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AUGUST
2005 |
We
happened upon a great fish restaurant called the Catawba Fish Camp in Fort
Lawn, SC, 10 miles east of Highway 77, south of Rock Hill. It was a
HUGE place, with a large variety of seafood offered, all you can
eat. It was so good, we made the 3 hour trip to eat there again a
few weeks later
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The new Arthur Ravenel,
Jr. Charleston SC Bridge opened July 15, 2005. It is not only the
largest in South Carolina, it is also the longest cable-stay bridge in
North America
The record-setting bridge features two diamond-shaped towers more than 570
feet tall, eight traffic lanes and a pedestrian lane.
Beautiful! Here's a virtual crossing:
It replaced 2 other bridges including the Cooper River Bridge:
Here is a view of both bridges from a naval base memorial (the old
Cooper River Bridge is being demolished now):
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KUDZU
(the vine you love to hate)
It's a bean vine. The legume, Pueraria thunbergiana, to be
exact.
I swear, if we moved away from the South, I
would surely miss seeing the endless phantasmagorical shapes of the
kudzu. Kudzu is a species of climbing vine brought in from Japan for
the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. At first folks here
touted it as a miracle vine with 100 uses (it is) until they realized it
could not be stopped. It grows A FOOT A DAY (or more) during the
warm months. It covers trees, houses, EVERYTHING in its
path. If it weren't for frost, the South would be one big
Kudzu patch. It grows better here than in its native Japan and
China.
Here is a tongue-in-cheek website that gives
as much detail as you could wish for:
http://www.cptr.ua.edu/kudzu/
As a result, it looks like lost cities,
wherever the kudzu has crept. Enjoy a few photos we have managed to
take:
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MAY
2005 |
May
8, a surprise Mother's Day visit to the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC
was a real treat. The largest private residence in America (4 acres
of floor space, 250 rooms - 43 of them are bathrooms), built by George
Washington Vanderbilt III and completed in 1895, this is a modern day
castle near the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina is surrounded by
100,000 acres of forest. We've been to castles in Europe, and this
is STILL an impressive place. Photos not allowed inside, but we were
allowed a self tour of 90 of the rooms.
The welcoming sign and archway..
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The
"cozy" home of the Vanderbilts... no, that's just Heidi posing
there, the Vanderbilts don't live here anymore..
Over two of the doorways...
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A
water fountain under the ramp approaching the house, and an ornate cornice
atop a pillar on the house...
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and
an assortment of delightfully gruesome gargoyles protect the
"home"..
and impressive statue columns:
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The
left side has a "porch" like no other. Okay, so we have a
love affair with gnarly trees, we admit it! ...
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The
greenhouse (not in sight of the house)...
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The
winery where we found a lovely tea rose tree, clock tower and an
impressive array of wines made here, and a lovely walkway to it...
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And
a detached stables now serves as a lovely restaurant, stalls and all,
where we had a Mother's Day luncheon...
The gardens were so extensive, we decided to
return to walk the grounds another time. We hope you enjoyed the
view of the memorable Biltmore Estates as much as we did. |
APRIL
2005 |
WASHINGTON
D.C. |
VIETNAM
WAR MEMORIAL |
For pictures of the Viet Nam War Memorial,
click here to the Support our Troops page and view the photos at the
bottom of that page:
Support Our Troops |
CHERRY
BLOSSOM TIME |
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Cherry blossom time! |
An innovative drummer near the Smithsonian |
A beautiful gazebo next to the Smithsonian |
Cherry trees around the Basin |
I cannot describe the surprising beauty of the Potomac Parkway around
Washington D.C. we discovered when we took a wrong turn. It is worth
the drive! |
LINCOLN
MEMORIAL |
Glenn headed toward the Lincoln Memorial
(above) and Heidi (below)
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The beautiful walk to the Washington and
Lincoln Memorials
A willow tree in the park near the Lincoln
Memorial |
Again, a somber tone, respectful of the
President's memory. We are also reading the opposite wall of sayings |
In the detailing along the top of the Lincoln
Memorial, all the states are listed, including South Carolina |
WASHINGTON
MEMORIAL |
View
from the "National Mall", really a grassy area between two of
the Smithsonian buildings
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Washington
Memorial from the Smithsonian
and
through the trees:
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Glenn viewing the Washington Memorial from the
steps of the Lincoln Memorial |
Heidi
From the walkway between the Lincoln and
Washington
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View from across the Basin (above) and through
the trees (below)
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JEFFERSON
MEMORIAL |
View across the Basin through the Cherry trees
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A solemn tribute of flowers |
Heidi on the steps |
WHITEHOUSE
& CAPITOL BUILDING |
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ROOSEVELT
MEMORIAL |
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A fine outdoor memorial |
Even his dog! |
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KENNEDY
CENTER |
The unique construction of the J.F. Kennedy Center causes it to overhang
the freeway inbound lanes! |
MUSEUMS |
True! So many museums, so little time!
