I'm trying to use my I-Pad as a WIFI hot spot while it accesses the web via 3 and 4G from Verizon. So far , so good. No trip to McDonald's is required. Now that's progress.

We had a wonderful day in Charleston yesterday visiting with my niece, April, and her family. They live close to Charleston, and they took us to see the Atlantic and tour Fort Moultrie. Along the way we had a wonderful lunch close to the beach. This is a place we will have to return to again and again; it will take more than one return visit to begin to experience it more fully. The Charleston area is so different than rural SC where we are located. It is like a different world.

Today is a federal holiday, and the refuge is closed for the day. It's really quiet here today, but then it is mostly quiet most days. We had to run into Orangeberg to visit a veterinary to get a shot for Libby. Orangeberg is about a 40 minute drive from us. It was difficult to find a vet that had the particular medicine that Libby needs. We were about ready to give up and call our vet in MN, but the last number Shannon called was a winner. We stopped for lunch at a fast food chicken place. SC is loaded with fried chicken places. We don't normally eat fried chicken, particularly at fast food places, but when visiting, you gotta do what the natives do. Eat chicken.

Rode my bike for the second time. There is about a 2-mile loop on the refuge that I can ride. I just have to make multiple laps. It felt good to be back on my bike. At times I heard a lot of popping noises as I rode. The popping is either from my knees talking to me or from running over all the live oak acorns on the road. I'll figure out which one pretty soon.

We are experiencing a fall here in SC. The color is starting to become more prominent. The wild grape, hickory, red maples, sweetgum, and sumac are all turning color. The oaks are still pretty green. So, we are getting to enjoy some fall and are watching the landscape change almost every day.

There are a lot of cotton fields in this area. Harvest is currently underway. We see big cotton mounds in the fields, and we see a lot of cotton field that appear to be ready for harvest. But this whole cotton thing is quite new to us. So, we're planning a trip to a cotton museum tomorrow so we can know better what we are looking at as we watch the harvest. Exciting times. 

We learn new things every day. We learned the South Carolinian way to pronounce pecan. It's not pecan; its pee-can (as in I'll kick the can down the road). Now that we know how to pronounce peecan, no one will suspect we are Yankees.