First Visit: Brown Dog Deli, Charleston

This is a fun little deli in Charleston. They have a great variety of stuff on their menu: a hot dog line-up, burger line-up and vegan/vegetarian one, too. I had a Caribbean Black Bean burger that was pretty good (after I lifted the burned crust off one side):

That's pimento cheese sauce and mango salsa on top. They do not have fries, so I opted for a broccoli salad, which was pretty good. 

The decor is a ton of fun. It's all really bright colors and there are paintings (one is just a childlike painting of a dachshund on a solid background) and posters from old rock bands. There are stacks of record albums and 45s around, but I'm not sure the jukebox actually works. 

The bathroom has great stuff on the walls too, like this giant painting of Godzilla:

Next it was that picture of beetles. Here is shot of the entire thing:

I like how it explains itself: "A Bunch of Beetles on a Chart."

I'd go back there. I know Bob would. He said his Turkey wrap was one of the best sandwiches he's eaten. It did have bacon on it...

First Visit: Books on Broad, Camden

We are on our way for a short vacation to Seabrook Island, SC. It's just two nights, and it's raining pretty much nonstop so we won't be doing much biking or walking on the beach, but we'll be out of the house. That's what really matters.

It's pretty wet down here in central South Carolina. We are taking the scenic route through Camden, Sumter, and Manning and will drive right between Lake Moultrie and Francis Marion National Forest before hitting Charleston. We've never been through some of these places so we are enjoying the scenery. But there sure is a lot of standing water! 

We stopped in Camden for coffee at Books on Broad: 

It's a cool bookstore with new and used books in the front and then a coffee shop in back. The staff are very personable and had a tip for a place to eat in Kiawah, should we venture there. 

The coloring book craze has hit here, too, and the store sponsors a monthly coloring party!

Now, everyone who knows me, knows I would never find coloring to be a relaxing activity. I'd stress out about what colors to use, and if I strayed out of lines, I'd give up. There is also all that hunching over my poor neck couldn't tolerate. 

But this coloring party! Now THIS could be something I could do! Wine! Refreshments! Count me in!

My Favorite Things: Wellibob Rain Boots

I have never in my adult life owned rain boots. For that matter, I've never owned a raincoat, either, until last year. 

What changed my opinion about the usefulness of these? Two things: 

1. It keeps rainin'. And rainin' and rainin'

2. I have been replacing all my old shoes with expensive, orthotic-friendly shoes and I don't want to wreck them. Or the orthotics, for that matter.

Being a huge fan of all things British, my hopes naturally went to wellington boots. But who wants to wear the huge, black boots you see in all the BBC series...farmers mucking about in muddy farmyards wearing these boots that reach nearly to their knees. Wellington is style, not a brand, by the way. I didn't know that. 

I wanted something that would be able to accommodate an orthotic because I would be walking the dog in them. And I wanted something that would short. And so I found Joule boots. I love these. That's all.

By the way, Joule sells all kinds of things. You should shop around in there. Not just boots, but also shoes and clothing. Pretty cool stuff.