Valentine's Day Song List

Hearts, King St., Charleston, S.C.

Blogger, J-Walk asked his readers to send in their favorite love songs and he compiled them into a Valentine's Day Play List on You Tube. If you click "Play All" at the top the songs play one after another. Thanks J-Walk!

The Swing

Swing, Wadmalaw Island, S.C.

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Deep South & Husky

Husk, Queen St., Charleston, S.C.

My birthday week festivities continued with my first visit to Husk Restaurant on Queen St. Chef Sean Brock from McCrady's opened Husk in November and after the recent publicity in the New York Times I felt lucky to finally have a chance to dine there. I'd been watching the progress that transformed the building that used to house the Gibbs Art Museum studio into this classy southern restaurant. I once took a calligraphy class in the main dining room.

Happily, I know good people who know good people and thanks to my friend Andre' Guillet, Debby and I never even saw a menu - Chef Travis Grimes simply sent out one delicious dish after another. Look at all this incredible food! It was amazing. My favorites were the clams and oyster stew in the most wonderful broths and sauces. We stopped by McCrady's after dinner to sneak into the kitchen and let Chef Brock know how much we enjoyed it. Thank you, thank you!

Sean is quoted as saying, “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door,” but a Frenchman, a Canadian slipped in last night with a Lowcountry friend and we enjoyed ourselves immensely!

Musicals that didn't Fly

King St., Charleston, S.C.

This is one of my favorite buildings on upper King St. Love the blue! Completely unrelated to that, I am here to share a link from the Shoebox Blog. They always makes me smile.

Broadway Musicals that Didn't Fly

- Annie Get Your Nails Done

- The Sound of Mucus

- Body Hair

- Milli Vanilli’s “Tommy”

- Brigadoomsday

- Guys and Inflatable Dolls

- Hello, Dali!

- Dead Swan Lake, The Bird Mystery

- Blagojaviched!

- The Miracle Worker

- Airport Pat-down, A Love Story

Happy Days!

Charleston, S.C.

I woke up on this birthday morning feeling a sad loss. I used to have a ninety six year old gentleman who made it his business to plan my birthday each year and he passed away last summer. Parties were such a delight to him that we celebrated his birthday with cake and punch for his memorial service after he was gone.

I didn't need to worry! I work with such wonderful people. I was supposed to go to a meeting at Roper Hospital at ten this morning and called to say that, although it didn't mean anything to them, my birthday is like a state holiday at St. Francis Hospital and I just couldn't attend the meeting. Heheh. Two cakes, two bottles of wine (ssshhh!), chocolates, balloons, flowers and so many cards and facebook messages later it's been a perfect day. I even came home to find a can of white marine paint to paint my canoe. Thanks Tom, Dianna, Carol, Lynne and everyone who made it so much fun!

I had dinner out with my son at Fuel last night, go to see the Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Dock St. this evening, dinner at Husk tomorrow night and the ballet on Saturday. Not a bad birthday week at all! Wow. Thank you everyone!

Hearty, har, har...

Hadrian's Wall, U.K.

A couple of years ago I set off with my friend Pat and her sister Kathie to hike across England from coast to coast following the excavation of Emperor Hadrian's wall. We walked just under 100 miles through gorgeous countryside, opening and closing at least that many pasture gates, dodging cows, stepping in sheep dung, exploring stone ruins, chapels and collapsing into big soft beds in beautiful old bed & breakfast inns at the end of the day.

I had my eye out for heart shapes on that trip and found them everywhere. The top one was on a door where we stayed on a working dairy farm. The photo below was outside the little shop where I bought my Roman hiking helmet. I was walking a Roman wall after all!

More photos of that hike in this album: Hadrian's Wall Hike

Pull up a chair

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, S.C.

My walk was foiled by rain so I've had extra time to play with my new computer and dip into a box of chocolates I haven't opened since Christmas. A friend asked for some Lowcountry prints to decorate his house with so I have been flitting through albums trying to pick what might suit and found this one I'd played with sepia tinting.

By the time it dried enough to walk, it was late and dark. I decided I shouldn't go out, and that irritated me. I try not to be stupid and walk the streets likely to be populated in the evenings but three young women have been mugged and assaulted in my neighborhood in recent weeks.

