Thai Treats in Santee

Thai House, Santee, SC

It's been a heavenly day in South Carolina with bright skies with while billowy clouds. I started off buying fresh tomatoes at the Farmer's Market and ended on a long drive in the country. The lowcountry is a garden of color at this time of year.

We were hungry around Santee and in my continuing campaign to try the green curry at every Thai restaurant in SC we stopped at the Thai House in a little strip mall in Santee. My face must have been so downcast when they said they didn't put eggplant in their green curry that they offered to do it just for me. I can look so very pitiful for a cause. :))

I sat next to the display of framed pictures of past customers (you can see them on the left) and it seemed only fitting to make sure I was included when they expanded their showcase to cover the whole wall. Grandma and Grandpa were visiting from California so they rallied three generations for a group photo, sent out a complimentary Thai pudding treat and packed us off with Thai travel brochures.

Yum, yum!

Green curry & melon blossoms

Taste of Thai, Orleans Rd., Charleston, S.C.

In my campaign to eat green curry in every Thai Restaurant in South Carolina, I came across these carved blossoms on display at the Taste of Thai on Orleans Rd., West Ashley.

Wow. I can't imagine putting that much work into something that will rot. The carving was incredibly delicate. Is it some kind of melon?

I am pleased to report that the green curry passed my taste test as well although I can't seem to get enough eggplant. Truth is, I really just like eggplant in coconut curry sauce.

Saturday Hodgepodge

Philadelphia Alley, Charleston, SC

I love reviewing the googled search words that land people on my page but these screenshots are even funnier: Is Google making us dumber?

It's been a bright and glorious day. I walked King St. this morning mourning the new flagstone that has destroyed my treasure trove of sidewalk graffiti. :(.

Day trip down the coast today to sweet little Port Royal and ate green curry at the Suwan Thai because eventually I will have eaten the green curry in every Thai restaurant in South Carolina. This version had no eggplant which I take points off for, but you might not.

Ummm.....if you can't find a bill after searching the whole house, does it still exist?

Awwww....Waldo. Nice. Thanks.

I hope everyone is having a perfect weekend.

Blog as diary

Thai House, Santee, SC - 2009

I love it when this blog serves as a diary.

In 2009 I stopped at the tiny Thai House restaurant in Santee for green curry. They had a tradition of posting pictures of their customers on the wall and I turned the tables and had the family join me for a shot.

This weekend, ten years later, I realized that they had moved down the road into a larger building and stopped in again to find they still had some of the old pictures. Thanks to the search feature on this blog I was able to pull this shot on my phone and it caused such a joyful reaction. The grandparents had been visiting at the time of the photo and recently passed away. They were delighted to have this three generation shot. Too bad I am in the middle! 

Monday Hodge Podge

Queen St., Charleston, S.C.

It's been chilly in Charleston and we are cranky and whiny about it. It isn't right to go directly from non stop air-conditioning to turning on heaters. We feel owed a month or two of beautiful days with doors and windows flung open and no humidity to make up for the long hot summer. It's only fair. Whine. Pout. I had to dig deep to find socks yesterday and they felt like foreign things on my feet.

Dinner with a gaggle of women friends this evening at the Taste of Thai on Orleans Rd. They had an empty side room they gave us so we could safely talk about everyone we knew. Yes. You.

I continued my campaign to eat green curry in every Thai Restaurant in South Carolina and this was good! They went light on the chicken and loaded me up with eggplant. I made everyone taste my scrumptious coconut sauce. Yummers.

Drat. Inserting the link I find a 10% off coupon. Must go back.

The location for Pecha Kucha Night has been announced to be at the Music Farm on Wednesday. Check their web site for the presenters. They haven't posted that the $5 tickets are sold out yet so you can still go. I wouldn't complain if I wasn't the very oldest person there.

Did everyone else know that Leonard Cohen was going to be in Asheville on November 1st but me? Gasp. So close and he didn't call to let me know.

Finally an Edward Monkton qoute I snitched from Ample Sanity who always finds the best goodies:

"Let us be lovely and let us be kind. Let us be silly and free. It won't make us famous, it won't make us rich, but damnit how happy we'll be." Edward Monkton.

G'night kids. Don't stay up too late.

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.

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.

Respect the Ratio

Folly Beach, S.C.

