How to Plan a Staycation
Are the challenges of travel tempting you to stay home? If travel troubles have you thinking twice about packing bags, a staycation might…
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens in South Carolina
Magnolia Plantation in South Carolina boasts the last intact large-scale romantic gardens in the United States. This post contains affiliate links. For…
Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon in Charleston
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon is a quirky museum in Charleston, South Carolina, and a backdrop to some of the defining…
Fort Sumter in South Carolina
Charleston’s Battery and Rainbow Row faded from view as my travel companion and I sailed aboard the ferry toward Fort Sumter, perched…
Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens in South Carolina
Boone Hall is one of the oldest working plantations in America. Since its founding in 1681, it has produced a range of…
Wentworth Mansion in Charleston, South Carolina
“8004” The gentleman quietly ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon. He then requested six glasses and two chairs for the corner half-booth…
Emblem Ceremony on Parris Island
With a CD of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” playing, drill instructors award each recruit they’ve trained the Marine emblem of…
The Crucible on Parris Island — Part 3
In the Crucible, Marine recruits live out their training. With basic how-tos ingrained, they can concentrate on making crucial decisions—confident that they…
The Crucible on Parris Island — Part 2
In the Crucible, the reasons for the close-order drills, for the rigid and uniform standards for seemingly small things like making beds,…
The Crucible on Parris Island — Part 1
The recruits in this video, and the two to follow, have nearly reached the end of USMC boot camp’s Phase Three, which…
Combat Water Survival Training on Parris Island
Phase Two of boot camp features combat water survival. Many recruits arrive on Parris Island unable to swim; some actually fear the…
Martial-Arts Training on Parris Island
A drill instructor, in the blue sweatshirt, supervises mouth-guarded Marine recruits practicing martial arts on Parris Island. Leslie CarboneAfter my misspent youth…