Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - Holly Hill

Holly Hill, SC   

Remember this sweet chapel in Holly Hill, SC? It is for sale for $199,900. Buy it. Invite me over.

See real estate ad here: St. Ann's Catholic Church

Back alley color

Charleston, SC  

Mural Monday! This was a colorful find. I used to live in a historic Charleston single house and often felt it was the thick layers of paint that held everything together. Happy Monday, kids.

Best tasting live oak tree!

Live oak wedding cake, Charleston, SC  

 Is this not the most amazing wedding cake? The wedding was held under ancient live oaks on Johns Island so it was completely appropriate. Check out the sweet-grass basket base and dripping Spanish moss from the branches. The cake maker's web site is incredible. These are almost, but not quite, too beautiful to eat. Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal.

Walk with me - Spring St., Charleston, SC

Spring St., Charleston, SC    

To keep up with the fast pace of changes in Charleston lately, I've been taking my weekend walks down and back one street at a time and grabbing shots. This morning I walked Spring St. capturing it's vibrant and colorful self. Spring St. has a Veggie Bin now, coffee shops and restaurants.

Sadly the only things that didn't attract my camera were the recent buildings as I crossed King St. heading east. While I am sure they are comfortable and modern we need to figure out a way to squeeze some of Charleston's famous charm and character into the newer buildings. Awning, colorful shutters - they need something. Welcome to Spring St. folks. Join me on my walk today.

Roof top view of the Holy City

Charleston, SC   

We have so few tall buildings on the lower peninsula it is always a treat to get a bird's eye view. This afternoon I helped take 32 students interested in exploring health careers up to the top of Roper Hospital to see the helicopter land and talk to the flight staff. I get excited myself every time. It is so cool to be up there and to see the helicopter land and take off.

This little piggie

Newberry, SC   

Hello there! I am having a busy week do I dipped into the photo files for today's image. I took this picture when I stopped for lunch in Newberry a few weeks ago. Hello there! Those tusks could do some damage.

Hope everyone is having a good week. 

Future healthcare professionals

SCRUBS Camp 2017   

Meet the good folks who will be managing your health in the future. These students all applied, wrote essays and had their teachers recommend them for the annual SCRUBS health career camp and we are having a wonderful time! It will be an action packed week. 

I knocked but no one answered

Marion Square, Charleston, SC  

This shot is a little late. I took it at the recent Piccolo Art Festival at Marion Square. The festival finale was this past weekend so the doors may be gone by now but they were a colorful addition.

I enjoyed a lovely dinner at Al Di La with friends this evening. It was the perfect weather for outside dining and I was able to walk to dinner (that deletes any possible calories) and get a ride home. 

Walk with me - Cannon St.

Cannon St., Charleston, SC  

I am taking you along on my weekend morning walk today, walking Cannon St. from one end to the other and back. There is a lot of renovation and action going on so I thought I would capture some of the buildings in their current state. At this rate, by next month everything will be different.

The area around President St. is all torn up so I am hoping the city is working on improving drainage issues. That would be nice, wouldn't it? That is certainly where there is a log jam when the streets flood. I noticed that a Ladles restaurant has opened and Goulette has in business in the former Lana's spot. It is a colorful part of town and renovation interest has created lots of change.

Cannonborough received its name from Daniel Cannon, house carpenter and "mechanick," who between 1762 and 1800 acquired the large, low and marshy tract, generally north of Boundary Street (now Calhoun) and west of Coming's Creek. Cannon built lumber mills on the Ashley River side of his acquisitions. His Upper Mill was in the vicinity of Cannon Street.; his Lower Mill was in the vicinity of Boundary Street.
There were many pieces of marshland and small creeks which split up Cannon's holdings and which were later filled, but by early in the 19th century several good houses were erected, chiefly along Pinckney Street (now Rutledge Avenue), which was the highest ground in the area.

Before & Almost After - Bennett Hotel at Marion Square

Hotel at Marion Square, Charleston, SC   

I've followed the progress of the construction of this hotel by going to the upper deck of the parking building across the street. When I moved to Charleston and lived a few blocks from this spot I was delighted to learn I was within easy walking distance of the main library (pictured below). It was a two story building designed with pink marble. It was dated and a grand new library was built leaving it abandoned for many years. The Bennett Hotel is quite a change for the area and is right on King St. next to Marion Square. Here are some details from the Moultrie News:

Hotel Bennett, the South’s grandest new hotel, will open in fall 2017 overlooking Charleston’s iconic and historic Marion Square.Years in the making and located on King Street – Charleston’s most prominent address – the hotel perfectly blends unparalleled luxury with an unmatched setting. Hotel Bennett, which is under construction, will be among the most significant lodging developments ever built in the Holy City and the State of South Carolina.It will feature 179 luxurious guestrooms and suites, a signature restaurant with stunning views of Charleston's famed park, and a stylish bar and lounge. The hotel will also include a spectacular rooftop pool with cabanas and bar, a luxury spa, a French patisserie, and a variety of grand event and flexible meeting spaces.

Before shot of the old library, King St., Charleston, SC   

Street view of the new hotel, King St., Charleston, SC     

Music at Magnolia Community Garden

Magnolia Community Garden, Charleston, SC   

I have nothing to complain about when I can walk down through my neighborhood, meet up with friends on a perfect night and listen to music. Thanks for bringing the Piccolo pop-up festival West Ashley!

We are closing out the Festival with more Piccolo fun in West Ashley! Join Piccolo Spoleto Festival for a pop-up event with Awendaw Green and the Charleston Parks Conservancy at Magnolia Community Garden, featuring a musical performance from Dallas Baker and Friends.

Sunny pictures for a rainy day

Avery Center, Bull St., Charleston, SC    

How about a few sunny pictures on a dreary rainy day? My plants are getting a good soaking and my caladium bulbs are saying,"thank you, thank you."

Today's pictures are from a recent walk by the the Avery Research Center on Bull St.

The mission of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is to collect, preserve, and promote the unique history and culture of the African diaspora, with emphasis on Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry.  Avery’s archival collections, museum exhibitions, and public programming reflect these diverse populations as well as the wider African Diaspora. The Avery Research Center is located at 125 Bull Street, Charleston, SC 29424 in the historic Harleston Village.  Phone: 843.953.7609.

Roadside signs

Hwy 176, SC 

The side of this trucking container gets painted periodically. None of the messages have been cheerful but this is the saddest. Poor pup. 

Hanging bottle store in Santee

S & G Liquor Store, Santee, SC   

I was with a friend in Santee, SC today and couldn't resist insisting that she visit the wacky hanging bottle S & G Liquor store. Don't go if you are tall! It's tricky avoiding all the bottles of booze dangling from the ceiling in the tiny shop. I don't drink much but must pay a visit for the pure joy of it.

On the road - Greenville, SC

Reedy Falls, Greenville, SC   

Who gets a wonderful waterfalls right in the center of town? Seriously, what a gift the Reedy Falls park is to Greenville, SC. Right smack dab in the middle of town. Family picnics, romantic couples, kids hopping from boulder to boulder, fathers and sons swimming (signs say "Swimming Discouraged" but not forbidden) and live theater in the park. I ate fresh trout and sipped French wine at the cafe overlooking the park and it all seemed like a perfect fantasy town.

I read a quote from the mayor saying that they concentrated on improving the lives of their citizens and thought, oooops, perhaps Charleston has concentrated a too much on the experience of our tourists rather than our own citizens.