Charleston Pubs

Yea! We have found another lovely pub right here in Charleston. We know there are many - we just have to get out there and find them.


This one is called Griffon and it is on Vendue Range, just a block from the waterfront. The walls are lined with dollar bills just like Hemingways in Beaufort (and probably lots and lots of other pubs that we haven't been to!) And they carry Coast Ale - our favorite local brew. So, if you are in Charleston, you have to check it out!

Charleston Beer Exchange

Charleston has just the coolest Beer Store! We heard about it from a friend and went to check it out. They can't serve beer on premises but they have just about anything you might want to take home with you.

Just look at the wall of flavors and beautiful labels. When we walked in, not knowing what to expect, I just kept hearing someone saying, "Oh, Wow!, Oh, Wow!". Guess it was probably me because it was a real Wow! experience. It is small - about the size of a single car garage but they do pack it in.
These jugs are called "Growlers". You can buy one for $5 and they will fill it for you with your choice of a specialty brew. Right now they have two local brews available, Palmetto and our favorite, Coast, along with some others. Their choices change regularly so bring your growler back and get a refill! How perfect, Brew to Go!
It is a great little place and should be on everyone's list when touring Charleston. By the way, it is on Exchange Street.

Pictures of Pictures

We always are drawn to this artist whenever we visit the Farmer's Market. And this time when we were there, Kirby noticed that this one picture was special because it had Auriga in it!! Yea! Right there, you can see them at the dock. Wish they had told us they were there - we would have gone to see them! This is somewhere in the Charleston area but when we first saw it we remembered B&B Seafood up Mosquito Creek just south of here. It looked like that. But you can see the Ravenel Bridge so we know it is somewhere here. It was pretty hard not to pull out the checkbook right then and there and walk away with the picture.

I like this one because I want to be there and you just know that there is sand at the foot of those steps.

This is a great little place on Sullivan's Island that we have been to many times.

Beautiful Shem Creek - full of shrimp boats - right here in Mount Pleasant.

Charleston

Another day in Charleston. We went to Farmer's Market, didn't buy a thing but had a great time taking pictures! You can almost get hungry looking at these beautiful bright veggies and berries.

Baby Eggplant

I know you are wondering what this ugly thing is. We asked and were told it was a very nice "French Squash". I looked it up and couldn't find any more information than that. Anyone ever seen one of these before?

Okra is really big in the south

And so are sweet potatoes. They make everything from sweet potatoes.

Signs of the South

This is a Banana Spider, a non-aggressive big boy (or girl) who lives in our tree and in our flower beds and by our front door......

I had never seen anything like this until we moved to South Carolina but all that I have read indicates I don't have to worry about these guys. In fact, they eat insects so I think I like them. And their webs are so strong - stronger even than kevlar!

We have had others that were bigger. I think I will try to collect pictures of them. This picture isn't very good. I was afraid to get too close and get my camera mixed up with that web!

(And another "Sign of the South" in this picture - our neighbor needs to power wash his house - it is growing! Yuk!)

A More Natural State

Yup, that's Kirby standing on a dock with boats and water all around. Looks good doesn't he? Sort of like he belongs there - and he does but he also belongs in the Man Cave and you can't have it both ways!

Do you remember Frank, who sold us our boat, Tobias, up in Merryland a few years ago? Well, Frank called with a favor to ask - would Kirby go check out a boat in Hilton Head for a client of his so they wouldn't have to drive all the way down if it really wasn't a good boat. Of course we said yes! A day around boats - what could be better?

So we headed out at 7 AM for the 2 1/2 hour drive to glitzy Hilton Head. We hadn't been there except for a quick look/see about 8 years ago. We felt like we were back in California and the only give-away was the green - gorgeous green everywhere and perfectly manicured too. It was really beautiful but rather shocking after our casual Charleston with pine straw laying around and some old fallen leaves and hedges that aren't perfect. I prefer Charleston!