Caring people who know I march about town, ask me endlessly if what they read in the paper happened in my area and I have to admit it did. Then, as a rule they warn me not to go out at night, not to walk alone.

I want to say, yes, we should, we all should. We should turn our porch lights on and sit outside, visit across fences and play a little music. We shouldn't give away the neighborhood as soon as evil stakes a claim. Tonight however, without another soul in sight on my street, I stayed in. Blah.

As the Pavement Turns

Charleston, S.C.

Short stories in the pavement. As Valentine's Day draws closer I can't help wondering.....

Where are they now? Does Scraper still love Fish? Did Dundee do Jock? Does Andrew bring Heidi back to their piece of pavement on anniversaries? Did Barko and Linko settle down and have little Binkos? Are Chan! & Mike! happy forever? Did "Love No One"? find the love of his life?

Luckily I can turn the corner for another episode of "As the Pavement Turns".

Vote for Charles Towne Landing today!

Charles Towne Landing, Charleston, S.C.

I got a note from Cicek Beeby, (love that name!) Archaeologist at Charles Towne Landing asking that we spread the word about the work they are doing with research and preservation. I should have jumped on it right away because I love Charles Towne Landing.

There is a contest on the Archeological Institute of Americas website and we have a chance to promote the work they are doing. Tomorrow is the deadline and Charleston is slipping behind. You can vote once a day by going to the website and and cast a vote today and tomorrow. No registration necessary just a simple click of the mouse.

Hi Joan,

I follow your wonderful blog about Charleston. I am an archaeologist at Charles Towne Landing and I work with a lot of volunteers too. We are now competing in a public outreach contest on the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) website. We want to use this opportunity to get the word out there and promote our research and preservation efforts. Since you are a lover of everything Charleston, can I invite you to take a look at the contest website and vote for us? Perhaps you can even share it with your friends through your blog? We need votes :)

The link is: http://archaeological.org/outreach/contest/submissions You can vote every day (but only once a day) until February 8th.

Thanks so much. And feel free to look me up next time you are at CTL.
Best,
Cicek Beeby
Archaeologist
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site
1500 Old Towne Road

Hello Sunshine!

Bogard St., Charleston, S.C.

Hello sunshine! We've had such a stretch of gray and rainy days that today's bright sunshine was like a gift. Suddenly you can believe that spring isn't far away.

I walked the Spring St., Bogard St., Piggly Wiggly stretch this morning and spotted this marker in a vegetable bed in the Bogard St. community garden. Someone was being creative!

Speaking of gardens and farming this event looks worthwhile, affordable and fun:

Orvis Hill Farm Barn Raising: CHARLESTON CHEFS, LOWCOUNTRY LOCAL FIRST AND KEEGAN FARMS RALLY TO SUPPORT LOCAL FARMER
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 20, 2011) – More than 400 people will fill the lawn of Lowndes Grove Plantation Feb. 20 as Patrick Properties, Lowcountry Local First and Keegan Farms host the Ovis Hill Farms Barn Raising event to benefit farmer Charlie Caldwell of Ovis Hill Farms, who tragically lost his barn and more than 500 of his prized animals in a fire this past December.

Guests at the event will enjoy an oyster roast prepared by Nico Romo of Fish restaurant from 1 to 4 p.m., as well as special dishes from 12 other Charleston chefs: Mike Lata of FIG, Sean Brock of McCrady’s and Husk, Ken Vedrinski of Trattoria Lucca, Frank Lee of S.N.O.B., Jeremiah Bacon of Oak Steakhouse, Craig Deihl of Cypress, Ricky Hacker of Evo, Fred Neuville of Fat Hen, Marc Collins of Circa 1886, Mike Lotz of Triangle Char and Bar, Ben Berryhill of Red Drum and Jacques Larson of Wild Olive. The afternoon will also feature live music by local singer Elise Testone.

Tickets for the event are $50 per person and include all food and entertainment (beer and wine are not included), and free for kids ages 10 and under, in the hopes of raising $20,000 to rebuild the Ovis Hill Farms barn and replace the lost livestock. 100% of the proceeds benefit Ovis Hill Farm!

Think about it! Maybe I will see you there.

