Wedding Festivities

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, S.C.

Some of my favorite people got married at one of my favorite places. One of my son's close childhood friends got married at Magnolia Plantation at dusk this evening. What a perfect setting. The clouds let a little drizzle through but not enough to ruin the festivities.

What a trip down memory lane it is to see all these kids who used to play at my house when they were little turned into good looking young men and women. I renewed acquaintance with doctors, lawyers and computer programers. How lucky they were to have had such a great group of friends.

With the handsome groom! Love ya Andrew! I wish you and Leslie many years of happiness.

Lowcountry Heart Walk - 2012

Heart Heroes!, Lowcountry Heart Walk, Charleston, S.C.

We played with a Heart Heroes theme for the Lowcountry Heart Walk this year and had almost too much fun with it! Our winning team came wearing full super hero costumes and spent the entire morning posing for photo ops. This is a gang from our Radiology Department. What great sports! Thank you my Super Heroes!

My work life has been happy chaos lately but my team of over 525 walkers raised over $30,000. I work with some great folks and it showed today. Thanks to everyone who chipped in to make it such a successful day! More photos uploading here: Lowcountry Heart Walk 2012.

I ran into Suzie Townsend from Townsend Tales!

Dear People, Let's help other people and fight sickness.

The Weekend Cometh

Colonial Lake, Charleston, S.C.

Let's do this weekend thing!

I wasn't sure I was going to make it to my ritual Friday afternoon matinee movie since I am taking 526 people from Roper St. Francis Healthcare to the Lowcountry Heart Walk in the morning. My office looks like an explosion of blue t-shirts and my drawer was full of money stapled to scraps of paper with people's names and teams on them.

 
I couldn't make to the Terrace so I scrambled in late to see Sleepwalk with Me at Citadel Mall. FYI, the snack deal at Citadel Mall is the kiddie pack - small drink, small popcorn and small candy for $4. Thank you! The movie was just over an hour long by comedian Mike Birbiglia about his career as a stand up comic and his sleep walking problem. He actually jumped out of a hotel window while sleepwalking. Yikes.

See y'all at the Heart Walk!

An Autumn Affair

Ashley River from Lowndes Grove, Charleston, S.C.

Is there anything prettier than the sunset view from Lowndes Grove Plantation in Charleston? I went to the

Les Dames d'Escoffier Autumn Affair at Lowndes Grove Plantation with my friend Susan this evening and had such a lovely time. It was a perfect night for it. We had so many tasty treats and wine tastings as we watched the sun set. Thanks for the wonderful evening ladies!

Walk west young woman, walk west

Avondale, Charleston, S.C.

This is my walking neighborhood now. I can't tell you how many people have seen me walking, assumed my car had broken down and stopped to offer me a ride. Heheh. Folks at work stop me bewildered saying, "Was that you I saw walking on Highway 17?" Yep!

I do my best to wind my way between neighborhoods but sooner or later I have to dash across a highway even to get over to the greenway. I can walk to South Windermere shops if I have time and I can hike to a good number of grocery stores and restaurants. It ain't the peninsula but I do pretty good.

Burrell & Flynn is the new little coffee shop that tempts me with ice coffee after a long hot walk. I have avoided their pastry so far but they do make yummy pimento cheese. 

Burrell & Flynn, Charleston, S.C.

The Glass Onion at the far  end of this last shot is delicious of course but there is also some action at the old #1 Car Wash. It was suggested that it might be renovated for a restaurant as well. If I just stay here long enough perhaps all the good stuff will come to me.

Charity & the Whale

Charleston Museum, Charleston, S.C.

The old whale skeleton hung in the original museum in Charleston and now hangs over the entry lobby in the current Charleston Museum. This particular whale washed up in the Charleston Harbor in 1880.

Walking up the steps to the upper level I noticed that the statue of Charity's face lined up nicely with the whale's belly.  The wooden statue in the museum is what is left of the original version of Charity that topped the Charleston Orphan House. When the building was demolished in 1952 the statue and fire bell crashed through the building and much of the statue was destroyed. Luckily they salvaged and preserved what was left and have her on display. Here is a link to the News & Courier article from 1952.

Charleston Orphan House, Charleston, S.C.

New bike parking downtown Charleston

Bike corral, King St., Charleston, S.C.

