Nephew of the Week: Luke Anthony Every time we see Luke, he makes us smile! In photos he is always so serious and tough, but in reality he has a killer smile. You will find Luke out on the weekends in GaYBOR with his friends. Our Trip to Charleston, South Carolina The car was packed with all the essential road trip supplies. Miss Amber was at her favorite Aunties’ home. It was off to explore America’s historic Southern city, Charleston. Our quaint hotel, The Kings Courtyard Inn, was in the Historic Peninsula area right downtown in Charleston. The Inn was an 1850s-era inn full of welcoming Southern hospitality and was charming and very well-preserved. We went out to explore the historic Market Place for an early dinner. The hotel is on the cusp of all the new top selling national and boutique stores. Plants of all sorts were in front of most all the businesses’ doorways. We saw 200-year-old buildings, historic Confederate grounds and we passed great landmarks. The Daughters of the Confederacy Building was one of great interest at the beginnings of the ‘Slave Market’! We started with a great list of fine restaurants to try given to us by the hotel’s concierge. Yes, Mark had to have Southern Shrimp & Grits for dinner! Then we were off to Dudley’s Bar. It is one of two LGBT bars in Charleston. The other is Pantheon Club, a large dance club and drag show bar open on weekends. Dudley’s was a very fun local bar hangout. The decor was art deco with an interesting back bar that was salvaged from a downtown cemetery. I commented to Mark, saying this American city was, “A destiny quest of ambience for romance that enhances the heart, mind and soul!” A crystal decanter of local sherry and a platter of assorted cheeses were provided to us, which they say is a Charleston tradition nightcap, and added the evening’s final touch. On to Savannah, Georgia Just a two hour drive south is Savannah, Georgia. This was our main destination. Along the side roads we traveled, we stopped at small roadside produce and gift stands. Have you ever tried homemade peach cider? We were in town for our niece Meagan’s wedding. Our sister made reservations at the award-winning B&B, the 1895 Inn, a Victorian bed and breakfast located within walking distance to everything. The four-story brick-and-stone building is owned by a great gay personable couple, Bob and Ed. The well-adorned, historically-designed bedrooms are awesome and ours was super comfortable. There isn’t any loss of great Southern hospitality here. It was beyond excellent. The Wedding Our beautiful niece, Miss Meagan, and her military husband, Chris, met and live in Savannah, the “Hostess City of the South.” They chose a Savannah riverboat for their wedding. It was on the beautiful Georgia Queen. The wedding theme was “1920s Prohibition.” The guests all dressed in ’20s period “flapper” outfits. Our outfits came from La France in GaYBOR of course! The beautiful Southern bride wore a traditional white wedding dress for the ceremony with handmade lace veil from Sheila in Minnesota. Later she changed into a black and white flapper dress for the reception and dinner. We were asked to bring our gold frame for some fun photos. Our new nephew Chris is an U.S. Army Ranger with a fun sense of humor. A cocktail hour followed the wedding, then there was a dinner, all onboard the boat. The night of surprises was not over yet! The couple’s first dance started: the groom walked down one side and the bride down the other side. They stopped and met in the center of the boat’s dance floor. The bride unwrapped her rose bridal bouquet, then roses fell on the floor. The groom picked up one rose as they danced the tango! Encore, encore! Congratulations to the newly married couple, Meagan and Chris!
