Piccolo Spoleto Festival - Charleston

Yesterday we were downtown when the Piccolo Spoleto Arts and Crafts Fair opened. We love going but a main attraction this year was a friend's booth in the Crafts Fair. Phil had been working evenings and weekends making wonderful wooden boxes. He uses woods from all over the world to make his little boxes. One particular box had at least 7 different woods in it!
There are so many wonderful objects d' art that one can go crazy IF one has money to spend! Alas - we didn't have that problem! So I just took pictures so that we can keep the memory of all the wonderful things we didn't buy!

The hand blown glass bowls were over $1,000 each but so beautiful!

On my 365 project the theme this week is Shadows. I thought these shadows were wonderful and all together make a great picture.

We decided to "buy" this one! It would look very nice in our living room!

We had seen things similar to this in Mexico but never up this close. They were amazing. Just look at the detail in all these dead people! Each of these figures is only about one inch high. I don't know how this is done but I love it. They were made by Indians in the Andes.
We really wanted this picture also. It is just so southern - so lowcountry. White Roe Shrimp season begins tomorrow in South Carolina!! Yea! I have missed my shrimp!
And these are Didgeridoos!! They are a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australian about 1500 years ago. That is one old instrument. It makes sort of an eeire sound but we liked it! I wanted one of those too but I know myself....I wouldn't learn to play it!

And in honor of all our beer drinking friends - I took this picture for you but it was VERY expensive so I didn't buy it for you!

Duck Day at SRC

Is he cute or what?

I don't usually write about work but today was a really fun day. I helped with a benefit that we held to support the Lowcountry Orphan Relief and also the local Rotary Clubs. Each year the Rotary Clubs let loose 30,000 rubber duckies in the Wando River. The first Duck back to the dock wins. The person who has adopted that duck gets $15,000! I can handle that.

This is me and my favorite young single guy. He said he likes older women - but I like Kirby too much!

My company, SRC, purchased (excuse me - adopted) 50 ducks with our sponsorship and if one of those ducks wins, the proceeds will go to Lowcounty Orphan Relief. We had a lunch for all employees today and the proceeds of that also will be donated. We had tacos! Yum! We had drawings (I didn't win but my bosses wife did! - I wonder if she used her husband for a little pull?? not really) And the helpers got to where duckie hats!! We had ducks everywhere - even on top the cupcakes for the bakesale. It was a really good day! And also - I didn't take the pictures so there were pictures of me! Old.Here we are in line to get our tacos, beans, rice and salsa! Yum!

These ducks are actually toppers for the cupcakes! Great job!

And yours truly!

Quite Weekend

I don't have a lot of exciting colorful pictures to post. No one visited us. We didn't do much - we just sort of had our life this weekend. Yesterday we took Jake (our yellow dog) to a small doggie fair and he had a blast. Well, he enjoyed all the sniffing and saying Hi to all the dogs but he didn't like the tracking chip we had installed between his shoulder blades and he didn't like it when we left him with the groomers. Oh, but he really did like all the dogs there. He was so excited to see each and every one of them. He is the most dog - dog I have ever known! He LOVES dogs.

Saturday morning I got up early to go to the large pond here at Charleston National and get some early morning pictures. They didn't turn out as good as I would have liked but it certainly started my day off well.

Last night grandson's Brendan and Casey came for dinner and a movie. They are so big - so tall now. Both 6 feet plus and I must say, quite handsome. Kirby fixed some chicken on his new grill which he is getting very good at using and then we watched "The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas" which wasn't anything special until the last 10 minutes and then it really gotcha! It was a fun evening with our boys.

This evening we had our first thunderstorm of the week and it was wonderful. We went outside and sat on the screened porch and savored each moment of it. I think that is what we enjoy the most about South Carolina. I tried to get a picture of the rain but it just didn't work.

So, for someone who prefers photo journalism...I feel lost. Here is my only picture for the week.

Click on Picture to Enlarge

Last Sunday we had a very special visitor. A few months ago Kirby went on an internet search for his old Navy buddy - from 40 + years ago. And - by golly, he found him! Sunday, Ed came to visit. They had not seen each other or communicated in all those years. And oh, my did they have fun sharing old war stories and remembering good times together.

We picked Ed up at his hotel and took him to our favorite downtown pub - Tommy Condon's. We had sandwiches and then I left them and went in search of the perfect photo - which I did not find but sure had fun trying.

Update to My Life

Last night we went to Casey's soccer game and he was awesome! He is a really good soccer player and I am enjoying having his games close to home so that we can go. He is playing with his school this year instead of a club. He graduates in a couple of weeks so this is it. This is Casey's last home game. (All the boys got Mohawk haircuts for the last couple of games - lookin' fierce!)
Thursday evening I joined some of my co-workers at the "40 under 40" awards here in Charleston. I had helped in the nomination of Tiffany Crosby and she won! We are so proud of our young 29 year old star - at work and in the community.

Mother's Day

The Happy Mother and her daughter. **Son too far away in California :( **

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are mothers too! I have had a wonderful day. It started with the flowers yesterday from Ryan and his family in California and then today we had brunch with Christie and her family. We went to Fuel and if you will remember, Kirby and I celebrated our anniversary there last year. I love it and of course the biggest draw is that we can take the dogs!! Yea! We had 3 yellow dogs wanting to check out what ever was served at each of the tables. And of course they serve one of my favorite ales - Drifter Pale Ale.

That was fun but - then Christie and I went downtown where everyone was all dressed up and families roamed the streets. (College of Charleston and the Citadel both had graduation this weekend and all the families were in town!) But - we went to the bead store and got some lovely, lovely things. I just love seeing all that shiny colorful stuff! And then we went home, relaxed and played with the pretty beads.

Now I am sipping a glass of red wine and reflecting on what a wonderful day this has been and how lucky I am to not only have such great children, but to get to celebrate so many Mother's Days with them.

Man Cave Party

It had been quite a while since our last good Cave Party. Last night was really good. We had more food than we could eat, lots and lots of laughs, the men played golf and the women bowled. How's that for a good party?!Actually a good picture of Kirby and I!

The Cave Queens - Ginny, Suzie (me), Jennifer, Diane and Susan. Good friends!!

Bowling in the Cave.

And of course Jake had a good time...he loves the Cave!

I just realized today when I came back and looked at this posting that all the pictures are of the Cave Queens! How funny! The MAN CAVE! no men! ha ha!

Senior Prom

Seventeen year old grandson, Casey, attended his Senior Prom last weekend with his girlfriend, Callie. As a very proud grandmother - I present the beautiful pictures of the beautiful young couple!!

San Diego Family

I have been back from my San Diego Trip for over a week now and have been negligent about posting my pictures. I think I have been much too absorbed in my 365 Project. I dream pictures at night. It is pretty bad. But I know everyone wants to see some pictures of my little guys out in San Diego so here they are!

Kevin is 4 and Justin is almost 15 months. We had so much fun playing pretend, lego, going to the park, taking a nice walk, swimming and just being together. They are the BEST!!

Charleston Farmer's Market

Click on pictures to enlarge

I wasn't going to take my camera when we went to the Charleston Farmer's Market. I have some really nice pictures already. But now I am glad that I did! I think I will always find something new to photograph there. Farmer's markets are so lovely and so special!

You can't tell but this was an antique window with a mirror in the back and glass on the front. I loved seeing the reflections through the lovely grassed in the middle.

She made some beautiful wooden bowls!

And you could even buy a bouquet of cotton!

It is definitely strawberry time!

Handmade seagrass baskets.

Warm pretzel

This young man was an excellent violinist already.....and making some money at it too!