Bicycle Funny

George St., Charleston, SC

Here is a funny from a collection of Ten Best Bike Jokes:

A Nerd and His New Bike
A nerd was walking down the sidewalk one day when his friend, another nerd, rode up on an incredible shiny new bicycle.

The first nerd was stunned by his friend's sweet ride and asked, "WOW! Where did you get such a nice bike?"

The second nerd replied, "Well, yesterday I was walking home, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up to me on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, 'Take what you want!'"

The second nerd nodded approvingly, "Good choice. The clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

Y'all behave. I have to go hem an evening gown for a date with a priest on Saturday night. No one could make up my life story.

Guess Where?

Extinct Species Graveyard, Charleston, SC

Anyone recognize this lowcountry spot? I expect it will look familiar to local moms of small children.

The Presurfer led me to a page of photographers taking funny pictures of photographers

amplesanity said, "There's a new sheriff in town who speaks precisely and coherently, but I'm sure we'll adjust."

j-walk is talking about how to identify a Canadian again. Nope. Can't spot me. I can pass for native. I'm bilingual. I can say "eh" and "y'all" in the same sentence while sipping ice tea on ice skates.

Just kidding about the ice skating. I haven't tried that since I was 17.

Dr. Joe from the Book of Joe warns that the "ovaries may pull off and be a choking hazard" on your Plush Uterus toy. Don't you just hate it when you choke on your plush ovaries?

Where were you?

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Women's Waiting Room, Charleston, SC

Where were you when Barack Obama was sworn in as President?

I was where I've been for most historical moments in my lifetime - gathered with friends in a hospital waiting room, pausing to help visitors find their doctors, watching proud parents go by with new babies, scurrying to find a wheelchair and directing a student to her mentor. We ate our sandwiches watching one of the most exciting events in my lifetime. What a happy day!

Happy MLK Day!

MLK Parade, King St., Charleston, SC

What a wonderful day! I am so pleased to have the day off and be part of the joyful energy surrounding the Martin Luther King Day parade this morning. It's kinda hard to focus a camera when your eyes are all teary. Sniff. I never really knew what the appropriate greeting was for MLK day but I do today, it's "Happy MLK Day!"

I'll upload more into this gallery later but I need to jump into action right now. In fact these pictures have been posted while the parade is still going on.

A room with a view

Harbor Grille, Charleston, SC

I am learning that when I walk into a place carrying an impressive camera people tend to assume I'm supposed to be there and welcome me in. Little do they know I am just curious and enjoy snooping around.

A lady who reads this blog from across the country emailed explaining that she was considering hosting an event at a Charleston restaurant and since I tend to eat out a lot (shut up) wondered if I had any opinion on the location.

The restaurant she was looking at happened to be where we had an early lowcountry blogging meet up - what was then the Toucan Reef. Here are a few more shots from that party. Lowcountry bloggers will find some familiar faces.

The restaurant is now reincarnated as the Harbor Grille but it still has the best waterfront view in town. Wow. The staff invited me in, gave me a large iced tea and encouraged me to snoop and take a few pictures. The manager explained that they mostly concentrate on private parties now but invited us to consider having another get together there.

Meanwhile, if the food is anywhere near as good as the view, I'd say it's the perfect place to hold a party.

Stephen Colbert Feels Like Dancing

This isn't exactly a "photo a day" but so much fun I think I'll be forgiven since Stephen Colbert is a native Charleston boy. As the folks at We Heart This say, Please to enjoy!

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance

Crosstown, Charleston, SC

I include this building in our "Church Picture in Lieu of Attendance" series because the gentleman regularly maintains his religious themed mural on the building, touching it up as needed. Clearly visible to anyone crossing the Charleston peninsula I caught a bonus Charleston Black Cab in this view.

The text on the building reads, "Jesus is the only Fire Escape. No more water but by fire next time."

Faith bloggers seem to be one of the fastest growing group of bloggers. I got a kick out of this list of clues that you might be a Faith Blogger.

You might be a faith blogger if…

• if you sit in the back row of the church because that's where the wifi signal is the strongest
  
• if your sermons allow both comments and trackbacks
  
• if you tithe through a widget
  
• if you think committing the original sin is getting tempted by the latest Apple
  
• if you pray that God will allow you to upload your photo to the Lamb’s Book of Life
  
• if your prayers are less than 140 characters because thats all Twitter allows
  
• if you ever wonder why the domain of Satan doesn’t have its own URL
  
• if you think Jesus’ command to Peter to “Feed my sheep” was to allow RSS syndication
  
• if you think streams in the desert is a blog from Las Vegas
  
  . . . then you just might be a faith-blogger!

