Local Saturday - And Alabama Snow

Some pictures of the season where I live in upstate New York.  No snow to show you - not yet.

But we have plenty of poinsettias in stores.

And even a poinsettia tree.

I know that my readers are clammering for snow, but I have none to give them yet.  We've missed the snow that has hit so much of the east coast and the south - snow to the east of us, snow to the north of us, but here we are.

So the sister of my guest photographer had to provide the pictures, from a place where it rarely snows - Alabama.

I don't know if this is a rose or a camilla (I think it's a rose), but either way, this isn't how they are supposed to look.

And, peacefully, the snow fell in the Alabama dark.

Civil War Sunday - The Siege of Charleston Harbor

This July through September is the 150th commemoration of the Siege of Charleston Harbor by Federal forces.  It wasn't the first time that Charleston Harbor had been the site of a Civil War battle (after all, the first battle - see below - of the Civil War was fought there) or even the second, Charleston was to see more than its share of Civil War action.

I was not able to make the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, at Ft. Sumter, in Charleston Harbor.  But, I did visit Charleston in March of 2011 (a month before the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War) and one could argue that Charleston must have more history per square inch than almost any other city in the United States.


On a building downtown is this plaque.  The actual building is no longer there but at this site the Ordinance of Secession for South Carolina was passed.  South Carolina was the first state to leave the Union, in December of 1860.

Charleston has so many historic buildings (such as this building, the Charleston United States Post Office at the famous "4 Corners of Law" intersection of Meeting and Broad) that it is hard to believe that Charleston was burned during the Civil War, and suffered an earthquake post-war, in 1886.  (In the interest of full disclosure, this building was built in 1896, long after the Civil War was over, but I do love this building. )

One structure that was bombarded over and over again, but survives today, is Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor.   Overall, Charleston Harbor suffered bombardment for some 587 days through the Civil War by the Federal forces.

As part of the commemoration of the Siege in 1863, I would like to partially rerun (with a new photo) one of my blog posts from April, 2011, right after I visited Ft. Sumter.


This first picture is the boarding of the ferry that takes you to Ft. Sumter.  The ferry ride lasts about 1/2 hour each way and you have an hour or so to tour the fort.  Boarding, we had a good view of Charleston Harbor and the lovely Ravenel Bridge that spans the Cooper River. (One of the items on my "bucket list" is to fully walk across the bridge, something I was not able to do on that trip due to a bad knee.) 

Charleston lies between two rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper.

A taped narrative plays as the ferry approaches the island Ft. Sumter is located on.

When you embark at the Fort, what you see remaining of the Civil War fought looks like this.  It is amazing, given the bombardment this fort suffered, that any of it is still standing.

A picture new to this blog, showing a cannon and more of the damage the Union forces inflicted during the war.

And, still more damage to the walls of the fort. 

On the way back, you can see the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, that is on display in Patriots Point in Charleston Harbor. (When I return to the Charleston area, visiting Patriots Point is on my list of "must do's".)

One of the innovations that came out of the Siege of Charleston Harbor was the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley - a most fascinating story.  It's 150th anniversary will be coming next year.

Note to my readers: towards the end of this month, Civil War Sunday may go on temporary hiatus - but I promise, later in September when it resumes, I will have brand new material for you.

Fighting the Civil War at a VA Hospital

I rarely post about political issues in this blog.  But, today, I am making an exception.

Recently, I became aware of a situation in Hot Springs, South Dakota, at a historical display at their VA Hospital.  Eight flags were displayed.  Two of them were Confederate flags.

Mind you, this wasn't in a former Confederate state.  This was in a state that didn't join the Union until 1889, 24 years after the Civil War ended.

Hot Springs, South Dakota?  I was there many years ago, when we visited Wind Cave National Park. (The cave is well worth the visit, by the way, as are the Black Hills in general. It's a beautiful area.)


But back to the story:  a couple of black veterans being treated at the facility for post-traumatic stress syndrome objected to the flags.  The flags were removed.  Then, after the vets were released, they were replaced.

Now,they have been taken down again.

Good.

So, why do I feel so strongly about this?

My Dad was a disabled veteran of World War II.  He suffered lifelong problems due to a head injury.  He looked to the VA (Veterans Administration) system for health care.  In fact, he died in the emergency room of a VA Hospital.

