...it grows on trees...

Cardinal bean

This funky spiky flower is blooming everywhere at Edisto. I've never seen it before. My uncle the master gardener (who has been down here and has cooked crab for us) says that in the summer it grows really long bean pods.

South Kakkalacky - part 5

Got crabs, AGAIN?

I'm in a predicament. My computer has used 55.57 out of 55.77 gigabytes of space. So... I cannot upload anymore photos until I buy an external hard drive to store these, I suppose; and that won't be until Tuesday at least. So in the interest of my readership I will continue to post new photos, but they won't be NEW (wink, wink). I thought the closeup of the crab was appropriate to how I feel right now about the situation. :-)

Got Crabs?

Fading Flower by Morning Light

Americana

These were two sights I encountered on my way to the beach for the holiday weekend...the post office and the roadside market.

Guess girls aren't gross anymore

It's tough to get a good shot when it's evening, and you're trying to be surreptitious.
But here's proof that my shy latebloomer is turning a corner.

He arrived back from his 8th grade trip tonight to St. Augustine, FL, and the parking lot was filled with tired chaperones, smiling parents, and laughing teens. School's over for this year, and ahead lay high school.

As for me, I now have no young children anymore. Everyone's in high school, college, or the school of hard knocks. It feels different, as a mom.

Tonight at dinner before Clark arrived home, the older three got talking about their childhoods...memories together: how Chel convinced the two younger boys to dress up like Britney Spears and sing Oops! I Did It Again! for the video camera; how Grayson would play Barbies with Chelsea only because she had the dress-ups in her room (he lived for three years of his childhood wearing a homemade Peter Pan costume, complete with green tights...I should have known he'd have a hard time growing up!); how Grayson convinced the younger boys to wear ski jackets and stand like scarecrows in the yard so he could shoot at them with the BB gun/paintball gun/toy arrows. After all their shenanigans, despite years of disputes, they emerge as almost-adults --gasp!-- loving each other. Now they give each other rides, they cover for each other at work, they commiserate with each other over their parents' idiosyncracies. While it would be hard to find four more different children, and while they'd probably not choose each other for friends...they sure do make good family for each other.

Climbing Rose

Distribution

These are two train cars, now being appropriated by homeless people, I suspect (from the shirt seen hanging on the left car). They were along a bike path that runs through a depressed area of town.

...articulate, bright, clean and a nice-looking guy...

Thanks to Joe Biden for the post title. I'm not sure what the graffiti artist's sentiments are though!

Saturday Market... and more Greek Festival

I thought I'd post a few more pic from this morning. These were taken at the Saturday Farmer's Market




And a few more from the Greek festival:

Greek Festival

On the Red Carpet

There were several events downtown last night, so a friend and I wandered between a few of them. We dropped our boys at the climbing wall, passed the ballfield, and walked to Shakespeare In the Park. After sitting through a bit of King Lear, we wandered off to see the celebrities arrive for the BMW Pro-Am golf tournament before eating dinner at a sidewalk cafe. The celebrities we saw were John Elway, Cheech Marin, George Lopez, Kevin Sorbo, Catherine Bell, and Wayne Gretzky. Too bad we missed Greg Kinnear...he's one of my favorites.

Here's John Elway looking golden:

Closet rendezvous

Country Mouse, City Mouse

I'm trying to make up for not posting yesterday (although I did take the tractor shot yesterday). The storefront is a landmark building downtown, as is 2nd Presbyterian Church in the background. (These both are pics that look better enlarged.)

Faded glory

Mother's Day Brunch

OK, my mother's day was a total bust. Except for the strawberry cake. I woke up with the mother of all headaches (get it? on mother's day?) and couldn't shake it all day. Then my dog ran off. Spent the rest of the day putting up posters and searching all over the neighborhood. Someone found him and called, and we got him back. By then my day was pretty much shot. But the strawberry cake was good.

Wife and Mother

My niece married today, and gained not only a husband, but a boy who really needed a mother. I think he's happy with his daddy's choice.

When you want your nuts fondled, call

I'm not always this way, but this sign and logo just forced me to think crass thoughts. Which, of course, I had to share with my readership.

