Colorful wheels

Bikes, Vendue Range, Charleston, SC   

I expect these are rental bikes available for use for the hotel guests. The Charleston County Library has a wonderful history of Vendue Range on the Charleston Time Machine. I enjoyed this bit:

This ground at the east end of Queen Street was originally a tidal mudflat, however, and had been filled with trash and hundreds of cords of wood in a series of efforts between the early 1770s and 1809.  So was the first effort to pave Vendue Range around the year 1820 successful?  Such details are hard to find, so we’ll have to take the word of a correspondent who called himself simply “a Sailor” when he wrote the following brief communication to the Charleston Courier on 9 October 1829: 

“If any man wants a pair of broken shins, I would advise him to walk down the North side of Vendue Range, on a dark night—and if he don’t get a pair, I will agree to break them for him for nothing.”

On the road - Bluffton, SC

Bluffton, SC   

A couple more shots from Bluffton, SC before I tuck the photos away. 

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.

These wheels were made for rolling

Archdale St., Charleston, SC  

Neatly locked up in front of the Unitarian Church. 

I picture the owner of an adult three wheeled tricycle as a colorful character. I hope that is true! 

I'll make a note to make sure one is in my future. 

An Easter bouquet of bicycles

King St., Charleston, SC   

It isn't the right day for it but green isn't really my color. Doesn't this look like a perfect Easter bouquet of bicycles? They were painted just the right pastel colors.

I've been busy, kids. Work filled with action followed by after work activities. Not all bad though - last night I enjoyed dinner at Rue de Jean and then walked next door to listen to Joan Baez at the Music Hall. What fun! As always it is the familiar songs that I love to hear again. 

Green on green

College of Charleston, Charleston, SC  

I appreciate the effort to coordinate. They will need to paint the house if they ever get a new bike.

Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

I visit sculpture gardens in other cities - most recently St. Louis and Seattle and have actually complained that we fall short on large dramatic art installations. Hello! I saw a picture of this fun bicycle piece on facebook and knew it was time to go for my morning walk at the North Charleston River Front park again. Isn't this fun?!

This is ithe link to information on the National Outdoor Sculpture Competition information. They are currently featuring fourteen sculptures by established and emerging artists from across the nation and are on display for eleven month. I learned that the colorful bike art is by Meuller & Charzewski and that I missed some described on the site and will need to go back. Thank you North Charleston!

Edit: forgive my typos! I hope not too many people read it before I fixed them. Blogging in a hurry, multitasking. Shame on me. No spell check in the title box apparently.

Park band stand - art in it's own right!

 

A bicycle built for blossoms

Blossom bicycle, Charleston, S.C

Enjoy the blossoms while you can. I believe we have a chilly spell ready to hit us. These folks have kept their bicycle full of blossoms for many years and I check on it every time I walk by.

Home late this evening after going to see Interstellar with my son. It was a three hour movie so we headed to Sesame for a bit to eat afterwards. Now I am confused. I usually go to the movies on Friday so tomorrow should be the weekend, right?

Window boxes on State St.

State St., Charleston, S.C.

Let's hear it for three day weekends! Hurrah!

I found a reddit.com question asking "What is the most beautiful piece of music?" and have been reading the suggestions, clicking on the recording and enjoying music I have never heard before. What a treat! I want to listen to them all and download a bunch. That could keep me occupied for awhile since there are over 7,000 comments.

I admit to being a reddit lurker. The only time I participated was when a young pregnant gal described what sounded like a seizure and was wondering what everyone on the internet thought she should do about it. I checked back every five minutes until she reported back to let me know that she was in the Emergency Room. Whew.

Have a good weekend, kids!

Up, up and away!

Basils Restaurant, Charleston, S.C.

This always makes me think of the bikes riding into the sky in ET. It is on the roof of one of Charleston's best Thai restaurants Basil. Oh yum. Green curry with eggplant, pad thai, oh my. It was the old Robinson's Bike Shop and the bicycle remained through a few business reincarnations and has become a King St. landmark. The bike store closed in 1998 after 110 years in business. That is quite a track record.

It's the weekend, kids! I didn't get out early but I did celebrate by going to see In Secret at the Terrace Theater which turned out to be a most depressing movie. I cheered myself up by stopping at Earthfare for a yummy dinner from their gourmet deli bar.

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.

Thomas St. corner

Thomas St., Charleston, S.C.

This sweet scene it just around the block from my house.

Seems like I've been scrambling home from work and dashing out to dinner this week but it has all been wonderful. I love restaurant week in Charleston!  Luckily we do it twice a year now and it makes the pricier restaurants more manageable. I met my friend Jo at Macintosh this evening and I'll be thinking about their melt-in-the-mouth ricotta gnudi until the next time I get to go back. We were very well taken care of thanks to chef de cuisine Chris Delaney. Thanks folks! Back to salad eating next week.

My phone is still ringing off the hook with campaign call. Yawn. It looks like Stephen Colbert is going to be at the College of Charleston Cistern tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Too bad I'll be at work, eh.

What to buy your best pal Charleston for a holiday gift?

King St., Charleston, S.C.