I am not writing this post to debate whether having Confederate flags on display at a VA hospital is racist or not, or whether the display of a Confederate flag anywhere but on a Civil War battlefield or historical site or a Civil War related museum, cemetery or educational exhibit is racist.  I don't think this is a case of political correctness.  Rather, it's a case of respect.  The Confederate flag, for a portion of our population, is a symbol of suffering, hatred and/or intolerance. 

It does not belong in a VA Hospital, on a state flag or in any government facility devoted to healing.

Here are some facts:

1.  Many of our veterans are minorities.
2.  All veterans should be thanked for their service by everyone in this nation, black and white, north and south.
3.  No veteran should ever be made to feel inferior, unappreciated or uncomfortable, but especially not in a VA hospital.
4.  We allegedly ended the Civil War in 1865.  The key word here is "allegedly" because if you visit various websites and read various books, you will quickly realize that we are still fighting it.

The blog that alerted me to this situation is more than right about this fact that we sometimes forget:

If you want to hate those veterans for feeling the way they did, and if you want to post hateful comments in newspaper articles or even my blog, you can thank the sacrifices they and other veterans made in their service to this country for your ability to do so.

Dreams of Zone 5 Crepe Myrtle

People like me who live in gardening zone 5 (Binghamton, NY area) dream of being able to grow some of the really beautiful flowering plants. True, we have lilacs, and various flowering trees (apple, cherry, etc.). But there are several 'queens of the flowering plants' that would die after just one of our winters.

One of these is a shrub I miss from living, years ago, in more temperate climates.  When I went down to Virginia last week, I knew they would be in bloom.  It had been years since I had seen them, and they did not disappoint.

Crepe myrtles.

I was not inclined to go on a picture taking spree in the 104 degree heat, but I did get a couple of pictures I wanted to share with you - in case you have not ever seen these beauties in blooming action.  I know these are everyday plants to some of my readers in - for example, Texas - but they aren't for us of the snow belt.

Back years ago, when I made my acquaintance with the crepe myrtle, the main colors were pink or purple.  Now, some 30 years later, we have white, red, pink, purple and I understand there is even a weeping variety.

These plants tend to have a number of disease and insect problems but I've read this is being worked on, too.

Thanks to the fact that no one has yet invented smell-o-blog, I can not bring you the fragrance.  It is a light fragrance-it would never compete with a lilac, for example - but it is definitely there.

(I was also hoping the magnolias would be in bloom, speaking of fragrance, but it appeared we were just a little too early.)

This is the Henry Hill Visitors Center at the Manassas Battlefield outside of Manassas, VA.  The shrubs blooming in the right of the picture are crepe myrtles.  

This is a stand of crepe myrtles in a shopping center in Fairfax, VA.

There is one stand of crepe myrtle I wish I could have gotten a picture of, given the number of times we passed it.  It was in a Centreville, VA shopping center up against the wall of a gym. These were huge specimens, I would guess at least 9 feet tall, growing up against a wall of the gym.  But I just didn't want to get out of the air conditioning of our car to take their picture.

I wonder if anyone will ever be able to breed a variety that will be hardy down to zone 5.  I'll be your first customer.

After that, someone needs to work on hardy camelias.....

Civil War Sunday-He Stood Like a Stone Wall

The commemoration of the 150th anniversary of First Bull Run/Manassas is over, for us.  This morning we must pack up and leave.

My "Civil War Cap" is off to so many people.  To the reinactors who braved the incredible heat to bring us living history.  To the City of Manassas, VA and the National Park Service for wonderful organization.  (I have a suspicion that the City is going to lose a lot of money-I hope I am wrong.)  To the many volunteers who, again, braved the heat and made it all possible.  To the people I spoke to:  the citizen of Manassas who explained about the Amtrak service and shared his memories of train travel to California, the reinactor who shared his memories of Shiloh and how he "woke up in the morning frozen to the ground and had a sunburn by noon", and the Marines who did a fantastic narration of what life was like for a new, green recruit and how the Civil War experience made this country great.

These are some memories of the living historians.  The man who was reinacting Mathew Brady, the photographer, and shared his collection with us. (we were going to buy one, but never returned due to the heat.  I am so sorry.)  The stamp collector at the Battlefield who shared his collection with us.  I saw Confederate stamps for the first time.  He also showed us some of the first day cancellations at Charleston, on the 150th anniversary of the day shots were fired at Fort Sumter.