Here's the Hope Diamond that was on display at
the Smithsonian:
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One of the Smithsonian buildings viewed from
the National Mall (above) and the street side (below), closed for
renovations
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SPLENDID
ORCHID EXHIBIT at the
SMITHSONIAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Heidi was in flower heaven...no other
explanation needed |
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Train overhead of the orchid exhibit
entry |
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VENICE,
FLORIDA for the Shark Tooth Festival April 8-11 |
The official banner
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Our friend Bob's megalodon jaw with Glenn
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Mote Aquarium exhibit
Florida Cracker Seafood
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"I Survived The Shark Tooth Festival" T-shirts
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THE
PIG AUCTION
- a Venice event and fun surprise - locals decorated
fiberglass pigs which would later be auctioned off. This is PIG
HEAVEN for you piggy lovers... |
The SHARK
PIG at Sharky's Restaurant is decorated with real fossil mako shark teeth,
whatta grin! Named "When Sharks Fly"
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Dollar Bill Pig
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The Gondolier Pig
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Musical Pig
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Racing Pig
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The Elvis Pig (nope, nothing's sacred) |
Patriotic Pig
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Pigasso
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Andy Warhog
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Miss Pig-Me Date
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Chef Pigatoni
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Piggy Bank
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Pigmillion
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Porky Pig
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Miss Princess Plenty-Full
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Sight for Sow Eyes
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Sow Jones
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SWine Connoisseur
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Tropical pig |
Another tropical pig |
Venice Pig in Paradise |
When Pigs Fly |
Pigs the Butler
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Pigsaw Puzzle
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This Little Piggy...
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Theater piggy
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"Check Me Out" |
Pigahontas |
VENICE
PIER at Sharky's
a shark caught and released while we were there...
View from the pier...
Typical shark toothing with a handled scoop on the shore. A
nasty storm was moving in...
Casperson Beach just south of the pier...
The
beach is so narrow compared to a few years ago, plenty of unfortunate
beach erosion...
Our
own mug shots have to show up somewhere in this photo tour...
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Other views
of Venice - built in 1925 as a retirement community, it has kept those
demographics ever since...
Palms on the Venice Boulevard, and Glenn holding up a tree, taking a
break...
A brilliant yellow but unidentified tree...
And the unforgettable hibiscus on the boulevard..
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In Rambler's Rest motor home park...
The
cranes are very comfortable around folks:
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A mini fire
truck for sale as part of a garage sale in Venice...
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Sunshine Skyway bridge |
DINOSAUR
WORLD
PLANT CITY, FLORIDA
We're not easily impressed, but this was an
AWESOME MUST SEE Outdoor, Natural setting park with over 150 life-size
dinosaurs. West of Orlando off Highway I-4. We have created a
complete web page to show off ALL the dinosaurs we saw there.
Here is a link to the Virtual Tour of Dinosaur
World for a real taste of Jurassic Park:
DINOSAUR
WORLD, Fossils Page 10 |
The
First Annual Live Oak Arts Festival in Conway SC., 10/2/04
An artist that makes something out of found
objects was particularly interesting...
And as always, Kim Clayton of the Blackwater
Gallery had a great setup and was also painting her trailer on-site.
She gets stopped wherever she goes with her jeep as it is...keep having
fun, Kim!
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MARCH
2004
With our friends from Oregon, we made
another trip through our closest town, Conway, to see how a real Tree City
builds its town AROUND the live oaks famous in the South...
They build the roads around the historical
trees...
An early blooming magnolia...
Linda pointed out the heart shape the leaves
make, a true "heart palm"...
Say, is that house hanging like a swing from
the tree? Could have fooled me!
This massive oak limb grew over the drive, and
is supported on the other side to keep it from growing down...
We stopped to view the river, the ducks...
and the local color...my own Glenn, and our
Bill...looks like the movie "Grumpy Old Men"?
Yup. |
CHERRY
GROVE PIER,
Cherry Grove, SC
An especially windy day in March at the beach
creates beauty all its own...
But it gives Glenn and Bill something to
complain about, so they're happy!
Our Oregon visitors, Bill and Linda, even
think this is cold compared to Oregon in winter!
But even we have time to act silly...
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SWAMPFEST
November 6, 2004
Near Loris, SC, this educational
festival is held on the grounds of the Playcard Environmental Education
Center which teaches swamp ecology, wetland plants, natural history,
forestry, reptile and bat biology.
Young people were there to learn old
skills, such as churning butter, soap making, fire-pot stewing, and making
things using antique hand tools. One skill was helping make a dugout
canoe, as our friend Tim did at a recent boat show and also set up
here. You see the pine log and the tools he uses. Safety is
probably the biggest issue when young people and sharp tools are in the
same arena.
Of course my Glenn headed straight
for the chicken bog and cornbread, as did many others...
And I found a fire pot stewing swamp
potatoes (sweet potatoes cooked in pine sap). But imagine my
surprise when they pulled black lumps out of a sticky black mixture in the
pot! Remember, pinesap, cooked with water, makes turpentine!
The potatoes were pitch black and looked inedible. But wrapped
in brown paper, split open, and topped with butter and salt, the taste was
amazing! Back in 1816 pine sap began to be used to cook meat, fish,
turtles, potatoes and other root vegetables. It seals in the flavor
and preserves the food for later use because it hardens into a seamless
shell. Foods are preserved for up to a month this way. I
learned something new today...
And here's Glenn with a hand full of
bog AND swamp potatoes..
Here are some of the working hand
tools shown...a lathe
a planer
a circular saw
a dowel maker
a machine that takes the dried corn
off the cob and makes cornmeal..
and an assortment of others..
Even a monkey accompanied one family...
And of course a picture of the swamp itself,
without which the Swampfest would have no name...
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For Heidi's 50th birthday, we went back to Vegas to
visit old friends, conduct business and have fun. Here's the lovely flower
arrangement from Glenn delivered to the Hacienda Casino hotel room:
A Vegas truck having Halloween fun, below:
And a Volkswagon Beetle with a "GOTRAID" license
plate that was amusing:
Since we already did a great article
on Las Vegas on Latest Travels page 8, we added all the new photos to that page,
and updated the info, be sure to hop over there and enjoy it...
