Abe got up early in the morning and headed to his Spartan race. The kids accompanied him to breakfast before heading back to the room where they enjoyed watching television while I pursued The Epoch Times. I was blown away by how good that paper is. I also read a bunch of touristy brochures to figure out the day.
Then we checked our luggage and headed out into beautiful Greenville. The weather was beyond gorgeous, and every stage of our day was one that the kids didn’t want to end. First they played with the ducks at the top of the waterfall, then we perused the art (it was an open house for 150 local artists on Saturday), then we climbed to the top of Liberty Bridge whereupon we encountered a man playing La Vie En Rose next to a French restaurant. It was out of a storybook.
On the other side of the bridge we explored the Grand Bohemian Lodge, which everyone fell in love with. After that the kids played with the ducks in the river again, only this time Clarissa fell twice and got completely covered in mud. We headed across the street for tacos, went back to the hotel so Clarissa could change, and then continued on to the visitor center and a wonderful book store. When we go back I know the kids want to spend more time at the bookstore, which was in a beautiful building with a spa in the basement. Then we headed down Main Street and stopped into different shops until we turned onto Beatty Street and made our way to the Museum of Art.
The kids and I had a great discussion about color and art in one of the rooms there, and everyone enjoyed the gift shop. Then we headed next door to the library where we stayed until Abe arrived.
Abe’s race went well and he made the time he wanted. The only problem he encountered was on the third wall he had to scale. It was 6 feet tall and he had already scaled two 8 feet walls, but on the 6 foot wall his calf seized up and he couldn’t move. He was stuck! He held onto the wall yelping until someone kindly came over and massaged his calf until he could slowly lower down and resume limping the rest of the race.
He then dropped us off at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery store, where we ate delicious food and bought delicious food, including a candy squash which Ammon just peeled and chopped today (two days later). It is the most delicious squash we’ve ever had.
Abe and Mary picked up our bags and then picked us up so we could meet Dr. Daniel Bennett, Lydia’s tutor, at The Beacon, a Spartanburg institution. All the presidents campaign there! It was delightful meeting him in person and we enjoyed learning from him over our meal.
Then we drove straight home and got home a little before midnight. It was a full and wonderful day.
