On the Road - Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

It's time to whisk you away from Charleston again because I never posted the pictures from my visit to Crown Hill Cemetery on my recent trip to Indianapolis. I dashed out the door the minute my workshop was done and flagged down a cab aiming to find John Dillinger's grave.

Duh me. The cab driver asked where I wanted to be let off and I suggested the main gate as we passed block after block of walled cemetery grounds. Turns out there are 555 acres, 25 miles of paved road and over 200,000 graves. Oooops.

I never did find Dillinger but I had a good walk and it is a lovely cemetery. I followed a line in the road to an Information Office only to find it closed and map containers empty so I explored trying not to get too lost and luckily my loyal and well tipped Nigerian cab driver came back to get me and then drove me to the airport the next day. It didn't even dawn on me to try to pull up a map on my phone. Sorry Dillinger. Catch ya next time!

 

Mousey murals on East Montague

Mousey Murals on East Montague, North Charleston, S.C.

I spotted a couple of new (new to me) murals on East Montague that were worth screeching to a photo stop for. Cool!

Under the Boardwalk

Magnolia Gardens Swamp Walk, Charleston, S.C.

Picnic! I love picnics and talked my son into joining me for a walk through Magnolia Plantation's Swamp Walk this morning. We enjoyed a picnic and then spotted this fella hiding under the boardwalk on the way out. Maybe he thought since he couldn't see us, we couldn't see him.

Table 118? Not so much.

Table 118, Lake City, S.C.

I often post photos of delicious meals I've enjoyed but rarely make a fuss about meals that weren't such a hit. Readers often try restaurants I've recommended so I consider not talking about them enough. I simply haven't given publicity to places where the food or service has been disappointing.

I am willing to make an exception for Table 118 except for one little snag. I can't even get inside and I already have a bad taste in my mouth. 

After the great success of Artfields art festival in Lake City earlier this year I was eager to promote the entire project. I told everyone I knew about the festival. I loved the idea of reviving an entire little town around an art festival. I heard raves about Table 118 described as a high end restaurant in the little town and I was determined to come back to support it.

I've tried. Believe me. The first time I tried to go back it was for dinner. I checked the web site for dates and hours, called to be sure, left a couple messages asking for a reservation (got no response) and finally went ahead to made plans to head all the way there from Charleston since the answering machine message said they were open for dinner. Late that very afternoon after numerous calls I finally got someone to answer the phone who said they weren't going to be open for dinner. Huh? I was really annoyed. I told her that their web site said they were, their answering machine said they were and no one had returned my calls. She didn't know anything about that.

The second time was my fault. No pre-planning. Caught them as they were closing. No harm done.

Third time looked like a charm. A friend was up for a road trip - why not give Lake City another chance? Two morning phone calls confirmed they were open until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Zoom, zoom, zoom. We pulled up at 1:30 p.m. to a spot directly across from the restaurant to find it closed. What the heck? A woman came to the door and said they had decided to close early for renovations that day. We said we had called twice that morning before we made the drive to make sure. She said she didn't know anything about that.

Never mind Table 118. I headed around the corner for some good old BBQ and friendly company.

Ashley River

Ashley River, Charleston, S.C.

As the name suggests, West Ashley is just across the Ashley River from the Charleston peninsula but unfortunately it isn't a pleasant trip by foot or bicycle. To take the pictures of the paddle board race yesterday I parked at the Holiday Inn, took my life in my hands to get across the street to get to the narrow sidewalk on the bridge. I had to stay alert for any bikes trying to share the space. It's too bad since so many people live close to the river and could take advantage of walking to things on either side.

I took the shot below looking down into the marsh. Someone had been enjoying a read by the side of the river. I've had some fun trying to guess what the book was. It is right next to the area under the bridge and may well belong to a street person who has found a hideaway spot.

Chucktown Showdown - Ashley River

Chucktown Showdown, Ashley River, Charleston, S.C.

I directed my morning walk to the Ashley River bridge this morning to catch the beginning of the paddleboard Chucktown Showdown race.  When David Quick from the Post & Courier zipped up on his bike at the last moment, I knew I had chosen my location well.

I am always blown away by the distance of the race. The elite group left Brittlebank Park, passed the Battery, circled Castle Pinckney and back over a course of 8.5 miles. The recreational group had a shorter course but even that is 4 miles. Yikes. These folks must have some strong arm muscles.

