On the road - Florence, SC

Julia Belle's, Florence, SC     

My weekend day trip was to Florence, SC and googling a place for lunch we drove directly to the Florence Farmer's Market and had lunch at Julia Belle's. I was amazed at the size of the Farmer's Market building. It was large enough for cars to drive right through the building and pull up to park under the shed.

Besides the usual produce in the building there was another huge structure with antiques and thrift items so big that it was divided into sections by rooms - living room goods, bedroom furniture and so on. Sadly for me, my house is tiny and if I bring home anything new, something old must go.

We made a stop in the historic area that is under renovation and admired the shops and Hotel Florence but not for long. The skies opened and rain put a stop to our downtown exploration. Thanks for a nice visit Florence!

On the road - April's Playhouse

April's Playhouse, Florence, SC   

It's called Charleston Daily Photo but some days ya just have to get out of town. This was from Saturday's road trip to Florence, SC. My friend Rosie was driving and I knew I had seen this little structure when I had briefly been at McLeod Regional Medical Center at a workshop. With my confused directions we kept circling the medical facilities in the rain until I spotted it. What a cutie.

Hubcap Heaven

Mel's Tires, Florence, SC 

This one is a favorite from my Quirky, SC files. 

Mel's Tires in Florence, SC is a hubcap wonderland! 

Read the story here: Mel's Tires a Florence Landmark

I love it, love it, love it. 

From Dewey's Sketchbook:

Of architectural interest is the building itself. The Pure Oil Company built its gas stations in the 30's and 40's in a Tudor Revival style, attempting to blend with the residential neighborhoods in which they were built. This example still has the original circular blue enamel sign above the entrance, echoing the shape and size of the hundreds of hubcaps hanging on the building.

April's Playhouse

April's Playhouse, Florence, SC    

I was in Florence, SC for meetings today. It was the gathering of the clan chieftains of volunteer management in healthcare. We decided to rotate our meeting locations to different hospitals around the state so we could snoop around on each other's turf and today we were hosted by McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence. I knew I wasn't going to get time to explore but perked up considerable when I spotted this little sweetie as we pulled into the parking lot. The sign reads:

"APRIL'S PLAYHOUSE" This historic cupola was part of a nineteenth century home which served for many years as the medical office of the late Dr. Joseph Sylvester. Dr. and Mrs. Sylvester later preserved the cupola as "April's Playhouse" for their daughter. The Sylvester family lovingly gave the structure to McLeod Regional Medical Center in 1997.

Then, since I was meeting with Volunteer managers I learned the most fun fact. April herself, is still a volunteer at the hospital.