Here doggie, doggie....

The Citadel Bulldog, Charleston, S.C.

This is a pretty impressive bulldog! Let's hope he doesn't come alive after midnight and roam the neighborhood. The Citadel Bulldog is the logo for the Citadel Bulldog Athletic Teams. Private First Class Davis offered to pose next to him to show the scale.

All ages, classes, races, called her blessed

Anna DeCosta Banks, Charleston, S.C.

I am celebrating Black History Month by recognizing one my Charleston heroines. At a time when nursing was a very young profession, Anna DeCosta Banks enrolled in nursing school in 1891 and worked her entire life as a nurse and teacher. She was head nurse of the hospital and training school on Cannon St. Here's to you Ms. Banks. You led the way.

Anna DeCosta Banks was born on September 2, 1869, in Charleston, South Carolina. The daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth DeCosta, Anna DeCosta was educated in the Charleston Public Schools and graduated from Virginia’s Hampton Institute in 1891. She enrolled in Hampton’s Dixie Hospital of Nursing and she was among its first graduates, later serving as head nurse at the training school. Upon returning to Charleston, she joined the staff of the Hospital and Training School for Nurses, located at 135 Cannon Street. She worked as head nurse and subsequently became Superintendent of Nurses, serving in that capacity for 32 years.

Banks once said, “I have found that when a person is sick or in need, it does not make any difference to them who you are or what. If you have come to help them, all are gladly received.” Mrs. Banks worked at the hospital and also as a visiting nurse for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. For twenty-four years she was a private nurse with the Ladies Benevolent Society in Charleston. When Mrs. Banks died in 1930, the Ladies Benevolent Society paid her this tribute: "All ages, classes, races, called her blessed."

“The colored people have long felt the need of a hospital where their sick can be properly cared for. Many of them have simply died for want of attention. The work has only been going on for one year and within that time we have paid $1,000 on the building, the whole cost being $4,000. The building has two wards, two private rooms, dormitory for the nurses, dining room and kitchen and reading room. We can accommodate fifteen patients at a time.”
- Mrs. Anna DeCosta Banks, Superintendent of Nurses for the Hospital and Training School for Nurses, to the Southern Workman, published by the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute where she received her own nursing education.

If ya like it then ya gotta put a bike on it!

Mixson Market, North Charleston, S.C.

If ya like it then ya gotta put a bike on it! How about this for window decor? I stepped in to check out the little gourmet grocery store at Mixson and liked the contrast of the bike hanging in the window.  Here is the website and menu for Mixson Market. The hood is changing kids!

I've been sitting on my butt in meetings all day and need to go row across my living room before bedtime.

Imaging that!

SCRUBS U Imaging Careers, Charleston, S.C.

Our Imaging Department hosted thirty high school students interested in exploring careers last night. My friend Meredith always has some freaky X Ray images to show them and then X Rays their cell phones. Meredith is a talented photographer behind a regular camera as well.

Thanks to all the staff who stayed late to talk about their career tracks and show the students what their work involves. I expect they changed some career courses!

Bowens Island Oyster Roast

Oysters at Bowens Island, Charleston, S.C.

There are work related events and then there are work related events. When a friend invited me to go to an oyster roast at Bowens Island supporting the Lowcountry Senior Center yesterday afternoon I said, "Yes, I can!" It is supposed to be cool and crisp outside for an oyster roast and we were right on the money.

I hadn't been out to Bowens Island for a while and wanted to see what they had done with the place since the fire. Sadly most of the old graffiti burned down but the oyster room is intact (not that you can tell the difference) and people are quickly writing on all the walls to return it to the original condition.
 

 

 

Spring can't be far away!

Hampton Park, Charleston, S.C.

Spring can't be far behind with blossoms like this! What a treat to see after that recent ice storm.

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - Summerall Chapel

Summerall Chapel, The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.

This morning's walk took me to the campus of the Citadel - the Military College of South Carolina so our church photo in lieu of attendance is the Summerall Chapel.  Built in 1936 it is a beautiful chapel and a sentimental favorite for weddings of graduates. I've attended the Christmas candlelight service that is a highlight each year.

