Here we are. July 4th has snuck up on me...again. Just as I think we passed Memorial Day and it's safe to wear my white shoes and white linen skirt July hits me in the head. Hits with the heat and the birthdays, mine, my husbands and my daughters. But the one that resonates the loudest is my countries.
As a child my Dad told me the fireworks were in honor of my birthday...the world was celebrating he said. Yes, I was naive but thrilled too that everyone did all those fireworks just for me. And the music....love Stars and Stripes Forever. John Phillip Sousa wrote that with patriotism in mind.
Where were you July 4th 1976? Were you even born? A great time was had by all. No matter where you lived you couldn't miss the celebrating, the joy, the spectacle on TV as the ships assembled. Wow, what a day that was.
As we celebrate here in Charleston and watch fireworks at the Isle of Palms or at Patriots Point let's not forget who we are. We are Americans. We protect liberty for all. We cherish the memories of the ones we lost in battle and salute the brave men and women that fought for us in the past and fight to protect freedom everywhere today.
Happy July 4th everyone. See at the fireworks. Happy Birthday America.
Want a fresh tomato? Maybe a purple potato? The Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Farmers Market is the place to go April 13th to October 19th from 3:30 to dusk. Fresh is the word for produce and more. From flowers to yummy desserts it doesn't get any better then this. Vendors sell ready made food too. Come and get your dinner. Kettle Corn? Now that's a treat for young and old alike. Hot Day? Grab a snow cone.
The new facility on the campus of Moultrie Middle school has parking there and across the street. Drive down Coleman Blvd from downtown over the Ravenel Bridge or from Sullivans Island just go straight across the Intercoastal Waterway.
Have fun and leave some for me.
It's here....it's now....it starts today.
Spoleto 2010 in Charleston, South Carolina is one of the best things we do in our fair city. From comedy to opera, from concert in the grass to art in the square. Don't miss a minute. If some of the prices seem steep check out
Piccolo. Many events are free and some great ones are under $20 a ticket. Enjoy and happy culture.
Filed under: Events, Community Information, Charleston Blog, Charleston, family, 2010, Spoleto, concert, opera, Piccolo, Marion Square
• 1,817 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm single story - 
MLS® $500,000
Brook Green Meadow, Mount Pleasant - Great "close in" home with a Shem Creek marsh and water view like few others. Built with historic Charleston brick this home with a cottage like feel has been lovingly improved and updated leaving in place many of the features that make it special. Original oak hardwood floors, knotty pine paneling and bookcases in family room/master suite, 2 gas log burning fireplaces with brick surrounds, open kitchen with some ceramic tiled counter top and some new counter top, new under mounted sink with new faucet, gas range with new vent hood, living/ family and dining rooms are light filled and spacious, baths have new cabinets with new plumbing fixtures, new "green" carpet in the master bedroom, new roof and so much more. Screened porch and deck overlooking the marsh have glass block lights inserted in the floor on an automatic timer that give an ethereal glow in the evening. Lounge on the new deck and enjoy the tranquility. Refrigerator conveys in "as is" condition. Dock permit has been applied for. Seller is licensed NC real estate agent. Buyer to verify lot and home size if square footage is important.
Property information
Mount Pleasant, SC....a hop, skip and a jump from the beach. We know it's spring when the line to get to the beach on the IOP connector in the morning is moving at a snails pace and the same thing the other way at 4:30PM. We love the tourists. They bring a lot of $$$$ to our economy. Personally I love to watch the children making sand castles or running to their spot with a bucket full of water.
Enjoy the sunshine! Wear sunblock!
See you again next year.
If you are familiar with Mount Pleasant you have probably heard of Dunes West and maybe you have even been here. Dunes West was originally owned by Georgia Pacific. They used the timber here to make paper and other products. As time went on they realized they could make more money turning the "dirt" into a neighborhood and developing the lots.