I hope to return to this area (Prince William County one day, as it is so rich in history. (and good food.)

And now, I'd like to share some of my photographic memories with you.

From the reinactors parade in Old Town Manassas on Friday:

As the Marines at the Manassas battleground explained (and I have mentioned in a previous post) the uniforms were not standardized in this first battle.  North and South wore blue and grey. And red.  And brown.  Below is an example of that.

In this next photo, women of the era.  We rode a shuttle bus with some of the ladies.

A view of the Manassas battlefield, with artillery in place.  One nice thing about the battlefield is that there was so much of it. This battlefield is a lot better preserved than some.

 Where Judith Carter (the owner of some of the land (Henry Hill) the battle was fought on - an 85 year old widowed invalid who could not leave her home - shells demolished her home) is buried, on the battlefield.   Not the last civilian to die in the Civil War by far.

,

And finally, what battlefield would be complete without a monument.  Here, Thomas Jackson "stood like a Stone Wall" and got his nickname.

And now, back to "real life".  

A Northern Virginia Residential Farmers Market

The motel we are staying at in Centreville, VA is in a mixed residential/commercial neighborhood off a main road.  To our delight, when we entered the short road our motel is located on (along with a number of apartment complexes) a sign announced a Friday evening farmers market from 3:30 to 6:30 pm.

We had to go and see how it differed from the farmers markets in the Binghamton, NY area that we live in.  Northern Virginia is  two gardening zones "ahead" of us (zone 7a for Centreville vs. 5b for Binghamton), which would make a difference in what was ready.  We couldn't wait to see the local food that awaited us.

One stand featured produce from nearby West Virginia:  early white and yellow peaches, Mountain Pride tomatoes, white nectarines, cantalope, Shiro and Methley plums and okra.  The farmer was sampling many of his varieties- the delicious sweetness of almost everything sold us.  We purchased a quart of plums and a couple of huge Mountain Pride tomatoes.  We can get excellent Amish cantalope where we live, so we passed.  As for okra....no thanks.  I don't miss the fact that it doesn't grow well where we live (it isn't hot enough for long enough) although it is an ornamental plant.

He also had blueberries.  We are in blueberry picking season where we live, so we also passed.  (I tried one and it was very tart.  I think ours are better.)

Another booth had what looked like Striped German tomatoes along with corn and melons.

And then, there was the prepared food.  One booth offered crab cakes and steamed crab, another booth BBQ'd chickens (huge chickens) and southern style potato salad and a third booth a wonderful honey wheat bread.  Obviously, they were set up to offer meals to go for hungry commuters.  Alas, the prices (from the viewpoint of people who live in a lower cost of living area) were a bit much.  $7.00 for a loaf of bread?  $8.00 for a dozen ears of corn? (our going rate would be around $4.50 a dozen).

Have you every noticed regional differences in corn?  Some areas of the country will only eat all yellow, some only white, and some only bicolor.  In our area, almost all the corn is bicolored.  In this market, the corn was all yellow.

At 4:30 pm, the heat was absolutely brutal.  The peach vendor had a wet towel draped on his head.  The market was set up in a paved parking lot and I felt so sorry for the vendors-especially the BBQ man.  The air temperature, at that point, was 104 with around a 114 heat index. As commuters arrived home, sales became brisk despite the heat.


Tomorrow, we head home with our purchases and with memories of wonderful Civil War commemorations.

So Where Do I Like to Write?

So, hmmmm....where do I like to write from?  Well, since the Internet has allowed us to roam almost anywhere to write, thanks to laptops and other devices, the possibilities are endless.

There are a lot of places I WISH I could write from. For example, I wish I could be writing from a comfy chair at a nice motel in Sanibel Island, Florida. (alligators optional.)

I can imagine myself sitting in a quiet garden in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Or, inside a lovely historic Bed and Breakfast in Americus, Georgia, while lingering over an awesome breakfast.

Or, last but certainly not least, from Massee Lane Gardens in Georgia (at least during the winter!)

But, you know what?  I'm not in any of these places.  You know what they say....be happy where you are planted.

Where I am is in a yard in upstate New York.  The sun is shining (miracle) and the birds are singing!  So right now, I don't mind this being my place to write at all.