Page 8
Drive-up
LITTLE WHITE CHAPEL, Las Vegas
Yes, we were married here on June 26, 2001. If
you're in the mood, it can be quite charming... |
Drive up, drive under the cherub ceiling ...
to the gate, put 'er in park...and the
minister will do the rest through your car window, yessiree... single rose
and Polaroid in the gazebo is extra.
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Dear
friends Dann & Cindi in their newly remodeled home in Nevada.
Previously a smoker's home, never painted since the original paint from
1970, they have truly worked wonders with their place. They rebuilt
the fireplace you see with local rocks, tore down walls, replaced windows,
made new doors..truly an EXTREME MAKOVER story.
Their nephew Alex at the Open House, hamming
for the camera:
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Our
visit to Boulder City would not be complete if we didn't visit our loyal
customers-friends-families, Ellen and Alex Ray (missed you, Chris).
Surprisingly, they are PACKERS fans!
The incredible view of Lake Mead from their
balcony:
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Also,
a visit to our favorite Asian art store on Stephanie Blvd. in Henderson NV
where we found the owner hard at work doing finishing work on a lovely
carved room divider:
And sitting in our favorite gazebo...figuring
out how to ship it back to us in South Carolina!
We bought elephant and horse wooden puppets
from him that we will treasure.
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LORIS
(S.C.) BOG-OFF 10/16/04
This is a rice and chicken dish
called "chicken bog" that causes fierce competition about home
chefs to decide who makes the best!
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An
ingenious "rocking bench" enjoyed by young and old..
"Boiled peanuts" best eaten hot, a
South Carolina specialty that grows on you...
Local color, part of the reason we go to the
Bog-off...
A trailer full of mini tractors, a colorful
diversion to enjoy...
And of course we each had a big plate of
chicken bog, no pictures this time, look at other bog-off festivals for
that (below) if you wish! |
WOODEN
BOAT SHOW
Georgetown, SC
10/16/04
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Our
Wisconsin friend now living in South Carolina, Tiny Tim the Axe Man,
volunteered to build a dugout canoe from an 11 foot long yellow pine tree
he found near Loris. He
started chopping the log at home using his own embossed axe collection and at this
point had 70 hours into the project, he called it "the
beginning of hell, otherwise known as my first dugout canoe".
He had
several offers to purchase it by the time the show was over, but has
decided to build a few more before selling. He'll chop another at
the Swamp Fest in Loris on November 6. A sucker for punishment, but
he loves it! He was even autographing big chips of wood for folks
asking for it.
Here's Tim vs. log, well into the project
already...
Chopping away, chips a-flying, with his new
wife, Karla, in his cheering section...
The selection of axes he had on hand to use,
they are his own:
We came back 2 hours later...making progress!
And worked on it long after we left.
These are his own final pictures, I suggested the name for the 11 foot
craft: "Hell Floats" :
and
with young friend Billy the first to try it out:
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We
were impressed at the number, variety and quality of the boats on display at the rest
of the show - many for sale: |
A
paper canoe with directions on how to make your own:
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Striped
canoe:
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Kayaks:
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A
kayak with sail:
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Glenn's
favorite canoe:
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Assorted
canoes for sale:
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A
mini tug boat for sale:
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Outboard:
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Glenn's
favorite:
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Sailboat:
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Speedboat
(owner in purple shirt):
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A
two-mast boat with a third placement for the mast as well:
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Beautiful
wooden boat for sale:
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A
real boat cradle:
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Kid's
boat competition:
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Even
some long hair worthy of a photo:
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And
gorgeous mini boats:
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SEPTEMBER
2004 |
In
lieu of our own travels this month, good friends Linda and Bill Pugh
attended the Canby, Oregon Dahlia Show. Below is a new dahlia called
"Junkyard Dog" though I haven't a clue why:
This new hybrid is named "Freedom
Fighter"
Nehalem Bay, Oregon where they go salmon
fishing:
Mr. Bill, a master salmon fisherman, we know
he'll die with his fishing boots on:
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AUGUST
2004 |
A
Florida bridge at the beginning of Hurricane Bonnie
Amazing live oaks throughout Savannah, Georgia
always captivates us
Shrimping boats near Tybee Island
The large gazebo on Tybee Island beach,
showing the mural and the anchor in front of it
Tybee beach dunes and from the pier, a lovely
beach
This will be a prestigious beach house when
they get done elevating and renovating it, you'd never know it!
We DID go to Hilton Head Island, but the only
thing noteworthy besides people spending plenty of money to be there was
this great little South American bakery:
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DRIVING
ON DAYTONA BEACH, views of egrets, terns and gulls
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We
found this amazing array of outdoor displays west of Ocala Florida.
The big "bronze" statues are a heavy aluminum and very
affordable (and yes, Glenn, it's okay to pull THIS buffalo's tail
!!).
The colorful Mexican pottery is a volcanic
clay that fires into a type of glass that is very high quality.
Unusual animals such as monkeys, Great Danes and giraffes!
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At
the State Museum in Columbia, SC, we found an interesting display of
wrought iron by Philip Simmons of Charleston SC. Wrought iron was
not considered a form of art for many years, now he is recognized for his
skill. Below is one of his WROUGHT IRON gates, and a CAST iron
window grate (big difference I now understand)
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A
lovely English tea-garden store and nursery that is unforgettable, in
Wilmington, NC
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Watermelon
Fest in Pageland, SC
Though they were just about out of watermelon
when we arrived at 3 p.m., there were plenty of deep fried Oreo cookies!