Look deep into my eyes.....

Comedy Festival, American Theater

I am fascinated by hypnotism shows. I have to go to them. It doesn't make any sense to me that these people are hearing exactly what I hear and yet are dropping like flies and doing whatever is suggested. I am always determined that I could not be hypnotized but love it that other people can.

This evening I had a couple of friends come over and we walked down to the American Theater to see Peter Gross do his Hypnotism show as part of the Comedy Festival. My friend Jeanette was determined to volunteer and got up on the stage but was dismissed. I suspect she fell immediately into too deep a sleep to be entertaining. There were a lot of young people in this particular audience and they were falling to sleep in the audience around us and joining in on the act from their seats.

I had my little pocket camera and it seemed okay to take a picture. In this scene they were told their shoes were cell phones and they were all carrying on conversations talking into their shoe. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Baby, it's cold outside.....

Tellis Pharmacy, King St., Charleston, SC

The glass door to Tellis Pharmacy on King St. was vandalized. The temporary plywood door has already been decorated.

The temperature is dropping fast and I still need to go out and wrap up my hibiscus. By the time I get back inside I might be able to add to Eric Zorn's collection of "How cold it it" jokes:

• It's so cold, we had to chop up the piano for firewood - it only gave us two cords.
  
• It's so cold that I actually feel like listening to Rush Limbaugh. That's how desperate I am for some hot air.
  
• It's so cold, a Chicago alderman was seen with his hands in his own pockets.
  
• It's so cold, my dog is stuck to the fire hydrant with his leg in the air.
  
• It's so cold, if you suck on an ice-cube it just gets bigger
  
• It's so cold people in court with traffic tickets were pleading guilty and beg for the electric chair!
  
• It's so cold I fell out of bed and my pajamas broke.
  
• It's so cold, Chuck Norris put on a jacket.
  

How cold is it where you are?

Art for Heart

Chef Sean Brock at the Art Institute, Heart Association benefit, Charleston, SC

I was leaving work after a late volunteer orientation session and stopped to help a poor lady who had fallen in front of the hospital when my friend Andre' called to say that McCrady's chef extraordinaire Sean Brock was cooking at the Heart Institute if I cared to stop by and take pictures.

Cool, I thought, I am into the Heart Association, and asked which hospital it was at. Between the chaos I was in and his accent it turned out to be the "Art" Institute rather than the "Heart" Institute. You can color me confused when I walked in to the Art Institute to find all the Heart Association gals I work with on a regular basis working the fundraising benefit. Do I have your heads spinning? Mine was.

Needless to say the action was in the kitchen and I've discovered I have a season pass - my camera. What fun. Sheesh. These folks were artists. I was amazed and stunned to learn I was welcome to lift forks right out of their hands to taste the delicious treats. Omigod. They had no idea I meant to warm up a leftover slice of pizza for dinner.

Charleston Daily Photo?

St. Philip St., Charleston, SC

Now that I am a member of the City Daily Photo group, one picture a day is posted on the City Daily Photo homepage. It's addicting clicking around to see what is happening today in cities all over the world. I thought I would throw a kink in the works with today's picture. Yep. This is Charleston, South Carolina. Here is a larger version.

I often stop by this abandoned building behind Memminger Elementary on St. Philip St. and take a picture of the neat old door and grumble about new smears of graffiti. I stepped in the yard automatically this time and as soon as I took the picture a security officer asked me what I thought I was doing. Oooops. I knew something was different with the Bata Shoe store sign. Turns out I was walking on to a movie set. It is already back to normal again.

Towed, Crushed & Melted

King St., Charleston, SC

When you are a Judge you can tell someone not to use your parking spot and mean it. This sign makes me smile because I am always scribbling notes to leave on cars that block my drive. I need sterner language.

I survived two days of leadership meetings only nodding off briefly during the South Carolina Hospital Association grassroots advocacy lecture right after lunch. Two days of sitting still in a chair earns me enough good girl points to order pizza.

Edit: Whoopsie. A reader in California read this post, knows Joe Mendelsohn and forwarded it to him. I just got an email inviting me to stop by on one of my walks and meet him. Maybe I'll ask where he gets his signs!

Eloping to Africa?