Future blogs will talk more about Dunes West today but for now I would like to share a little of the history. Yes, Dunes West has wonderful past and was called Lexington Plantation. Some of the historical value is preserved. As you drive down Wando Plantataion Way and pass the Arthur Hills designed golf course you can see stacked bricks left from an old slave used cabin. Many of the street names remind us of the great history of Charleston and this Wando River community. Thanks to Google we can look up these names; Colonel Vanderhorst Circle, Pignatelli Crescent and Hartford Village Way to name a few and learn history. We can picture the Sewee Indians sitting along the creeks eating Oysters.
Haven't been here? I was a site agent at DunesWest and have lived here since 1996. Call or email me and I'll be happy to talk about the neighborhood I love and call home or better yet, come by and I will give you a tour.
Have you been to the Aquarium? If you have and have seen the new penguin exhibit please let me know. We are getting ready for a grandchld visit in March and I wonder if a four year old would enjoy it. Comments welcome.
We now have 2 grandchildren. One in Indiana and one in upstate NY. Yes, it's killer....yes, I miss them. But it's not bad being known as the beach Grandma. It's one sentence to my grandaughter Edie, "Grandma lives in South Carolina at the beach". I hope she never forgets the fun times we have. Memories last forever.
My Grandma took me to the beach. We went off the coast of Long Island in NY. We changed clothes alll together in a cabana...my Nana, her sister and little young me. The visual is always with me....I thought they had "old" bodies but now I realize how gorgeous they were. Memories....forever.
When the first English settlers came to Mount Pleasant in 1680 it was inhabited by the Sewee Indians. I knew the indians had been here. I've seen the mounds of oyster shells they left behind as they worked their way down the creeks. It's hard for me to believe I am walking where they walked and where men fought to keep our country together as one....and some fought on the other side. We learn from our history or we are doomed to repeat it....who said that?
Every day we should remind ourselves how great this country is. The people that came before have enriched us with their history. No matter if they were Indian or English settler, union or confederate. They all contibuted to this big melting pot we call America.
Three cheers for the new year. A time to make changes; start over. Like a Home Depot do it yourself project....we get to redo ourselves. I'm not talking just "The Biggest Loser" I'm talking our state of mind; our direction; what do we want to be when we grow up.
It's never too late to do a do over. If I can rip all my plants from my garden and replant I can chage my perspective. If I can change my hair color in an instant I can change what I want people to see when they see me. If I can eat till I think I will POP I can stop.
Have a great 2010. You don't need resolutions. You need the desire to change and anything you choose is the right change for you.
Filed under: Announcements, wrinkle, Exercise, Diet, Hair, garden, Home Depot, The Biggest Loser, Resolution, 2010, Change
If you think you can't be wowed by holiday lights think again. Visit the James Island County Park and see their Holiday Festival of Lights and any tendency you might have had to be a Scrooge will be gone. The lights are on 5:30-10PM Sunday-Thursday and until 11PM Friday and Saturday until Januray 3rd so you have plenty of time to get there. There are over 2,000,000 gleaming lights....that's a lot of wattage folks. Bring a canned food and get $2.00 off your $10.00 admission ticket per vehicle. Local charities will benefit.
Load up the family and go for a ride!
Happy Holidays!
My grandmother used to tell me a story about a little girl and boy that ate too many berries, fell asleep in the forest...like after eating turkey...and then couldn't find their way home in the dark. It wasn't meant to scare me or get me to eat less. She just wanted to entertain me as my eyes closed to take a nap. (She fell asleep too and I always wondered how she got up without waking me...I slept longer.)
Now that Thanksgiving is behind me...I see it in the mirror as I walk past...I wonder why I plan and cook for days only to be left eating turkey till I can't stand it. My family leaves and refuses care packages....why oh why did I (we) buy such a big bird? I think it might be so we can entertain with our guess the weight of the turkey contest and see how big and outrageous it can be. Each year I say no more! But each year I feel like that berry eating little girl. I am lost in my own home after eating too much and may never get out. Help! Help! Oh well...I think I'll nap.