Suddenly Spring

Only a week ago our trees were just budding out.  Forsythias were out, but winter was hanging on for dear life.  We were still having enough cloudy days with temperatures barely into the 50's.

There is a saying in my spouse's family that late Easters are always hot.  That wasn't the case here, but over the weekend, there was some kind of unseen alarm clock that must have gone off in the natural world.

Don't blink, Southern Tier, or you will miss spring!

We went downstate for three days and when we got back on Monday, the Bradford Pears were in bloom.  And now they are fading fast, along with the flowering cherries and some other flowering trees.  The magnolias are budding today;  by Monday they will probably be gone too.  The redbuds are coming out now along with some early azaleas.  Andromedas are still blooming but not for long.   Hey, what happened? 

Unfortunately, this is what happens when we have late springs.  We get the "everything at once" syndrome.  Green bomb.  Suddenly Spring.

Since my back went out again Thursday, I don't know if I will get any "action" shots to show you.  (and, I do mean "action".) 

This does make me long, in a way, for the springs of the south.

On March 21, we stayed in Mt. Airy, North Carolina and the Bradford Pears were in full bloom.

 On March 30, we stayed in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and the Bradford Pears were in full bloom.

I don't wish for tornadoes but sometimes I wish we could have a spring like that.  The stately progression of one flowering tree after another.  And they even hang around for a while.

But don't get me wrong, I am enjoying every bit of it.  Spring is here, here, here, here!

Two Springs

My First spring, in mid to late March, was a celebration of all that southern weather could bring in coastal Charleston and Savannah.  Sunshine, warm breezes, blooming dogwoods and azaleas, late daffodils finishing up, early irises opening their flowers, the last of the camillias displaying their rose-like red and pink flowers, the first of the roses showing their buds, thunderstorms, green skies, hail, and torrential rains. (Thankfully for us, the tornadoes held off until we left.)

Now, here in the Southern Tier on Earth Day, the warm breezes are a mostly-distant memory. Here, in Second spring, spring fights for every toe hold, the occasional warm day competing with day after day of unrelenting clouds, chilling winds, with birds singing through it all.  The crocuses have finished.  In today's 30ish degree weather, the daffodils and early tulips nod in the cold breeze, with hyacinths almost ready to open their blossoms.  In our back yard, the Lenten Rose is in bloom and the bloodroot is showing its white flowers.  But I protest at having to enjoy them with a coat on.

Later today, it will be with a raincoat on, too.

On the other hand, I could be living in Fairbanks, Alaska, where the University weather station reports there is still 10 inches of snow on the ground.  Their mean snow melt date is April 22.  Last year the last snow melted on April 21.  Not this year.


Spring in Binghamton, please come!  Please tell me that when Nanticoke Gardens opens on Monday, that you will be ready for their plants.

The Civil War - Ft. Sumter

I was not able to make the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, at Ft. Sumter, in Charleston Harbor.  But, I did visit Charleston in March and I must say that Charleston must have more history per square inch than almost any other city in the United States.

 As a "Yankee", it is also fascinating to me to see "the other side".

If I had made it, there would have been so much to see and experience.

But in another way, it was good that we were able to experience a lot of downtown Charleston instead of chasing around various Civil War venues.

On a building downtown is this plaque.  The actual building is no longer there but at this site the Ordinance of Secession  for South Carolina was passed.  South Carolina was the first state to leave the Union, in December of 1860.

Over the next four months, a crisis built at a fort in Charleston Harbor, Ft. Sumter.  Actually, not too much of Ft. Sumter from the Civil War exists; much of what is on the site now dates from the Spanish-American War.  Nevertheless, there is a lot to see.


This first picture is the boarding of the ferry that takes you to Ft. Sumter.  The ferry ride lasts about 1/2 hour each way and you have an hour or so to tour the fort.  Boarding, we had a good view of the lovely Ravenel Bridge that spans the Cooper River.  Charleston lies between two rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper.

A taped narrative plays as the ferry approaches the island Ft. Sumter is located on.

When you embark at the Fort, what you see remaining of the Civil War fought looks like this.  It is amazing, given the bombardment this fort suffered, that any of it is still standing.

Inside one of the Spanish-American War buildings, is a museum where the Ft. Sumter Flag is on display....battered but in a place of honor.  There are 33 stars (states) on this flag. (It wasn't until later that I was told that flash photography can damage old cloth...but there was no sign prohibiting flash photography that I saw.  After the fort was surrendered to the Confederacy the union Major kept the flag.  This flag traveled throughout the North and was "auctioned off" to raise funds for the war.

