Sunday, June 9, 2019

Sunday, June 9, 2019


Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2008. We took Mattie to Roosevelt Island so that he could play with his remote controlled boat. Mattie was fascinated by boats and if you were to ask him what he was saying money for in his piggy bank, he would tell you A BOAT. However, it wasn't a toy boat he wanted. He wanted to purchase a real life sized boat when he got older! Not only did he want a boat but he wanted to be a captain of a ship. 







Quote of the day: The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible. ~ Arthur C. Clarke

The day started with drizzling rain, but as the morning progressed, the sun came out. We went for a three mile walk along the beach and came across this very alive crab. 

We can also saw sea turtle tracks on the beach as apparently it is nesting season and at night turtles come out of the water to lay their eggs in the sand dunes. They lay them and then return right back out to sea that same night. The trails on the beach are noticeable and the nests are protects with signs and beach patrol. I find it interesting that mother turtles do not stay around to nurture their young. 

This is another common sighting on the beach.... jellyfish! They are huge. 

This afternoon we decided to drive into Charleston. Which takes about 40 minutes. Along the way, we stopped at Angel Oak. 

The Angel Oak is considered a symbol of Charleston, SC.

When we arrived on site, the gates into the park hadn't opened yet. So I snapped a photo of the Angel Oak through a fence. The tree is incredible! It is estimated to be in excess of 400-500 years old, stands 66.5 ft tall, measures 28 ft in circumference, and produces shade that covers 17,200 square feet. From tip to tip its longest branch distance is 187 ft.  

Charleston is filled with charming colorful homes.  The Charleston Single house is an icon of Charleston Architecture. The Single House is identified by the long verandas, or porches
that run the length of the structures and serve as exterior spaces and effectively exterior hallways.  The interiors of Charleston single houses are consistent, usually one room wide and several rooms long.  It’s the exteriors of the houses that come in many shapes and styles, including Georgian, Federal, Italianate and many many more.  Another feature of the single house is the ‘front door,’ which actually leads to the ground level porch or patio and to the actual front door.  These doors provided added privacy and security for residents.

We literally walked block after block snapping photos of homes. Each house appears to have its own secret garden including a fountain and beautiful wrought iron gates. 

This is the Edmundson-Alston House. We had a 30 minute guided tour of two floors of the home. The house was built in the late Federal style by Scottish shipping merchant Charles Edmondston at the height of his commercial success. In 1825, it was one of the first substantial houses to be built along the city’s sea wall away from the noisy wharves and warehouses further up the Peninsula. But a decade later, economic reversals during the Panic of 1837 forced Edmondston to sell his house. It was purchased by Charles Alston, a member of a well-established Low Country rice-planting dynasty who quickly set about updating the architecture of his house in the Greek Revival style. Among the features Alston added were the third story piazza with Corinthian columns, a cast-iron balcony across the front, and a rooftop railing bearing the Alston coat of arms. In the 1840s and 1850s, business visitors were received on the first floor while the family’s intellectual and social diversions took place in the drawing rooms on the floor above. The house has remained in the Alston family since 1838. Many pieces of the family’s 19th century furniture, books, and other personal belongings remain in the house - much as they have since the Alstons witnessed the dramatic events of the Civil War. 

I was standing across the street from the Edmondson-Alston House. So you can get the feeling for the views of Charleston's Harbor from the house. Behind me in the distance is Fort Sumter. 

The house was ideally situated to provide a vantage point from which General P.G.T. Beauregard could observe the fierce bombardment of Ft. Sumter on April 12, 1861, signaling the start of the Civil War. And on December 11 of the same year, the house gave refuge to General Robert E. Lee the night a wide-spreading fire threatened his safety in a Charleston hotel.

Another Charleston Single House. 

Hopefully you are getting the feeling for the architecture style from these photos. Houses are long and narrow!

We walked through White Point Garden. It is a 5.7 acre public park. Placed at irregular intervals around three sides of the perimeter of White Point Garden are several military relics. Such as the 11-inch Dahlgren gun from the USS Keokuk that fired shells at Fort Sumter in 1863 and two Confederate columbiads (large cannons) that were used in the defense of Fort Sumter. 

When you think of Charleston, you think of Single House architecture and most definitely wrought iron gates. All the houses seem to have unique gates in front of them. 

Many of these gates were designed by Philip Simmons. He was the most celebrated of Charleston ironworkers of the 20th Century. He received his most important education from local blacksmith Peter Simmons (no relation), who ran a busy shop at the foot of Calhoun Street. It was in that environment where Philip Simmons acquired the values and refined the talents that would sustain him throughout his long metalworking career.

Moving into the specialized fields of ornamental iron in 1938, Simmons fashioned more than five hundred decorative pieces of ornamental wrought iron: gates, fences, balconies, and window grills. The city of Charleston from end to end is truly decorated by his hand.

Another Single House. 

Beautiful gates! They just line the streets!

I would say the third common trait found in Charleston are flower boxes. They are stunning and can be found in front of homes and businesses. 

All this greenery is in a flower box!

 Another stunning gate. 

Get the picture! I could do a whole photo album on gates alone. 

My favorite flower box I came across today.

Meanwhile it is over 80 degrees and very humid. So we take periodic breaks and we go into shops to cool down. One of the stores we went into today was called Bitty and Beau's! It is a local coffee shop. It is run by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The motto of the shop is that it's more than a cup of coffee but a place that is changing the way people SEE other people. 

Last stop of the day was to Magnolia's! A special restaurant in Charleston. The food and service are wonderful. They never rush you and it is very clear that the people who work in the restaurant LOVE food. They want you to have a good experience and this was our second time visiting this restaurant and I would say it is consistently excellent. 

What was sitting in front of me? Our server convinced me to try their Key Lime Bread Pudding. It was stellar and I am not even a key lime pie fan.