Shadow on the Journeys #ShadowshotSunday

For the final Shadowshot Sunday, here are some shadows from some of the trips my spouse and I took during 2023.

February, 2023, Greenville, South Carolina, balcony shadows.

June 2023, Coe Hill Historic House Museum at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Oyster Bay, New York.   One day, I'll post some of the pictures I took of the spectacular gardens.

One of the educational posters on the Mayflower II in Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth, Massachusetts, July 2023.  "Life Before the Journey" is one of many educational signs that tell the story of the Pilgrims and their Atlantic Ocean crossing on the original ship Mayflower to what is now the town of Plymouth in 1620.  

The story of the Original Mayflower and the people on that vessel is a lot more complicated than the simplified (and somewhat inaccurate) story I was taught in school back in the 1950's.  It is also the story of Native Americans impacted by the arrival of Europeans some 70 years before the Pilgrims arrived

The Mayflower II was built in 1957 made the same crossing and was renovated several years ago.   I encourage you to visit if you are ever in this part of Massachusetts.

September, 2023.  The desk of Union general and later President Ulysses S. Grant, Moreau, New York.  Grant spent his final days here writing his memoir before his death from throat cancer in 1885.

September 2023, North Bennington, Vermont street art.

Last but not least, a room at the Lorenzo mansion at Lorenzo State Historic Site in Cazenovia, New York.  Colonel John Lincklaen, founder of the village of Cazenovia, built this mansion.  Unlike many other historic mansions, all the furnishings of this mansion are original to the family.  Interestingly, no one knows why it was called Lorenzo.  No one of that name was ever associated with the house, as far as we know.  The admission was well worth every penny.

Today, New Years Eve, let me again wish all my readers a Happy New Year. 

Joining with Magical Mystical Teacher for the final #ShadowshotSunday.

Words of Wisdom #AtoZChallenge

I usually have trouble with the W post for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge because there are so many choices for W.  

This year, I decided on "Words of Wisdom" after visiting Greenville, South Carolina's Cancer Survivors Park (also see my "P" post on April 19.  This entire park provides support and inspiration for those facing cancer and those who have survived it. 

The park is full of plaques with words of wisdom.  Let's pay a visit and be inspired.

The Power of Teamwork - a quote from Helen Keller.

The power of Laughter, from famed author Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time and other beloved books.
 

Finally, the Power of Exercise.

This statue is called "Fear Not".  I also featured it in my "P" post on the park, but it is worth repeating.  It carries a powerful message.

What a beautiful park full of support and inspiration.

"W" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme this year is: Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Urban Finds #AtoZChallenge

Today, I am returning to Greenville, South Carolina, to explore some of the views I saw in and around its downtown.

This fountain around Poinsett's Spring was built to slake the thirst of travelers on a main road through what is now Greenville.  This article explains that hundreds of people pass it daily without knowing what it is, but at least there is now a historical marker.

I never did investigate the bridge, though, which is the oldest surviving bridge in South Carolina.  And, speaking of the Poinsett these structures were named after....

This is Joel Robert Poinsett, scientist and politician.  If the name sounds familiar, the familiar Christmas plant the poinsettia is named after him. He was also our first Ambassador to Mexico and a Secretary of War.

Two pieces of rock with pansies in front of them. I wonder what the significance of this is.

Last but not least is this large cookie jar.  I first learned about Byrd's cookies years ago when we first visited Savannah, Georgia, where the original store still is.  Byrds has been expanding into other cities and has a store in downtown Greenville.  Their cookies are small but full of flavor.  I've been a fan since my first taste, and it was years since I had one.   And yes, you can sample any flavor in the store. (No, I am not being paid for this endorsement.  Just a fan of these cookies.)

One final picture.  These papers were in various storefronts in downtown Greenville.  This initiative is called "Keep Your Change To Be the Change" and addresses the growing problem of the unhoused in Greenville.  The money donated through the QR code or the website goes to the City of Greenville, which, in turn, will donate various outreach organizations.

We may not want to think of this population, but it is part of the urban scene in many places, not just Greenville, and, unfortunately, it was visible the two times we visited the downtown.

"U" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme this year is: Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Swamp Rabbits and Shoeless Joe #AtoZChallenge

Today, we return to Greenville, South Carolina to investigate swamp rabbits and Shoeless Joe Jackson.

No, I don't have any pictures of real swamp rabbits.  Just a statue of a rabbit I found in Greenville, South Carolina.

This will have to do, which brings up the question "why would Greenville, South Carolina have a statue of a rabbit?  And what does that have to do with Shoeless Joe Jackson?

Bear (no pun intended) with me.....

A swamp rabbit is a large cottontail rabbit (the largest cottontail, actually) and is found in the Southeast United States and Gulf Coast regions.  They are good swimmers, too.

One had a famous encounter with President Jimmy Carter in 1979 while he was fishing near Plains, Georgia.  The hissing rabbit apparently tried to climb into Carter's boat.  It may have been trying to escape some dogs.  The rabbit was dubbed a "killer rabbit".