My nephew Jesse is visiting for the week and we've been trying to make the most of his time in the lowcountry. He has just finished his first year in the Nursing program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

The day he arrived we walked on Folly Beach and I had him pose showing off his shirt. The shirt says "Men in Nursing" on the back and the front says, "Respect the Ratio: 10 to 1". Heheh. I guess men are still the minority in nursing school. He wasn't complaining.

Beach, egret rookery, observing in surgery, she crab soup, soft shell crab, Thai food, wandering downtown Charleston......what else does he need to squeeze in? I am dropping him off at Shem Creek to go fishing in the morning but let me know. It's been awhile since I was twenty.

Walking on Water

Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

Isn't this just freaky? It looks like they are walking on water. This paddle boarding amazes me and I got to see it close up when I was kayaking on Shem Creek this weekend. It doesn't look very relaxing since I like to lay back and put my paddle up and enjoy the scenery but they say they can sit down if they want to. I have no idea who these folks are but they look like they were having a good time.

I've been in meetings all day at Trident Technical College and not only got home early but had leftover Thai green curry in the frig waiting for me. Happy day!

Doors of Charleston - the alternative collection

Burns Lane, Charleston, S.C.

Hey, I thought it was supposed to rain all day! It wasn't a bad day at all.  I stayed up most of last night reading a book on my tablet so it was a good thing I didn't have to leap out of bed and get to work this morning.

Here are a couple of additions to my Charleston Doors series. It doesn't quite match the poster that is sold to tourists that can be found here: Doors of Charleston Poster. My first shot is on Burns Lane and is the back entrance to Tasty Thai restaurant (Green Curry ....Mmmmmm) and the graffiti door below looks like Patch Whisky's work.

North Charleston, S.C.

North Charleston, S.C.

Dinner with a view

View from Shem Creek boardwalk, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

I am on a Salmon Caesar Salad kick and just like my Thai Curry streak last year, I've been eating it in every restaurant that offers it on the menu and some that will put it together for me. Nice having a craving that consists of healthy food! One thing that nudged Vickery's Bar & Grill salad to the top of the list is the waterfront views that come with it. Last night was a perfect lowcountry summer evening. It was warm but the humidity level was low enough to make for a pleasant outside dining experience.

I anticipate an exciting afternoon on my property today as I have tree trimmers coming to prune my trees and remove a large dying tree on my neighbors property. Woohoo! Hope all goes well.

Mixology Magician!

Evan Powell, Fish Restaurant, Charleston, S.C.

I like it when something good is billed as the "first annual"!

This evening I went to what was called a Mixology Dinner at Fish Restaurant. Mixologist Evan Powell mixed the drinks and chef Nico Romo whipped up tasty treats to go along with them. The dinner was served in the upstairs room of the restaurant. I can't even guess all the ingredients that were in these drinks but I especially liked what Evan called the Rising Sun (described as being made with Aperol, Yuzu Marmalade, Brut sparking, and preserved orange slice) and his award winning winning Black Thai lemonade.

It was a lovely evening, good food, good drink and delightful company at our table. Thanks folks!

It's a bug!

Barnes Auto, James Island, S.C.

I pass this corner every time I go to a Friday matinee on a Friday. Barnes Auto Center always has a couple of old VW Beetles around.

I squeezed in The East at the Terrace Theater and just got back from enjoying a little green Thai curry and bought a couple of hydrangeas on sale at Lowes. Not a bad start to the weekend.

Philadelphia Alley

Philadelphia Alley, Charleston, S.C.

Busy week, kids but it is Friday and I have a belly full of Thai green curry and a glass of white wine so I can't complain.

I am back from my second day in Columbia this week. Today was for a professional society meeting. It was the gathering of the clans of volunteer management in hospitals in South Carolina. I didn't get back too late to walk but I got back too lazy to walk so this evening's photo was taken last weekend and is of Philadelphia Alley, the sweetest narrow alley in town.

What does everyone have planned for the weekend? I know the Dragon Boat races are tomorrow and I usually try to get a few action shots there since I know so many of the paddlers.

Weekend Color

Palmetto Carriage Tours, Charleston, S.C.

I used to say that Key West was like a small scale Charleston with chickens in the streets. I can't say that anymore since we appear to have chickens running around as well. This is the Palmetto Carriage Tours red barn. If you've been to Charleston you have probably taken a carriage tour from them. The Carriage drivers were having a serious Biblical discussion and I felt like I had physically stumbled into a holiday postcard.