On the way back, you can see the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, that is on display in Patriots Point in Charleston Harbor.

In a way it's good that we visited before the crush of people coming to commemorate the anniversary.

We enjoyed our visit very much but wish we had had more time to explore.

Carolina Gold Rice

My recent trip to Charleston, SC held several pleasant surprises for me.  First and foremost, was our proximity (an easy walk down the narrow sidewalks of the historic Ansonborough neighborhood where we stayed, a walk appreciated by my gimpy back) to the Charleston City Market.

 The Market consists of several open buildings in a four block area. These are the entrances to two of the buildings.

The Market (at least, at this time of year) is not primarily a "farmers market" and not all the goods are locally produced, either.  But we had a wonderful time talking and interacting with some of the local artists, and went back several times.  (note, there are no pictures of those artists or their work.  I would not ever do that without permission, and I know many artists do not want pictures taken.)  If I end up posting photos of some work in the future, it will be of work that I purchased and credit will be given.)

One product that is local, and a revival of a historic heirloom food, is Carolina Gold Rice.

What we bought was grown locally and distributed through Charleston Specialty Foods. The distinctive yellow cloth bags packages of this rice are sold by several vendors at the market, and also are for sale at various historical venues throughout the Charleston area.  As the bag explains:

"In 1685, a distressed merchant ship paid for repairs in Charleston with a small quantity of rice seed from Madagascar.  Dr. Henry Woodward planted the seed in South Carolina, beginning the state's 200 year history as the leading rice producer in the United States."


So why should you pay a lot more for an heirloom variety of rice than the plain old (I won't mention any brand names) stuff you find on the supermarket shelves?

For various reasons, the cultivation of rice had slowed in the South Carolina low country, and much "Carolina Rice" is actually grown outside of the Carolinas.  The Carolina Gold Rice Foundation is attempting a comeback for this rice, and as the bag also explains "We are proud to be South Carolina's first product made with Green-e Certified Renewable Energy."

So how can you go wrong?  In one swoop you encourage the production of heritage foodstuffs, and support renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.

The rice can be ordered online or by calling 1-877-RICE-4-YOU. (and please note I am not being paid for this, or any other, endorsement I may make.)

So, how does it taste?  And what is the rice like?

I would judge it as medium grain.

It's definitely distinctive, and delicious.   Spouse (our family cook) made a pilaf with it.  It came out fluffy, and nice.

Nothing could be....err, finer.

The Book and the Cook

I am in Myrtle Beach, on a slow connection, so I hope this post is successful.

Today I said a reluctant farewell to the city of The Book and The Cook.  I don't know how well off Savannah would be without the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which is called "The Book" there locally.  As for The Cook, she is (of course), Paula Deen, who is practically a one person industry all by herself.  Not that I envy her; she has had a hard life and deserves all of her success.

But I digress.

Since I can't write a long post, I will summarize what I liked about Savannah.

1.  Abercorn Street, south of downtown, with its broad boulevard lined with blooming azaleeas and hawthornes, and its canopy of live oaks dripping with Spanish Moss. (and yes, I know enough to stay far away from Spanish Moss.  As a former resident of Arkansas, I know a lot about chiggers.)

2.  Bonaventure Cemetery.  Words could not do justice to the beauty of this place.  So I will, again, wait until I can upload pictures.

3.  The Byrd Cookie Company.  Paula Deen tested, AM approved.  There were samples of all the flavors, and each flavor was better than the flavor before.

3.  The Savannah Peanut Company.  Not really Savannah peanuts, they come from Virginia, but one could make a lunch of the samples.  (yes, I bought some, too.)  Not as good as River Street Sweets but the price was right.

4.  River Street Sweets.  Praline heaven! (I didn't buy the pralines, but I wish I could have bottled the fragrance.)

More on Savannah....and Myrtle Beach....when I have a good connection again.

A Rainy Evening in Georgia (with Hail)

Today, after a 37 year wait, I finally set foot in Savannah.

In 1974 we took a trip from New York City to Tampa, Florida, on I-95 and passed through Savannah.  I remember seeing all the palm trees (they are probably really palmettos) and wanting to see the city.  I've passed through it 3 times since on the auto train, but was never able to stop.