Our Town

I found out yesterday that Whoever says these things says that my city is one of the top 100 places to live in the USA. I always thought it was great, but it's nice to be recognized. Greenville was the only city in South Kakkalacky to make the list. :-) I was downtown yesterday taking pictures and thought I'd include a few in honor of the city's designation.


PEACE CENTER: This is a waterfall behind the performing arts center


PUBLIC SCULPTURE:



NOT A TOWN OF WINOS: Although to look at this sign, you'd think so!


OE MILL: this is a house near the now-burnt-down Poe Mill that I've featured before.

4:30

It doesn't get much better, really, if you MUST be out driving around, to have a beautiful day and the opportunity to borrow a convertible.

Homonyms

Baby got blue eye

I met my friend Judy today at the dog park, and it was her puppy's first visit. Zoe first stayed on her mamma's lap, but eventually gained the confidence to ventured out with the big dogs!

Breezes blowing

...and tufts of dandelion starting to spread.

Form Follows Function - 2 examples

This is a shot of the atrium of our main public library. It is lovely and inviting. You can shop at the store, grab some coffee at the cafe, or curl up for conversation or for reading. The lighting is diffuse but perfect for the environment. The tall ceilings give an airy feel to what could be a stuffy space, and the plants and spacious windows allow the indoors to relate with the outdoors. At the end of the hall is a large globe sculpture.

Contrast that with this:



The form of these jeans long ago lost its connection to function, which one would presume included shielding the family jewels from the public eye and allowing the wearer to, say, use both his hands without his pants falling down. Seems simple to me. But thank our lucky stars that the boxers were still functioning! I guess when you're 15, 6'4" and weigh less than your mother, it's hard to find jeans that fit!

Derby Day

Due to our son having a car accident this morning (he's OK), we had to miss the Kentucky Derby party we were going to attend. So I donned my outfit and hat and tried to pull off an attempt at virtual attendance.

Main Street view

Recital

Tonight Moses (my son....well that's not his real name but it's a long story) had a private piano recital. He did fabulously well. I felt sorry for the friends who didn't make it; we had 7 total strangers come because they had heard him at the general student recital and had wanted to hear him again. That was gratifying! He played 7 songs, from Georgia on My Mind to Moonlight Sonata, for a 30 minute recital. His teacher commented that a junior college recital for piano majors lasts 30 minutes... Pretty good for my 15 year old!

I know it's not a great photo, but if I'd been trying to arrange a great shot, I'd have made him nervous. :-)

Technical Difficulty

My camera appears to be working fine. But when I hook it up to the Apple to download the photos, the screen goes blank and nothing happens. The camera signals iPhoto to open, but beyond that, nothing. I get no prompt from the computer that it's trying to receive the photos. So until I can figure out where the problem lies -- camera, cable, port, hardware, software -- I'll have to either take a break or post old pictures. If anyone's had the problem before, give me whatever advice you've got.

Quitcherbellyachin'! It's so easy!

You just have to go to Mapquest!

South Kakkalacky - part 4(b)

It's too bad there isn't a match.com for life-size animal yard statuary. That way, when the Red Camel got lonely, he could just post a profile and maybe meet up with a giraffe, a lion, a couple of zebras, or even a bunny-rabbit for a good time.



I couldn't resist. I saw this person's yard today (yes, all this is but a bit of one person's yard art collection) and knew that I couldn't let it pass.

May Day Memorial

From Wikipedia:
Loyalty Day is observed on May 1 in the United States. It is a day set aside for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom.
In honor of May Day/Loyalty Day... I took a picture of an airplane erected in memory of Major Rudolph Anderson. He was a native of my town, and he was the only casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The plane, located in the central city park, is being repainted. As I think on the Cuban Missile Crisis, I'm grateful that a "24"-worthy scenario did not lead to World War III. I'm grateful that it was only Maj. Anderson who was called upon to give his life. I'm glad diplomacy prevailed.
Today is also the first day that I've noticed the peonies blooming. So I thought it appropriate to offer these flowers as my tribute to Major Anderson.