Living in Charleston, you learn quickly that it’s smart to run all of your errands early in the morning, or at least before noon. If you wait till later, it’s almost unbearable. If you have groceries to buy, a deposit to make, or even taking the kids to the park…. do it early! People here in Charleston get edgy, grumpy and seriously moody when it’s hot. Who can blame us? It’s miserable here at times! I try to stay out of the way as much as I can. There is nothing fun about having a cat fight in the check-out lines at Walmart.

Personally, when the weather is hot like it will be today, finding a pool or making a trip out to the beach seems the most logical idea, and that’s if you can get away with it. Not only do we have to worry about the heat, but now there is the gas prices to consider. However, when the sweat is rolling down your back during a hot day while you are standing underneath a shade tree, a cool body of water sure does seem like a great idea at the time.

Personally, the rise in gas prices have scared me enough to take a step back and ask myself, “Okay, do I really need to go here?” Pretty sad when you think about it. I’ve even found myself putting groceries back on the shelf after contemplating whether or not I really needed that item.

Luckily for me, I live smack dab in the middle of Charleston so getting from place to place really doesn’t take all that long. It’s those places that I just can’t stay away from that will get me in trouble - such as the beach! Guess I will be rethinking driving 25 minutes just to bask in the sun and swim in the ocean.

We have a few ”piggy banks” around the house and I find myself dropping more and more money that I find on the floor or in my pocket, in to these make shift banks. I keep thinking that maybe one day I will put it to good use. You never know, I may have to take the time to roll the quarters, nickels and dimes just to pay my electric bill by the end of the summer. Hope not though!

Tomorrow I am suppose to be driving to meet the rest of my family at our place on the lake, which is about an hour away. I’m seriously considering not going. Although it is a holiday tradition, it just seems crazy to spend the money on gas right now, especially at this price. I start adding it up and I know it would be smarter to just stay at home. However, that would put me in the dog house and we all know how that feels.

A good friend of mine has thought about using his bike instead of gassing up at these prices to ride around town. The grocery store is near and most every other place he needs to go so why not? I suppose for some that may work out and if I had the chance to do it, I probably would too. Kind of hard toting around a child on the back, especially when running him back and forth to school, soccer practice and tutoring.  I do have to admit that the rise in prices makes me think twice before just hopping in the SUV to go somewhere, even if it’s for that one thing I absolutely have to buy at the grocery store. Maybe it’s now time for more soup and sandwich dinners. Woo hoo, I could go for that!

Don’t forget to bring your glove or an old hat to catch a foul ball that will probably come your way. If it’s not a ball threatening to drop on you, watch out for flying t shirts. If you are lucky, you’ll catch one of the famous RiverDog shirts soaring through the air towards you. I have to warn you though - it may be appropriate to wear head gear of some sort. The adults at these games seem to get overly excited at the chance of catching anything that is thrown within grabbing distance.

Be sure to check out www.riverdogs.com for more information regarding tickets, pricing and game schedules. Hope to see you there!

The new bridge was built with walkers and bikers in mind. We have the option of getting onto the bridge from downtown Charleston, or near Patriot’s Point which is on the Mt. Pleasant side. I’m not sure what took me so long, but just this past January I finally decided to walk the bridge. I already knew the view would be phenomenal, but never expected my daily walk to turn into my daily dose of therapy. Something about being up top, looking out over the Charleston Harbor… you definitely have to experience it for yourself to fully appreciate what the bridge has to offer. 

Now, if I can just make it all the way over and back to where I started… that would be a huge accomplisment on my part. The biking and walking lane is 2.7 miles long. I usually make it up to the top, stop and catch my breath. I then make the mistake of turning around and walking back down to where I started. Maybe one of these days I will push myself just a little more and report back that I walked the entire bridge.  

Photo courtesy of http://www.cooperriverbridge.org/

The festival is held downtown at the Maritime Center in Charleston that includes pirate and past maritime themes. Attractions include tall ships to tour, activities such as family boat building, kids village, helicopter harbor tours, food, music and pirate camps. I remember last year enjoying the wooden boats they had displayed, which were quite interesting to not only look at, but to learn how they were made.

This year the festival is held on both sides of the harbor. Patriots Point will have a Water Action Village Expo and wake boarding demos.  A water and bus shuttle will be available to transport people from downtown Charleston over to Patriot’s Point which is located in Mt. Pleasant. The USS Yorktown will also be available for tours.

Years ago I worked in a veterinarian clinic and it was amazing at the number of stray animals reported. Even on my way to work, I would see stray dogs walking the streets, in search of food, water and probably some place safe to sleep. And not only do you see the stray dogs, but cats as well. The lucky ones aren’t found dead on the side of the road, but I’m sure it will be only a matter of time before their luck runs out.

To those who want or even are thinking about getting a pet, especially a dog. Think before you do this, and evaluate the situation, your expenses and even if you have the time to be a pet owner. It takes a lot of work and if you do not have the space to accommodate a pet, then do not get one. They are better off with someone who has the time to take proper care of them and the love to share.

 Years later, I still spend my days at the beach however getting there has changed. It seems like only a few years ago a trip to the beach took maybe twenty minutes from my house, possibly thirty if traffic was a bit thick. The cars heading out to Folly now is unbelievable! I look around and wonder where everyone is coming from and why are they suddenly overcrowding ”my” beach. I admit, I get a bit aggravated at the heavily populated beaches, especially when trying to find parking. It’s a bit tedious but all in all, once you find that spot and park your fanny on the beach, nothing else really matters….