Wet Saturdays

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, S.C.

It's been a wet and drippy day in the Lowcountry and I left the house for the first time this evening to walk down to Grill 225 with my friend Debby who noticed they were dragging on their special restaurant week deals for an extra week. My belief is that if you walk to and from a dinner then you don't have to worry about the calories. Right? I'd never eaten there before and it was delicious. Long live Restaurant Week!

My big news is that I bought a new computer and a new router and I am so happy I can't stand it. I keep clicking just to enjoy the speed. I've been replacing bits and pieces for so long it is wonderful to have everything zipping along as advertised. My, my, my. I may be up all night surfing the web just because I can. I need to get some photo editing software lined up and I will be as pleased as can be. It was long overdue. Isn't it grand when things do what they are supposed to?

Staying Good

1965ish, Shillong, India

I was driven back to the airport after my recent trip to New York City by a turbaned Sikh cab driver and as we got out I couldn't help but say, "We are from South Carolina, you know, where we just elected the first Sikh Governor in the United States."

Of course he knew.

He said, "Yes, yes, I know. I hope she is good."

I said, "I hope she is. Sikhs are well known for honor and honesty. She is very clever and beautiful"

He was very thoughtful and said, "Yes, she is beautiful! I do hope she is good and will stay good."

Nikki Haley is the new Governor of South Carolina, a Republican woman and daughter of Indian immigrants. May she stay "good" and lead us well.

The photo is not of the very attractive Governor Nikki Haley but my father Donald Perry (on the left). He had grown a beard during our time in India and a friend wrapped a turban around him. When he sent the photo to his mother she didn't recognize him.

Sikhism believes in one supreme God. The Sikh school of thought teaches gender and race equality, sharing, working hard and being honest, contentment, selfless service, talking sweetly, worshiping, good etiquette, tradition, prayer, meditation, the concept of the saint-soldier/warrior, remembering God all the time in all actions, keeping in good company, proper sexual conduct, the life of a householder instead of becoming a celibate monk or rejecting the world, compassion, faith, justice, mastery, righteous actions, bravery, courage, love for God, humility, salvation, the afterlife, the law of karma which is counteracted by dharma, charity, and good will to humanity. It also teaches God's omnipresence, transcendence, omnipotence, and omniscience.

National Go Red Day

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Charleston, S.C.

I LOVE working with people who go along with my whacky ideas! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Visit the national Go Red day website for ideas on ways to stay healthy yourself and prevent heart disease.

My Kind of Town - Charleston, South Carolina

Broad St., Charleston, S.C.

When the Smithsonian Magazine asked authors to write essays about their hometowns, they wisely picked writer Josephine Humphreys to write about Charleston. A few years ago I went to Ashley Hall School to hear her read her essay out loud. I think you will enjoy it as well:

My Kind of Town: Charleston, South Carolina
Novelist Josephine Humphreys says the city is more than just her hometown, it's her life.

Josephine Humphreys is the author of four novels: Dreams of Sleep (winner of the 1985 PEN/Hemingway Award), Rich in Love, The Fireman’s Fair and Nowhere Else on Earth, an historical novel based on the true story of the Lumbee Indian outlaw Henry Lowrie. A former Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the Lyndhurst Prize, she lives in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was born.

Two Boats

Gina Brown Art

I am always tickled when artist Gina Brown paints a picture from one of my photos. Cool, eh!

Quote of the Day

Charleston, S.C.

"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like."
— Lemony Snicket

The colors pleased me and the quote made me smile. G'night kids!

Trailing through Tuesday

Thomas St., Charleston, S.C.

These folks probably think I am spying on them, I am so tempted to take a picture every time I pass their home. I try to be discreet and then, CLICK!

What a crazy day. Weirdness abounds, my friends. It's too bad I can't talk about work stuff here since I work in a hospital or this wouldn't primarily be a photo blog. Sometimes I do have to bite my tongue not to talk about my day.

I am going up to Hanahan to pick up my little canoe shortly. It's time for my sweet baby to come home.

Here is a new blog for my stylish friends to check out: I Like What You're Wearing. Oddly, I am not featured. Heheh. Do you think it is my ratty, scuffed "dansko shoes for life"?

Before & After - St. Philip St.