The gentleman in the top photo may have been paddling in the last of the group but his passenger appeared to be having a very good morning. 
 

Southern Season opens in Mt. Pleasant

Sampling coffee at Southern Season, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

The new Southern Season store has opened in Mt. Pleasant. It is huge! Aisle after aisle of gourmet food items, candy, flowers, coffee bar, deli, a cooking classroom and next door is a full service restaurant.

The Nespresso vendors promised us a perfect cup of coffee as a sample and then graciously took our picture. The goat mile soap lady herds her goats on Johns Island and makes goat's milk soap and lotion named Dancin' Goat after her parents Dan and Cindy. My friend Susan and I wandered the store drooling on all the fancy goods. I bought a veggie chopping knife and then we wandered next door to Southerly to enjoy dinner. See a good review of their breakfast menu here.

Never Forget

Cannon St., Charleston, S.C.

Quilts on display

Nightfall over the Cooper River by Juanita Gowder

Surprise! I knew there was a secret garden behind the Daughter's of St Paul religious book store on King St. but I didn't know there was also a gallery space. At the moment there is a quilt display by the Cobblestone Quilters Guild of Charleston. They are mostly small wall hanging pieces and you are invited to vote for your favorite. Some of them are really lovely, intricate pieces. Sadly I didn't get the name of the artist on the bottom image which is one of my favorites.

The quilt show is in celebration of the American Quilt Study Groups annual convention which will be held in Charleston 9/18-23 at the Francis Marion Hotel.

Purple Iris by Christine Taylor

Ship's Propeller - Steamship Leif Eriksson

Propeller, Georgetown, S.C.

I think this is a new addition to the waterfront in Georgetown, S.C. I haven't seen it before and it is so huge it would be hard to miss. What a great sight it is against the old textured brick wall.  The Post & Courier has the story describing how the wreck was finally identified resting in 100 feet of water off Bulls Bay.

Diver's Notes: The "Anchor Wreck" is the final resting spot of an unidentified steamer in approximately 100 feet of water off Charleston, South Carolina.  The site is noted by three large anchors aft of the bow, hence the name.  Aside from scattered hull plates and other wreckage, the site is dominated by a large triple expansion engine and two boilers.

 

After conducting research on potential suspect vessels, we believe the "Anchor Wreck" to be the remains of the freighter Leif Eriksson.  The Eriksson was a Norwegian steamer built in 1889.  The 2,218 ton vessel was 274.5 feet in length and 38 feet in breadth.  The Leif Eriksson was bound from Matanzas, Cuba, with a cargo of sugar for Philadelphia when she sunk following a collision with the steamer City of Everett in February 1905 off Bull's Bay, just north of Charleston.  The City of Everett was a whaleback with an overhanging cigar-shaped bow, which cut into the Eriksson's hull deeply and ripped her open far below the waterline.  The Eriksson sank in less than 10 minutes.  Period newspaper articles documented she came to rest upright in approximately 14 fathoms (84 feet) of water with her masts still showing.  Based on the machinery, depth, location, recovered artifacts, and dimensions of the wreck site, we believe the Leif Eriksson is the most likely identity of the "Anchor Wreck."

The Meh List

The Meh List

The Sunday NY times is an occasional luxury even if I don't get to it until a couple of weeks later. I save the magazine section insert and cram it in my pack when I travel. Concentrated, quality writing in a thin package. I leave a trail in airports that are snatched up by the next person taking my seat. 

Reading glasses on for the small print, I make my little noises of approval, acknowledging tidbits of interest, and snorts of disgust at something I disagree with. I was on the plane from Charlotte to Indianapolis when I spluttered out a new one and almost whacked my neighbor's arm to exclaim, "Can you believe this?!" 

On the top of the The One Page Magazine page is a tiny box titled The Meh List. Not Hot, Not Not, Just Meh. This one was submitted by a Susan Good to Samantha Henig. She listed Zumba, Simple Syrup, 10 percent discounts, Sidewalk seating…..so okay. These are thing she just ain't that impressed with. They aren’t hot, they aren't not hot, just Meh. 

It was #6 that blew me away. "Mom and Baby are doing great." 

