On October 1st we joined about 15 other couples as Camp Hosts at James Island County Park Campground in Charleston, SC. We visited their light show the previous November and applied for October, November and December of this year. As volunteers we help the park prepare for the show by replacing the light bulbs in their light displays and then eventually we'll have operational duties when the thousands of visitors tour the lights. Presently we work 3 mornings a week and an additional day with several duties like checking the sites.

DSCF1063-Edit Jeanie and Tom on the lift replacing light bulbs on a light display.

The weather was great in October, so we took advantage of a reciprocal pass for county

volunteers which allows us to visit many local attractions for FREE. There are numerous rice and

indigo plantations in the region, so we visited several.  A plantation is a farm and very few live

up the the Gone With the Wind image, but Drayton Hall is very impressive. The house was 

begun in 1738 and completed in 1742, using both free and slave labor. And what's interesting

about this house is that it has remained unrestored. Though flanking buildings have been

destroyed over the years, the main building remains and the Drayton family and their

descendants never added electric or sanitary to the main house. (The outhouse is still

there.)

Drayton Hall_10_12_740 Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall_10_12_718 Interior of Drayton Hall.  Only three layers of paint have been uncovered in the years since completion in 1742.

Nearby is Middleton Place,  well known for its 65 acres of gardens. Tom took this photo of the brochure photo.

Middelton Place Plantation_10_12_945 Middleton Place

Tom took part in a Worldwide Photo Walk in Charleston and here are a couple of my favorite shots.

_T120465 Arthur J. Ravenel, Jr. bridge, a Charleston landmark.

_T120441 Bride having photos taken in downtown Charleston.

_T120419 US Customs House in downtown Charleston.

The campground has a dock and we often see locals crabbing. 

12T_6527 Crabbing off the dock at James Island County Campground.

12T_6573 Unhappy crab posing for photo.

A few Teton friends stopped by one evening on their way south.DSC_0400

Jeanie, Walt, Janice, Bob, Lorena, Darlene, Joe, fellow Camp Hosts Sue and Ted.

We stumbled onto this BLOG from last year and were surprised to see one of Tom's photos. No he didn't get a royalty, just the pleasure of seeing his photo appreciated.

USA Today

Finally, here's a sight you don't see very often in an RV campground - a Rolls Royce! The Prevost is 45' and pulls the trailer in back (25' and 3 axles) which carries the Rolls.  

_T121253 Rolls Royce, Prevost and trailer at James Island Campground.

Next month: the Light Show.