Two years ago we had a visit planned and had to cancel it due to car trouble.

This time-we made it!

We took one of those trolley tours of downtown Savannah.  Had about 2 hours of good walking after and then it started getting really dark.  Spouse pointed out the blue green color of the sky.  It's been a long time since we've seen something like that.  He told us we'd better get back to where our car was parked (in the lot of the Savannah visitors center).  Not two minutes after we got to the center the heavens opened.  Had torrential rains (still is pouring) with lightening and nickel sized hail.  I'm sure we had a little damage to the car but not worried about it right now.

So there is still a lot to see.  And, eventually I will write about it complete with photos.

Charleston it is not and I was not expecting it to be.  There is more crime, and a bit of "edginess" to it but, as a fan of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil....well it did not disappoint, not at all.

You would not believe the scenery.  Boulevards with dividers full of blooming azaleas and hawthorn trees with live oaks dripping with spanish moss arching over the roads.  The squares...all 22 of them....beckoned with fountains, with flowering trees and bushes, with statues.

Forsyth Park was everything we'd thought it would be, and more.  Beautiful fountain.  Part of the fountain area was roped off for a wedding.   Families frolicked in the heat.  It was humid but not overly so.

We haven't made it yet to Bonaventure Cemetary and don't know if we will.  

One place we did make it to was the Byrd Cookie Company.  That deserves its own blog entry.

Tomorrow it is supposed to rain in the morning and then taper off.  Tomorrow it's only supposed to get to 59 degrees!  Moreland, Georgia made it into the news with their hail.  It wasn't as bad here and we will hope it remains that way.

Charleston is Awesome....Except For This

Is it my imagination, or are the timeshare sellers getting more desperate?

The Florida landscape is full of information stands that...well, they have informational brochures, but once they get you over to their booth, you are suddenly being offered free tickets to various attractions "if only" you listen to a short presentation.

I didn't expect it in Charleston.

And I didn't expect one of these high pressure salesmen working in, of all places, a restaurant gift shop. He wasn't selling timeshares but some kind of travel website membership.  The premise was still the same, get free tickets in return for listening to a presentation.

We ran from that as fast as we could.  And oh by the way, restaurant (I won't name the guilty party but I should) you may be interested in knowing I would have bought more of your "stuff" because the price was right, but I didn't want that guy pestering me again.  So I didn't.

Before we caught on to these bogus visitors stands we had one of these hucksters literally pull us in from us walking past them on Meeting Street, a main street in downtown Charleston.

I wonder how many tourists get sucked into this.  Since we knew this scam from Florida, we sniffed it out quickly. But I bet not everyone does-obviously, or they wouldn't be there.  And, quite honestly, I didn't expect something like that.

So if you visit Charleston, beware!  (I know there are people who can withstand the sales pitches and take advantage of the tickets, but I don't feel like going through the aggrevation.)

(end of lecture.  And also end of my stay in Charleston.  Have so much to write about. and so little time....)

The Charleston City Market

Forgive me if these blog entries seem a little disjointed.  Between my back and trying to learn to use a Mac (with its frustrating disappearing cursor every time something autosaves) this is quite the experience.

We've made (in the last 24 hours) 3 trips to the nearby  Charleston city market.  By now I am almost a pro at walking down the unbelievably narrow sidewalks.

I wish I had some pictures to show you, but you will have to use your imagination.

Imagine several very long covered buildings.  At the front of each, older black women weave sweetgrass baskets.  Inside, more older black women weaving baskets, plus what the owner of the B&B calls "trash to treasure".  It is a definite step up from a flea market, and....well, they sell everything from trinkets to genuine art.

One thing we purchased (in addition to a small sweetgrass basket-how could we not?) was a painted brick.  A Charleston tradition is something called "hurricane painting".  Every time a hurricane sweeps through and damages the city, the hurricane artists gather debris and paint on it, creating works of art.

This particular artist was painting on historic bricks, and the designs were wonderful. When I can, I will (if I have the time!) take a picture of this brick.   I think the brick came from Hurricane Hugo damage but I honestly do not remember.

We also got some local food, packaged for tourists, but that she-crab soup is so good, we wanted a mix so we could make it at home.  And, the bag is quite decorative too.