Summerall Chapel is a shrine of religion, of patriotism and of remembrance. Every time the Corps marched the length of the parade ground, they could see the words, “Remember Now Thy Creator in the Days of Thy Youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Marching inside, the Corps saw the flags and the stained glass windows calling them to remembrance and reverence. Once the Corps was seated, the Color Guard marched in with precision and ceremoniously placed the flags of The Citadel and the United States in a position of honor and respect. The inscription above the altar, "To the Glory of God, and In Memory of The Citadel's Patriot Dead" served as a reminder of all who had gone before and lived the values of The Citadel.
Today, Summerall Chapel remains a special place in the lives of the Corps as well as its alumni. In the first place, it is for many of our cadets a place of sanctuary, a safe haven away from the constraints and stresses of cadet life. Secondly, it is of course a place of worship.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I have! Just got back from an oyster roast at Bowen's Island do I am fat and happy. 

 

 

Sunset on Shem Creek

Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

It was such a beautiful day I wanted to extend it by enjoying a sunset over the water and with as much waterfront as we have in the lowcountry there aren't too many restaurants that offer that. My friend Mike zipped us over the bridge in his Miata convertable which has to be the most fun way to cross the river. I stuck my camera out to get a shot.

I intended to eat at Vickery's Bar & Grill on Shem Creek (Caesar Salmon Salad....mmmmmm), which is the best place to watch the sunset over the marsh but apparently we weren't the only ones who know that. Since there was a long wait we grabbed a table inside at the bar and missed the direct view but the food was delicious and the company most enjoyable.

Up, up and away!

Basils Restaurant, Charleston, S.C.

This always makes me think of the bikes riding into the sky in ET. It is on the roof of one of Charleston's best Thai restaurants Basil. Oh yum. Green curry with eggplant, pad thai, oh my. It was the old Robinson's Bike Shop and the bicycle remained through a few business reincarnations and has become a King St. landmark. The bike store closed in 1998 after 110 years in business. That is quite a track record.

It's the weekend, kids! I didn't get out early but I did celebrate by going to see In Secret at the Terrace Theater which turned out to be a most depressing movie. I cheered myself up by stopping at Earthfare for a yummy dinner from their gourmet deli bar.

Knit one, purl one

Baby Bonnets, Charleston, S.C.

Aren't they adorable? Almost every one of the babies (over two hundred a month) born at our hospital has a hand knit or crochet bonnet. Ladies in the community bring me bags of the most beautiful handiwork. For some families it may be the only handmade item they will have.

I love delivering the bags of hats to the nursery nurses. At different times of the year I get festive Christmas hats in red with a white fluffy border, Clemson and Carolina School colors, orange for Halloween and a couple of camouflage hats thrown in for some proud hunting father to give his baby.

This particular batch was made by the knitting circle at Bishop Gadsden Retirement Home. Thanks ladies!

Amber fields of marsh

Waterfront Park, Charleston, S.C.

It won't be long before this marsh is lush and green.

Years ago I stood admiring the scene and a couple of tourists walked by and said, "If they cleaned out some of this grass this would be right pretty."  Gulp.

This picture is for my sister Shirley in Edmonton who sent me a bag of Smarties (the Canadian candy like M & M's) and Tim Horton's coffee. What a treat. The candy is sadly already gone. 

Murals at Avondale, Charleston, S.C.

Cutest little burger hut

Morrison's Burger Hut, Hollywood, S.C.

This has got to be one of the cutest and tiniest Burger Hut in the country and also perhaps one of the most religious. They boast of being the smallest eatery with the biggest taste. It was closed up tight when I went by but it was a Sunday so I expect they were at church.

Roxbury Park, Meggett, S.C.

Roxbury Park, Meggett, S.C.

The little town of Meggett, S.C. boasts a new park. The park is called Roxbury Park and I found it this afternoon. It was so bright and sunny it would have been a crime to lay on the couch and watch the second season of House of Card all day as tempting as that was.