Got any holiday loot left over? Buy your best pal Charleston a present! Charleston Moves passes on instructions on how to make a donation that will be pooled to buy much needed bike racks for the city. Check here: Charleston Moves: Help Jumpstart the City of Charleston's Bike Rack Fund.

The Charleston Green Committee wants to quickly raise $2,600 to kick start the City of Charleston's Bike Rack Fund. This fund will pay for 14 bike racks which the City has committed to install at no cost.

Each rack costs $180 and will be put in locations which will encourage more biking & less driving. Your donation will be combined with others to leverage this purchase.

DONATE NOW in any denomination by going to: http://www.charlestongreencommittee.com/donate.html

Please be sure to designate that your donation go to THE CHARLESTON GREEN COMMITTEE. The deadline is 12/31/11.

It's a great idea and long over due. The only catch is that the bike racks they picture are pretty boring. How about one like this? I took this giant bike, bike rack picture in Portland, Oregon.  Fun!

That's what I call a Bicyskull

JLINSNIDER, 539 King St., Charleston, S.C.

I've been having fun including random bicycles in photos lately but this takes the cake. How amazing is this? The owner told me it was a zebra's skull. Naturally.

JLINSNIDER caters ready to wear for the avant garde, custom design, hand selected vintage, an organic bath line & top wardrobe styling for men, women & children. JLINSNIDER also offers an event courtyard featuring local artisans and musicians on the First Friday of every month. If you are an artist interested in selling your gems in the courtyard or a musician who would like to play, please email us at jlinsnider@gmail.com

Owner: Jamie Lin Snider

Bicycle Races are Coming to Town

Queen St., Charleston, S.C.

Bicycle races are coming to town...lalalalah lah....

I don't why I started including bikes in pictures but now I consider them a happy addition, especially when they are so brightly colored.

There really is a bicycle race and spinning event coming to town:

The Bridge Ride

Start: Saturday, September 17, 2011 @ 6:30 AM
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park, Harry Hallman Blvd Mount Pleasant, SC

$25 registration fees to secure a spot. Receive your active giving page and start fundraising to compete for great PRIZES!

Registration Closing Date: Thursday, September 15, 2011 @ 5:00 PM PST

Party, Vendors, LIVE music at the Park during the spin session, while the cyclists arrive and after. Celebrate the success of the Bridge Ride and cheer on the participants! FUNDRAISER for ECCO

PRIZE UPDATE: Gift certificates to ESAC and a guitar signed by Hootie and the Blowfish. Must fundraise to win!

After registering, you'll get your Active Giving page, to raise money from your family, friends, and colleagues. This ALL goes to ECCO and our Free Dental Clinic to help our neighbors in need. Raise money to compete for GREAT prizes and be part of an important cause.

Riders under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.
Start Times-ALL Take Place at Mt P Waterfront Park

An outdoor cycling ride (approximately 70 miles) starting and finishing at the Mount Pleasant Waterfront Park. Starting at 6:30 a.m.

Check the East Cooper Community Outreach web site for more details. Good luck folks!

Dock St. Theater color matching

Dock St. Theater, Charleston, S.C.

One of these days I'm going to get down on my belly to take a picture and I won't be able to get up. Groan. It's going to be a sad, sad thing. Check out the matching paint trim on the doors at the Dock St. Theater and the bike. Coolness!

Have a good Sunday kids.

Pull up a bike and sit a spell

King St., Charleston, S.C.

Pull up your bike and sit a spell.

I never thought of bikes as seats. I don't think this is the first time these gentlemen have used them this way. They look quite comfortable.

Friday Hodge Podge

Doors, Charleston, S.C.

I'd make for an odd profile if my car was searched this week: two Japanese swords, two knives with belts, helmet camera, box of pirate wear and a change of clothes that just happen to be all black. I have a good reason for each item but all together they look a little odd.

I will have fifteen minutes on Tuesday morning to dress three hospital CEO's as pirates and I couldn't bear to make them hold cheap plastic swords so I called in favors from my friends (hi Bill!) who had real antique weapons.

Blogspot has been messed up for me and a lot of other people but I think I have it fixed on my end finally. Blah. Things go along merrily and then you wake up and everything is screwed up.

Today's photos: Those worn doors are on my regular walking route and every time I see them without a car parked in front I have to grab a shot. The vines below are confederate jasmine at the community garden on Bogard St. and the chalk heart caught my eye.

I stopped to get my oil changed by the gentlemen at Sears at Citadel Mall on my way home and it gave me the exact amount of time to go to Sesame for grilled corn on the cob and ultimate grilled cheese. It's one of my favorite meals. The phone rang as I licked my fingers and paid my bill and I recommended that they advertise an "Oil Change Special" meal. Normally the Sears auto guys give me a certificate for $5 off a purchase at Sears and I buy myself a pair of panties while I wait. It's not a bad system. Fresh oil, grilled corn and new panties all in one trip.

Spoleto festival begins today. Any good ticket recommendations?

Fun with silver foil

Vanderhorst St., Charleston, S.C.

Everything is more fun wrapped in silver foil!

Bicycle Jokes

Basil, King St., Charleston, S.C.

I love Basil Thai restaurant on King St. and like the fact that they kept the old bicycle on it's sign from it's previous life as a bike shop.

Link: Funny bike related photos.