And we found plenty of watermelons just south
of here:
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And
the birthplace of Dizzy (John Birks) Gillespie in Cheraw SC, the famous
jazz musician, a great bronze statue as a tribute to him (1917-1993)
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What
a noble billygoat and his large herd of goats we found starting our trip
to North Carolina
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A seafood restaurant in Chocowinity NC
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A
novel business with African safari designs on house and cars, near
Wilmington NC
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These
mules are evidently a cross between a mule and a Belgian draft horse, best
of both! Found right here in South Carolina
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Late
JUNE 2004
FOLK ART Fair at the House of Blues
in North Myrtle Beach, SC - plenty of fun art not only on canvas but
on vehicles! |
Kim with her newest work, Statue of Liberty on
a boat |
Painted live at the Jazz Fest in Conway SC May
11th by Kim Clayton of musician Laren Ellis, it is now Laren's latest CD
cover! Original displayed here at the show in Myrtle Beach |
Woman on door, the laminated strips
repositioned to become the texture of hair |
Just another pretty face - if you're a gator
that is! Another of Kim Clayton's works (Black Water Gallery), at
FolkArtWeb.net |
The
Funky Chicken, a regular hen house on wheels! Parking lot of House
of Blues
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Kim
Clayton (Black Water Gallery, Conway SC) hand painted jeep!
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Hilarious
truck in the parking lot
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House of Blues ceiling is a work of art too! |
Late
JUNE 2004 |
Georgetown
Art & Jazz fest (Georgetown SC), plenty of folks and food and music
(it's okay to eat barbecue and cole slaw mixed together here) (eeww, but
Glenn loves it!). We met our Tagua nut carver here from Ecuador (see
Tagua Nut Carvings page)
(below) The Historic River Street Restaurant
on the waterfront in Georgetown SC, lovely!
The new gigantic hammock at the Hammock Shop
in Pawley's Island (south of Myrtle Beach SC) was installed by crane ..
now we see why!
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Early JUNE 2004
A super "Lion King" sandcastle being built on Myrtle
Beach, FUN to watch!
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AURORA
NC
Fossil Fair & Memorial day parade, May
29, 2004 |
Marching band |
Military float |
Sudan mini tow truck |
Our friend Ken as a veteran on a parade float |
Uncle Sam on stilts! |
Vintage mule-drawn hearse, compliments of the Shriner's |
Vintage ('54 or '55) Thunderbird in the parade |
"Monster truck" golf cart drew a few chuckles |
The Hillbilly float, complete with outhouse, compliments of the
Shriner's |
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MAY
2004
FRANKLIN, NORTH CAROLINA
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A GEM
& FOSSIL SHOW, HERE'S A SAMPLING OF WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO
SEE.
We did not take photos at the MAIN tent, this
is the SMALLER of the two shows |
HERE
IS OUR BOOTH DISPLAYING DICHROIC GLASS |
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Indian bone beads and craft items in a huge
tent - before the storm |
...and after the storm. Their tent was
the only serious casualty. |
A view of the other tents |
Fossils from Russia and Morocco |
Czech glass and gem beads |
African trade beads etc. |
You want a strand of pearls from Asia?
How many? |
Agate bookends, and amethyst cathedrals |
Amethyst & citrine cathedrals from Brazil |
Crystals and other mineral specimens |
Did I mention we saw amethyst cathedrals? |
Rough cutting rock for sale |
One tent held down with a milk crate of rough
obsidian for weight (it is so common!) |
Rough calcite specimens from Mexico |
Fossil coral specimens from Tampa Bay |
Petrified wood sections from Utah |
More rough gem for cutting |
Which crystal ball holds your future? (these
are quartz crystal from Brazil) |
Fossil shark teeth by the thousands (from the
East Coast, USA) |
Many more thousands of fossil teeth |
The MOTHER of all megalodon shark teeth... NO
it's not real NOR is it made the same size as a real tooth. The
original was 7" long. |
Replica dinosaur heads |
More replicas |
Maybe
now you'll understand how POOPED we can be after a gem show, even if we
didn't set up a tent of our own stuff! The choices are endless, the
folks friendly, and the prices are great. |
A fun Easter visiting with our kind neighbors for their
Easter egg hunt...
An April '04 baseball game featuring the Myrtle Beach
PELICANS. We were invited by our Wisconsin friends Carla & Tim (newly
engaged; Carla's birthday choice of an event to attend)
APRIL
2004 |
On our trip to North Carolina, we stopped at
the "Seagrove Area Potteries" where at least 100 potters sell
from their homes. We stopped at Fred Johnston & Carol Gentithe's
( http://www.johnstonandgentithes.com
) because of the "iguana chimney" and the kiln
we could see in the backyard. A great visit with Fred revealed their
lovely gallery of pottery, as well as his interesting acquisition from
Alaska of a walrus oosik, and even the distinctive "potter's
phone" - not a display but a glimpse of their real working life we can
appreciate. |
Here is the well-known Biscuit Company near
Asheboro NC where Mike makes the best biscuits in the South, we'll
guarantee it! |
This is Antique Woods on Hwy. 501 near Aiken
SC, where the folks collect and re-mill wood from old buildings. The
lovely house you see is the home/business, an excellent example of their
work. Inside, the thick wood floors are a superb example of
precision milled, cut and laid wood available for a fraction of the cost
of their woodworking competition. The red building is the sawmill
behind the house, and the piles covered in plastic are an abundance of
wood ready for use. We were impressed! Cool place! |
"We Serve Kids", a novel &
humorous advertising gimmick by Angelo's Steak House in Myrtle Beach |
"The Race Lodge" in Conway, SC, sure
sounds bad--it was burned out recently, we can only guess at the reason! |
Spring in Nevada...