Charleston

I have finally managed (using a loaner Mac computer, which I am trying to learn how to use) to sign onto my blog.  I apologize for the lack of pictures but I won't have any until I can use my computer again.

Anyway......

What a sight for spring-starved eyes.  While it is busy snowing back home (with temperature highs in the 20's scheduled for tomorrow) I am in a paradise of palmettos, flowering peach, sago palm, azaleas, poppies, yellow jessamine and who knows what else.

Only one problem-my back.

I would highly suggest that you never take a 850 mile road trip 45 minutes after you throw your back out.  But it was spring or bust, and I think I have bust.

Today, still in a lot of pain, I made an appointment with a massage person here in downtown Charleston.  It was a great 1 hour massage but I don't think it did a whole lot of good.  Spouse has been very good about it, and I am sitting here with an ice pack on that very sore back.

About the B&B:  It is called the Fantasia B&B on George St., in the historic Ansonborough district of downtown Savannah.  The house was built in 1813, which, by Charleston standards, means the house is quite recent.  The house has a piazza, which....well, here in Charleston, although the entrance to houses is in the front, the porches are built on the side.  These porches are called piazzas.  I haven't sat on our piazza yet because my back and the furniture here isn't getting along.

But the B&B owner is absolutely wonderful.

This morning she gave us a couple of walking tour maps, and we did a lot of walking (yes it hurts my back but those horse drawn carriages right now, I think, would be even worse).  We went up and down so many streets I can't think of them all.  Houses built in the 1740's, houses where George Washington slept, the church that both George Washington and Robert E. Lee worshipped at.  And the site of where South Carolina seceeded.

Tomorrow or Friday, we plan to see Ft. Sumter, speaking of the War of Northern Aggres....I mean, the Civil War.

In many of the historic houses, the passerby can catch glimpses of picture postcard gardens.  A tantalizing peak at paradise....for some reason it reminds me of Brooklyn.

A local Harris-Teeter store (we have a full kitchen) has supplied a number of meals.  And, another sight for sore New York eyes, they sell wine.  And not just $2.98 WalMart wine.  There is some pretty fine wine in that store.  Plus cigars, and other things you would not find in your average New York grocery.

Tonight we are going to have store-made shecrab soup.  And speaking of which, my next post will discuss the Charleston City Market.

Social Justice Brewing in Americus Coffee

Today, on a chilly January day in upstate NY (supposed to go down to zero tonight) I visit, in cyberspirit, Americus, Georgia.  It is 62 degrees according to a blog I read by a resident, and the small amount of snow they had a week ago is now a distant memory.

One thing lead to another and I ended up visiting the website of Americus's coffee shop, located not very far from the Habitat for Humanity store in Americus.  We had visited this place last March and it is the real deal - people who are in business to serve humanity and promote social justice - not to promote "fair trade" as a type of brand. (In fact, you can read more on their site about trying to stop what some people are trying to make "Fair Trade" into.)
 
The description of their recent "snowstorm" was, I hope, tongue in cheek.  You have to read it and enjoy (hopefully, while brewing a good cup of coffee.)

There is a coffee on the website that sounds so delicious that we would buy it except right now we have bags of coffee on the microwave, in the freezer.....I don't know how we got overstocked but we did, so it is going to be a few months before we have to buy coffee again.

I've been a bit "under the weather" the last few days, and thoughts of that 62 degree Americus sunshine sound really appealing just about now.

Koinonia Farms and Social Justice in Georgia

The deep South state of Georgia.  Land of plantations, flowering cherries, southern belles, a long history of slavery followed by more years of racial inequality, and......

Jimmy Carter?

Habitat for Humanity?

One of the "birthplaces" of the movements for racial equality?

What's up with this area around Americus?  How did it give birth to champions of racial equality, of service to mankind?

Sometimes, things just aren't what they seem to be.  Thanks to owners of a bed and breakfast in Americus, we saw a part of Georgia that many never get to see.

Off of Highway 49 near Americus is a most fascinating rural community by the name of Koinonia.   In the 1940's, two families founded a Christian community.  Their neighbors were mainly black sharecroppers and tenant farmers.  At first, they were welcome.  But later, because of their preaching of racial equality and a seeking of partnership of black and white in active living of their Christian beliefs, they were rejected by their white neighbors.

So rejected that they had to resort to mail order in order to sell their produce.  Even today, you can mail order pecans, chocolate and other goodies from them.

