Eclipse, Charlottesville, Charleston the beginnings

A surprising confluence of events has merged to create this need to continue my writing. In 4 days the sun and moon will join together to hide the sun's glare during the day for a solar eclipse. In the US it will start in  Salem Oregon and with a brilliant show dance its way east and south to end in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston, the spark that lit the fuse of the bloody Civil War.

And now the spark has been lit again with the violent  terror in Charlottesville, Virginia where last Friday and Saturday, 100s of white supremicists and neo nazis marched  with torches and bats and guns to a murderous end. They shouted  "Jews will not replace us" and Take our nation back.

So here on the eve of the sun demurring to the lovely moon, darkness reigns over the country with a president whose only thought is that 'I am being treated unfairly'. I, I , I.

That is the setting for this much anticipated trip which began innocently enough after a conversation with my friend Karin who told me about the eclipse sometime back in May. "Come with me to Portland" she said. A once in a lifetime experience, a chance to go to Portland, and a new found sense of ' go do it',. I said YES.  After some research that the total eclipse was going to be 100 some miles south of Portland and that the only hotel left was not even close, I started to lose my interest.

Looking at maps of the eclipse that were now all over Facebook and the news, I saw that Charleston SC was right in the path. Charleston, where the Federal army defended Fort Sumter, and under siege and attack was defeated; Charleston, the heart of one of the oldest synagogues and now home to a vibrant Jewish community; Charleston, a city of plantations, parks, slave auctions, coastline beaches,southern humidity and heat.

Charleston, where there were still reasonably priced hotels and yes, an AirBnb.

I became excited and started planning.