A Luna Moth in South Carolina..
"13th
Annual RUN IN THE SUN" Myrtle Beach SC Street Rod show March 04
2800 restored vintage cars on display
at this show, it was overwhelming! We snapped a few pictures of some
outstanding cars and had a hoot of a time. |
http://www.rustrus.com/
has these great collectible toy cars purposely aged, often selling with
the perfect new ones. |
Pink low rider cadillac with STYLE! |
Green low rider truck
Purple super charger car
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VERY cool vintage red car |
Retractable hard top car is rare |
Also a rare 1940's car hauler |
Whatta street rod!! |
By far the smallest entry! |
NOVEMBER
2003
Charleston,
SC is a stately city on the coast, |
Glory be! A Mercedes Sleeper Motor
home! Zowee!
|
Closeup of the sleeping area |
Ebay Street? Yes indeed, corner of Reid
and E Bay, of course! |
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BROOKGREEN
GARDENS
(South
of Myrtle Beach on Highway 17 across from the Huntington Beach State Park)
A
farsighted vision of one woman to create a very special garden in the
South--and she succeeded (she also directed the building of the
Atalaya Mansions across the street, pictures on the next page) .
These gardens rival any in Europe. Enjoy the virtual tour with me! |
The vibrant seasonal fall floral arrangement
at the entrance to the gardens |
Indoors first, we discovered---a bird in the
sand, carved in wood. We marveled. |
The antelope carving, with the gardens as a
natural backdrop through the glass. It gives "graceful" a
new meaning. |
Two souls beating as one, woman and swan |
The fierce Kabuki Chinese Opera figure--a
striking presence in the gallery |
Our continuing love affair with the trees of
South Carolina |
Live oaks at their tortured best |
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The beginning of the outside bronzes, set a
spell and read a bit with him... |
The noble rhino in his territory |
Woman with fawn and mother, we found them
enchanting at the edge of the garden. |
Woman with pet chicken |
The two horsemen... |
the Greek myth eludes me... |
the "sound" of their trumpets
I hear loud and clear |
The only thing out of sync in this magnificent
fountain picture is me! |
Panthers 1, Tapir 0
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Snow owl woman |
Swimming woman |
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Boy with chicken |
Man with panther |
Lord of the Pigs! |
A cougar lurks! |
Did I tell you about our love affair with
trees?... |
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And
our personal favorite...the blissful child in the fountain who has caught
the frogs... |
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HAMMOCKS
Where
hammocks were invented, and are still hand made - in Pawley's Island SC
(south of Myrtle Beach) |
The hammock maker hard at work |
He'll use up these stacks of rope in no time |
Glenn enjoying the fruits of the
hammock-maker's labor--with an awning too! |
A child enjoying the hammock swing |
2003 Columbia, South
Carolina |
I visited the State Capitol building in
Columbia, SC Sept. 13th, a grand building.
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This Statehouse has been in the news because
of this controversial Confederate flag they continue to fly here. |
Here's a bit of irony - these grand steps to
the entrance, marked "Public entrance" with an arrow directing
you to a humble side door |
Here's a full view of the sign on the steps,
what a hoot! |
Here's the side door where the public is
"allowed" to enter. Give me a break, this grand palace was
paid for with taxpayer dollars, I'd go in the front, wouldn't you? |
Tucked (yes, "tucked") around the
left side of the statehouse is an impressive map of Africa along with
samples of this continent's native rocks |
A short distance away is this incredible
tribute to African American history in a raised relief bronze wall |
Here's one portion of the African American
history wall |
"Gang of 25" plaque detailing the
sale of Negroes in the South |
References to "Jim Crow" in black
history. |
A larger view of this wall with the Jim Crow
portion included |
One last view of the wall. The quiet
dignity and innate pride of our African American people depicted here
lifts the human spirit to hope that perhaps one day prejudice will have no
meaning. |
Maya
Angelou
My
Glenn bought me a ticket to hear Maya Angelou (whom I have always admired)
speak in Columbia SC at the convention center. A Columbia choir
performed before her speech, and they were MAGNIFICENT and moving.
Maya herself is a grand dame worthy of the highest honors. Her
uplifting words, snatches of poetry and song, and earthy stories connected
her entire audience. I found myself jotting notes on whatever
I could find to remember her words. I will never forget her, nor
will I forget Glenn's foresight in his gift of this ticket to such a
breath of fresh air. |
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A lovely floral display at one of the booths
surrounding the convention hall. |
Museum
of Art, Columbia SC |
An active and refreshing imagination
Artist: Rafal Olbinski |
A woman unfurled...I know how she feels!
