Another introduction to Charleston

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and with it Jim has returned to HQ in Washington. In his place, the engineering department sent a recently graduated design engineer named Justin. I feel bad for the new guy because I've already done most of the "explore Charleston" things that make newcomers fall in love with the city. Still, we went downtown last weekend to walk the Battery and see the beautiful houses on their flagstone walks. 

The character of the long, narrow houses with their spacious but hidden backyards always makes me feel warm and happy. Every once in a while, you even get to make a new friend. Like Lucy, who keeps an eye on the neighborhood (and all of its tennis balls). 

As we turned the corner on the battery, Charleston graced us with one of its stunning sunsets over the Ashley river. 

We ended the evening eating at the patio bar of the Blind Tiger on Broad street. The highlight of the meal was our chat with the soft spoken, bow tie wearing southern gentleman who sat next to us. As we got up to leave, he wished us a very sweet "wehl-cum tuh Chaahl-stun."