Two Meeting St. Inn, Charleston, SC

It's been a long day, kids but all is well. I was just going to toss a pretty picture at you while my grilled cheese sandwich is browning but I found this adorable story that I have to pass on it's merry internet way:

German Lovers - aged six and five try to elope to Africa:
It is a dream that has been shared by lovers across the centuries – the chance to elope to exotic lands. But few would have been as bold and spontaneous as six-year-old Mika and his five-year-old sweetheart Anna-Bell who, after mulling over their options in secret, packed their suitcases on New Year's Eve and set off from the German city of Hanover to tie the knot under the heat of the African sun.

The children left their homes at dawn while their unwitting parents were apparently sleeping, and took along Mika's seven-year-old sister, Anna-Lena, as a witness to the wedding.

Donning sunglasses, swimming armbands and dragging a pink blow-up lilo and suitcases on wheels packed with summer clothes, cuddly toys and a few provisions, they walked a kilometre up the road, boarded a tram to Hanover train station and got as far as the express train that would take them to the airport before a suspicious station guard alerted police.

"What struck us was that the little ones were completely on their own and that they had lots of swimming gear with them," said Holger Jureczko, a police spokesman. He described Mika and Anna-Bell as "sweethearts" who had "decided to get married in Africa where it is warm, taking with them as a witness Mika's sister".

Anna-Bell told the German television station RTL: "We wanted to get married and so we just thought: 'Let's go there.'"

How adorable is that? The story ends with the police officer saying, "They'll have the chance to put their plan into action at a later date".

Maybe they can come to Charleston on their honeymoon. I understand the Inn in the picture is a romantic honeymoon destination.

Bedtime Funny

Spring St., Charleston, SC

I love this little barber shop. Maybe I should go to barber school. You'd trust me with sharp scissors up close wouldn't you?

Bedtime funny:

Better than a Flu Shot!
Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties and had never been married. She was admired for her sweetness and kindness to all. One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room. She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea.

As he sat facing her old Hammond organ, the young minister noticed a cute glass bowl sitting on top of it. The bowl was filled with water, and in the water floated, of all things, a condom!

When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat. The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist.

'I wonder if you would tell me about this?' pointing to the bowl.

'Oh, yes,' she replied, 'Isn't it wonderful? I was walking through the park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease. Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter.'

Early to Bed

Poe's Tavern, Sullivans Island, SC

I met my friend Andre' for a bite to eat at Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island, and now I am suddenly very, very sleepy. No bedtime stories for you tonight.

It's time for folks living in the lowcounty to vote for Charleston City Paper's "Best of" Charleston awards. Click here to cast your ballot. You do need to vote in at least 35 categories to make your vote count. This is your chance to give your favorite places a little gift by nominating them.

Naturally Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital is the Best Place to have a Baby. We had thirty two babies in the Nursery the other day. Do they have bunk bed bassinets?

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Wise enough to be allowed to miss the next two days of leadership training meetings I am signed up for do ya think? Yawn. Don't stay up too late, kids.

Sunday Hodge Podge

mia Pomodori, Rutledge Ave., Charleston, SC

Teeny tiny Dave's Seafood Carryout is being transformed into a Pizza Restaurant after sitting vacant for months. I love it when places that seem to be abandoned are resurrected. Here is the contact info for mia Pomodori in case you want to give it a try or order me a gift certificate. Harhar. I have to keep up with all the new food options within my walking territory.

This gentleman has a beautiful Charleston flickr album.

My previous blogging platform Journalspace is no more and the domain has been auctioned off on eBay. Thousands of blogging refugees sold like cattle. Now we learn what really happened.

Local blogging buddy Chuck is the profiled feature in the Lowcountry Sun this month. I know famous people.

This is indeed the oddest and funniest etiquette book you will ever see. Don't tell anyone I sent you to it: Recently Deflowered Girl.

My kid was robbed. Did I tell you that? Arriving safely home in Portland she tucked all her belongings into the trunk of her boyfriend's car. Someone must have seen them stash the goods, broke a window and went in through the back seat to take her laptop, camera, backpack, everything she had brought back from Christmas in Charleston.

The other night my phone rang at 1:30 am and a lady asked if I knew anyone by my daughter's name. She was calling from MoJo's Restaurant in Vancouver, Washington. She had arrived home from holiday in Florida to find a bag tossed into her alleyway full of letters, mementos and pictures and found my name and address.

So, the kid lost everything with a dollar value but may have salvaged some of the sentimental items thanks to these honest people who took the trouble to track me down. If you live in Vancouver and are familiar with MoJo's please let them know how much I appreciate their kindness.

Clearly not ready for a Monday. G'night folks.

