September Blossoms

Window Boxes, Charleston, S.C.

Not too very bad, eh, for September window boxes in Charleston? Thanks to all the homeowners in historic Charleston who go the extra mile to delight us as we walk by.

Lowcountry Heart Walk 2013

Lowcountry Heart Walk 2013, Charleston, S.C.

Cute kids, dogs, Star Wars figures, heart survivors - I couldn't go wrong with photo-ops like that! More than any event the Lowcountry Heart Walk is a family affair. Seeing so many people wearing red ball caps indicating that they are survivors of heart disease brings it home how far we have come in knowing how to prevent and treat heart disease.

More photos uploading here: Lowcountry Heart Walk 2013. Grab 'em and tag 'em kids!

Remolding Jestine's Kitchen

Jestine's Kitchen, Meeting St., Charleston, S.C.

Jestine's Kitchen drew a lot of attention when it closed abruptly during the middle of the day leaving people to wonder what had happened and long time employees scrambling for jobs. Here is the scoop from the Post & Courier.

So, instead of seeing a long line wrapped around the corner yesterday I saw this sign in the window. I took the picture because I giggled at the use of "Remolding" instead of Remodeling. I assumed it was a typo but apparently not. You can remold a building.  Ya learn something every day.

Re`mold´    (rē`mōld´)

v. t.

1.

To mold or shape anew or again; to reshape.

Please Don't Sit on the Flowers

North Market St., Charleston, S.C.

Someone is trying to give their flowers a chance in a seat level window box on North Market St. Don't sit on them!

Horsing around in Charleston

Old South Carriage Company, Anson St., Charleston, S.C.

I caught this fun shot at the Old South Carriage Company building and stables on Anson St. this afternoon. I had a meeting at the Charleston County Library and put my walking sandals in the car so I could enjoy the lovely weather on a walk downtown.

I have a sneaking suspicion about who modeled for the mural, don't you?

Taking Your Best Shot

Tri-SCAVA Group, Anderson, S.C.

This was the gathering of the clans in the Volunteer Management world in the upstate yesterday and I was the featured speaker! My topic actually was about promoting non-profits and volunteer programs through photography and I was invited up to Anderson, S.C. to present. What a great group of people. They included volunteer coordinators from libraries, hospice, Americorp, shelters etc. It was a most impressive gathering. Thanks for inviting me folks!

Naturally I made them pose for a group shot a the end of the presentation. :)

Charleston Navy Base

Old Charleston Navy Base, North Charleston, S.C.

I met my son for brunch at Madra Rau the Irish Pub in North Charleston and took advantage of being in the area to walk through the old Navy Base housing. There are still amazing buildings there in various stages of repair. It's nice to see some of them have been repaired and used for the Army Wives series. Others are still waiting for some love and attention.

Zumba for Hearts

Queenie leads Zumba class for the Heart Association, Charleston, S.C.

My friend Sheila Vega and her zumba instructor friend Queenie hosted a Zumba class to raise money for her "Wonder Hearts" Lowcountry Heart Walk team. I drove up to a community center on Greenridge Rd. in North Charleston to join the fun and add a couple of door prizes. What a high energy gang! Queenie kept everyone moving (even if I don't always spin in the right directions) and had guest instructors step in to lead different songs. Fun morning. Thanks folks!

I got home in time to get to a beautiful wedding at Hampton Park this afternoon.

Do you remember what today is? Today the kids we delivered on the night of Hurricane Hugo turn twenty four years old and they are old enough to buy the nurses who stayed to take care of them a drink! I want my drink. Cheers and happy birthday!

Lowcountry Heart Walk - 9/28

One more week until the Lowcountry Heart Walk. There have been amazing advances in prevention awareness and treatment of heart disease. Think about supporting winning research. Consider walking, raising money or making a donation to sponsor ME!. Bless your hearts. Lowcountry Heart Walk.

Fasten your seat belts

George St., Charleston, S.C.

Fasten your seat belts kids, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

This is in the little park on George St. I am sure it is part of the College of Charleston campus. I pop in now and then to check on my bear which is the same area.

This is the time of year to be in Charleston. The humidity has lifted and it is glorious outside. I set my dinner table outside last night to enjoy the weather and it was perfect. 

