Bold and Brassy

I want to own one

A beautiful door knocker

Bold and Brassy

Life is Good!! ABC WEDNESDAY 'G'

To see more ABC WEDNESDAY photos, go here.

ABC WEDNESDAY-G-CYPRESS GARDENS

CYPRESS  GARDENS is a 170 acre swamp-garden rich in natural beauty and fascinating history. The land was originally part of Dean Hall one of the Cooper River's largest and most prosperous rice plantations.  The swamp was used to flood the adjoining rice fields by a system of trunks and ditches. Tall bald cypress and tupelo trees are reflected in the mirror-like black water and nature abounds. (Credit: Brochure from the Visitor Center).

To see more ABC WEDNESDAY photos, from bloggers around the world, go here

Historic National Landmark

Farmers and Exchange Bank

Historic National Landmark

Completed in 1854, the Farmers’ and Exchange Bank is a historic building in Charleston, South Carolina. It was designed by Edward C. Jones and Francis D. Lee in the very notable and distinctive Moorish Revival style that still helps the structure stand out up until now. It is said to be the only example of the style that evolved from the influence of the English Regency architecture.

The building is currently vacant but seems to be in good condition.

Meet Dab!

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I walked down E. Bay Street in Charleston, admiring all the stately architecture.  I noticed a bicycle loaded with easel and art supplies parked on the sidewalk in front of a beautiful house. As I was photographing this marvelous conveyance the artist emerged from his house. Dab, a Dabberly style painter, spoke at great length to me about the latest trends of artistic expression using computers and the "tracing technique" which definitely is not his style of painting. Check this site to learn about Dabbish style of painting and  this talented guy.

Camera Critters-Drive Slowly

My Kind of Neighborhood

To see what other bloggers have posted for Camera Critters, go here.

Drawbridge

This is not a bridge over troubled waters...

I cross it eagerly to go to Medley Cafe

For good morning coffee

Another Southern Belle

I met Savannah and her friend Anne, whom I featured yesterday, at Cafe Medley on a rainy morning while looking for a place to get some good coffee.  A barista at the cafe, Savannah made me a killer sandwich on sourdough bread with lox, cream cheese, onions, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Savannah grew up in this area and was celebrating Fat Tuesday with Mardi Gras beads as she worked the counter. She was friendly, cordial, and patient with me as I plied her with questions. Don't you love her name?! Reminds me of Pat Conroy's novel, The Prince of Tides, although this Savannah looks decidedly happier than the one in the novel.  I have a feeling that this cute little cafe will see a lot of me.

Friendly Southern Belle ABC WEDNESDAY 'F'

On a rainy morning on Sullivan's Island in South Carolina I met Anne who now lives in Georgia.  She grew up in downtown Charleston and is currently visiting a friend. Although Anne has not visited my home state of Minnesota, she has been in Indiana and Illinois.  Loving Chicago, she thinks that she would like living there.  I share her love for that great city. Coming from the Midwest and staying in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina for several months, I think I would be very happy to live in Anne's hometown for awhile.

To see more ABC WEDNESDAY photos, click here.

FABULOUS FOOD-ABC WEDNESDAY "F"

The crab cake salad

At Mustard Seed restaurant

Is FABULOUS FOOD!

To learn more about this wonderful little restaurant, go here.

And, to see other photos for ABC WEDNESDAY, click here.

A Turkish Delight

While buying a loaf of sourdough bread in the Normandy Farm Artisan Bakery in West Ashley, I was struck by the beauty of the woman behind the counter.  Her accent certainly indicated that she is not a South Carolinian, and Berfa revealed that she is from Adana, Turkey.  She's here because she married someone from this area.  Although her family is still in Turkey Berfa has a sister who had preceded her and who lives here in the Charleston area, also. A charming young woman.

James and Abel

James is an ex-Marine who survived 3 tours of duty: 2 in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan.  Because he was wounded by an IEU land mine,  he now has the help of his service dog, Abel, who gets things off the ground for  James because of his injured back.  James volunteers with Canines for Service  and attends functions like this Southeastern Wildlife Expositiion we visited in Charleston, SC yesterday in Marion Square. An honor to meet both of them.  We also  met several other dogs who were there,  all who had biblical names inspired by Phillippians 2:3-4.  

To learn more about Canines for Service, go here.

 information@caninesforservice.org  information@caninesforservice.org  

Best in Show

Best in Adopted-Rescue Dog Show

Top Dog-Maggi

Mixed Breed

She may not be Banana Joe, but she is all ours!