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance

St. Thomas Church, Cainhoy Rd.

I got into the habit of featuring a church picture each Sunday on my previous journal Walk this Way, and this is one of my favorites. I spotted it as a flash of white in the corner of my eye and found this abandoned church set back in the woods.

A lady in a house nearby had a key and let us take a peak inside. This structure was built in 1819 and is falling into sad ruin. She was desperate to get anyone's attention who might help fix it up. I've half thought of suggesting it as a Day of Caring project, even just to tidy up the churchyard. Think I could rally a team?

I hope everyone has had a good weekend.

She Sells Seashells

Botany Bay, SC

According to The State newspaper, Botany Bay leads led the 2008 list of best outdoor trips in South Carolina. Googling links for you makes me want to go back. I've never seen a beach with so many shells and someone had fun putting a sea shell on the top of each piece of driftwood all the way along the beach. More here so you can see what I mean. I was skipping from one to the next in delight.

Miss me yesterday? I was everywhere from Wadmalaw Island to a party for kids with cancer at Wild Dunes. I was supposed to meet pretty Emma early this morning to see if we could win her Miss Photogenic Hanahan High School for the third year in a row but it's been raining so far and I am enjoying being forced to be lazy with my tea and newspaper.

It sounds like it has stopped raining for now so I may walk down to Harris Teeter and pick up some blueberries for pancakes. It is the weekend after all.

Today's silly link is Freaky Face Painting from Book of Joe the world's best blogging Anesthesiologist.

Later, kids.

Looks like they built it. Again.

Pyramid Tomb, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC

Charleston has a pyramid. Paris has a Statue of Liberty. Japan has an Eiffel Tower. Today's news claims that a gentleman in Atlanta is going to have to sell his replica of the White House and Filmmaker Ahsanullah Moni has built a life-size replica of the Taj Mahal in Bangladesh.

Shah Jahan thought he had taken care of the problem of someone copying the Taj Mahal by chopping off the hands of his top stone masons so they couldn't build another one. Do we still do that?

Let's Talk Baby Talk

Carson Anna Conrad, Charleston, SC

Do I have the best job in the world? I was asked to take a picture of this little sweetie pie. What a darling. I had to get this close just to sniff that fresh baby smell. She was born early and was snuggled up in a soft "bundle" that volunteers from Newborns in Need had made and the nurses wanted a picture to show them how it was being used. The model's mother happily agreed that I could share her picture with you.

If it takes a village to raise a child, it's comforting to know village matriarchs all over the country are busy knitting bonnets and booties and sewing up cozy "bundles" to send our babies home well loved.

I give a lot of hospital tours and end each one with a peak in the nursery. It's a great way to end the tour and in this case the day. G'night kids.

Slow Down, Humans Present

Vanderhorst & Coming St., Charleston, SC

I believe everyone has gotten over expecting my content to have anything to do with my pictures and this evening I am here to present the world's best sock monkey. Is that not the greatest thing ever? The gal's husband made him for her for Christmas. Coolness abounds.

I am dipping into my photo albums since I get to show my pictures in a larger format here. It's been a bit too dark by the time I do most of my walking to take many pictures and I have to be careful what work ones I use. Meanwhile, I have plenty of filler to last until the evenings are lighter.

Little Boxes, Painted Boxes.....

King St., Charleston, SC

It's wild and windy out there kids. Tighten your bonnets!

This is some crazy site.

Yesterday's article on the tragedy of graffiti by Robert Behre on our precious old buildings suggested that we might consider offering more authorized places for artists to express themselves like the boat on Folly Rd. Even I have painted it.

Snooping around these Daily Photo Blogs I found this grand idea for painted traffic signal boxes in Brisbane, Australia. I love it! Almost every intersection has one and they always have graffiti scrawled on them anyway. This would be a great idea. They have an application process and a book.

Naturally I will need to go to Australia to research the project.

Hearty, heart.

Morris St., Charleston, SC

I've been collecting pictures with hearts in them lately and now see hearts in everything. Odds are you have one. In a pinch I can add one. Romance is everywhere. I found this one on my sidewalk this weekend.

I have a gift for you today. Hunter S. Thompson Motivational Posters. Don't say I didn't give you anything for the New Year.

Snow Days, Snow Days

Gillon St., Charleston, SC

I've been clicking around the other sites on the City Daily Photo site and started to feel left out. Everyone has snow pictures. Beautiful snow covered trees, snow men, and dramatic icicles posted while I'm pulling off my jacket to keep from over heating while I walk and taking second showers. I remembered this shot from early blogging days taken with a little pocket camera. Yeah! A Charleston snow picture.

