Posted 11:37 AM by Bonnie

Charleston: Well, I’ve been back a few days so figured it was time I sat down and wrote a bit about the TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) SRD (State Recognition Days), in Charleston, SC. First let me say Charleston is a fun place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there and wouldn’t want to go back. Well, maybe for the Market Place, but …well… read on….

Friday: Friday was registration day so we left Sumter around 8:00 A.M. There were five of us in Julie and Louise’s van, but we were quite comfortable. After arriving in Charleston we checked into our room and then went out to breakfast at Shoney’s. We set up the banner and name tag for the judging. There was an afternoon get together for songs, and a few recognition events. That evening we did the skits which got changed. There were so many entries it would have taken the entire weekend just to do the skits, so instead they had one person narrate the skit and the judging was on the costumes (cast-a-like). Our theme was The Wizard of TOPS.

Our Banner

Saturday: Went to have breakfast at the hotel…it was buffet and totally awful, but we had no choice since we had to get into the meeting room for the awards for division winners, state royalty, and the circle of light…this is my favorite part. All the ones who have lost their weight and kept it off successfully form a circle of light around the room. Of course, when the divisional winners are announced their stories are read and inevitably some of the people are going to cry. I prepare for this by bringing along a lot of Kleenex. NO, not for me! For everyone around me and I passed out most of what I had with me :-).


Circle of Light

We had a break between and we had the luck of having one of the women who had grown up in Charleston, so we took a walk and went to the Citadel. So we not only got a nice tour but got in some good exercise as well.


That evening we had a dinner (again the food was awful), but the DJ was great and we did a lot of dancing.



Sunday: Left around 10 a.m.? Not sure but had breakfast at Shoney’s then set off to see Charleston. First went to the Market Place. This was an old slave market and has been turned into a flea market type place. A lot of fun stuff but very very very expensive! I did get a few things, but couldn’t afford most of their prices.



We then went to Patriot Park where I got some great pictures and some pictures across the water of Ft. Sumter. Would have liked to go there but it would have taken too long as you take a boat tour there.

Patriot Park

Ft. Sumter

We took a ride throught The Battery and each of us picked out our $5 million dollar home :-). Hey, if you're going to dream, dream big!



Then we went to Fort Moultrie and explored around there. A lot of history there so I got some great pictures. Learned that a Seminole Indian, Oceola, from Florida, had been held hostage there and was buried there. Took some pictures of his grave site.



From there we went to one of the beaches. Now, having grown up in Erie and had Lake Erie and it’s beaches this was a let down. Very small, very dirty, and just not much of a beach area. What they call an entire beach would be one section for us at Lake Erie. But, it was a nice walk and we got some fresh air.



Stopped and had dinner and then drove by some of the old Plantations on the way home. Didn’t get any pics there as we did just drive by. There are tours but they would have taken several hours and by this time we were tired. Got home around 10 P.M. Sunday and am still recovering. A lot of steps to climb up and down at Ft. Moultrie and all the walking between the flea market, the downtown area, and the beach…well, I’m just not as young as I used to be :-).