I don't know exactly why swamp rabbits are popular in Greenville, but it could have originated as Sa local name of the Greenville and Northern Railway that began operating in 1920. After the railroad ceased operations part of it eventually became part of a 22 mile walking/multi use trail that runs from Travelers Rest, South Carolina through Greenville.   The name of the trail?  Well, of course, the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

As for Shoeless Joe Jackson, he was a baseball player that you may recall from the hit movie "Field of Dreams".  "If you build it, they will come" and the ghost of Shoeless Joe was one of them that came.  But let's start at the beginning.

In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of trying to throw the 1919 World Series to the opposing team, the Cincinnati Reds, for a payment of $5,000.  One of them was South Carolina's "Shoeless Joe" Jackson.  They were acquitted in a trial, but the baseball commissioner banned the eight players for life.  

After the scandal, Jackson returned to Greenville and ran a dry cleaners and a liquor store.  Shoeless Joe Jackson died in Greenville, South Carolina in 1951, at the age of 64, and is buried there.

Enter two somewhat lost tourists....

When we were driving around trying to find a Swamp Rabbit trail head (parking can be difficult), we passed Woodlawn Cemetery.  Something rang a bell - "quick, drive into that cemetery!" I asked my spouse.  "I think this is where Shoeless Joe is buried."

 

After a little searching, we found it.

There is also a museum devoted to Shoeless Joe in Greenville, but we were not in town the one day of the week it is open.

"S" Day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Reedy River and Rock Ruins #SkywatchFriday #AtoZChallenge

Falls Park on the Reedy is a park in downtown Greenville, South Carolina that runs along the Reedy River.

This pedestrian bridge is the Liberty Bridge.  Its construction is unique in the United States.  (Hmmm, maybe I should have kept this for U day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge?)  Here, we also have a nice view of the falls.

The Reedy River.

The day we visited the park, it was President's Day, and the park was quite busy,

I wasn't that aware of the history of the park.  At one time, this area was hunting land used by the Cherokee Nation.  

They were forced to cede the land to white settlers in 1777.

Eventually, mills and other industrial buildings were built along the Reedy River.   There isn't much left to them.  Could these be ruins?

These definitely are.
 

How about these?

Going back to its Roots - that's a little scary to me.

But nothing scary about this beautiful Southern Magnolia in the park.  These trees despite their name aren't just for the Southeast United States, (they are hardy to zone six), but aren't hardy where I live in New York State.  I love seeing them where they grow the best.

Joining Yogi and other skywatching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.

"R" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme: Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Park (Cancer Survivors) #AtoZChallenge #WordlessWednesday

Another not so wordless post....

Greenville, South Carolina, is a city full of parks.  I visited some of them on a February, 2023 visit, including Cancer Survivors Park.  I am not a cancer survivor, but my late mother in law was a survivor of three bouts with cancer.  My late childhood best friend survived one cancer and lived more than 30 years after.

The purpose of Cancer Survivors park is to support and uplift those with cancer, whether they are undergoing treatment, are in remission, or facing a crisis.

 

The entrance is a work of art called Butterfly Journey. 

In this closeup, you can see the butterflies a little better.

Let's take a walk in the park.

This sculpture is called "The Welcome Statue".  The yellow flower is not part of the sculpture; daffodils were blooming and someone put one in her hand.

A closeup.  If there was a way for me (I'm sure there is but I don't have the software for it) to make the picture black and white except for the flower, I think it would have come out well.

Tom's Hat is a tribute to the designer of the park, Thomas Keith, Jr, who passed away in 2013.  It shows a notepad and a Tilley hat.

Fear Not is in a children's garden within the park.

The park was quiet when we were there, but I understand there are events each week to support, educate, and encourage.

"P" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme this year is: Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Also joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Nature Preserve #AtoZChallenge

(If you are looking for my Music Moves Me post, please click here. )

Conastee Nature Preserve is a 400 acre preserve along the Reedy River in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Conastee has an interesting history.  In 1892, a dam was built to generate hydroelectric power and created Conastee Lake.  Over the years, the lake slowly filled in with sediment from industrial waste. In fact, the site was once designated as a Superfund site.  There are various educational plaques showing pictures from the past that I didn't photograph.

In February, 2023, spouse and I made two visits to the Nature preserve. There is a $3.00 suggested donation for walking the miles of trails (some paved) but no one is denied entry. Come join us for some of our walking.

Welcome.

Something under the water.  I was able to see tadpoles and small fish but they didn't come out in the photograph.

Was a beaver here?  (Also, look at the color of the water.  A lot of the water we saw looked like that, full of sediment.)

We were also doing some birding.  We added a red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)  and a Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) to our life list at Conestee.  We got quite a good look at the red-headed woodpecker through binoculars and what a beautiful bird it is.  We were saddened to discover its conservation status is "near threatened".  It was too far away to photograph.

We were also hoping to see the Rusty Blackbird, (Euphagus carolinus) which winters there, but our visual skills may not have been good enough, and our Merlin app didn't pick one up.  We still consider ourselves beginning birders.

Meanwhile, we saw this mallard drake feeding and watched it for a few minutes.

