A Walk in the Woods

 Winter is a good time to visit Francis Marion National Forest.  The bugs are hibernating!  And you get the trail to yourself.

Parking Lot - Southern Style

Can you believe this is the parking lot at Middleton Place Plantation and Gardens?  We were early and not many cars were there yet - besides it is the middle of winter here in the south.

Lovely Lady

As promised in the last entry, here is the lady in the garden.  This was taken in the dead of winter.  The picture below was taken in June when everything was blooming.

 Someone had placed the bright red bloom in her hand so I just played with it.  Kind of fun.

Spanish Moss

I couldn't decide which picture I liked the best so you get 4 of my favorite Spanish Moss pictures.

The picture above is one of my all time favorites.  I call it a Spanish Moss Tree!  Actually it is a Crepe Myrtle tree in the winter covered with Spanish moss!  All of these pictures are much better if you click on them and enlarge them.

Above - I called that on 'Dripping Moss'.  I love the way it drips right into the water.

The shadows of this one make it very interesting.

Do you see the gentle lady in the background, framed by the moss?  I will have a picture of her next.

Interesting information on Spanish Moss - Spanish-moss, also called Florida moss, long moss, or graybeard, is not a true moss. It is an epiphytic plant, which grows on another plant, but does not rely on the host plant for nutrients; epiphytes make their own food. While the plant is not parasitic, it can sometimes damage the host tree by over-shading the leaves, thus reducing photosynthesis, or by weighing down and breaking the branches.

The plants have very tiny seeds that are dispersed by wind and birds. Birds may also carry off small fragments that easily reproduce new plants.

Spanish-moss was harvested for years as a stuffing material in automobile seats, furniture, and mattresses. The moss-stuffed mattresses were said to be cooler and more comfortable due to the natural insulating properties of the plant. This was especially important in pre-air-conditioning days. Moss pickers were hired and used long poles to pull the stringy masses off the trees. The plants were then dried and cured before being used.
Information copied from this site.

The Day Lilies Are Coming!

 When we were at Middleton Place Gardens last weekend the camellias were out in full glory and the day lilies were on their way.  Some had already put forth their beautiful blossoms but most were still wondering if winter was really over or are they being tricked into thinking that spring has arrived.  I feel the same way!

Camellias

The Camellia were in all there glory when we were at Middleton Place last weekend.  (But, in case you are thinking of going, they were still also loaded with more buds - GO!)

I took so many pictures and even Kirby got into the excitement of the moment and was finding perfect blooms for me to photograph.  The one above was his!  The way the early morning sun was shining on it was awesome - it glowed.

There are so many different varieties of camellia but I just call them Beautiful!

The camellia is the first of the flowers to bloom each year and they were just a little early this year due to our mild winter.  Their stark beauty next to the harsh brown of winter is so refreshing.

The plants at Middleton are old and mature.  That means they are BIG. 

Some of the blooms were already spent due to the warm weather.  This bed of fallen petals looks like an artist pallet doesn't it?  I love it!

The Spring House

I took so many pictures of this old Spring House and I do each time I am at Middleton.  It is so picturesque.  So, you are lucky that I have chose to share only a few of them!

This is the classic view of the Spring House as you approach it on your tour. The lower level is where they kept food items that needed to be kept cool.  No refrigeration like we have.

I liked this upside down Spring house with all the turtles crawling around it.

And some different panoramas.  I couldn't help it.  It was beautiful from so many angles!

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!!

Pink and Moss

I could not get enough of this tree on our recent trip to Middleton Place.  Just look at it!  Magnificent pink blooms, no leaves and dripping with Spanish moss.  Stark beauty!  Someone please tell me what the tree is!!

Middleton Place Gardens

We took a winter trip to Middleton Place this past weekend.  They were running a special for local folk - $10 admission instead of the usual $25.  We couldn't pass that up, especially with the warm winter we are having.  The day was perfect - warm and sunny.  So unusual for this time of year. 

What amazed me the most about this visit was how beautiful it was even in the dead of winter.  It will take me a couple of weeks to share all the pictures I got.  We were early and the light was wonderful.  Just look at what greeted as we entered the gardens.

 The camellias grow like trees here.  These grew right next to the tree that is covered with Spanish Moss so the moss has mixed with the camellias.  I love the effect of it!  And look at that sky.  It was an awesome day!

Colonial Dorchester State Park

We visited Colonial Dorchester yesterday.  It is located near Summerville and we had never ventured that direction so off we went - and Jake got to go too.  It is a beautiful place - even in the dead of winter.

If you want the full history, I think this is a good site to visit as it really is interesting.  It was first settled in 1676 and later became the town Dorchester.  During the Revolutionary War the Brittish took control of the town and all the South Carolinians left and went to Summerville.  The town was never rebuilt after that time.

All that is left is the beautiful Bell Tower, the walls of the gunpowder magazine and the tombstones.

The walls were built of "Tabby" which is a mix of lime, oyster shells and sand.  It must be good stuff as it has stood for all these years.

My View This Morning

I took these pictures from the parking lot at work this morning just as I arrived. I really think it was a little better while I was waiting at the light at the foot of the freeway but I couldn't get a good picture from there. It was a gorgeous beginning to my day!

And believe it or not, when I looked the other way, this is what I saw.  It really was an awesome morning.

Shem Creek Park

We have been here before.  I know, but maybe you have forgotten about it!  Actually, the truth is that even though we have been there before - I got new pictures of a familiar place.  I don't care...I have fun taking pictures no matter what!  The picture above is one of my all time favorites as it has the tidal creek, marsh and the Arthur Ravenal Bridge all in one picture!  Love that!  I think that the Arthur Ravenal Bridge is one of the best ever!

 And I know, I have talked about the long docks before too! Click HERE if you don't believe me!
But just click on one of these pictures to enlarge it and tell me where there are longer docks!

And a view of another long dock across the bay.

I love this picture of a beautiful home right there on the marsh looking out to the bay and the ocean. I tried to play a game with Kirby about "Wouldn't you just love to live there?" but he just couldn't get over the cost of re-roofing, heating, electric and painting  to be any fun at all. Never mind, Kirby! I love this house anyway!

Mount Pleasant Park Day

I LOVE Mount Pleasant!  We really have so much right here to enjoy on a warm winter day!  We were early by most people's standards - we hit the park before 10 am.  And just look at this sky!

The whole park was built on land that would have gone wasted as it is directly under the bridge heading over to Charleston. They have built a fishing dock (no dogs allowed) with swings and there is even a gift shop with a kitchen that serves sandwiches!

There really is LAND - as you can see here - That is Kirby and Jake.  Jake was IN LOVE with this park!  Probably because dogs are allowed and the sniffs were fantastic for him.

We could even see the Yorktown in the distance.

And there is a pretty ( but sad) lady standing guard over it all.