On the Road - Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

It's time to whisk you away from Charleston again because I never posted the pictures from my visit to Crown Hill Cemetery on my recent trip to Indianapolis. I dashed out the door the minute my workshop was done and flagged down a cab aiming to find John Dillinger's grave.

Duh me. The cab driver asked where I wanted to be let off and I suggested the main gate as we passed block after block of walled cemetery grounds. Turns out there are 555 acres, 25 miles of paved road and over 200,000 graves. Oooops.

I never did find Dillinger but I had a good walk and it is a lovely cemetery. I followed a line in the road to an Information Office only to find it closed and map containers empty so I explored trying not to get too lost and luckily my loyal and well tipped Nigerian cab driver came back to get me and then drove me to the airport the next day. It didn't even dawn on me to try to pull up a map on my phone. Sorry Dillinger. Catch ya next time!

 

Mousey murals on East Montague

Mousey Murals on East Montague, North Charleston, S.C.

I spotted a couple of new (new to me) murals on East Montague that were worth screeching to a photo stop for. Cool!

Under the Boardwalk

Magnolia Gardens Swamp Walk, Charleston, S.C.

Picnic! I love picnics and talked my son into joining me for a walk through Magnolia Plantation's Swamp Walk this morning. We enjoyed a picnic and then spotted this fella hiding under the boardwalk on the way out. Maybe he thought since he couldn't see us, we couldn't see him.

Table 118? Not so much.

Table 118, Lake City, S.C.

I often post photos of delicious meals I've enjoyed but rarely make a fuss about meals that weren't such a hit. Readers often try restaurants I've recommended so I consider not talking about them enough. I simply haven't given publicity to places where the food or service has been disappointing.

I am willing to make an exception for Table 118 except for one little snag. I can't even get inside and I already have a bad taste in my mouth. 

After the great success of Artfields art festival in Lake City earlier this year I was eager to promote the entire project. I told everyone I knew about the festival. I loved the idea of reviving an entire little town around an art festival. I heard raves about Table 118 described as a high end restaurant in the little town and I was determined to come back to support it.

I've tried. Believe me. The first time I tried to go back it was for dinner. I checked the web site for dates and hours, called to be sure, left a couple messages asking for a reservation (got no response) and finally went ahead to made plans to head all the way there from Charleston since the answering machine message said they were open for dinner. Late that very afternoon after numerous calls I finally got someone to answer the phone who said they weren't going to be open for dinner. Huh? I was really annoyed. I told her that their web site said they were, their answering machine said they were and no one had returned my calls. She didn't know anything about that.

The second time was my fault. No pre-planning. Caught them as they were closing. No harm done.

Third time looked like a charm. A friend was up for a road trip - why not give Lake City another chance? Two morning phone calls confirmed they were open until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Zoom, zoom, zoom. We pulled up at 1:30 p.m. to a spot directly across from the restaurant to find it closed. What the heck? A woman came to the door and said they had decided to close early for renovations that day. We said we had called twice that morning before we made the drive to make sure. She said she didn't know anything about that.

Never mind Table 118. I headed around the corner for some good old BBQ and friendly company.

Ashley River

Ashley River, Charleston, S.C.

As the name suggests, West Ashley is just across the Ashley River from the Charleston peninsula but unfortunately it isn't a pleasant trip by foot or bicycle. To take the pictures of the paddle board race yesterday I parked at the Holiday Inn, took my life in my hands to get across the street to get to the narrow sidewalk on the bridge. I had to stay alert for any bikes trying to share the space. It's too bad since so many people live close to the river and could take advantage of walking to things on either side.

I took the shot below looking down into the marsh. Someone had been enjoying a read by the side of the river. I've had some fun trying to guess what the book was. It is right next to the area under the bridge and may well belong to a street person who has found a hideaway spot.

Chucktown Showdown - Ashley River

Chucktown Showdown, Ashley River, Charleston, S.C.

I directed my morning walk to the Ashley River bridge this morning to catch the beginning of the paddleboard Chucktown Showdown race.  When David Quick from the Post & Courier zipped up on his bike at the last moment, I knew I had chosen my location well.

I am always blown away by the distance of the race. The elite group left Brittlebank Park, passed the Battery, circled Castle Pinckney and back over a course of 8.5 miles. The recreational group had a shorter course but even that is 4 miles. Yikes. These folks must have some strong arm muscles.

The gentleman in the top photo may have been paddling in the last of the group but his passenger appeared to be having a very good morning.