Don't look too closely or you will see the hose they used to spray the snow on to get this final shot.

Not that I am complaining.

Tugs. Gotta love 'em.

Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC

Did you know you can join the Tugboat Enthusiast Society? Might be worth joining just for the membership card. A few years ago there was tug boat race with all the tugs lined up under the Cooper River bridge but I haven't heard of one since - and I have looked.

Here is a neato site with a collection of tug boat pictures.

This Nordic Tug would be my sweetie pie.

I survived my first day back at work and actually accomplished a few things. Don't worry about me going hungry, kids. I still have the most delicious leftovers from my weekend - green curry from Basil and Shepherd's Pie from La Fourchette. The Shepherd's Pie alone was enough to last me for three yummy meals.

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance

St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, King St., Charleston, SC

I found your bonus Sunday joke on Belief.Net. Yes, they have a religious joke file.

Pagan Wives
Q: Why do pagan girls make the best wives?

A: Because they worship the ground you walk on.

I've been off for a deliciously long stretch but I still have to spend the last hour doing what I do each week, scrambling to pay bills, putting out trash, doing wash and figuring out if I have any clean socks to wear to work in the morning. Sob. Is the holiday really over?

Quick note of interest for the rest of the refugee bloggers looking for new homes after the crash of our blog site Journalspace - the Journalspace domain, where thousands of our blogs were hosted is currently on sale on eBay for $1,250.50.

Before & After Shots

Bethany Cemetery, Charleston, SC

Aging is tough. That is a picture of me before a skin treatment and this is after. Naturally there is a rough period when the therapy is working.

Heheh. I did what cemetery lovers do when they wake up to find on a foggy weekend morning and took my walk through Bethany Cemetery off upper Meeting St. The first is one of my favorite angel babes in Bethany. The "after" shot is from Middleton Plantation and the therapy shot is from the Garden Festival at Middleton.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I'll be back later with a Church Photo. I'm having a little trouble with the idea that reality hits in the morning.

Across the Drug Store Counter

Calhoun St, Charleston, SC

My pictures have nothing to do with content. More often than not they are from the day's walk. This one was taken over the churchyard fence.

I stopped on my walk yesterday to have a few photos printed out at one of the drug store's instant machines. The gal behind the counter looked at me wearily, clearly hoping I'd figure it out on my own. I did fine until the machine stopped printing the order halfway through and needed more paper. She sighed, got up and apologized for her slowness to respond.

I'm pregnant.

Ummm.....congratulations?

Nooooooooooooooooo. Uhuh. No.

We were alone, and over the next few minutes talked through her sudden shock of learning she was pregnant after having her tubes tied eight years ago, having a baby when you didn't want to, crippling postpartum depression, unwilling partners, tough times, abortions, adoption, taking the best care of an unborn child you didn't want, hoping you'd find a family who wanted a baby and would give it a good life.

By the time my pictures had spit out all over the floor we were holding each other across the photo register counter and trying to put a brave face on the fact that if she followed through with her inclination that day, it may well be the happiest day of an unknown couple's life. Sheesh. I'm tearing up just thinking of all she'll have to go through. Even in a country with choices life can be ever so tough can't it?

If you are so inclined, say a little prayer for drug store photo shop gals with hard decisions. I might slip my best wishes in an envelope with a dollar amount, stop back by and see if I can find her again.

A New Year's Wish

American Theater, King St., Charleston, SC

I liked Miss Cellania's New Year's wish:

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address!

Hmmm. I'm not sure what to do about the "photo a day guideline" here. I took a whole series of pictures on my walk this morning. How do I cut back to posting one a day? Maybe I can make the first one of the day a "Charleston Daily Photo" and then fill the rest of the day with my usual nonsense.

New Year's Pig Pickin'

Wadmalaw Island, SC

One of the pigs raised on Chef Sean Brock's Wadmalaw farm was the center of attention at a gathering to bring in the New Year last night and I was lucky enough to be invited. Woo hoo! There was even a cake in poor piggie's honor.

We drove up at sunset to find two huge bonfires, kids sailing through the sky and tables overflowing with food and drink. They had built a smoker for the occasion and I was just in time to watch them lift the pig out and onto the flat bed of a truck. Hungry helpers stood around with spotlights and kids climbed up on the truck waiting for tasty scraps to be tossed in their direction. What a fun feast. For a happy finale, nothing says Happy New Year in South Carolina like shooting a couple of propane tanks in a farm field.

