I am very old

I am very old. North Charleston, SC

I spotted this sign by an ancient oak tree with low limbs on the old Navy Base and thought it would make a perfect birthday pictures so saved it for the occasion. Tada! I am old!

I have so many friends celebrating birthdays within these few weeks that it has become a good time of year to have a party. This year's theme was to cook a recipe from the old Charleston Receipts cookbook published in 1950. The party was hosted by my friend Josephine Humphreys and Tom Hutchinson at their beautiful home on Sullivan's Island.

It was a little tricky deciding what to make from the book and I flipped on past the Opossum pie, rabbit stew and Cooter (turtle) soup. I ended up making the traditional cheese log and eggplant au gratin but there were plenty of brave cooks and an amazing spread of food including macaroni pie, rum punch, red rice, chicken, peach cobbler and pralines. Fitting to the period most of us wore pearls and aprons. It was a perfect evening with good food and friends. Happy birthday to us all. I didn't take many pictures and I think these two were by Terry Richardson and Brandon Coffee. Thanks gentlemen!

Lighthouse Hunters - Sullivan's Island

Sullivan's Island Lighthouse, Sullivan's Island, SC 

Operated by the US Coastguard the oddly shaped lighthouse on Sullivan's Island is owned by the National Park Service.

Being one of the newer lighthouses on the coastline had its perks. Unlike historic lighthouse structures which are still in operation, and which feature hundreds of stairs for personnel to ascend to the top, the Sullivan's Island Lighthouse features an elevator as well as air conditioning, ensuring that the Coast Guard personnel who operate and perform regular maintenance checks on the lighting fixture can do so without excessive heat, or a long climb. In addition, the triangular design allows the structure to withstand hurricane force winds of up to 125 mph - a definite plus in a coastal region that has regular ferocious storms every few decades or so.

The comments on Trip Advisor won't bring in many visitors but did make me laugh. Wow! These folks were not impressed with our quirkily designed lighthouse.

• It's not pretty for sure. 
• Unable to get close to lighthouse. Not open to public. Cool bunkers close-by. It has a unique shape - unlike other lighthouses. Actually, it's unattractive.  
• Neat to see but could be better.
• My wife called it ugly but I though it was very interesting.
• But I have to give the Sullivan's Island Light the award as hands-down the ugliest lighthouse I have ever seen.
• This is NOT open to the public and it REALLY needs a paintjob. Probably the ugliest lighthouse I have ever seen.
• This is the strangest looking lighthouse I've ever seen. It looks more like an air traffic control tower than a lighthouse. 
• Took the kids to see the lighthouse but was disappointed we couldn't go inside. I thought we would be able to climb the steps inside but it's right by beach access so we went to the beach. Visit wasn't a complete waste of time.
• Ugly lighthouse. It's behind a fence with not much of a view and has no tour or information or anything. The wife, who is a huge lighthouse fan, wouldn't even get out of the car. Do yourself a favor and skip it.

The never ending winter

Sullivan's Island, S.C.

Here is a beach scene from Sullivan's Island to sooth your soul. They have been talking dirty on the news mentioning things like "winter storm watch" and "snow and sleet" for the lowcountry. Wash your mouth out with soap! I have lots planned for this week and don't have time for the city to shut down. Get ready to batten down the hatches, kids!

Just back from Lone Survivor at the theater based on a true story of a military mission involving Navy Seals in Afghanistan. I left the theater amazed at what they went through and kept fighting. What an incredible team.

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - Stella Marris Catholic Church

Stella Marris Catholic Church, Sullivan's Island, S.C.

Stella Marris in 1920

This morning's Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance is the Star of the Sea, otherwise known as Stella Marris Catholic Church on Sullivan's Island. It is a beautiful church and I'd always meant to catch it when the trees were in blossom. When I was walking on the island yesterday, the Mexican sage bush in front of the church was alive with yellow butterflies. It was beautiful and as always an opportunity to learn about the church's history.

Stella Marris Catholic Church: Father Bermingham bought the present church lot in October, 1868, for $100. He secured permission from the Secretary of War to use bricks from the ruins of Fort Moultrie to build the new church; indeed, in his enthusiasm for the project, he occasionally had to be physically restrained from tearing down additional walls of the Fort to secure even more bricks. On 18 January 1869 Father Bermingham laid the cornerstone for the new church, which he first called Saint Mary, Star of the Sea, or Stella Maris. Both Protestants and Catholics on the Island donated their time and efforts to clean the bricks from Fort Moultrie and help with the construction.

 

 See the butterflies!