According to the web site the property came up for sale recently and was slated to be developed for up to sixty homes. Yikes. The rural town felt this was an inappropriate use and purchased the property to be kept as a park. Lucky us! I enjoyed a walk through the park and met up with manager Ken Carmen who steered me to a few of his favorite spots. He happened to be showing around a couple who were scouting for Landscape Photography Magazine. You never know who you are going to bump into in the woods.

My blogging buddy at US Coastal  Hwy17 did a nice write up and interview:  Introducing Roxbury Park.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Say hello baby gator!, Charleston, S.C.

Not quite lions and tigers and bears but gators, and dogs and snakes. This is South Eastern Wildlife Expo weekend so I steered my walk through Marion Square and was pleased to discover all the exhibit tents at Marion Square are free to walk though. I was able to enjoy them and can decide if I want to treat myself to a ticket for the indoor displays tomorrow. I do enjoy the art, photography and bird carvings.

Catching up on the gossip

Chef Fred Nueville cooking demonstration

The bird was fascinated by every word

Here's lookin' at you, kid!

Valentine's Day

Keyla Childs, Miss Charleston 2014, Charleston, S.C.

I summon up a treat for all the gentlemen at work by inviting a beauty queen to serve as an honorary hospital volunteer on Valentine's Day and it worked! Miss Charleston 2014, Keyla Childs walked all over the hospital in those snazzy boots passing out candy treats and posing for photos with our staff and patients. She was delightful and brought a lot of smiles!

Thanks to every one who baked cupcakes for our sale. I'll turn some money over to the American Heart Association on Monday for Heart month. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Storm Sewer Babe

Storm Sewer Drain Cover, Charleston, S.C.

Not too shabby for a storm sewer drain cover.

Many years ago I fell in one down by White Point Gardens. The round over was loose and I was marching along quickly. I stepped on it, it flipped up and I fell in. I had nasty gashes on my legs and was lucky I didn't break both of them. I was able to get out and when I got home I called the city to report it so it wouldn't happen to someone else. A lady answered the phone and with a lazy drawl said, "you sound like you're alright". Yup. I could have snapped both my legs off but because I could talk she wasn't impressed.

I've been a little wary of these sewer covers ever since but this is a pretty one.

Pink lovers laundry line

Dorchester State Park, Summerville, S.C.

I think I walked through a photographer's staged shot without realizing it. I bet there will be a lovely portfolio shot in someone's album with a model sitting on the little log. The park ranger at Dorchester State Park said that was what it was and as soon as he said it, it made sense. There were at least three photographer's in action that sunny Sunday afternoon chasing babies and posing families. He said it was good for the park and encouraged people to come back. That is a very welcoming position since so many places hit photographers with heavy fees.

My picture is not what the park looks like today. It's been a cold and icy spell with a lot of trees down. Schools have been closed and a lot of folks don't have power. I was lucky, got to work easily and have my heat on. I hope things get resolved soon so people can be comfortable for the night.  Take care and stay warm folks!

A little off the top

Waterfront Park, Charleston, S.C.

These trees had a rough hair cut. I am sure it will all pay off in the spring but it leaves them looking a little odd all winter.

Shirley Temple died. Wasn't she the most adorable little kid? I hope she had a good and happy life.

It is almost 9 p.m. in February and I'm trying to figure out who is setting off fireworks? Huh? My birthday was yesterday.

Celebrate!

Dessert at SNOB, Charleston, S.C.

I enjoyed a little pre-birthday celebration at SNOB restaurant on Saturday night. I ordered Chef Frank Lee's famous shrimp and grits and they sent out a courtesy birthday dessert of Greek yogurt panna cotta with a candle in it. Thanks SNOB! 

Today was my actual birthday and a hard working day with lots of meetings. I made up for it with an extra dinner out at Taste of Thai. I guess it's lucky we don't have birthdays every week or I'd weigh more than the restaurant!