{Spring Break} A Little Presidential Fun...

...just to break up everything gubernatorial, you know???

Today we headed up the mountain to visit with my mom, and I finally got the little ones over to see the model used by Charles Keck to sculpt the "Presidents North Carolina Gave the Nation" statue that sits outside the North Carolina State Capitol.  It sits right inside the lobby of the Hendersonville City Hall...

 {with his favorite, President James K. Polk}

There's a pretty neat story that goes along with how it ended up here, too (relocated from a warehouse in Rhode Island of all places)...

Of course, its always interesting to see which states lay claim  to which presidents and why...

Both James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson were actually born in North Carolina ~ Polk in Pineville and Johnson in Raleigh ~ but they lived most of their lives (and are both buried) in Tennessee...

By many accounts, Andrew Jackson is a stretch.  He, too, is generally associated with Tennessee, living out his adult life there and being buried there, but his actual place of birth is up for dispute.  Both North Carolina AND South Carolina claim him and have each erected their own memorials to him on either side of the state line!

While up in North Carolina for the day, we also made a stop by one of my mother's favorite bookstores...

Though his interests these days lean more toward football - football players, football cards, college football, Madden NFL, the NFL in general, and every single football statistic he can cram in his brain, take him in a used bookstore and this is what he comes out with...

Love our little football-obsessed lover of presidents, so...

What a fun day connecting with part of the beginnings of something we visited more than 3 years ago, a true, full-circle moment...

{North Carolina State Capitol ~ February, 2014}

{Spring Break} SC Governors III - Clemson + Anderson + Honea Path

It's Spring Break around these parts, and we went adventuring today, in search of the graves of a few more SC Governors...

Stop #1 - Clemson, SC

Governor Andrew Pickens, Jr. served as Governor of South Carolina from 1816-1818.

Governor Pickens was born in Edgefield County, SC on December 13, 1779 and died in Pontotock, MS on July 1, 1838.  He is buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery in Clemson, SC, right next to his father, Revolutionary War hero, General Andrew Pickens.

While at the Old Stone Church Cemetery, we paid our respects to the good friend of General Andrew Pickens, and one of my husband's ancestors,  General Robert Anderson...

Stop #2 - Anderson, SC

Governor James L. Orr served as Governor of South Carolina from 1865-1868.

Governor Orr was born in Craytonville, SC on May 12, 1822 and died in St. Petersburg, Russia on May 5, 1873.  He is buried in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Anderson, SC.

Stop #3 - Honea Path, SC

Governor Olin D.T. Johnston served two separate terms as Governor of South Carolina both from 1935-1939 and from 1943-1945.

Governor Johnston was born near Honea Path, SC on November 18, 1896 and died in Columbia, SC on April 18, 1965.  He is buried in the Barkers Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Honea Path, SC.

{All In a Day} SC Governors II - Spartanburg

While planning is in full-swing for this summer's road trip, our biggest adventure yet, I'm trying to keep our other trips pretty close to home...  So, last weekend, we officially set out to visit the graves of all the SC Governors (from the 1776 statehood to the present), a task that's a little easier to tackle (than visiting the graves of all the presidents & vice presidents) since all but FIVE (the body of ONE of those FIVE was lost at sea) thus far are buried in South Carolina...

With the little ones out of school for Presidents Day, we trucked north a tad and checked off a couple more on our list, BOTH buried in the same cemetery...

Governor Ibra Charles Blackwood served as Governor of South Carolina from 1931-1935.

Governor Blackwood was born in Spartanburg County, SC on November 21, 1878 and died in Spartanburg, SC on February 12, 1936.  He is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg, SC.

AND

Governor Donald Stuart Russell served as Governor of South Carolina from 1963-1965.

Governor Russell was born in Lafayette County, MS on February 22, 1906 and died in Spartanburg, SC on his 92nd birthday, February 22, 1998.  He is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg, SC.

{All In a Day} SC Governors I - Greenville

Adding to the ongoing list of people & places of interest to our son, we are now trying to visit the graves of all SC Governors (that's, of course, in addition to visiting presidential sites and running up state capitol buildings steps!)

The good news is that we were able to check off a couple on our list after school today...

Governor Benjamin Franklin Perry served as Governor of South Carolina in 1865.

Governor Perry was born in Pickens District, SC on November 20, 1805 and died in Greenville, SC on December 3, 1886.  He is buried in the Christ Church Episcopal Churchyard in Greenville, SC.

AND

Governor Martin Frederick Ansel served as Governor of South Carolina from 1907-1911.

Governor Ansel was born in Charleston, SC on December 12, 1850 and died in Greenville, SC on August 23, 1945.  He is buried in Springwood Cemetery in Greenville, SC.

I sure enjoyed the afternoon spent with my sweet little lover of history, amid his talk of ideas for live videos filmed "on location" and books we should write about all of our crazy adventures...

{Weekend Adventure} CU in Tampa

Wow!  What an exciting season!!!

Clemson seasons like this don't come along every year (though we came verrrrry close last year), so of course, we just HAD to make the trip down to Tampa, Florida to support our beloved Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship!

With the threat of snow looming over us, B and I hit the road Friday afternoon and didn't stop until we got all the way down to Valdosta, GA (and far away from any chance of snow or ice)...

Saturday morning, we continued on to Tampa, and made our way over to Playoff Fan Central, our favorite CFP treat...

From getting up close and personal with all of the important trophies (or versions of them)...

  

to checking out all the fun games & booths...

 

to collecting autographs from Clemson players of the past...

Antuan Edwards...

 

Dexter McCleon...

Adrian Dingle...

Leomont Evans...

and Tajh Boyd...

We ended the (cold & windy) night, with a stroll along the Tampa Bay waterfront...

before going at it all over again on Sunday...

 {We couldn't resist parking by the C81 marker in honor of Clemson winning the 1981 National Championship! - See what we did there???}


We started the morning right where we ended the night before, checking out the sights around Tampa Bay...

before heading into the convention center to catch a few more former players, who currently play in the NFL...

Sammy Watkins...

 

 Shaq Lawson...

and Jayron Kearse...

Hubby had drill all weekend, but finally arrived in town late Sunday night, just in time to rest a bit before GAME TIME...

 

and, THIS year, our favorite team DID come out on top!

Sooo very proud of our team...  What a year!!!