Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - Branchville

Sardis Methodist Church, Branchville, SC   

I've been to Branchville, SC. I've had a hotdog and a float at the Churn and I've even enjoyed a great dinner at the Eatery at the Depot but until I recently noticed pictures of the Sardis Methodist Church on SCIway I'd missed it entirely.

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to direct a drive in the country towards the spot and I am happy I did. I ran into Mickey Byrd who was cleaning debris and tending to the cemetery. He showed me a few of the notable tombs including that of a Spanish American War soldier.

When I asked about the decorated Unknown Indian's grave he said that the Indian had done some odd jobs in the area and when he passed away none of the churches were comfortable burying him in a Christian cemetery. The Sardis church offered a plot just outside the cemetery boundaries and he himself tried to decorated it in a way that would be respectful.

The Orangeburg Times & Democrat: Early inhabitants of the area held religious services outside under the trees prior to the American Revolution. After the war, a little log church referred to as the “Meeting House” was constructed. In 1786, Methodist missionaries preached for the first time there. On Jan. 13, 1811, the log church was moved to a site on the north side of town on land sold by George Hartzog for $1. The land was part of a 417-acre tract which was granted to Tobias Hartzog on Sept. 4, 1786. The name of the church was changed to Sardis. In 1849, a framed church replaced the log structure. Sardis church was in the Orangeburg Circuit until 1866, when it became part of the Branchville Circuit. According to headstones, the cemetery contains the remains of an unknown Indian, Spanish-American War veteran Avery Heaton and at least three generations of the Byrd family.

Signs & Messages

1st Class Hair Design, Line St., Charleston, SC   

Here are a few of the hand painted signs and quirky messages that caught my eye on a recent walk. Make of them what you will!

I watched yesterday's inauguration exactly where I've watched every important event in the last 40ish years - on a hospital television. These moments are imprinted in my brain, who I was with, what hospital, what waiting room. Yesterday's was one of the most awkward since if you don't know everyone you are with you can't read how a comment will be taken. Feelings are strong and raw. Healthcare is in a very uncertain time and that is one of my top concerns. All the best to us all.

King Market, King St., Charleston, SC 

Festive flag display

Flag display, Rose Lane, Charleston, SC   

 This is a colorful way to get a little piazza privacy on Rose Lane. 

In other news, I joined friends for dinner at Fish restaurant this evening. The menu has changed and I ordered this! I was expecting a dainty piece of trout. Holy cow. I mean holy fish including the head! It was delicious and I brought half of it home for dinner tomorrow night.

A cheery top hat

Spring & St. Philip St., Charleston, SC  

I smile in anticipation and look up when I pass this cheery red roof top on the house on the corner of St. Philip and Spring St. Who lives in that room? Can I come visit?

In other news, I bought an Instant Pot pressure cooker in a black Friday sale after winning a $100 Amazon gift certificate in a webinar. When I joined the Instant Pot facebook group of over 300,000 members talking about their successes and failures it was so overwhelming I didn't open the box for three weeks. I decided I needed to either return it or break into it so last night I invited a couple of friends over for an entire pressure cooked meal (except for the salad) capping it off with a pressure cooker cheesecake. Yep. It is smaller than it looks - just 6 inch round but it sure was creamy and delicious. Does this make me a cult member?

Bicycle storage

Bicycle Storage, D'Allesandro's Pizza, Charleston, SC  

We don't have room for another bike. Or maybe we do! 

D'Allesandro's Pizza

It’s been said, you shouldn’t neglect family for business. We figured, why not have both? 

Everyone at D’Allesandro’s is considered part of the “family.” Some of them are brothers. 

Some of them are eccentric uncles. Everyone plays an equal part, and they’re all family.

MLK Day Parade - Charleston 2017

MLK Day Parade, Charleston, SC 2017

“I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties

and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.” 

Martin Luther King Jr.

Before & After Spring St. Hold me while I cry.

Spring St., Charleston, SC   

Before and after Spring St. Hold my hand while I cry. This colorful decorated and quaint barber shop is now a white box. I hope the owners are happy.

This, is now. Sob.

1st Class Cuts, Spring St. Charleston - before

Whatever, Spring St., Charleston, SC   

Teeny, tiny houses of Charleston - Line St.

Line St., Charleston, SC     

I walked the line this morning - Line St. that is. I did this route last weekend in the dripping rain while today is warm and sunny. Adding to our series of tiny dwelling are these Freedman's cottages. Looking for information on these traditional Charleston cottages I discovered that there is actually a book about them. What a fun book to research.

The Charleston "Freedman's Cottage": An Architectural Tradition

Charleston’s “freedman’s cottages” are some of the most understudied and undervalued vernacular buildings in the city, found as far south as Council Street and as far north as North Charleston. Though these cottages have long been associated with African American history and culture, they in fact extend much further into the history and development of Charleston and deserve to be studied and understood. The predominant theory is that these tiny houses, often no larger than five hundred square feet, were constructed by and for freed slaves after the Civil War, due to a rising need for inexpensive housing. Who occupied these houses over time? What were their lives like? Most of them were ordinary citizens to whom we can all relate. Each one of these houses has at least a hundred stories to tell, many of which have been uncovered and recounted here.

Ashe St. fixer upper

44 Ashe St., Charleston, SC   

I'll need to revisit this home soon to see how it looks after renovation. It is a project!

Lord have mercy, the news is wiping me out. It is probably for the best that I got rid of cable and stopped home delivery of the Post & Courier. I can't bear to see it. Someone make it stop. 

Home of the Hand Wash

Above the Rest - Home of the Hand Wash, Line St., Charleston, SC    

All of us could use a gentle hand wash now and then and this auto-detailing shop on Line St. used to be Above the Rest. I revisit these hand-painted sign favorites often on my walks and was saddened to see how far we've slipped when I searched back on this very blog and remembered what it used to look like.