St. Philip St., Charleston, S.C.

Can it be Monday already? The best weekends slip away too fast and this was a perfect one. Everyone was out enjoying the sunshine. Marion Square was filled with students laying on the grass enjoying the nice weather.

I finally got inside the renovated Dock St. theater to see Blue on Sunday afternoon (thanks Debby!) and then ended the weekend with good friends at the best table in the house at McCrady's. My friend Andre' recently retired as General Manager so it was like old home week and we were treated like royalty. Royalty at McCrady's gets treated pretty well! Yum.

This evening's photo is a Before & After scene on St. Philip St. For a long time there was a facade barely propped up. Now, suddenly there is a whole new house there.

Fun Shop Names

King St., Charleston, S.C.

I'm surprised that shoe repairs shops still exist. I was googling around to find fun shoe store names and found this list of clever shop names in general. Fun!

Assorted Businesses and Services

* Alexander the Grate (fireplace retailer in Belfast, Northern Ireland)

* All Cisterns Go (plumbing service in York, England)

* Ashwipe Chimney Sweeps (Chicago, Illinois)

* Beecher Meat (butcher shop in Beecher, Illinois)

* C’est Cheese cheese shop in Santa Barbara, California)

* Cycloanalysts (bicycle shop in Oxford, England)

* Ewe and Me Fiber Studio (knitting supplies shop in Sandwich, Illinois)

* Floral 'n' Hardy (flower shop in Lanark, Scotland)

* Florist Gump (flower shop in Bunbury, Washington)

* Get Stuffed (taxidermist in Islington, England)

* Going Pottie (ceramics studio in Dunkeld, Scotland)

* Grate Expectations (chimney and fireplace service in London)

* Haute Dogs & Fat Cats (pet shop in Dallas, Texas)

* Indiana Bones Temple of Groom (pet grooming service in California)

* Jamaican Me Crazy ("family fun store" in Haddonfield, New Jersey)

* Julius Cedar (lumberyard in Saskatoon, Canada)

* Junk & Disorderly (furniture store in Nottingham, England)

* Knead to Relax Massage (Traverse City, Michigan)

* Melon Cauli (greengrocer and fruit seller in Birmingham, England)

* Merry Pop Ins Child Care (Jacksonville, Florida)

* Napoleon Boiler Parts (plumbing supply store in Alton, England)

* The Old Spokes Home (bicycle shop in Burlington, Vermont)

* Old Volks Home (Volkswagen service and repair in Richmond, Virginia)

* Oui Oui Enterprises Ltd. (portable toilet rental service, Chicago, Illinois)

* Pane in the Glass (window washing service in Contra Costa, California)

* Phydeaux (pet-supply store in Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

* Sew Materialistic (fabric store in Brooklyn, New York)

* Sofa So Good (furniture store in Vancouver, Canada)

* Thistle Do Nicely (souvenir shop in Edinburgh, Scotland)

* A Time to Kiln (pottery store in Red Bank, New Jersey)

* William the Concreter (concrete contractor in Durham, England)

* Womb to Grow (maternity wear and baby gifts in Lichfield, England)

Perfect Winter Days

Sweatman's BBQ, Holly Hill, S.C.

It's been the kind of perfect crisp and sunshiny lowcountry winter day that we are so fond of boasting about to everyone we know up north. I went for a drive in the country with friends, stopping for lunch at Sweatman's BBQ in Holly Hill and took this picture of a painting over the mantle in the restaurant. Hahah! Even the BBQ royalty have to have their portrait painted.

The big news is I bought this - a sweet wooden 12 foot long wooden Sassafras canoe. I had been googling around for a solo canoe I could handle by myself and had seen this one months ago. I scratched it off the dream list since it was sold as a kit for almost $900. Nah.

Last week I found a gentleman in Hanahan on Craigslist who was cleaning out his garage. He had bought the kit years ago, spent a month putting it together and never finished painting the outside. Whoa! He not only did all the work putting it together but gave me a super deal and was willing to throw in a seat and paddle. Happy days!

I am going to have to paint the outside but hopefully I can handle that. This sweetie only weighs 26 pounds so I should be able to carry it myself. I'll have to go back and get my new baby later in the week but she knows she is mine.