room as our key would open the door and we could at least get coffee and take it back to our room or sit on the porch while sipping and waiting for our friends to meet us.

Once in the breakfast room, the host and hostess were there getting breakfast ready. I apologized for being in so early and went on to tell them about the clocks and time difference from our watches. They laughed and said Paul had done it. Ah, there was a ghost in our room! He went on to tell the story of a Italian boy born with a defect to his body. At about age 15, he took his life in the bed and his spirit seems to stay with the bed no matter where the bed goes. He said that the Charleston Ghost Tour stops outside our window as the last stop on the tour and tells the tale of Paulo or Paul as they call him.

Ironic thing, we had talked about taking the Ghost tour but no one really pushed this idea as I reckon all our legs were so sore from the stairs on the Yorktown ship! I would have died if we had taken the tour and it ended at our bedroom window! At least I had a drink in me when I suspected we had a ghost in the room. Oh, and the hot water is also a Paul Prank played often to guest. Everyone else had hot water in the house but us and we were not the last ones up, remember, our clocks were set early! I sure could have used the extra hour of sleep but we do have a funny story to tell of our first stay at a Bed and Breakfast while in Charleston! After breakfast, we went back into the room and the room clock was set to the normal time while my travel clock was still an hour early. (Twilight Zone music begins to play here)

We only stayed one night and I cannot help but wonder, would I have stayed a second night had we been reserved the room? Hum, would you??? Paul also plays with keys but our room key was where we left it but later on that day, I could not find the keys in my purse without a massive search and I don't have much in my purse!

So if you are a ghost hunter and want to sleep with Paul the Ghost of Charleston, check out room number 1 at the King George IV Inn at 32 George Street. Hide your keys and set the alarm on your cell phone as I don't know if Paul knows how to mess with a cell phone clock.... (Web sight does not mention a Ghost so next time we stay in a B&B, you are sure to know we will first ask about ghost's!)Paul was at least a funny ghost but the next one may not be so funny. hummmm

Once all the ghost tales died down, we took the Harbor Tour boat ride. We saw sights such as this unique light house at Ft Moultrie. Notice the lighthouse is not round.

Fort Sumter can be seen while on this boat ride. The fort is on an island accessible only by boat.

The breathtaking view of the new bridge and many other interesting sights can be seen as well while on this wonderful cruise.

We managed a little stroll along the white beach of Ft. Moultrie.

And saw the cannons of many a battle.

Once away from the land of Charleston Ghost, we were back in our neck of the woods in Georgia. I took our guest's to another of our favorite places in our county being the Augusta Canal. The Pink and White Azaleas were still in bloom and so pretty with the Spanish moss drapping in the trees.

This place sure captivates the mind with its beauty. It sure says the Deep South!

We ended our vacation with this years maiden voyage of the "Liquid Asset" on Clark Hill Lake, That would be Strom Thurmond Lake to those living in South Carolina. Captain Saint took us on a wonderful lake cruise, one of many I hope to come this year since we are out of the drought and the lake once again has water!

This concludes SPRING VACATION part 2 for me. Now it is time to get back In the Garden...

I enjoyed my extended vacation but sure did fall behind in my garden, house and blog play! The past week I have pulled weeds until my hands are green! The fun vacations the past month are only to be relived through Photographs as it is back to work now. I hope to be caught up on everything soon so I can get back to visiting blogs!