Remuddled corner

Rutledge & Spring St., Charleston, SC

This Old House magazine used to have a page dedicated to a "remuddled" rather than a remodeled building and this one at Rutledge and Spring St. should win a prize. What the heck? There might be an attractive building or two under this hodge-podge mess.

Remuddle: (architecture, pejorative) To remodel a building or room in a way that obscures or destroys key aspects of the original design

Hmmm...I googled This Old House Remuddled feature and it may still exist. Perhaps I should submit this image for a chance at $100. 

I imagine it is pretty clear I took the image during the drizzle yesterday. 

Tucked away - tiny houses of Charleston

Spring St., Charleston, SC  

It was chilly and drizzly this morning and I carried a pocket camera to walk the Bogard, Line, Ashe, Rose, Percy and Spring street area. There are a lot of changes happening in that part of town but you can still homes waiting for some love.

Sometimes just coming at a house from a different angle makes you see it in a fresh way and walking down Rose Lane I was reminded how this tiny house is snuggled in between two much larger residences on Spring St. Maybe the close quarters will keep it warm tonight!

I brought in as many plants as I could and protected some of the rest. We have so few freezing nights it is worth trying to coax them through! Stay safe and warm everyone.

Yard scene

Yard scene, Charleston, SC   

This interesting line up caught my attention - Wentworth Mansion, slate roof and bicycle shelter. Nothing in new construction in Charleston seems to be such a feast for the eye on every street and around every corner.

Sniff, sniff. Almost everyone I know either has or is recovering from some kind of cold. Luckily I am on the almost better end. With the number of colds and viruses people catch each year and the dent they put in our lives it seems there should be more effort to prevent and cure them. I realize there are at least a couple of hundred different viruses to deal with but sheeesh. It seems like there should be more effort to do research. I put a call out for ideas for names for fundraising events for colds and this is what we came up with:

What would you call a fundraising event to raise money to cure colds?

The March for Mucous

The Sniffle Shuffle

The Viral 5K

Snot Trot

Honk & Toss 5K

Gesundheit Gala

Bronchial Bash

Runny Nose 5K

Rhino Run

Coughing Cuties

"Bless You" Barn Dance

Phlegm Aid 2017

The Red Nose Run Dear

Cough it Up!

Coryza Cause

The Nose Bowl

Music by The Buger Boys Band

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood....

Neighborhood House, 77 & 79 America St., Charleston, SC

I had the chance to tour the Neighborhood House on America St. just before Christmas and left so impressed with their projects. From soup kitchens, walking groups, wellness programs and classes the place was a beehive of activity. We actually went planning to help serve lunch but were told there was already a full line up of volunteers arranged for and that helping out required pre-planning. As a volunteer coordinator I was impressed! The welcoming porch on the historic house had comfy rocking chairs and book shelves. Pictured below is the amazing Vonceil Mitchell - kitchen manager.

The Neighborhood House currently provides educational opportunities for adults in basic literacy, budgeting, computer skills, health and wellness, and art programs such as painting and crocheting. In addition, programs like the clothing closet, food pantry, emergency financial assistance, and soup kitchen help meet basic needs of those in our community. 

The little tree that could

Windermere Blvd, James Island, SC  

I always check in with this fiesty little tree when I walk the greenway through to South Windermere. Growing out of a crack in a post my little tree that could is healthy and thriving. I shared the photo on facebook and was reminded that the West Of Newspaper featured it in an article by Bill Davis a couple of years ago. I am not the only one who appreciates it.

West Ashley’s (un)official TreeBahrain’s Tree of Life may be the original site of the Garden of Eden. And, sure, the Avenue of Baobabs of Madagascar is certainly impressive.Johns Island may have the Angel Oak. Athens, Ga., may have the “Tree That Owns Itself.” The General Sherman sequoia and drive-through redwoods can call California home.But all of these famous trees may soon bow in respect to a tree that calls West Ashley home.

The majestic and hardy … Pole-Tree!

Pronounced “poultry,” or “pole-tree,” or maybe both, it takes its name from its environmental niche, a circular perch atop a sawn-off telephone pole.

Home for Destitute Children - Mt. Pleasant

Home for Destitute Children, Mt. Pleasant, SC  

This sign stopped me in my tracks. There is a beautiful and prosperous home on the location now. See the link for some historical and clearly posed photos. 

At this site in 1881, Abby Munro, a Quaker from Philadelphia, established a home for orphans, neglected, and destitute children. Funds to purchase and operate the home were solicited locally and from friends in the North. It was incorporated in 1883 and is believed to have been the first orphanage for colored children in the State. Room and board cost approximately one dollar a week per child. The children were taught to cook, wash, iron, knit, sew, mend clothes, and all the duties of a household. The older children attended school regularly and made commendable progress in their studies. The orphanage operated here until the building was destroyed by fire in 1920.

Am I the only one who got slapped back into reality at work today?! Hello 2017.

Shem Creek Park Walking

Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC   

Sidetracked  by the sniffles this long weekend it was lucky I had stockpiled some photos. You can't go wrong walking the lovely boardwalk at Shem Creek. There aren't as many shrimp boats as there used to be but they are still picturesque. I love it. You can always catch folks fishing, shrimping, kayaking and paddling. Vickery's is one of my favorite spots for sunset dining.

One of my goals for last year was to cut my tv cable and I think I have it figured out. I lined up antenna's to both tv's and figured out an Amazon Firestick on one and Chromecast on the other. I am still learning it all but it should save me a tidy monthly sum. I was watching so little regular television during the unbearable election coverage that I really don't miss it. Netflix does lead to hours of binge watching though!

I am enjoying this bonus day off. Happy New Year to you all.