I sit in something called California Chicken waiting for a salad a couple of blocks from the South Carolina state capital in Columbia, SC. Carol is about five miles away talking with an administrator in the dance program at Columbia College, which has been in operation since 1852, though you couldn’t tell it from the buildings since it was burnt to the ground a couple of times over the years. Now it’s all red brick buildings.
I got a somewhat less than terrible night’s sleep. And we got out of the Charleston hotel about 10 and hit the road for a 2 hour drive to Columbia. It was an OK drive except for a torrential downpour that became more and more torrential as we approach Columbia. It got cool enough that I had to put on this light jacket I brought and a pair of Jeans in the male locker room at the all woman college.
The area is unimpressive, sort of uncontrolled California sprawl, strip malls aplenty, but with trees to make it all more green and to hide some of the ugliness of it. Also the gas stations all have strange names and the gas is at least a buck cheaper a gallon than back in SB
I will eat my salad, if and when it ever gets here, and go back and pick up Carol about 230 ECT and we will start the final leg of this transition day down to Clinton, SC, where the brothers should be assembled by the time we get there. Right now Dan and Steve are in the air and Teresa and Dave may already be down in Clinton or on their way.
Part 2: having arrived at the Day’s Inn in Clinton, David, Teresa, Brian, Dan, Steve, Carol and me (Nick) all went for pit smoked barbeque at Hickory Hills, 257 Torringon Road, Clinton SC. Low plain buildings stand in an area surrounded by a high chain link fence. Nobody seems to know why the fence is there; one person said by way of explanation, “It’s always been there.” One parks wherever one wishes there being no blacktop or parking spots per se.
One enters and heads straight for the all one can eat bbq buffet. One picks up a paper plate, the kind with the little ridges to make separate areas on the plate. One then proceeds to cover the plate with such things as cole slaw, potato salad, hash, white rice, chicken, fried and barbequed, pulled pork to be put between two slices of white bread or just eaten on the side, spare ribs, onion rings and pork rinds. Plus other unknown things. One downs the whole assortment with sweet tea, and if one so desires one can polish off the whole affair with soft chocolate ice cream. Oh, and of course one may go back to the buffet as many times as one likes. Oh, and corn bread of course, and green beans. The whole thing costs 8.99; one pays on the way out.
Then one lies down on the ground and never gets up again having gone to pork heaven.