The rest of the pork sacrificed for the occasion is safely tucked away in the freezer at McCrady's restaurant waiting to be served in a slightly more formal manner. More photos here.

Happy New Year! 2009

Read Brother's window, King St., Charleston, SC

We will open the book.
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity
and
its first chapter is New Year’s Day.


Happy New Year, kids! The year may be an empty book but I've always enjoyed scribbling.

What shall we do this year?
* Learn to play one song well on the harmonica?
* Learn to dance? (Shut up)
* Make coconut macaroons that don't get soggy the next morning so I don't have to eat the whole batch immediately out of the oven.
* Con some educational institution into giving me an honorary degree. (I have a Canadian Diploma of Nursing and I collect certifications in topics of interest but no actual degree. Probably shouldn't write this here. My boss may not remember. Ssshh..)
* Most importantly: Try my hardest to behave and hold on to my job. Jobs feel like precious jewels right now.

2008 has been a whirlwind.
* I won a national award for my student mentoring programs in health care.
* Was invited to present on student mentoring at a regional conference with my friend Kelly and we got a standing ovation from hospital recruiters.
* Walked across England from coast to coast.
* Decided I should sell my house and downsize. Got in a panic about what all I would have to do if it actually did sell (don't see that happening) and started trading off my stuff for work done. Yep. I gave the painter the guest bed and the roofer my chest of drawers and antique trunk. You heard me. I bartered away my chest of drawers (Shut up).
* On a couple of occasions I have had photos in print in almost every publication in town at the same time. No one would ever know they were all from me though. Sneaky.
* Raised $58,000 for the American Heart Association primary by making very proper gentlemen dress up in Red Dresses.
* Won multiple awards for my volunteers by nominating them for the Governor's Award, Health Care Heroes. Jefferson Award. I do have a magic touch with a nomination.
* Adding up my numbers yesterday it looks like my volunteers will have served close to 80,000 hours this year.
* Added this one: I paid off my roof loan. Yipee!
* Made wonderful new friends and stayed close to important older ones.
* Ended the year losing 4 years of blog entries and close to half a million hits, on my former site Walk this Way. The site is unrecoverable. This doesn't just effect me but thousands of bloggers. I very much appreciate the welcome I've received at the Daily Photo site and encourage everyone to update their link. I am humbled by the emails I have been getting from folks who have followed me through the years - people I didn't even know have contacted me. Thank you to all of you for your support and friendship. I need it. Happy New Year!

New Year's Traditions

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, SC

I have always liked New Year’s Eve. My mother's family was Scottish and made a bigger deal of it than Christmas. After my divorce I was so determined not to be sitting at home alone on New Year's Eve that I volunteered for the then active Charleston First Night Festival and the next year found myself on the board and Volunteer Coordinator for the event. I'd recruit hundreds of volunteers to staff the events all over town and spent the evening going from belly dancing to gospel singing checking on all the venues. By midnight I'd be freezing, exhausted and happy. Now I am completely content to socialize earlier and be safely home at the stroke of midnight.

Forget Hoppin’ John, I like the Scottish tradition of the First Footer bringing good luck.

Snopes.com New Year’s Beliefs
The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you’re about to have. Ideally, he should be dark haired, tall and good looking,(well, yes!) and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household. Aim a gun at them if you have to, but don’t let them near your door before a man crosses the threshold. ......First footers must not be cross-eyed or have flat feet or eyebrows that meet in the middle.

Now, how do I pull this off? A sign on the street? Heheh. Another site allows that whiskey would also be a welcome gift.

Be Kind

Be Kind, Smith St., Charleston, SC

A whole new site with a whole new audience, who mostly haven't seen my world renowned collection of sidewalk graffiti. My head is spinning thinking of what to show first.

How about this sweet piece from Smith St.? It is one of the first I took when I realized the wealth of material scribbled in Charleston's sidewalks. There are a couple others in the Be Kind series. I have no idea how that happened. Hmmmm.

All things considered though, if you only have a few minutes to scribble something in wet cement and you happen to have a paint can opener in your pocket, Be Kind isn't the worst thing a person could write.

I'm afraid this isn't the last of the sidewalk graffiti. I spend more time looking at my feet than the sky.

Food, food. I need food. Anyone got anything good cookin'?

Oh! that I could have died for Ireland.

