467 mile road trip...

I went to SC over the weekend. I've started trying to get up to Greenville about once a month to visit my pen pal. I know there is going to come a time when I will want to go and spend the day with him, and he won't be around. So I have begun to feel a sense of urgency, necessity, to go as often as practical and have a day of amusement with him.

The last time I went, about a month ago, I mentioned the idea of going to the state botanical gardens. I see a sign on I-85 every time I go through Anderson that suggests it would not be too far for a day trip. And asked if he would like to go sometime. He was calling me by the time I got back to Decatur that day, making plans and arranging for us to go, along with his daughter and a friend of his from church. I'd marked the day on my calendar, and was looking forward to going this past Saturday, even though I thought: kinda still pretty hot, don't cha think? But figured if the 90 year-old was game for the outing, I could manage it ok myself.

But he called the first of the week, and said we should not plan to go: after he had called the gardens and they told him to stay away. It was a Football Saturday in Clemson, and with a home-game, there would not be a place to park in a twenty mile diameter of the stadium. So we scrupuluously avoided Clemson, and puttered around Greenville instead.

I had never actually been to down town in all my trips to visit. Neat, clean, pretty area, with lots of trees, planters along the streets with things blooming. Storefront occupied with small independent businesses, people shopping and eating at sidewalk restaurants, roaming the streets. Obviously good city planning, bringing businesses back to a vibrant downtown. And in the middle was a beautiful park, where the Reedy River flows. Much of it has been left natural, but some lawn areas, where people were sitting on blankets, picnicing, kids splashing in the shallows, lots of family activities. Pretty water falls over huge rocks, and lots of shade trees.

Plus I got to see my cousin, who recently relocated to the south side of Greenville. After having scouted out the inner city, I suggested we should start of list of interesting places to go and eat, trying one each time I am visiting.  We went back into town and had dinner at a place that should be advertising 'slow food'. It was good enough, but the service not so much. Not the place to take little people who would not only have gotten whine-y and impatient due to the wait, they might have starved before the food came.

It was about 10 p.m. before I got back to Decatur, and had to get up crazy-early, to drive back to Columbus, and work on Sunday morning.