This past weekend, I went to a meetup in Charleston, South Carolina. While I was there, I learned a few things about South Carolina, including that they believe that calling a cockroach something else makes it less of a cockroach (it does not), and that the beach had phenomenal shells.

I was only there for a brief time, but I was able to participate in one activity – visiting a historic plantation. The one we chose was Middleton Place, a rice plantation that was the home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a signer of the Ordinance of Succession (two different people, obvs).

It was an interesting place. A volunteer in period garb explained to us how to cooper a barrel and also about how slavery on a rice plantation was slightly different than cotton or tobacco, in that growing rice is a really difficult skill to cultivate (get it) so the relationship between master and slaver was more complex.

I took some photos, but mostly of flowers and animals.

One of the few remaining statues after the north razed the plantation.

Peacocks and peahens, and my colleagues, Alx, Kevin, Denise, Xiao, and Cat

Automatticians in a garden

Birdbath with flower

A tree was here.

A farther view of the statue

There was a mill and an unsurprising amount of ponds (rice farm and all)

It’s a goat

Water buffalo

Hogs