Charleston finally has a bike corral.  This first one is on upper King St. in front of Blue Bicycle used book store. So why is the only bike parked there theirs? Hmmm. It was a beautiful day. Seems like it should have been full of bikes. Here are the details on the new project from the City Paper.

Babies in the hood!

Awwwww....I got to double dip in baby luvin'! I discovered that my friends Chris & Vanessa live a few blocks up and invited them to come down for a bite to eat. Not only do they have adorable baby Abram but they were watching their nephew as well. I was impressed - they are pretty handy juggling babies in between nibbles.

Not bad for dinner companions - I lined up a deacon, a school teacher, a chef from the Macintosh and two sweet babies. :)

Outdoor Dining

Queen St., Charleston, S.C.

This may be the coolest outdoor dining spot in the lowcountry. I've never seen anyone use it. Do you think they would mind if we moved in for dinner? Everyone bring something tasty.

Dragging a little

Chalmers St., Charleston, S.C.

He leaned out the window and asked if he was dragging anything.

Heheh. This is one way to sweep the cobblestones.

Tub Time!

Warren St., Charleston, S.C.

This old bathtub in a yard on Warren St. always makes me smile. I'm afraid I am the one poking my camera lens into people's yards. I only share the good stuff!

Joggling Board - old style

Joggling Board, Aiken Rhett House, Charleston, S.C.

Since we have been on a Joggling Board track lately I am happy to share an original. Isn't this lovely? I bought a ticket to the Museum Mile weekend and hopped between museums, historic houses and art galleries this morning. I found this sweetie on the piazza of the Aiken Rhett House on Elizabeth St. Photos aren't allowed in the interior but I grabbed the chance to get a photo of this old joggling board.

It was a nice way to spend the day. I got in some places I haven't been to since I first moved to Charleston and some I'd never been in. After the Aiken Rhett House I did a quick run through the Charleston Museum, the Confederate Museum, the Old Slave Mart Museum, lunch at Bull St. Gourmet and finished off at the Gibbes Art Museum for the Willard Hirsch sculptures and the Rock & Roll Photography show.

Museum Mile Weekend - Missing Links

Museum of Dental History, Charleston, S.C.

Museum Mile Weekend in Charleston is one of the best deals in town this weekend.  You buy a Museum Mile weekend pass ($25 for adults, $10 for kids). The pass allows you to visit 13 sites in the Meeting Street area in historic downtown Charleston during this special weekend. When you walk the one-mile section of Meeting Street, you will find six museums, five nationally important historic houses, four scenic parks and a Revolutionary War powder magazine, as well as numerous historic houses of worship and public buildings including the Market and City Hall.

All very cool, right? You should do it. However I notice a couple of glaring omissions. The Museum of Dental History? Not listed. Who doesn't want to tour the Dental Museum on vacation? Detour to Ashley Avenue.  How about the Baha'i Museum on Desportes Ct. tucked away off Duncan St.? Nope. Not included. We need another week highlighting the Quirky and Offbeat Museums.

Joggling board sighting - mine!

Joggling Board, Charleston, S.C.

After taking pictures of joggling boards all over the lowcounty I finally have my own! My home renovation time table might be a little off kilter but I have the important things taken care of - a swing hanging from an oak tree in the front yard and a joggling board in the back yard.

Thanks to Island Time Joggling Boards for getting me set up and delivering my baby. When they realized what a fan I was they delivered it for free!

Heart Healthy Tips for Pirates

Charleston, S.C.

For quite a few years I used a Pirate theme for our heart walk fundraising projects and we had lots of piratey fun photos.  To celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day here are some fitness tips. Now, go forth and laugh heartily and leap off something!

 
Stay in shape by:

• Singing Sea Shanties


• Pillaging & Plundering


• Swinging from Chandeliers


• Burying Treasure


• Leading Pirates into battle


• Seizing and protecting the loot


• Laughing heartily and leaping off of something

Travel Tuesdays - St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis - Firemen's Memorial

I came across this touching statue in St. Louis, Missouri. I was at a conference on a break between sessions and dashing around town as fast as I could trying to see everything I could squeeze in my limited time.

More info: The memorial has a bronze statue of a fireman carrying a little girl by R. P. Daus and stands on a granite base. The base is inscribed with "Dedicated to St. Louis firefighters past, present and future." The memorial was installed in 1994.

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

Enjoying the weather

King & Broad St., Charleston, S.C.

