Swamp Walking

Audubon Swamp, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC

"In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

― John Muir

Chinese Lantern Festival - Charleston

Chinese Lantern Festival, Charleston, SC 

We were foiled on our first attempt to get to the Chinese Lantern festival by rain showers but we ended up having a perfect night for it this evening. Everything was perfect. We had a bite to eat at my house and headed that way. I'd had a sneak preview watching some of the workman creating the designs so it was a treat to see them lit and on display.

Rockabilla-Que!

Rockabillaque, Park Circle, North Charleston, SC

The Park Circle neighborhood of North Charleston is the perfect location for festivals and events and yesterday was the 7th annual Rockabillaque! Cars and motorcycles of every type were tucked into every nook and cranny. It was a lively and colorful event and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Roots & Shoots Native Plant Nursery opens

Roots & Shoots, Wappoo Rd., Charleston, SC

Roots & Shoots Native Plants & Fruits nursery opened in their new location on Wappoo Rd. in my part of town this morning. Yipee!

I wasn't the only one who got their promptly but I did a quick in and out before my wallet had too much damage. I needed to talk to someone about some ground cover for a trouble spot and brought home a few plants to try. Welcome to West Ashley!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween 2019, 70s theme, Charleston, SC 

I was hoping to find someone with a VW van or bug to park in front of the hospital for our 70's theme this Halloween but I did even better! My friend Libby had a 1972 Ford LTD convertible and let us climb inside and have fun with it!

We had a grand time roaming the hospital passing out candy treats. Thanks for the fun, folks!

Just stopping by to say, Boo!

Ghostly presence in Charleston

Broad St., Charleston, SC 

The reflection in the window across from the Cathedral on Broad St. confirmed all 

suspicions of ghostly presence in the Holy City. Boo! 

Charleston says, "Boo!"

Burbage's Grocery, Broad St., Charleston, SC - Halloween

 Happy Halloween from Charleston! 2019

Romantic Carriage Ride

State St., Charleston, SC 

I often try to include people walking, riding bikes and carriage rides to add some action to my photos. In this case I thought it was a lovely romantic carriage ride until I spotted the two giant cameras aiming at the couple.

I've been told they were filming for an Expedition Unknown episode about buried treasure.

State St. sweet spot

27 State St., Charleston, SC 

Uhoh. I've been letting the blog slip. Sorry folks. It's been a busy stretch. I've helped open a new hospital, participated in a Lip Sync Battle fundraiser (yep. me on stage. scary), and been to Columbia for the Governor's Volunteer Awards. It's all good stuff but hopefully things will settle down a little.

It is still endlessly hot and dry in Charleston with most days in the 90s. I am so ready for a little cool air.

This is one of my favorite sweet spots and I always seem to stop to admire it and grab a shot.

Hope you are all doing well. 

Here there be dragons

Charleston Garden, Charleston, SC 

I love peeping over fences and hedges into secret gardens and this one was a happy surprise. Dragons! 

Additions to the corner store series

Spring & Cannon St., Charleston, SC 

I tracked down a few additions to the Charleston corner store series.

Have I missed any? It's good to have a goal for a walk. 

Blue Bicycle Books - In memory of Dorothea Benton Frank, King St., Charleston, SC

Blue Bicycle Books decorated their window in memory of beloved author Dorothea Benton Frank. RIP.

Charleston Pride Parade 2019

Mayor & Sandy Tecklenburg. Pride Parade, Charleston, SC

Taking pictures at the Charleston Pride Parade has become a tradition for me. 

It's hard to miss with the colorful, joyful event!

Hurricane Dorian

Keeping her eye on the Charleston harbor, Charleston, SC

Hurricane Dorian seemed to have us all caught in a stress time warp as it lingered up the coast. It was going to hit us, it wasn't, it was. We were glued to news reports, weighing the location of the eye, the strength of the winds and the timing of the tides. Wednesday lasted a week. I decided not to leave. My current home is brick and a higher elevation than my last house. Neighbors said they had never had any trouble with water.

Bottom line is we got very lucky. The water surge wasn't as bad as feared. I had very impressive wind gusts and the noise made it hard not to keep wandering the house checking on everything. My yard was full of small tree limbs. Many people are still getting power back but I was fortunate in that regard and didn't have long periods without power.

I've spent the last few days cleaning the worst of the yard debris and I'm not done yet. We were fortunate and I have since gone online (now that I have wifi back!) and made a donation towards the Bahamas.

Hope you all did well! 

Dressing for the party no one wants to go to:

Hurricane Dorian prep, Charleston, SC

Here we go again! Stay safe and dry kids.

Seems like we've been glued to hurricane Dorian news for weeks.