So, what we decided to do was to take her on a driving tour
of downtown Charleston--specifically Hampton Park and anywhere else she wanted to see. Hampton Park is one of the great treasures of Charleston and has been there for a LONG time. As you can see from the picture with the trailing oak limb, the trees are very old. When my son was little, they also had a zoo and, I think, it was there when my husband was a boy. This was before the days of safety consciousness and the alligators were VERY accessible to the the general public. The otters were great fun to watch and the monkeys were loud. That's really about all I remember about it, but it was a place that we all enjoyed visiting--and it was free.
of downtown Charleston--specifically Hampton Park and anywhere else she wanted to see. Hampton Park is one of the great treasures of Charleston and has been there for a LONG time. As you can see from the picture with the trailing oak limb, the trees are very old. When my son was little, they also had a zoo and, I think, it was there when my husband was a boy. This was before the days of safety consciousness and the alligators were VERY accessible to the the general public. The otters were great fun to watch and the monkeys were loud. That's really about all I remember about it, but it was a place that we all enjoyed visiting--and it was free.Now, the city has developed it into a really nice place to spend a Sunday afternoon. There are great places for picnics with tables in the shade; there is a paved path around the entire park for skateboarding, biking, strolling, etc and the flowers in the spring and summer are incredibly beautiful. Yesterday, the azaleas were in full bloom.
After we left there, we rode through my mother-in-law's old neighborhood and then down King Street, the Waterfront Park area and the Battery. It was really fascinating having her in the car acting as a kind of tour director. She can't remember what she said or saw an hour ago, but she could describe in great detail how all of these places were forty years ago--or longer. It was a wonderful way of seeing the places we passed--having the old image superimposed on the present reality--because both of them are important components of the whole. It was a great afternoon and one that I hope we won't wait too long to repeat.
2 comments:
What a wonderful way to spend the day with you MIL. Charleston has changed so much.
Hampton Park was built as a World and Indian Exposition back in the late 1800's or early 1900's, if forget which. The road that goes around the Park use to be a race track. I thing that the only thing left from the Expo is the Band stand and it has been moved a couple of times. I went to the Park often as child and there were lions, tiger and a couple of elephants (accross from Moultrie Playground). It surely is not the Charleston that I grew up in.
On the quilting note, you do absolutely beautiful work and can't wait for you to do a class locally.
Brenda, Thanks for the background that helped to jog some of my own memories. I don't think that I had known about the racetrack!
Post a Comment