I have had such a lovely day. I walked for miles this morning to make up for all the time I've spent in my corner of the couch while it rained outside. Everything looked so festive I took my time and enjoyed it. This evening I joined up with my blog buddy from Tales from the Laboratory and we went to the Symphony Holiday Pops Concert and ended up at Basils with five minutes to order before the kitchen closed. We managed without any trouble! Yum. Yum. Pad Thai.

John C. Calhoun sails in

John C. Calhoun statue, Marion Square, Charleston, S.C.

I can't help it. I grab every chance I can to make John C. Calhoun squirm in his grave. His statue is conveniently placed on a pedestal so high that if I get down very low I can entertain myself by taking pictures of him in awkward situations. This time he sailed into town on a pirate ship.

Check out the rest of the John C. Calhoun moments here. Maybe I'll do a show. Heheh.

I enjoyed leftover Thai green curry and am back from my walk. It must be time for tea.

Wildlife Walking

Marion Square, Charleston, S.C.

I usually have lots of cute wildlife photos from an early morning walk on South Eastern Wildlife Expo weekend but I was later this morning and by the time I got out the crowds were almost claustrophobic. They expected about 30,000 in attendance and I believe at least that many bumped into me.

The Wildlife Exposition often hits a chilly and rainy weekend but today is the most glorious day we've had in a long time and on the first warm and sunny days of the year, college students strip down to scraps of bathing suits and lay in Marion Square. It is a tradition that wasn't going to stop just because there was barely a square foot of empty park space. Some of the gentlemen in attendance were clearly having a hard time deciding which wildlife they should be paying attention to.

I had to be out of my house between 12 - 2 so I squeezed my way in between the crowds and ended my walk with a bowl of green curry at Little Thai Too on King St. Yum. Now I am thinking it might be nap time.

Wentworth St. walk

Wentworth St., Charleston, S.C.

My brother Jim is visiting Charleston and while I am at work he has been scraping and painting my old house. In the evenings we grab a bit to eat. Sesame first, on the way to leave my paycheck at Lowes in trade for paint, Thai food on Monday, the new Patat Spot on George St. and today ribs at Sticky Fingers. Yum. I think I'll put the scales away for this visit.

After dinner this evening I walked on to Harris Teeter and back on Wentworth St. past the fire station. I love peaking in on the old engines on display. Turning the corner, the fire engine had pulled up on King St. while the gentleman made their regular yogurt ice cream run.

There is a haze all over Charleston and the smell of smoke but I understand it is from the fires in Georgia and nothing local at all.

Celebrate!

Dessert at SNOB, Charleston, S.C.

I enjoyed a little pre-birthday celebration at SNOB restaurant on Saturday night. I ordered Chef Frank Lee's famous shrimp and grits and they sent out a courtesy birthday dessert of Greek yogurt panna cotta with a candle in it. Thanks SNOB! 

Today was my actual birthday and a hard working day with lots of meetings. I made up for it with an extra dinner out at Taste of Thai. I guess it's lucky we don't have birthdays every week or I'd weigh more than the restaurant!

The Spy Who Loved Him

Charleston, S.C.

I walked the Battery loop on the weekend and was nagged by a vague memory of a story of JFK having an affair with a spy in the Fort Sumter Hotel. I googled around to see if there was any truth to it and found this piece by Mike Sigalis:

JFK And The Spy Who....Loved Him

FBI files released in 1998 revealed that in 1942, when John F. Kennedy was a 24 year old naval lieutenant working in the Atlantic fleets intelligence office at 29 east Battery, Charleston, he enjoyed two visits from tall, blonde Arvad Fejos, a former Miss Denmark. But Fejos was also a Nazi sympathizer with ties to Hitler, Goebels and Goering. Kennedy was of interest to the Nazis because of his father, Joseph Kennedy was the former ambassador to England.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's attorney general knew of Fejo's background and had sent the FBI on her case. When she rented a room at the Fort Sumter Hotel, the FBI promptly bugged it. Apparently, the lovers set the bug wires aglow with their passionate carryings on. In between, Kennedy was recorded spilling the beans to Fejos about his future military assignments.

Not that there was anything unusual about JFK having an affair. It seems he had as many affairs as George Washington ate lunches although the locations of the later are perhaps better recorded.

I had a nice dinner with my son for his birthday this evening at Basil. I'm on a Thai streak. Happy birthday kid! I love ya.