We met with the broker and went looking at the boat. Yup, we wanted it. Won't let Frank's clients have it. It looked almost exactly like "Oz", our friends, Connie and Ken's boat. So we know for a fact that that boat does great cocktails! We both went away knowing that we had found our perfect boat.

But, a boat is not in the cards and besides - we have the Man Cave - where we sat last night and enjoyed some barbequed chicken and good company. It is just that we still have a piece of our hearts buried deep in salt water. Guess it will always be that way.

I Am OLD!

I was browsing some of my old pictures tonight and ran across these old pictures from "Junior High School" - more commonly known today as Middle School. They were taken in June 1960 - probably the last days of 9th grade and about a month before my older sister got married. It is funny, I can still remember some of the names without even thinking about it and haven't seem most of them in years and years and then more years (almost 50!) We were at Runnels Junior High School in Big Spring, Tx. My father was stationed there at Webb AFB and I was 14 years old.

In this picture I see Mary Thornton (Schulke) standing on the edge, Judy Engle and Linda Manning.
I had a notebook zipper binder just like the one in this picture. Check out the radiators, the wooden window that open and the blackboard.
This picture can still gives me the willies. This was Miss Drake, our PE teacher. She and I DID NOT like each other and I can still feel my stomach tighten upon looking at her picture. I was so happy to leave junior high and go to high school to get away from her and then found out that she had received a transfer and she was going to! I had to deal with her for a couple more years. Not a happy memory!
Amazing how I felt pretty grown up at the time and now I look at these pictures and we are all so young! Children!
In the front right is Anita Horne Vaughn - my best friend in 9th, 10 and 11th grades. She and I got into so much trouble together and had a blast doing it! We are still in touch today and have gotten together a couple of times. Also - Cheryl Wittington (?) on the left and then maybe Janie Barber Stroud and Judy Engle, back right. I can't eve say that I have wonderful memories. It was so long ago.....I think I have forgotten all but about 4%!

4th of July Was A BLAST!

Pretty Things

This is what I do in my spare time. I am addicted to spending my time looking at the pretty beads and putting them together in different ways. It all started when I first got to Charleston and Christie and I went to a beading place as a fun afternoon. We took a bottle of wine and went and made some bracelets. Then we went back with Devani when she visited and then again when Tanya (niece) came to visit. Last year during the holidays I wanted to wear my old crystals but they were broken so - I went down and bought the tools needed to repair them. That was the beginning of the end!

Now I have a whole bunch of pretty beads, spend way too much money and go way too frequently to the bead store. But it is something that I really enjoy doing. I just need more clothes so that I will need more jewelery to go with it!

Sweet Tea!!

Throughout my life I have drank iced tea - who hasn't? Some years I have drank more than others. I have wonderful childhood memories of the tea my mother always had in the refrigerator when I was growing up. As an adult, tea was there but never in a big way. Diet Coke and Wine took it's place.

Then we moved to South Carolina and let me tell you - they love their tea here. It is called Sweet Tea - or you can get Non-Sweet Tea. All the restaurants have it. All my caterers serve it. Everyone loves it!! It is the most common drink in town.

I am preparing for a function at work tomorrow and went to Costco today to get cake and cookies. Then on the way home from work I went for the Sweet Tea. Check this out!

20 gallons - only three of them are Lemonade (the second most favorite drink). I am thinking I need to buy more tomorrow when I get the ice.

The folks in South Carolina are also very clever. What do you do if you want your Sweet Tea and your Cocktail too? Why you drink "Firefly Vodka", that's what you do!

Kirby did some work on our neighbor's well and sprinkler system and she gifted us with a bottle of Firefly. It is sweet tea flavored vodka and I am in love! I don't think they sell it anywhere else and I have heard things about the demand being greater than they can produce as the are a small local business. But if you get a chance, give it a try! You won't be disappointed and you might start feeling like a southerner! I do!