Good Old House

We came across this amazing old house while out walking one day

The other side really shows the dis-repair:

This poor old house..........

I was intrigued to find the remains of someone's once beautiful garden:

it's an overgrown and wild mess right now......

but was obviously cared for and loved in it's time.

Vines tumble down the creaky old gate

and weeds try to take over.

And I know someone enjoyed and loved this garden at one time in history. They sweated and  weeded in the hot Charleston summer and they stood and admired their flowers blooming. They might've picked red tomatoes and pulled potatoes and grew tall sunflowers.They rejoiced when the hard rains came and gave the garden a good long drink. Fragrant green onions and lacey carrots grew and were picked and put into a white enamel bowl to be taken inside and cleaned and chopped for supper. Maybe they had a rose bush or two and deep blue morning glory vines? Do you think there is a camellia bush hidden back there?

The front door:

I love the decorative fence

I think it was a good old house. It sheltered it's people from lighting and thunder and winds in the summer. From the chilly damp of a Carolina winter. Children scampered home from school and ran up onto that porch, eager for a cup of cold cherry Kool-Aid or lemonade and to tell of that day's adventures. I think men smoked cigars on this big long porch and ladies in pastel dresses and nylons and black velvet chokers had delicate cups of tea and egg salad sandwiches on spring afternoons. The men talked about a place called Saigon and the ladies discussed Jackie's new dress and pillbox hat.
 I think a Grandma knitted scarves and mittens up there and I think someone had a green rocking chair. I bet a Mom shelled peas or snapped beans for supper and scampering puppies and blue tricycles littered the lawn.

Maybe in the evenings there was the warm and welcoming glow of lamplight and maybe one could hear music coming from the house--perhaps one of the children practicing their trumpet or flute? Or maybe it was the white plastic radio out in the kitchen and it was a Johnny Cash song. Maybe in passing by you would catch a delicious whiff of frying pork chops and hot biscuits. In summer's swelter, these windows were probably thrown open to get air in, and sheer white curtains would blow lightly when the breeze finally came.

I think this porch saw alot. I think it saw new babies arrive home, snuggled and cuddled in soft blankets and crying off and on all night long for many nights.... and before you knew it---they were toddling around and Mom was chasing to make sure they didn't fall off the high porch. I think this porch saw a clothesline full of white sheets, clean diapers, and towels drying in the hot summer sunshine and a corner of the yard with tall red and orange cannas blooming all summer.
Summertime meant canning---green beans, corn, tomatoes. It was a hot and messy business in kitchens with screen doors and windows propped open for a breeze--any breeze. Coming out on this porch for a break would've been a welcome respite, especially with an ice cold Coke in hand...the kind that came in glass bottles. And I bet they had a bottle opener securely attached to the wall right out on the porch to pop those tops right off.
 I think it saw hands being held on winter nights as the frosty white moon guided the teenagers home from the school dance. This porch has been here a long time---dances it might have seen practiced were the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, the Stroll,  mashed potato, the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Swim, the Twist, the Hustle, the Bump and the Electric Slide. Maybe more than one daughter came out on that old porch in her long white dress with the train and the pink flowers in hand and more than one Daddy said "let's get you to the church".
 And I think it saw sons go off to wars and then the rejoicing as they came back home again. And the heartbreak if they didn't.
Clumsy moths battered around on hot summer nights, attracted to the glow of the "new fangled" electric porch light. The family might have gathered out here on battered chairs and hoped for a cool breeze on one of our muggy Charleston July nights and every single one of them might have enjoyed a bright red cherry popsicle from the brand "new fangled" electric refrigerator that had a tiny freezer box and actually made ice cubes!--imagine that! What a luxury! 
How  many Daddies did this porch see off every morning as they headed out to work, lunch box in hand? How  many kids did it see go to kindergarten in their new Keds shoes and excitedly twirl in long cap and gown as graduation day finally arrived? How many cousins came to visit and played ball and Red Rover in the yard and screamed down the swing-set slide and brought bubble gum to share? 
I think this porch saw that there was a bright tinsel-shimmer Christmas tree the week before Christmas and I think the Mom scotch-taped snowflakes the kids made at school to the windows and maybe Santa Claus really did come visit and stuff those stockings with nuts and oranges and new pencils and little bouncy balls and jacks and tiny cars. 
Yes, I think it was a good old house. 

I can't help but wonder what happened to it and why/how it fell into such disrepair and has been left, seemingly abandoned, lonely and without a family to shelter and protect for many years now.
What will happen to the house?

Smile for the Camera

Getting her subject posed just right!

Photographers---professional, amateur, and everything in between!---we all love the photographer's paradise that is Charleston!

Ponies at the Fountain

"stop and smell the roses!"

She's a fancy kinda pony, ya know?

Soft pale pink blossoms

we have discovered a secret fountain! There are twinkling fairy lights, a water lion, tinkling water, pretty flowers--the little granddaughter and the ponies are enchanted!

toss pennies in and make a wish! OOOOOps--don't throw in Ma-Maw's special MERMAID COIN!

watching the water, with a pink unicorn by my side! LOL

a special and quiet little place in the city

..........and then a walk back down the street. Time for this little granddaughter to get to sleep---and dream of sweet talking ponies in dresses, singing pink unicorns, and tossing gold coins into a magical fountain.

The Long Hot Summer

Can y'all believe FALL IS HERE!?

It was such a nice summer, even though it was hot!

There were many adventures awaiting....

and pretty sights to see.

bright and happy flowers

....summer breezes.

We ate dozens of hot summer  night suppers here on the breezy Battery!

I photographed dozens of birds...

and drank lots of iced coffee!

There were many beautiful porches to see.....

and fun things in gardens!

We explored many nooks, crannies, and alleys!

We said good-bye to Glen Campbell

and found ways to cool down!

We grew roses.............

and sunflowers!
....AND LOTS OF TOMATOES!

I also made friends with lots and lots of gorgeous dogs!

We watched alot of good shows on t/v this summer:

--I was so sad they cancelled Cedar Cove---I loved this show!--

I loved this dog act on "America's Got Talent"

And I really loved the Anne series!

I sure hope there is a Season Two!!?

We ate here---ALOT! They have great iced tea on sweltering summer days! And yummy frozen lemonades!

And tried some new things:

(here I am at Cirque Du Soleil)

That was such a fun, fun evening! So entertaining!

....and we walked, and we walked, and we walked--all over our city. Bright days, dark nights, through the rain and in the high heat. We had to stop in August for a couple of weeks, when the heat reached it's highest, even during the evenings.  I was so glad when we were able to resume.

It's in the 90's here this week so even though the calendar says "Fall"--it still feels like summer here.

Thank you for reading---it was so fun to share our Charleston summer with you! Welcome, Fall! And new adventures!