You have to watch where you are going, even on the paved trails. (We tried a harder trail along the river, but I would have needed a walking stick, and I hadn't brought one.)

Do you see something in the middle of the photo?  It isn't a branch.  Look again.

Snake!  

I tried doing some research, zooming in on my picture.  Based on coloring, size, and fact that it was up in a tree, I think it's an eastern king snake, which is not venomous.  It had white stripes although they don't seem to be as close together as on some pictures I saw online. I know my blogger friends will help me here.

Join me again tomorrow for more Outdoors.  My theme this year is: Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Jewish (Story of Max and Trude Heller) #AtoZChallenge #WordlessWednesday

Many Americans would not associate people of the Jewish faith with the Southern state of South Carolina.  If you are one of these, prepare for the story of Max Heller.

Spouse and I visited Greenville, South Carolina in February of this year.  Walking around downtown, I started to see plaques.

There were so many, all clustered together I decided to read them.  I was immediately plunged into the story of Max Heller:  immigrant from Austria, escapee from the Holocaust, businessman, city councilman, supporter of integration and eventually Mayor. 

This mostly come about because of a chance meeting when Max Heller was 19, in 1937.  He met a young women from Greenville at a dance and she gave him her address.  But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Max Heller was born in 1919 in Vienna, Austria.  Growing up in an orthodox Jewish household with his older sister, his mother told him stories of her experiences with pogroms in Poland. His father owned a textile business but suffered during the Depression. 

When the Germans occupied Austria in 1938, Heller's family knew they had to get out.  Heller bought a German/English dictionary and wrote the young woman from Greenville, Mary Mills, whom he had met at that fateful dance. She agreed to help him get to the United States.

Mary helped get him and his family out, and also obtained jobs for him and his sister at a shirt factory once they reached the safety of Greenville.  Much of Heller's extended family wasn't so fortunate.  Between him and his wife (more on her below) they lost some 90 relatives in the Holocaust.

(You can read more about the history of the Jewish community in Greenville here.)

Every good story has to have a love interest.  Enter Trude Schonthal, a young woman whom Max had met at a summer resort (back in Austria) when she was 15 years old.  Trude's family lost their home in World War II, and ended up as refugees in Belgium.  In 1940, she made it to the United States and settled in Greenville, where she met up again with Max Heller.

Max Heller married Trude Schonthal in Greenville on August 2, 1942.

Eventually, Max Heller became Mayor of Greenville.  Many say he was responsible for the renewal of downtown Greenville I showed you in my "D" A to Z post. He fought for the desegregation of Greenville and led the way for the creation of Greenville's mass transit system.  He also continued to battle antisemitism where he found it.

Trude Heller participated in many community and religious organizations and won South Carolina's highest civilian honor, The Order of the Palmetto.  Also, Trude became a Holocaust educator and gave talks to thousands of people, passing along her experiences and fighting Holocaust denial.

Let Mr. Heller tell his story, if you are interested, through this 1998 interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I highly recommend it, although it is long.

Max Heller passed away in 2011 at the age of 92.  

Trude Heller passed away at age 98 in May of 2021.  

And Mary Mills, the woman who helped get Max and his family out of Austria?   Apparently she remained friends with Max Heller but I can't seem to find any more information on her. 

An amazing history that we all should know about.

"J" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday (although I admit, this wasn't exactly wordless).

Independent #AtoZChallenge

 Independent book stores are not common in the New York State county I live in.  When I moved here over 30 years ago, we had several.  They are all history now, although I think one may still be operating online, run by a retired librarian and her husband.  We have a couple of more recent ones, but, when I looked on Yelp for bookstores in my county, most of them listed weren't in my county. Some weren't even close to my county. 

Meanwhile, Greenville, South Carolina, population a bit over 70,000, has six independent bookstores.

Spouse and I visited two of them back in February.

M. Judson Booksellers and Camilla Kitchen in downtown Greenville calls themselves "A Modern Literary Hub in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina" and they are, with frequent author booksignings and lots of other community events.

 

This is a sight you will never see in New York, despite our state being a leading wine producer (because bookstores and most other retail outlets can not sell wine - even New York wine. (climbing off soapbox).

Fiction Addiction is in a shopping center, and is smaller than M. Judson.  

While we browsed, we overheard a conversation with a frequent customer.  This store prides itself on picking the perfect book for its customers.  That's part of the beauty of frequenting local businesses.

Here are some other bookstores I've run across in South Carolina.  Sadly, the last one has closed.

 

Higher Grounds in Columbia, South Carolina is a church outreach project, and their Facebook page seems to indicate this is more of a cafe than a bookstore.

Finally, let's pay tribute to A Very Little Bookstore, now closed, in Summerville, South Carolina.  It was a children's book store.  I read that it had flooded at one point, but I'm not sure that was the reason for it going out of business.  Their Facebook page has been taken down.

 

I loved its store window. 

I love reading.  I'm sorry the store didn't make it, because I filled my house with children's books once upon a time.

What is your favorite bookstore?

"I" day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme:  Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.