Holy Cow. "Mom and baby are doing great" are some of the sweetest words in the entire universe. I can only imagine that the writer has never carried a precious child or fallen in love with a baby before it was born. She has never got teary watching the miracle of a heart beat on an ultrasound. She's never longed for a child and been heartbroken by a miscarriage. She's never felt an umbilical cord slide in front of a baby's head during childbirth, or pumped oxygen into a wee one's lungs. She has surely never reached down to welcome a slippery infant to her breast. I guarantee she has never been the resident crying in the delivery room while a beautiful young woman died or the nurse wrapping a stillborn baby in a hand knit blanket to carry it down the hall to the family. I can't imagine that she has even been an anxious family member or friend spending endless hours in a waiting room when doors burst open to a flushed and beaming new father announcing that "Mom and baby are doing great."

Who is this writer who can shrug off mothers and babies doing great? Get thee to a birth. Find some way to get invited to a real MEH - a Miraculously Extraordinary Happening.

Seriously. You don't know what you are Mehsing. Disclosure: I have two kids. I am an old labor and delivery nurse. I didn't have many meh moments in the years I spent helping mothers and babies and that is a lovely thing. 

Topiary Boat

Topiary Boat, Cross, S.C.

These folks need an award for best use of pipes in their yard. Ha!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I washed and scrubbed down the outside of my house this morning, had brunch at the Blue Rose Cafe with my son and am thinking a lazy afternoon sounds pretty good.

If you missed it on PBS (I did :) you can enjoy the Mind of a Chef with Charleston's own Chef Sean Brock here: The Mind of a Chef.

Yay for Restaurant Week! Cypress Restaurant

Shrimp & Grits Appetizer at Cypress, Charleston, S.C.

Restaurant week is such a good deal and allows you to try restaurants that might normally strain your budget.We meant to just get a snack and drink at the bar but the restaurant week menu at Cypress was so tempting we couldn't refuse. Yum. Shrimp & grits, pork belly. Oh my.

John C. Calhoun surveys the rubble

John C. Calhoun surveys the demolition of the old library, Marion Square, Charleston, S.C.

I like to mess with John C. Calhoun when I can and it can take a contortionists position to get him where I need him. Check here to see the other things he has done to keep me entertained.

Single House Reflections

Vanderhorst St., Charleston, S.C.

We had another flash storm this evening - in some parts of town while others stayed completely dry. Things have been very unpredictable lately. Sun, rain, sun, beautiful sunset. 

Check this out - a bakery called Butter Blossoms Shortbread Shoppe & Tea Party Room is set to open West Ashley. That is different! I am a shortbread gal although I try my best not to be. 

It's time to take advantage of the fall Restaurant Week. Check out the restaurants offering special deals here: Restaurant Week. 

The Charleston City Paper has a description of the Southern Season gourmet store/restaurant opening in Mt. Pleasant tomorrow. Sounds interesting.

Here another couple of shots that I have shared on Facebook but didn't make it to the blog.

A message from the Unitarian Universalist Church

Little Free Library - Charleston

Little Free Library, Logan St., Charleston, S.C.

The mission of the Little Free Library group is simple:

• To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide.
• To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.

Google's image gallery for Little Free Libraries is just too adorable for words. Go look! I am not the first to feature this Charleston Free Library on Logan St. (just below Queen St. Grocery). So cute.

I love free lending libraries. I have one at the hospital so we can stock an assortment of books to offer our patients. Today I set up a shelf of books in our Operating Room Waiting Room for visitors stuck waiting for hours. I am just as pleased that the staff had discovered them. Turns out they usually leave as many as they take if not more.

Doors of Charleston - the alternate series

 

 

 

Doors of Charleston, King St., Charleston, S.C.

Why do you think this one was left off the Doors of Charleston poster? Huh, huh, huh? I spotted it on King St. and couldn't resist grabbing a shot.

Meanwhile in other news, the purpose of my walk this morning was to replace my broken Charleston Pirate Mug only to discover that the Margaritaville shop is closed. Sob. I've been drinking out of my favorite mug with no handle for weeks and this was the day I was going to take care of it. Sob. How will I drink my tea? I've already burnt my fingerprints off holding the hot mug with no handle.

I hope everyone is having a good long weekend. I send thanks to all the good volunteers who are staffing the desks at Roper St. Francis Healthcare so I can have the day off. Y'all are the best!

Here is another door for our Alternative Doors of Charleston poster. This one is in the building behind Memminger Elementary School on Archdale St. 

Doors of Charleston, Archdale St., Charleston, S.C.