Artist: Rafal Olbinski |
Okay so I'm a sucker for comical critters, I'm
sure there's other folks who will get a hoot out of this bear folk art
piece too! |
A closeup for another chuckle |
Just an irresistable face |
A somber and exquisite painting, reminding us
of so much sacrifice. |
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A chair made of horns--weird! Right up
our alley,eh? |
A lovely frosted coating on this peacock
feather vase. |
Three views of a HUGE mirror cabinet, truly a
massive work of art! |
Bottom details of the mirror cabinet |
Top detail of the mirror cabinet, what a work
of art . |
An amusing and functional light made of a
plastic bag, found in the museum store. |
AUGUST
2003 |
A new seafood restaurant in North Myrtle Beach (across from
the Galleria Mall) called The Giant Crab is indeed living up to its name! |
STONEHAVEN
RETREAT
LITTLE SWITZERLAND, NORTH CAROLINA
In our search for the perfect abode,
we landed in this area (though it has plenty of snow in the winters--could
you tell from the name?) We were captivated by the views of the Blue
Ridge Mountains here in western NC and found our tour and overnight stay
of this retreat a unique experience. Since the owner decided to keep
it as a retreat rather than sell it as a residence, we continued with our
search, but we will not forget Stonehaven, indeed a Shangri-la .
Enjoy her website with more detail:
http://stonehaven.hypermart.net/ |
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The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the
great room's custom made stained glass window |
The great room |
A room with a View |
The master bedroom/balcony |
Glenn on the balcony. Since Stonehaven
is fully furnished, we enjoyed the slipper collection, as you can tell. |
The upstairs open bedrooms |
A second building, the Ark, on the 28 acre
property here on the top of the mountain, built as part of the owner's
vision of Last Days |
Lower level of the Ark |
Upper level of the ark |
JULY
2003 |
A picturesque scene on the Brevard, NC college
grounds. Brevard is known for a great music college. |
The famed white squirrel breed found only in
Transylvania County (an adapted grey squirrel) |
Flash--there he is again! Heidi saw the
squirrrels first and it took plenty to convince Glenn that Heidi wasn't
plumb crazy. |
A local Brevard lawn service has a sense of
humor!
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This traffic in Hendersonville, NC could
"grow" on ya! Well, at least they're not moving too fast! |
JUNE 2003
This is in Brevard, NC, Transylvania County, no it's not
Draculaville contrary to popular opinion (south of Asheville), a truly lovely
town we are considering moving to. This county has 250 waterfalls, the
view of the Smoky Mountains, home of a prestigious music college. I
spotted a WHITE squirrel crossing our vision across the street that made
me think I had stepped through the Looking Glass (Glenn thought so too) till we
found it was a local phenomenon, an aberration from the Eastern gray
squirrel. Perhaps a good omen, the opposite of having a black cat cross
our path!
Outside Rutherfordton, NC (near Hendersonville, south of
Asheville) we stumbled across an AWESOME Rock Shop,
Broad River Gems & Mining Co., owned by Russ Wood, a gracious host
indeed. Great carvings, rock/mineral specimens, fossils and jewelry, a
destination for ANYONE to enjoy and to purchase any of his lovely items with
confidence. Here's a few pictures to help you
appreciate what we mean... and here's their website with information, photos and
directions as well...
http://www.broadrivergemsandmining.com/
One of the few houses on the beach that has survived all
hurricanes, it's made of thick concrete, an interesting phenomenon.
This is the famous Atalaya Mansion built in the early 1900's
right on the beach, now a ruins, it is a square structure of many rooms with an
inner courtyard. First view is of the water tower in the courtyard, then
the courtyard itself. It's an amazing place to visit, it was built as a
home and sculpture studio, the sculptures are displayed across the street in the
Brookgreen Gardens here in Myrtle Beach. Art shows are held here each
year.
A walk on Myrtle Beach, mid June, we found live sea urchins
galore (left hand picture), breakfast with friends Dann & Cyndi from Nevada
at Nibil's Restaurant at the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach (middle picture),
then a seafood buffet at Benjamin's Calabash on Ocean Blvd. (entryway has a
large model of the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth), right hand picture.
We discovered this lovely restaurant in downtown Marion, SC. Great menu
and buffet, elegant decor and smiling faces everywhere. Costello's Cafe
was named for Steven and Harold Crawford's grandmother who loved to cook and saw
that everyone that came by her home could get a good meal. We recommend it
if you're anywhere NEAR Marion! Lunch and dinner hours. Great job
guys! **UPDATE** We went to our "favorite"
restaurant again in 9/03 and found it closed. When we inquired across the
street at the discount store, there was a STRONG anti-black sentiment expressed,
and they were GLAD the restaurant was closed. What an attitude!
Marion has lost a lovely restaurant it evidently didn't deserve.
"Red Dawn" over Boulder City, Nevada, photo by Larry
Hunt...a little taste of "home" - thanks, Lar!
Though we made this trip more than once, our friend Larry did
a photo tour for us from Boulder City, Nevada down Highway 95 to the Nelson
town turnoff - in Nelson, a tiny desert town, not only have their been alien
sightings, but there is a real gold mine
(no longer functioning) but the family gives GREAT tours
of the mine along with all the legends. They operate from their home with
a great multi story barn full of memorabilia. The newest chapter in the
town of Nelson was when the making of the movie "3000
Miles to Graceland" brought the movie
crew to Nelson to tape a dramatic plane crash
for the movie - the plane remains there next to the farm property.
MAY 2003
Fossil Show, Aurora NC - these are some of the entries for the Memorial Day
Parade.
This is Bob Purdy and Dave Bohaska from the Smithsonian, helping us identify a
customer's fossil from a picture - she's hoping it's a dinosaur coprolite that
was found in Utah! The Smithsonian fellows come to the show every year to
find the unusual fossils that may have turned up in the last year.
We had a double booth and did very well selling dichroic, amber and sharks
teeth. Of course Heidi found a booth selling "fried banana
pudding" - you know in the South they'll fry ANYTHING - just last week she
had a fried Twinkie, also available were fried Snickers bars - you can write us
and we'll tell you how they did it! And yes, it was delicious!