Captain John Mitchell tomb, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC

Late September of this year I received an email from a gentleman in Ireland who had found one of my cemetery photo albums online. He loved what he had found, but needed a photograph of a specific tomb. He'd gone through all of my pictures and not finding it, wondered if I would mind tracking it down at Magnolia Cemetery and taking the picture for him. He was writing a book about a Captain John Mitchell who had died on the parapet of Fort Sumter during the bombardment in 1864. The book was ready to go to press that Monday except for a blank spot that needed a picture of our hero's tomb.

Cool! A cemetery assignment. I tend to hang out at there anyway and Magnolia on upper Meeting Street is certainly a favorite. A friend who worked close to the area pre-scouted the location. It was important to feature the coping around the grave that was designed in the shape of the parapet at Fort Sumter where Captain Mitchell died.

"I willingly give my life for South Carolina; Oh! that I could have died for Ireland."

It was the day of the Lowcountry Heart Walk and as soon as I finished I went up, took the picture and emailed it to the author in the nick of time to get the book to his publisher. He wrote back thanking me and let me know he had made a $150 donation to my Heart Walk team in honor of his parents.

So many delightful connections have come about because of the internet and blogging. Give a shy girl a digital camera and a mouse and there is no telling what might happen. It makes me feel very fortunate that this all technological progress happened in my lifetime.

Okay kids. I had a peaceful day at worked but rushed home to meet a handyman who found the exact valve we needed to get my gas log fireplace working again. Bless him.

Sooooey!

McCrady's Farm, Wadmalaw, SC

My friend Andre' invited me to see the farm where chef Sean Brock nurtures his heirloom seeds, grows fresh produce for McCrady's restaurant and raises pigs. We headed out to Wadmalaw Island, stopping at the Piggly Wiggly on Johns Island for tea and coffee for us, and a couple gallons of milk for the famous piggies I'd been hearing about.

The farm was cool. The day was bright and sunny. After we walked the fields we took the dirt road to the pig farm. The promised routine was that the pigs would hear the car coming and rush from the woods for their treats.

There were no pigs anywhere. Not one. Andre' banged on the car to get their attention. We climbed over the fence and through the marsh calling for the darn piggies. Not a peep. Not an oink. Not a squeal.

It's been suggested that the herd of lowcountry pigs didn't feel like responding to a Frenchman and a Canadian making pig calls. Hmmmph. I'm still not convinced there are any pigs, but just in case, I found the video from the Iowa State Fair Hog Calling contest and I've been practicing. Pig Calling 101

Stay tuned kids. One day I'll tell you the story about my elementary school teacher leaping out of the classroom window to save my five year old brother and his friends who had set the neighbor's thatched pig pen on fire smoking their first cigarettes in secret.

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance

St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church, Anson St., Charleston, SC

It had become tradition on my previous blog Walk this Way to feature a Church Photo on Sundays. Today's featured church is St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church on Anson St. downtown Charleston.

Quote of the Day:
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo Buscaglia

I meant to write more but came home to home maintenance issues. Later kids.

Got my Eye on You

Charleston, SC

I wonder if any local folks can guess the location of this mural?

I bet something off this list of "Family Gathering Small Talk" comments will sound familiar if you participated in a family gathering of any size over the holidays. The Shoebox site has been making me smile lately.

Family Gathering Small Talk
* “Hey, there you are.”
* “Now that’s a shirt.”
* “We beat our best time getting here.”
* “Mmm…something smells.”
* “Are you the one who bites?”

I finished painting my porch spindles today. Blah. Home ownership ain't all it's cracked up to be. Then I had to lay in the tub for half an hour to soak the paint streaks off. Luckily my hair is already white so no harm done there. I am going to treat myself to a downloaded episode of Weeds before bed. I watched season two over Thanksgiving and am dipping into season three this weekend.

Pinkies Out

This misty morning. King St., Charleston, SC

I'm a tea drinker from a long line of tea drinkers. I apologize to my dental hygienist for steeping my teeth in black tea all year and make her earn her keep. I'm not a connoisseur. I happily drink gallons of Lipton tea from a chipped black Pirate mug. When I dash into the Terrace Theater for my Friday matinee, Mike, the owner nods to his staff behind the counter, "Hot Tea. Black. Earl Grey!"

People are finally catching on to the fact that I only drink black tea and I got a good haul this holiday season. I'm drinking Pure Ceylon English Breakfast this morning and have bags of loose leaf Assam and China Gunpowder to follow. Every once and while my sister Barbra tracks down a bag of Meghalaya Tea from the hills in India where we grew up. It has been so hard for folks to resist giving me herbal, floral, fruity teas that this entry by Denise at Uniquely Tea had me cracking up.