I am told that some of their peanuts go into major brands of peanut butter.  So, you may have eaten their peanuts growing up, and even now.

During the 1950's, Koinonia withstood attacks from white supremest organizations, something that deserves the label of "terrorism".  Many families left.  The story, told from the Koinonia viewpoint, is on their website.

Habitat for Humanity grew from this movement, but I am told that the story is a bit more complex than the way it is described on Koinonia's website.   I will not pass judgment on that.

So what did we see when we visited Koinonia back in March?  We dropped in totally uninvited and after some waiting around were welcomed by a young man.  (If you visit, please keep in mind that this is a working Christian community, not a tourist attraction!)  He gave us a brief tour of the grounds, showing us the pecan groves. We spent a lot of time in the harvesting shed.  We were shown the machinery, including some with modifications created by the group and chatted for a bit.  The young man patiently answered our questions.

Much of the harvesting of the pecans is done by volunteers.  We were invited to come back for harvest time.

I would not call it a "commune"-that word has certain undertones that do not apply here.  This is a very deeply religious community. Their co-founder, Clarence Jordan, wrote what today is called the "Cotton Patch gospel".  (The Cotton Patch Gospel is a retelling of the Gospel according to Matthew, as if it had taken place in Southern Georgia.  It remains controversal in some communities.)  The bed and breakfast we stayed in had a VHS tape which would have given us more information, but we did not have time to view it.

They follow organic practices where possible.  Not all products they sell are theirs but, for example, their chocolate is Fair Trade, pursuant to their beliefs in social justice.

We were invited to stay for lunch with the other farm residents, which we declined.   If I had been more religious I may have accepted.  But we did buy papershell pecans, which are a treat we can not buy up here in upstate NY.

Incidentally, they have a very nice holiday catalog, if you enjoy nuts, social justice, and a slice of Georgia many people are totally unaware of, please consider buying some of their holiday gifts.  They are priced right, and you are supporting a fascinating piece of Southern history.

Memorial Day GI Love Story

This Memorial Day, I'd like to write about an incident back in March when spouse and I were touring the Rural Telephone Museum in the small town of Leslie, Georgia.

Along with us, the only other visitors were a church group.  The museum guide (you can only visit with the guided tour) was showing us an old time switchboard and demonstrated how the operators would "plug in" calls.

Among the church members were an elderly husband and wife.  The husband mentioned that his wife had been a telephone operator....and then began to tell us the story of how they met.

Simply stated, he was a GI in post war Occupied Japan and his wife was a telephone operator at the historic Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.  They met, and the rest was history.  He looked at her as he was telling this story and the love these two had for each other was so obvious....and touching.

I wondered how it was like to move half a world away to be with the one you love.  That's what this former telephone operator had done.  What kind of life had she led?  Did they have children?  Had life been good to them?

Memorial Day is the day we honor our war dead.  That day in Georgia, I saw an amazing love story that was still ongoing.  Today, although Memorial Day was originally designed to honor Civil War dead, we honor the aging members of the Greatest Generation and other generations.

I hope this man and woman, joined half a world away, have more happy years ahead of them.

The First Day of Spring-in Mt. Airy, NC

Tonight spouse and I are in Mt. Airy, NC starting a southern vacation.  This is the birthplace of Andy Griffith.  Unfortunately they had already rolled up all the sidewalks by the time we got downtown at 5:50 pm and only a couple of touristy places were open.  But we walked down Main Street and took some pictures which I hope to post a little later.



One thing I can't post was the Andy Griffith Show theme echoing through the almost deserted downtown.  Obviously this is not peak tourist season-thankfully!

On the way down we had lunch in Virginia at a place called Southern Kitchen.  Had peanut soup (it's wonderful) and a BBQ pulled pork sandwich served the local way, on a hamburger bun with cole slaw on top.  Just listening to those southern accents was a tonic for winter.

Here in Mt Airy, forsythias and daffodils are out.  We saw a couple of northern magnolias getting ready to bloom.  Hard to believe it is snowing in Oklahoma City!.  It was 79 degrees when we arrived.   It is still very pleasant.  The Blue Ridge Mountains are a beautiful backdrop for the first day of spring

Tomorrow, the truck stop next to us is featuring a breakfast buffet featuring fruit, fresh made biscuits and gravy, grits...yum.