APRIL 2003
We're at "South of the Border" at the North Carolina/South Carolina
border where there's a Mexican themed Amusement park, arcade, lovely antique
store and beach stores. The best thing was this 27 foot great white shark
trophy mount - this shark was caught off the coast of Barbados in 1995.
An idyllic river scene that just slows you down to remember the things that
matter - your goal in life should never be just a cleared desk; take time to
really breathe. Water so calm it makes a perfect reflection, green so
green it makes your eyes water. Photo taken off one of Conway, SC side
roads.
A magnificent live oak we found on a side street within the town of Conway,
SC. Yes, some things ARE older than we are and some things DO get more
beautiful with age. A comforting thought.
Pure Myrtle Beach South Carolina fun - a monkey with a camera, no less, bigger
than life, on a trailer parked at a restaurant on Highway 17. Here's
lookin' at you!
What a catch! This is a view of the Fish House Restaurant in Pawley's
Island (south end of Myrtle Beach SC) - the boat is on the sign, the great white
shark is exploding through the roof of the restaurant! Another Myrtle
Beach attraction in itself. The truck gives some great local color as
well.
MARCH 2003
This display is part of the Grand Strand Shell Club's setup at the Inlet Square
Mall here in Myrtle Beach this weekend. These fun and incredibly labor
intensive framed items are an example of Bill's hard work with the shells he
obviously enjoys to collect and display. The Peace Dove is made entirely
of over 1400 of the tiny "doves", the bones inside sand dollars.
The shark is made entirely of fossil sharks teeth. Then there's his famous
sunburst Shell picture. Bill is sitting next to
a hollow glass lamp filled with more partitions of endless numbers of small shells. The shells are certainly
plentiful on Myrtle Beach's shores, and learning more about them here at the
show has been a pleasure. We're set up nearby with our own display
of Weird Museum, fossils, rocks and jewelry too. See our Cool Customers
page for more photos on the show.
Denise, a member of the Grand Strand Shell Club, makes these incredible wreaths
and flower arrangements from SHELLS--aren't they amazing?
This little sweetie is listening to the "ocean waves" in the shell,
while the Shell Club members look on, amused.
Here's pictures of two young boys who are fascinated by the Weird Museum display of ours, some is
real and some is not, they can't figure out which!
Here's a view of our Rock/Fossil/Weird/Jewelry/Alien display at the mall.
Our Alien Gent has made his debut here, quite regal isn't he?
FEBRUARY 2003
Valentine's Day, 2003, Glenn took me to the Dolly Parton Dixieland Stampede here
in Myrtle Beach. Now we're not the country music type, folks, and I had my
misgivings, but gee we had a good time and a great meal, a nice surprise!
This was a pre-show of an Electric Horseman from Australia who walked and ran
his horse in the carpeted dining area right among us, certainly a refreshing
twist to the entertainment! He also went up the stairs to the balcony so
they could all experience his stallion close up, then the third picture
(apologize for the low quality) is bringing him back downstairs. An
amazing animal.
The mansion where singing took place, a real Southern flair, also a battle
between the North & South, the audience taking part of course.
The horseshoe (i.e. toilet seat) throwing contest, a pig race, stampeding
buffalo, an ostrich race (they were too fast for me to catch on tape, but here's
the clown with his great ostrich costume).
A great finale with the horses, light show of stars, a magnificent flag, and a
last view of the arena before we left, our own photo "postcard" memory
of the night.
Right here in Myrtle Beach is a store called "Shark" - the mouth is
the entrance to the store...and NO, it DIDN'T eat the jeep, it just...use your
imagination!
The Chicken Man travels the country being paid as an attraction for businesses
and fairs. The chickens do tricks that sure pay their way! This is
another "local" Myrtle Beach view.
December 2002
To the mountain town of Cherokee, North Carolina, at the foot
of the Great Smoky Mountains for Christmas time.
Oh no! Snow! Get a peek at Glenn in pants, because this happens only
once in a blue moon!
An awesome bronze statue near the Indian Museum in Cherokee, NC. along with the
story of it as a traveling message to us all, including their website.
Very moving.
A bit of fun with the "bear" that even had a bullet hole and is still
standing! There were "bears" everywhere in Cherokee!
An incredible carving from a sequoia tree, Glenn even knows the artist, it turns
out.
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES - A GIANT GATOR HAS GOTTEN LOOSE! Is it from Lake
Placid? Afraid not..this one is part of the Trading Post in Cherokee,
NC. Gee we could use this at our shop!
How can there be a Santaland that closes in October? We had a chuckle over
this one!
Breathtaking - looks like Old Master's paintings. It was hard to pick my
favorites. The Great Smokies at their finest. Photo taken between
Cherokee and Maggie Valley, NC.
Local color! An antique store in Maggie's Valley, and a
Stompin' Ground
dance parlor.
A ghost town in the clouds! There was gold in them thar hills at one time,
now you can take a cable car up to see what's left.
Enterpreneurs make snow while the sun shines! The weather was just right
for making snow for snow tubing!
November 2002
Our trip to Florence, South Carolina on Thanksgiving Day, where the simple faces
of pansies brightens the spirit. Taken at a motel restaurant in Florence
where we had a nice buffet.
CHARLESTON, SC
A sampling of the hand made sweet grass baskets made by the lovely
African-American ladies of the South - each well-known for their particular
styles, which sell for upwards of $10,000 for some large designs. These
are in what was sadly the slave market, now farmer's market/flea market area of
CHARLESTON, SC where we went for my birthday in October.
