Charity

Charity, Charleston Museum, Charleston, SC

Charity was the statue that stood on the top of the old Charleston Orphan House. This is all that remains of her (framed in this shot by the hanging whale bones in the museum!) but the image below shows what the complete piece looked like.

Time to reproduce her. We need Charity to balance all the military related statues we have in the lowcountry.

Clearest image I can fine - from Shorpy

Walk with me - North Charleston, Riverfront Park

Charleston Naval Base Memorial, Riverfront Park, North Charleston

Fog! I was not the only person with a camera enjoying yesterday's fog. I went to North Charleston's Riverfront Mark & Naval Base Memorial. Along the with usual sculptures they have rotating outdoor sculptures on display. I was pleased to see a few of the historic buildings under repair.

I hope everyone is enjoying the new year!

Denmark Vesey, Hampton Park, Charleston, SC 

I always detour through Hampton Park to spend a few minutes with Denmark Vesey. How I wish this statue could come to life and talk to me. I suspect I'd still be there listening. More details on his story on this PBS site:

In 1771, fourteen-year-old Denmark Vesey was transported from St. Thomas to Cape Francais by slave trader Captain Joseph Vesey. Upon a return trip to Cape Francais, Captain Vesey was forced to reclaim Denmark, who his master said was suffering from epileptic fits. Denmark accompanied Captain Vesey on his trading voyages until the Captain retired to Charleston, never again showing signs of epilepsy.

In 1799, Vesey won the lottery and bought his freedom for $600. He could not purchase the freedom of his wife and children, however, and some claimed that this fact motivated his crusade to destroy the institution of slavery.

I worked yesterday since I had taken a few days off earlier in the week for my daughter's visit. Now I am completely confused. Happy weekend, kids!

Invaded!

George St., Charleston, SC   

I spotted this fella last weekend when I was rewarding myself with lunch at Caviar & Bananas on George St. Not sure what he is exactly - a giant locust?

I got a late streak of ambition this evening and burnt up my hand mixer trying to make divinity candy. It requires a lot of beating and boom * spark! Apparently you can only get 10  to 15 years out of a $7.50 beater.

Cemetery accesories

Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC    

This particular cemetery statue was dressed for the occasion with a pearl bracelet. I've walked through Magnolia Cemetery so many times that I am always trying to look at it with fresh eyes and see some new details. Spotting a pearl bracelet made my morning.

Lucky rabbit foot

Huey Cooper, Lake City, SC   

Hmmm....looking up the details on this statue in Lake City, SC I discovered that he was a beloved pan handler who let folks rub his lucky rabbit good for a nickel. The other interesting fact is that the police department built him a little house and he lived to be 105. He sounds like a character that found a home in their hearts.

I realize I owe you some actual Charleston Daily Photos but I did get a good haul of blog fodder shots on my recent trip to Lake City. I'll bring you back home to the lowcountry shortly. 

The statue, created by Florence’s resident sculptor Alex Palkovich, is a bronze, larger than life portrait of Huey Cooper based on photographs of the man sitting in one of his favorite spots. Cooper became a Lake City icon with his lucky rabbit’s foot and walking cane, his requests for nickels and his whistling invitations.
Originally hailing from Williamsburg County, Cooper made Lake City his home and lived in many places throughout the town: in the shed at the back of one couple’s yard, in another behind one grandmother’s home, in a small home built for him by the city’s police department behind the now-gone Dairy Queen.
A familiar face in Lake City for decades, several generations of those growing up in Lake City have a story or two to share about Huey Cooper. Most can recall giving him nickels to rub his lucky rabbit’s foot – something today’s visitors can now continue. His statue proudly offers a rabbit’s foot for luck just as Cooper once did and a small coin slot in his pants pocket allows nickels to be deposited.

If you like it put a blanket on it

North Charleston, SC  

Lucky for her we've had a warm fall and winter so far but I'll keep my eye out for a snugly jacket before we get a real chill. North Charleston Riverfront Park hosts a national outdoor sculpture competition that brings some interesting work to our area and is well worth a visit. Here is the full version of our gal standing on her poor victim.

Holiday parties continue at work - the Ambulatory Surgery nurses cook an amazing feast and invite all their volunteers to an annual feast. They could publish a cookbook based on this meal alone - ham, crockpot mac & cheese, potato salad, deviled eggs spread out all over the conference room. No wonder their volunteer team works so hard. 

Middleton Place

Middleton Place, Charleston, S.C.

Clearly my rowing machine work-outs have toned up my butt but worn my arms off. Heheh.

Lucky me! A friend offered to leave passes for me at the gates to Middleton Place and I was able to treat a couple of hard working co-workers as a reward.  We enjoyed a late lunch at the restaurant and enjoyed everything on the southern buffet. The blossoms were past their prime but the garden was lush and green.

Happy Easter!

Meditation Garden, Charleston, S.C.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend. As always lately on holidays I enjoy watching the pictures of family get-togethers and happy children streaming in on Facebook. I was blessed myself this year since I have both of my children with me and I am feeling very fortunate.

Today's photo is from the meditation garden at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital. I thought it was the perfect image for Easter Sunday.

Travel Tuesdays - Savannah, GA

Forever running, Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, GA

I've given myself the liberty of dipping into albums of photos that aren't limited to the Lowcountry on Tuesdays. This evening's photo isn't from too far down the coast - Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. It is an incredible cemetery and should be on the list for anyone who enjoys wandering in historic cemeteries. This statue of a joyful runner struck me as particularly unusual. Run on Julie! It's refreshing to see such a happy face running between the tombstones.

The tomb isn't as old as most are at Bonaventure and I easily found the obituary: 

Julie Backus Smith: She was a founding member of the Savannah Striders and promoted running in the Savannah area. She ran in the Boston, New York and Grandfather Mountain Marathons on numerous occasions and at the age of 55 she also participated in the Disney World Marathon. At one time in her career she earned the title of fastest female runner in the Savannah area.

*Travel Tuesdays will feature photos taken out of Charleston and the Lowcountry.  Join me for Travel Tuesday field trips!

Flute Playing Statue

Rutledge Ave., Charleston, S.C.

My friend Leah emailed me a few weeks ago when she was trying to track down a flute playing statue of a young boy. I knew I'd seen one but couldn't place the location. This evening I walked past him and had to grab a picture through the fence at Ashley Hall girl's school on Rutledge Ave.

Wow, that was quite a rain storm, kids! I was glad to be safely home listening to it all.