This is a monologue from George Carlin's book When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?

Fruit-flavored Teas
"I would like to talk to you about fruit-flavored teas. These would be teas that are flavored like fruit. Fruit-flavored teas. You need to understand that. These are not fruits. They’re teas.

But they taste like fruit. All right? They have names like strawberry kiwi, lemon berry, orange mango, wild cherry, blackberry and cranberry. They taste like fruit. And they sound like fruits, too, don’t they? They’re not. They’re teas. Fruit-flavored teas. And frankly, I don’t understand this.

Personally, I’ve always been of a mind that if you’re looking for fruit flavor, if you’re genuinely interested in something that tastes like fruit, and you find yourself in the tea section, you’re probably in the wrong aisle.

My advice is, if it’s fruit flavor you’re after, play if safe, go ahead and get some fruit. I have found in my experience that fruit almost always turns out to be reliable source of fruit flavor.

Another good place you may wish to look for fruit flavor would be in fruit juice. Fruit juice is made by squeezing the juice out of the fruit. Apparently, the juice that runs out of the fruit has fruit flavor. Perhaps that’s why they call if fruit juice. It doesn’t taste like tea. For tea taste, you would need to get some tea.

So let’s sum this up: If it’s fruit flavor you want, you can’t go wrong with fruit. Or, as I’ve pointed out, fruit juice. Don’t be ordering tea. Tea has tea flavor. It’s not like fruit. It’s more like tea. If you want tea, I say order tea. That’s a different experience. It’s known as “having tea.”

Have you noticed, by the way, there are no tea-flavored fruits? Take a clue from nature.”

Chasing the Black Cab

Ken. Charleston Black Cab, North Market St., Charleston, SC

It's time to introduce the first Charleston British Cab to the daily photo site.

I hope everyone is having a good day. I painted about half my porch spindles this morning because my old house is held together by 160 years of thick paint and needs regular reinforcement or it starts to fall apart. I washed off some of my paint streaks before I met a friend for lunch at Blossom and then slipped in a few shops on my walk back on King St. to see if things were reduced to free yet. I am liking this day off thing very much.

Brunch on King

Brunch on King St., Charleston, SC

Aaack! I couldn't believe my eyes. King St. was quiet on Christmas morning but it's still pretty nervy for a hawk to have a leisurely breakfast on the sidewalk in front of a store. He wasn't budging until he finished. Amazing.

Folly Beach Holiday Card

Love, Truth, Peace, Moon, Joy, Warm, Water, Dog, Now

Why am I up this early with no kids in the house? Merry Christmas everyone!

Do Not Park

Funeral Service, Please Do Not Park, Society St., Charleston, SC

Hmmm. Would it be tasteless to post this as a permanent sign in my driveway? It might prevent this.

I am a creative cook. I have a vegetarian and a meat lover to please. I'm starting off with curried zucchini soup, tomato and mozzarella salad, then braised lamb, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese and a pear tart. Not traditional but what was requested. I see a nap after the airport run.

Naughty & Nice

King St., Charleston, SC

I took this one a few years ago but am obligated to drag it out each holiday season. The risque display in the Victoria Secret Store clearly made the the reindeer wake up frisky. A photo catch like this is like a worm to an early bird.

I am off until Monday. Wow. A rare treat. My daughter flies back to Portland this afternoon (sniff) so I have Christmas dinner ready for today. I won't be following the photo a day guidelines this week as I am busting with pictures to post. Thanks to everyone who has tracked me down!

Baby in Waiting

Newborn Nursery, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Charleston, SC

At midnight on Christmas Eve, one of the Nursery Nurses will carry baby Jesus out to the manger scene and lay him in the manger. Meanwhile he waits with the other babies in the nursery.

Rutledge Ave.

Rutledge Ave., Charleston, SC

Welcome folks! Leave me a note. Let me know you found me.

College of Charleston

College of Charleston Campus, Charleston, SC

First day and already breaking the rules. Posting two pictures on a daily photo site. Testing, testing.

I've been wanting to join the City Daily Photo group for some time and will make my home here while Walk this Way is out of commission. Hopefully it will be up and running by week's end and this can be used just for Charleston photos. Meanwhile it will ease the blogging withdrawal pangs. Thanks to "R" the previous owner of Charleston Daily Photo who turned it over to me today. Picture me blowing kisses!

Meeting St., Charleston, SC

Charleston Daily Photo - Now Under New Management