It's been that kind of weather. Motorcycles everywhere, cars with tops down, dogs hanging their heads out of open windows enjoying the breeze. I am restless in September until the risk of hurricanes passes but we have had some lovely days lately.

Funny, I didn't notice the different shades of paint on the building until I looked at the photo. 

If you aren't cooped up in an office tomorrow there will be a turtle release on Kiawah according to the Holy City Sinner. I'd like to see that some day. Hmmmm....it is at 4:30 pm. I wonder.....

My favorite things

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

I park on the other side of this garden each morning and have the option of walking across the parking lot or through the garden. The garden route is a little less direct so I don't take it every day which is really dumb since it is so breathtakingly beautiful.

Most mornings as I enter the hospital from the west Women's Services entrances there will be a young man sitting on the bench by the door. He is rumpled, bleary eyed and talking excitedly into a phone. It's a different man every morning but they all have one thing in common. They aren't patients but they wear thin plastic bracelets around a wrist. The bracelet is the tell tale sign of a new father. They are new fathers who have fallen in love with a precious baby born during the night. It's finally a reasonable hour to wake up friends and loved ones.

That is the moment I walk by and smile to myself. It's not a bad way to begin a day.

Brunching around town

Queen St. Grocery, Queen St., Charleston, S.C.

This scene at the Queen St. Grocery looks just about right. Comfortable but not packed. So many brunchie places I walk by have long waiting lines curling around the corner. Hominy Grill, Jestine's Kitchen, Triangle Char & Bar. I can't do it. I don't mind waiting a while for a special dinner with complicated ingredients and cooking skills but I can't stand in line for breakfast. I can make decent pancakes myself and even mimosas are a breeze. When my kids were little that was family eat out time and we knew every good brunch place in town.

Are you a brunch eater? Where do you like to go and what do you like to order?

Mr. Strange

Percy St., Charleston, S.C.

We still have some "fixer uppers" around Charleston. Enough to keep people dreaming. Nothing a new porch and complete renovation wouldn't fix.

I received a free magazine called Cuisine at Home in my mailbox yesterday and was tempted by a slow cooker pot roast recipe. I don't have a crock pot but I walked through the thrift shop this morning and spotted a perfectly good looking crock pot on the shelf and lugged it home. Then I had to walk by the grocery store and get all the ingredients.

I left it simmering all day while I was out and came back to the house smelling scrumptious. Yum. I've always been suspicious that meat wouldn't be as rich and browned in a slow cooker but it looks pretty good. Let me know about any crock pot successes I should try. Fall is coming and I may feel like cooking again. 

Retro Laundromat

Plaza Laundromat, Maybank Highway, Charleston, S.C.

I drive by this retro looking laundromat most Fridays after my end of the week movie and each time I think "I need to get a picture of that one of these days". Today was the day. Isn't it cool?

It's the weekend, kids! Buckle up.

Castle on Ann St.

Ann St., Charleston, S.C

It looks like a wing of a castle but it is the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry. Here is how far back I go...one of my first Day of Caring events was to get the museum ready for it's opening day. We painted and prepped and packed goodie bags. That was quite a few years ago.

The weather in Charleston is so very perfect today. I just enjoyed two Coronas and two fish tacos outside overlooking the water as the sun set. Life ain't all bad.

What movie shall I see tomorrow?

Doors of Charleston

Aiken Rhett House, Charleston, S.C.

We have so many beautiful doors in Charleston there are posters made of them. This grand one is at the Aiken Rhett House.

No cleverness from me this evening since I am falling to sleep at my keyboard.
_____________

Hahah....I did fall to sleep at my keyboard! I had a lovely dinner out at The Macintosh for Charleston Restaurant Week with a gaggle of women friends. It is has some of the best food in town in my opinion and restaurant week makes the prices a little easier so I try to take advantage of it.

I am off and running. Y'all have a good Thursday.

Blossom Dump

Charleston, S.C.

The air has been crisp and cool the last few mornings and it's been tempting to call in "too well to work". I am tossing in unused blossom shots for today's entry because they are fading quickly. The crepe myrtles are looking sparse and there are flower petals scattered on the pavement. Going, going, soon gone.

I can let the blossoms go but I sure would like to keep the fresh tomatoes.

Did I really promise to be at work to listen to a presentation at 6:45 am?  It made more sense at the time than it does right now.