Chrlstn23

Charleston, SC

Newsletter 23

Tues Aug 23 Greenwood to Charleston I left Greenwood and headed to Charleston, SC. As I drove through Greenwood, I saw a real estate agent's “for sale” sign. His name was Bubba Harvin. Yup, I'm now in the deep south!

This sign tells me I am in the deep south

I got to ride a few back roads from Greenwood to I-26, but from there on, it was interstate (I-26) all the way to Charleston. I came to Charleston to do some sightseeing and stay with an old classmate of mine, Missy, and her husband Steve.

Missy Steve and Tutone

Missy, Steve & Charlestonsoon Books I had known Missy from a high school I went to in Atlanta, before I got in trouble and was sent to Devereux. My best friend dated Missy and we double dated a number of times. Before moving here, Missy was a Realtor and helped Belinda and me a few years ago when we were thinking about buying a house near North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. In June of this year, Missy and Steve packed up and moved from north GA. to here, and opened an on line used book store. It is actually a continuation of a business they started while in GA. You might see them as one of the affiliates of Amazon.com Their company is called Charlestonsoon Books. Follow these links to check out their books for sale:

* http://www.amazon.com/shops/charlestonsoon

* http://stores.half.com/charlestonsoon

I asked Steve how he had gotten into the used book business and he told me that it developed from his love of books. This is evident when he showed me around and would pick up this book or that and tell me stories about a number of them. He has also developed quite a knowledge of the book world that fascinates me. It is great when someone turns their passion into something that actually makes money.

Some of their books for sale

When I got there, Missy said she had kept up with my adventures through my newsletters and was glad to be a part of my “Rolling Reunion”. I loved that phrase and will probably use it to name the website I create about this trip.

That night for supper, Steve's daughter Jesse joined us. She is a college student and also sells books on a small scale. For supper, we had of a delectable meal of shrimp and grits that is an old Charleston tradition. After visiting for a while, I headed to bed.

Oxford American magazine Needless to say, they had a plethora of reading material in the house. Fortunately in my room were a few copies of Oxford American magazine. I had never heard of it, but have learned that the magazine, that bills itself as “The Southern Magazine of Good Writing,” has gone out of business a few times and at one time was financed by John Grisham. It now operates as a non-profit and is backed by the University of Central Arkansas. I read an article from issue number 36 that night entitled ”Charlie's Place.” It was written by Frank Beacham who tells “how the shag dance became popular with both whites and blacks in the 1950's at Charlie's Place, a pivotal club in South Carolina's beach scene." Then it diverges into telling of the KKK attack against Charlie Fitzgerald, the guy who was most responsible for the scene and "for the short-lived interracial atmosphere.” (taken from their web site). When I get home, I definitely want to subscribe to help support this fascinating magazine. The music issue has now come out, including a CD of 29 songs by artists I have mostly never heard of. A few I do know, such as: Buddy Holly, Joe Tex, Ricky Skaggs, Erykah Badu, Lightnin' Hopkins, Johnny Winter, Bessie Smith and Nat King Cole. As I said, I have not heard of most of the others. Here is a sampling: Schoolchildren of Wanseko, Uganda; Henry “Red” Allen, Bubble Puppy, Moondog, and The Pilgrim Travelers. Missy said the subscription is worth it just to get their annual music CD.

Rain & rust When I got here, they had offered to let me put my bike in their garage, but since they would have to shuffle cars around, I declined. That night, it poured rain for a long period and I wish I had taken them up on the offer. I may have mentioned this before, but I am always amazed that rain can can quickly rust parts of a bike. I mean, a bike should not be bothered by rain, should it? But it is. Many parts will rust!

Their cats Like so many of my friends, Missy is an animal lover. She has ridden horses for years and now has 4 cats. Tutone is orange and white and has a mustache. He was a starving feral cat that showed up at their barn around 1 ½ years ago. It took about a year before Missy could even pet him. He was also sick and has FLIV. The vet told her to put him to sleep, but she has nursed him back to health and he seems to be doing good now. Hugo was a small kitten that was found in the engine compartment of a truck on Cumberland Island as Missy was being evacuated by the Coast Guard when Hurricane Hugo approached. They had to get a lobster fisherman with a long glove to reach down into the engine and get her out. Missy then grabbed her, put the tiny kitten in her purse and left the island. Beastie is a long haired black cat that was thrown out of a car in Forsythe, county Georgia before coming to live with them. Lastly is Chopper. He's gray, black and white and is 18 years old! He was another feral cat that wandered up to their barn, and would run off whenever anyone was around. At one point he was hit by a car and laid starving behind the barn before they realized it. His hip had started to heal, but the bones had not aligned properly and he has a crooked hip to this day.