Banana Joe-Westminster Dog Show, 2013

affenpinscher

To see more Camera Critters, go here.

Poe's Tavern #2

A great place to eat on Sullivan's Island.  I told you about it here and this is a description of the Tavern.

Two Sailors

Happy Valentine's Day!

While walking on the beach in the distance I saw what looked like a hammock attached to a pier. Than I saw some movement, not knowing whether it contained one or two bodies, I bravely moved toward it while DH hurriedly walked in the opposite direction.  I met two young people who are in the Navy, based within 30 minutes from here.  John from Indiana and Alex from San Francisco were on a short leave and enjoying the ocean in a slightly different way than while on the base.  When I asked John if it was okay to pitch the hammock there on the beach, he laughed and said, "I didn't ask!"Alex really misses San Francisco, but I think that she has someone here to console her.

EXPENSIVE-ABC WEDNESDAY 'E'

Two "typical" houses on the Isle of Palms

To see more ways ABC WEDNESDAY Bloggers represented "E" go here.

Confederate Soldiers-An Elegy- ABC Wednesday "E"

Magnolia Cemetery-Confederate Section

ONLY A PRIVATE
by Margaret Junkin Preston
(1820-1897)

Only a private -- and who will care
    When I may pass away,
Or how, or why I perish, or where
    I mix with the common clay?
They will fill my empty place again
    With another as bold and brave;
And they'll blot me out ere the autumn rain
    Has freshened my nameless grave.

Please note that these tombstones are all unidentified and unknown.

February 12 is also the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. To see more ABC WEDNESDAY photos, go here.

Magnolia Cemetery

Magnolia Cemetery

Charleston, South Carolina

"In memory of the sons of Charleston

 who fell around her walls

 who sleep on many battlefields

in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania

Lousiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina

and who lie in distant graves around

their Northern prisons

___________________

These died for their state

Buried at Magnolia are 2,200 Civil War veterans -  that includes five Confederate generals and 14 signers of the Ordinance of Secession. "The Confederate connection probably attracts the most people, because there are so many buried here from that era," A special Confederate section contains more than 1,700 graves of the known and unknown. One reads, simply, "Unknown, Three Bodies, Fort Sumter." Here, too, are 84 bodies of South Carolinians who fell at Gettysburg and were reinterred at Magnolia. (Credit: http://southerngraves.i-found-it.net/cemeteries/magnoliacemetery.html)

Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island

"Though Edgar Allen Poe was only 40 when the curtain closed on his life and though he spent only 13 months on Sullivan’s Island [at Fort Moutrie], his legacy remains. Three streets, Gold Bug Avenue, Raven Drive and Poe Avenue, hark back to him and his works, and Gold Bug Island, across the Intracoastal Waterway in Mount Pleasant, is another testament to the eternity of his writing and poetry. And Poe’s Tavern on Middle Street, also named in his honor, offers fare reminiscent of the island’s early years. The menu includes hamburgers with names such as Gold Bug, Pit & Pendulum, Annabelle Lee, Tell-Tale Heart and, a fitting tribute to Poe’s time on the island, Starving Artist." (Credit: Sullivan'sIslandsHomes.com)

Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island  is a hoot!  The bar and restaurant is literally filled with images of Poe, and the food is good! We sat outside on a sunny patio on Saturday in 60 degree weather; I had a Gold Bug hamburger and Jim had the Raven. Since we live a stone's throw from Sullivan's Island, I think we'll be back often to that laid-back island to roam the beach and visit their cafes, restaurants and bars.

Birds of a Feather-Camera Critters

 

Birds I watched as I walked the beach at the Isle of Palms County Park along the Atlantic Ocean.

To see more Camera Critters, go here.

Pitt Bridge Park and Cove Inlet

 Pitt Street Bridge no longer exists.  The area is known as Pitt Bridge Park, which has a long walkway with plenty of benches where one can sit to watch the strollers and to view the magnificent sunsets.

The Hibben House

It seems odd that this modern looking house is probably the oldest house in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Pitt Bridge Park

Jim and I took our dog Maggi to the Pitt Bridge Park,  saw three fisherman and talked to one of them at great length.  Nikita, who has been in the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina,  area for about 5 years, is from Rudnyy, Kazakhstan. He said he came here to be with some of his friends and added that he was working  now.  He didn't elaborate but added that he would eventually like to go to college in the area, if he can earn enough money.  Jim talked to him about the possibility of seeking financial aid and researching scholarships.  Hope that he follows that path.