The Three Winston Girls in Charleston, S.C.

Anne, Ruth and Susan Winston

What a wonderful weekend we had in Charleston, South Carolina June 21-24, 2013 - a time to remember forever. Anne and I drove down from Richmond to meet Susan, who is doing a clinical for a doctorate in physical therapy. Susan's boyfriend Chris Curtin was there as was her friend from high school Andy Lassiter and his girlfriend Weatherly, shown below.

Susan and Chris

Weatherly and Andy

 

Chris had a birthday June 11 so we all went out to a great seafood restaurant Andy recommended and celebrated. That's were these pictures were taken. We had a great time! Andy lives at Folly Beach where we had spent the day near the pier. Chris has taken up surfing, Susan was two weeks into it, and Anne had her first time on a surf board. Seven foot tides in Charleston so wide beach at low tide and little sand at high tide.

 

Lodging-wise we stayed in the old town on Meeting Street a block from the market. The three Winston girls did some shopping and then headed back to the beach where Susan got in another hour of surfing ahead of dinner. Anne did a long run and the two of them took cold showers at the pier less than an hour before the picture above was taken.

 

When Chris went back to Asheville NC, the three Winston girls went out on the town. We took a trolley to check out the historic district and had dinner close to our hotel at a restaurant named after a dog, Poogan's Porch Restaurant. We ate on the second floor balcony, very nice place. We walked around old town before and afterwards and I shot some video.

 

Oh, the ice cream! We got ice cream cones on the pier and at an ice cream shop close to the market in the historic district.

 

The weekend was over way too soon but will go down as a favorite. It was our second annual beach weekend. Last year we did the boardwalk at Virginia Beach. We got ice cream there too!

 





April Flowers!

Yes! April is here, and that means flowers! Here are the tulips on my Easter dinner table today.

In Memoriam: Andrew J. Green Jr.

My brother Andrew was my biggest supporter on my writing endeavors and now he is gone. Affectionately known as "Butch" in his youth, we are pictured here in our 20s during happy times. Andrew called me frequently with article ideas and I mailed him all my travel columns as well as quite a few of these blog posts. God bless you Andrew. We will miss you.

Andrew J. Green, Jr.
September 24, 1948 - January 19, 2013

Andrew was a free spirit, a fun-loving guy with a great wit and sharp mind who loved his family and friends, veteran of two tours in Vietnam. Died in his sleep at our mother's home in Venice, Florida, after a 2 ½ year battle with respiratory illness.

Christmas Morning Traditional (for us) Breakfast

 

Christmas morning 2013 - Here we are about to eat our traditional country ham gravy over toast breakfast with fruit. Pictured left to right are my daughter Anne, myself, daughter Susan and her boyfriend Chris.

Thanksgiving in Key West

 

 

Here's the view from my lounge chair on Thanksgiving Day in Key West. Daughter Anne and I sailed out of Miami last Monday, shopped at the famous Straw Market in Nassau on Tuesday, then took a taxi to Cabbage Beach on beautiful Paradise Island for the afternoon. We had a nice day at sea and woke up Thursday in Key West.

Anne and I shopped the quaint stores in Old Town and had lunch on a second floor balcony in the thick of things, then went to a state park where I shot this picture with my cell phone. A bright green critter wandered by my lounge chair and stalked some sea gulls (see below).

We both came home with good tans from our four days in the sun. There was no rain all week though the wind made for high waves (6-9 feet with 11-foot swells) - got my sea legs! The temps were in the 70s, it hit 80 two days.

Oh, about Thanksgiving, there were 59 nationalities aboard and only 1 celebrates Thanksgiving but the main dining room included turkey on its menu so of course as Americans we ordered that with our five-course meal afer we watched the sunset from the deck of the ship pictured below.

 

Was not expecting this visit....

 

 

Sunset from the deck of Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas.

Sisters-in-Love at Baptism

There is something really special about baptisms - new life to celebrate for sure but also strengthened family ties. When my niece Laura Winston Gallanosa and hubby Christian baptised their beautiful baby Victoria Taryn last month, it gave me a chance to reunite with my sister-in-law Janet Winston. Wait ... our husbands (brothers) are ex's ... what does that make us? Soul sisters? OUR bond never broke -- in fact it became stronger. Plus our children are first cousins forever. How about sisters-in-love? That's it! It's love that brought the baby into life and to the alter and us back together ....

OCHS High School Reunion

The Orange County High School (OCHS) Classes of 1970-71 Reunion was held last night. Pictured here is me with my old high school chum Ann Fitzhugh Schwind ahead of the main event. We saw friends we had not seen in decades! It was a great party - lots of food, fun and fellowship. Wow, the catching up we did! People looked great for the most part. The oldies tunes were hand-picked for the event and had people dancing! There was a tour of the old high school and an afternoon social before the reunion party which made for a wonderful day.