By the time you read this, the election in Mount Pleasant will be over. There should be a winner but with the way elections go these days I take nothing for granted. Four town council slots are up for grabs along with the mayor position. Unlike other cities around us- North Charleston and Charleston in particular- our mayor is a part-time position. Not all of our candidates think it should be full-time, but whether they like it or not it appears the residents may have a chance to vote on the issue. I for one think it should be full-time- I want my town/city to have a full-time mayor looking at our growth and economics. How can we compete for new business if it isn’t full-time? No one wants to call and hear, “Sorry- the mayor is out today.”
Our three mayoral candidates are all upstanding family men, and all appear to be conservative. They do not declare party affiliation. I still haven’t decided who I will vote for though the election is less than a week away. For council it’s a little easier- I know some of the candidates personally. Two are Realtors®.
If you are a regular reader you know I tout my city all the time. Great schools, great parks and recreation, great beaches nearby, great restaurants…it’s all good. I doubt this election will change that but I’ll keep an eye on our officials. And here’s a link to the website so you can too: http://www.townofmountpleasant.com/index.cfm?section=1.
Happy November and Happy Thanksgiving too!
Charleston is well known for its restaurants and cuisine. Prices range from a $4.00 burger to the daily rate for lobster. It’s been said there are no bad eating places because the town is too small and word travels fast. Now that I have lived here awhile I can totally agree with that.
The first meal I ever ate here was at Anson’s off Market Street, http://www.ansonrestaurant.com/
The flounder was like nothing I had ever tasted. As time went on we had the good fortune to be able to restaurant hop. McCray’s, http://www.mccradysrestaurant.com/ was where our daughter took us to celebrate her engagement….very yummy. When I have a chance to have some fun with friends or family I usually choose, “Fast and French” for lunch, http://www.fastandfrench.org/G&M/G&M_index.html
That’s not its real name but it’s the only one I ever hear people use. I order the same thing every time, but I won’t try and influence you. If you go to our website under Fun and Festivals you will see a list of restaurants. We could not possibly include them all we tried to choose the ones we know and love. I have to admit there is one at the top of my “want to try list”. It’s Oak Steakhouse, http://www.oaksteakhouserestaurant.com/
I have met Brett and am anxious to taste the great food he talks about.
So what does all this have to do with counting calories? That’s the point. When you come to Charleston don’t. Take a break. Everything in moderation and that goes for food most of all in my mind. Even if I have to multiply my usual 2 mile walk by four it would be worth it. Come one and come all….eat and have fun.
I am the oldest of four children. As I grew up and became an obnoxious teenager and exchanged words with my Mom….I hate you….and ran away from home I always thought she loved my next youngest brother best. When I verbalized this as an adult my Mom said, “You love the one the best that needs you at the time”. She followed that up with but you are “#1”. From than on I signed all my letters and cards to her “#1”.
When I had my first child, a son, I thought no one in the entire world would ever be as gorgeous and wonderful. He is and was my “#1”. Later when number two needed foot surgery he was the one I loved the best. When number three was in the hospital she was my favorite.
When my first grandchild, Edie, was born my heart swelled so I thought it would burst. Last night my second grandchild was born, a boy, Ian Mark. Again, my heart is bursting with love and joy. My daughter is a Mom. How cool is that? Today I love my daughter and her son the best. But Edie you are #1 and always will be.
Fall to me always starts the day after Labor Day. I am one of those creatures of habit that stops wearing white shoes as of that Monday and even puts away the light colored linen clothes. I can't help it. Old habits are hard to break.
But my latest fall joy fun started today. Cleaning up the garden. By cleaning I mean painting old patio furniture, trimming back hedges and sweeping the sand back in the grooves. Sand into grooves you ask? My courtyard is mostly Blue Stone. In between the stones we have rocky sand. When it rains that sand gets washed down the yard so I sweep it all back in the spaces. I know....obsessive sounding to some but why buy new sand if the old works fine. The hedges go nuts in the summer so now is the perfect time to say...move over, give me back my patio and yard.
Todays grunt work is done but there is so much more to come. That Creeping Fig needs a haircut, the Knockout Roses get constant "dead heading" so they bloom into winter and of course the sand....
Ahh, the joys of Saturday in the Lowcountry. Now it's time to eat my Pimento Cheese.