This is the oldest Unitarian Church in America - dates to early 1700's. We
came through a tunnel of greenery to the back where there was an ancient
graveyard, lovely Spanish moss dripping from the trees, and this lovely
picturesque church. We could have been in Europe, for all we knew.
Here's where we ate dinner in Charleston - "82 Queens" - the name of
the restaurant as well as the address. This is the interior, which is
outside - what a pleasant meal in such surroundings! Third picture is
Glenn trying to wait patiently for our first course.
Charleston SC is a real antique Mecca - very upper class stuff - so we just
enjoyed the lovely greenery and other sights. Old culture here. Some
of the streets also resembled San Francisco from the colored house fronts.
A pleasant place to go anytime!
YAM FESTIVAL, TABOR CITY, SC (mid October 2002)
45 minutes from Myrtle Beach was the Yam Fest (mid October 2002) where you could
get yam fries, fried okra, fried anything!
Here we got a turkey leg (tasted like HAM) - they were so huge, I wonder what it
took to catch those turkeys!
Bartering for hot boiled peanuts, a Southern specialty - don't knock it, it's an
acquired taste. Dang, they're tasty!
A few local faces in the crowd at the Yam Fest.
MCCLELLANVILLE, SC (September 2002)
A picturesque seaside shrimping town south of Myrtle Beach, full of lovely
trees, peopled by families that have been there for generations.
A glimpse of a slower life makes us slow down to enjoy the moment ourselves.
A sampling of the gracious homes near the water in
McClellanville.
One of the reasons we stopped - this is evidence of the previous damage wrought
by Hurricane Hugo on Sept. 22, 1989 (13 years ago this month), when the town was
news for the extensive damage to homes and marina. This sign had clearly
been underwater after the hurricane. Here's a few photos to make you
pause...
Dis is not where boats are supposed to be, folks! They've made an amazing
recovery, haven't they?
August 2002
For those of you unfamiliar with Southern foods, "chicken
bog" is an absolute favorite! Some cook the entire chicken with
bones, then add rice, spices and sausage. Others start with the rice and
add the chicken and sausage later. Any way you cook it, it's BOG...and the
members of the Little Lamb Church in Conway SC (15 minutes from our shop)
know how! Friends Bob and Laura invited us to the Bog Supper...we didn't
need to be asked twice! Friendly faces, good home cooking - three types of
Bog, but Malachi (waving to the camera) won hands down. See Glenn waiting
for second helpings? Friend Bob is in the purple to the right of Glenn;
Laura has the braids in the last picture. MMMM bring it on!
MAY 2002
Memorial Day weekend is always the time for the Aurora Fossil Festival (Aurora,
North Carolina), a tiny town with a huge phosphate mine nearby that produces not
just phosphate, but thousands of fossils that turn up with each shovelful.
The town brings many dump loads into the town center to a huge sand pile, and
during the festival, kids can dig their own fossils! LOTS of shark teeth
and many other fossils to be found! Across the street is the Aurora Fossil
Museum that has recently expanded to become a major information source. We
try not to miss the festival each year! Below is an aerial view of the mine,
then the square outlined in that photo is upsized in the next photo so you
see a cross section of the mine. Next is Glenn
in a reproduction of a megalodon jaw, and check out another megalodon head next
to that!
A little fill-in information for all you folks - when we
closed down our Nevada store to move across the country back to Myrtle Beach, we
never dreamed the route our trip would take. But a little friend back in
Nevada drew this map of our future travels, and he was not far off! We
started in Las Vegas, through Kingman, Arizona to the Meteor Crater near
Winslow, then the Petrified Forest area near Holbrook AZ, then Albuquerque NM,
then to El Paso, TX to get dental work done in Juarez, Mexico, then back up to
Roswell, NM, then across OK and TX to Hot Springs, AR, then we shot across
through Mississippi, and Birmingham AL, and Atlanta GA and up the coast through
Charleston SC to Myrtle Beach, even past that up to Calabash and beyond, before
we came back to Myrtle Beach to finalize paperwork for the new store. See
the "About Us" pages for info on the new store and lots of pics!
WE MADE IT TO THE BEACH! Our new home again - Myrtle Beach - 60 miles of
uninterrupted beach to walk. Here's Glenn at the Nibil's Restaurant on the
2nd Avenue Pier (we're actually on the outside deck - ocean is to the left, a
plexiglass protective window is behind Glenn, but it looks like a picture,
doesn't it?)
Here's Nance's Restaurant in Murrell's Inlet, an oyster bar renowned for guess
what? The family behind us has a great "dinner bucket" served to
them. Ah, what seafood, now we're back in Myrtle Beach!
Myrtle Beach sights - a great crab truck! And a limo that used to belong
to David Lee Roth - 110 feet, I believe, with even a swimming pool at the
back! (The shark is actually a separate display beyond the limo)
Above is Mother's Day at Epcot Center in Orlando on our way back
from picking up our storage in Hudson, Florida...Glenn said it was all
INDOORS! ha...we cooked out there all day...but I did see Epcot!
Great floral Flat, and a great mosaic entry to one of the buildings!
We detoured to Hot Springs, Arkansas on purpose - and not to see Bill Clinton's
picture either! There's an awesome Quartz Crystal Mine outside of town
that we visited again, purchasing a huge assortment of Aurora crystals that came
from this mine. (See the Rocks & Minerals pages for specimens
available). Truly a lovely drive through this area.
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