Yeah, it's Friday!

East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

This is a frequently photographed section of East Bay St. and it's easy to understand why. It is such a delight to everyone going by that the owners should leave a coin jar out for us all to chip in on maintenance.

I stayed up until midnight last night finishing a work project so I felt justified slipping out to catch my Friday matinee at the Terrace Theater. I saw Moonrise Kingdom and sat in the dark theater grinning to myself. I loved it. Go see it! Thank you, thank you Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis and gang.

Now, someone left a bottle of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur in my frig and I am going to have to deal with it. In other news, I ordered chest #5 this morning. Woohoo! Can't wait.

Say "Amen"

Amen Street, Charleston, S.C.

Uhoh. I should be in bed, shouldn't I? I get a second wind around 11 p.m. and want to keep going.

Amen Street is a seafood restaurant on East Bay St. I had to keep clicking until the sign spun so you could read it. I was trying to remember why it was called "Amen St." and came across this bit of history from their website: 

Amen Street and 205 East Bay Street:Amen Street began as Wragg’s Alley, a small passage through Samuel Wragg’s property, running from East Bay to Motte Street (now part of State Street). By 1788, Wragg’s Alley had been extended westward to Church Street and renamed Amen Street. According to tradition this name was given because “amens” could often be heard from two nearby churches – St. Philip’s and the Methodist Meeting House. In 1839, Amen Street was absorbed into the widened and extended throughway, Cumberland Street. Unfortunately from that time until now the colorful name had disappeared.

Go get some oysters, kids! 

Saturday Chores

Carolina Yacht Club, Charleston, S.C.

This is part of the Carolina Yacht Club on East Bay St. If I recall correctly this building used to be owned by the Shriners. I remember being at events there before it was absorbed by the Yacht Club.

Is everyone having a nice relaxing Saturday? I'm not. I roped my son into coming over to help me clean out the attic. Aaaaack. Why do people ever put things in the attic? We had boxes of books from twenty five years ago. I asked him if he wanted the dusty copy of Modern Electronics. Heheh.

I found the dolls I mailed home to my daughter from Hong Kong before the British turned it over to China. They were copied from the Cabbage Patch dolls and called Rice Paddy dolls and instead of birth certificates they came with British passports to get them out of Hong Kong before the change. Cute.

I think I need a long soak, a cuppa tea and a Klondike bar as a reward.

Rainbow on a gloomy day

Rainbow Row, Charleston, S.C.

There are so many trees on this stretch of East Bay St. that it is hard to get a good picture of the row of houses that make up Rainbow Row. It is a little easier during the winter with some of the trees bare. Check out all these google images: Rainbow Row.

Rainbow Row: After the Civil War, this area of Charleston devolved into near slum conditions. In the early 1900s, Dorothy Porcher Legge purchased a section of these houses numbering 99 through 101 East Bay and began to renovate them. She chose to paint these houses pink based on a colonial Caribbean color scheme. Other owners and future owners followed suit, creating the "rainbow" of pastel colors present today. The coloring of the houses helped keep the houses cool inside as well as give the area its name.

Common myths concerning Charleston include variants on the reasons for the paint colors. According to some tales, the houses were painted in the various colors such that the intoxicated sailors coming in from port could remember which houses they were to bunk in.

 This vintage car happened to come by at just the right time!

The Grande Dames of East Bay St.

East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

The sky was so brilliantly blue yesterday it made me look at everything with a fresh eye. I never think of East Bay as a beautiful street but look at these grand houses. They are incredible. Cars move quickly along here so we aren't as likely to appreciate how glorious these buildings are.

I've mentioned that my own house (not one of these) is for sale. I have a big old wooden historic house built in 1840 and share it with two tenants who are kind enough to contribute monthly to my tax and insurance bills. My hope is to downsize to something small and low maintenance.  I don't expect it to sell anytime soon in the current market and remind myself that downtown Charleston isn't the worst place to be stuck. True. Two blocks from the Farmer's Market, King St., restaurants etc. Life could be worse, eh?!

Meanwhile, someone looked at the house yesterday and wants to come back today so I am cleaning up and getting ready to go out for my walk. If I'd won the $325,000 lottery last night none of this would matter.

Stay warm kids!

Friday afternoon

East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

I took this a few weeks ago when I was climbing the stairs in all the parking garages in town to see what views I could find. I had to wait until another rainy day to post it. Cool, eh? We don't have too many tall buildings to get scenes like this.

Thanks to Linda Benedict from Island Life newspaper for inviting me to the "Night for the Children" gala at McCrady's last night. It was a delicious treat as always and lucky for me I didn't win anything I bid on in the silent auction. My plan of attack is to look like a participant by bidding early when everything is affordable and assume that I will be outbid.

I am home early after a workshop at James Island County Park, my evening plans have been unexpectedly cancelled and the rain is making my couch look awfully attractive. Later kids! 

Before & After - East Bay St.

Before & After - East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

I found the original on Civil War Photos: Charleston, SC Siege of Charleston 1865.

I am always impressed by how many more trees we have in the city streets than there used to be. It can make it hard to compare the buildings because they are so hidden by foliage.

Accordionists hit the streets!

Custom House, Charleston, S.C.

The American Accordionists Association Festival is in town! Who knew? Naturally they played "The Charleston" on the Custom House steps as I walked by. Lucky me.

The Longevity Game

East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

This is such a pretty stretch of houses on East Bay St.

I answered the questions on the The Longevity Game site and it claims I could well live until I am 97. That sounds simply exhausting.

While no one can actually predict life expectancy, and the game can’t take existing medical conditions into account, the factors you’ll encounter do have a significant impact on longevity.

Some of the factors tracked in the game:

Weight/ body mass index (BMI)
Drinking
Smoking
How you handle stress
Driving record

Let me know that at least a few of you will be around to entertain me.

No Parking

No Parking, East Bay St., Charleston, S.C.

I have a good collection of "No Parking" signs. They probably catch my eye in sympathy because it is such a personal issue. I never know when someone will decide to park directly in front of my drive. The offender acts completely ignorant of the fact that it might bother anyone. The last culprit snapped sarcastically, "Hey - thanks for the welcome to the neighborhood" when I said he had kept me from parking at my own home so I expect he must have moved here from a land without driveways. I hope he didn't get a scholarship.