Happy Valentine's Day!

Love is for all, you and me, Charleston, SC   

A valentine message in the pavement for all of us!

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 

Beleaf it or not

Leaf, Charleston, SC

I may be odd but I find it endlessly fascinating to see what people take the trouble to write in the pavement. You see wet cement, no one is watching, you have a stick or a key, what shall you write?! How shall you leave your mark on this city for years to come.

Leaf. 

Hampton Park poetry club

Hampton Park, Charleston, SC 

 “Grow the lawn and mow the lawn
always keep the TV on,
brush your teeth and kill the germs,
poison apples, poison worms.”    

― Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society

Swim little fishy!

Fish, Charleston, S.C.

This little fish would be happily swimming today! Wow, we had a downpour.

As much as I miss living downtown I don't miss the frequent flooded streets. It's nice not to have to check the tide charts before heading home. According to the Post & Courier we had 4 - 8 inches depending on what part of town you were in and more to come over the next few days. Stay dry my friends.

We came, we saw, we left our mark

The 4 Horseman, Charleston, S.C.

We've been winning top tourism awards lately but folks in the know have been coming to Charleston for years and many of them left their name in the pavement. Yep, the 4 Horsemen, Elvis, Jesus, the Godfather, Susan Anthony and Captain Blye. Been here, seen that, scratched my name in the pavement.

Elvis, Charleston, S.C.

Jesus, Charleston, S.C.

The Godfather, Charleston, S.C.

Susan Anthony, Charleston, S.C.

Capt. Blye, Charleston, S.C.

Support your local Orthopedic Surgeon

Sidewalk, Charleston, S.C.

Like wearing high heels in Charleston? Good luck with that! We must have the busiest Orthopedic Surgeons in the country.

Anniversary Brick

George St., Charleston, S.C.

Awwww. Isn't this sweet?

I'm still trying to figure out how they did it. There are no other inscribed bricks in this area. The bricks here were laid before 2012. Did they pay enough to have a brick removed to put theirs in? It matches perfectly. Inquisitive minds want to know and to with them a happy anniversary.

Edit: I found out more about them. Long time College of Charleston connection. 

I'll take this town.....

Charleston Street Poetry

I'll take this town,
I'll make it my own
I'll walk the street.
I'll feel the beat
of the sun on my face
I'll say, I like it here,
and I'll stay.

And I did! 

Self Portrait on North Market

North Market St., Charleston, S.C.

I've been missing in action lately. Whew. It is one of the busiest times of the year for me but things should let up shortly. I am a big American Heart Association supporter and the Lowcountry Heart Walk is this Saturday.  I love the advances that have been made in awareness of ways to prevent and treat heart disease. In the time I've been in healthcare the changes are incredible. I can't help feeling that I am on a winning team. On Saturday I intend to take over 500 people to the walk and by the skin of my teeth we will have raised $40,000.

Yesterday I held a day time silent auction at work. I had no idea how it would work since every auction I've ever been involved in required alcohol to loosen the purse strings. Heheh. We did fine and I set up a table and sold matted prints of some of my photographs. My office looks like a yellow bomb exploded with boxes of walk shirts and people have been handing me money as I walk through the halls. My little head is swimming. I made it to town in time to talk down to the Heart Association on King St. to turn in another cash filled envelope and felt pretty good about it. I am so grateful to the people I work with for making this project so much fun. Go team Pirates!

Here is the link in case anyone is inclined to join the festivities, walk, come take pictures or make a donation. We'd be glad to have you!

Today's photo is fresh off the pavement. There were a couple of chalk drawings but this one lined up perfectly. 

I need food. 

Oh, shucks. It was nothing.

Rutledge Ave., Charleston, S.C.

Aaaaawww. Who knew they cared?

I had to cover the initials with a leaf so I could pretend it was from my kids. Heheh. You can too!

Here is the unleafy version in case your initials happen to be BA and you want to send it to your mother and claim it.

Beach Boys & Barsa

Beach Boys, Line St., Charleston, S.C.

I went to Barsa last night with the old gal's dinner club but apparently the Beach Boys discovered it before I did. New readers may not be aware but one of my early blogging projects was documenting all the sidewalk graffiti in the Charleston sidewalks. If your name is on the pavement I probably know where it is. Here is the link to one of my earlier posts about scribbles in pavement.

The Beach Boys inscription is in the pavement in front of Barsa and I consider that a good recommendation. They were right! It is a Tapas restaurant but I had the Seafood Paella and the Sangria it was delicious. We had a lovely evening catching up on old times. Many thanks to the gorgeous lady who came over and introduced herself as a blog fan - you made my evening!

I happened on the smiley face on Hassell St. on this evening's walk. Happy day!

Truthfully it's been an odd day full of people saying the strangest things. I've worn a "huh? do you have any idea what just came out of your mouth?" expression all day. Sigh.

Kindness

Be Kind, Rutledge Ave., Charleston, S.C.

When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people.
Abraham Joshua Heschel

God loves you, and so Do I

Vanderhorst St., Charleston, S.C.

Please, If you Don't want
or not going to donate, Don't
cut wires on electronics. They
are those who are less fortunate,
that TV could have been an upgrade
for someone. Thank you.
"God loves you, and so Do I"

I could do my own Found magazine.

Sidewalk Footscapes

Charleston, S.C.

I used to have a commenter who would leave upset messages if my photos strayed too far from traditional historic Charleston homes and mansions. She was outraged that I took pictures of sidewalk graffiti when I lived in such a glorious city.

Walking this morning after the wild storms and winds we've been having I was again distracted by the colorful palette I was walking on. No worries. I'll be back with "pretty" Charleston in no time.

Footprints in the Pavement

Charleston, S.C.

No elephant prints but I found an elephant footprint joke:

Q: How many elephants can you fit in a VW Beetle?
A: Four. Two in the front, two in the back.

Q: How can you tell if there's an elephant in the fridge?
A: There's footprints in the butter.

Q: How can you tell if there's two elephants in the fridge?
A: There's two sets of footprints in the butter, and food keeps disappearing.

Q: How can you tell if there's three elephants in the fridge?
A: You find it difficult to close the door.

Q: How can you tell if there's four elephants in the fridge?
A: There's a VW Beetle in the driveway.

Ho, ho, ho.....

For our Altars and our Hearths

Coming St., Charleston, S.C.

I love the meaning of this latin inscription and always wondered what made the home owner decide to have it inscribed on his threshold. Every once and awhile I kick the weeds aside to pay it a visit.

Pro Aris et Focis is a Latin phrase used as the motto of many families and military regiments, as well as being one of the mottoes of Bristol University.

Meaning "For god and country" or literally "for our altars and our hearths", but is used by ancient authors to express attachment to all that was most dear and venerable. It could be more idiomatically translated "for our homes".

.
Nice, eh?