Magnolia Plantation

 After touring Drayton Hall, we went down the road and toured the Magnolia Plantation. The house at Magnolia had been destroyed during the revolutionary war, rebuilt and is now restored. It was beautiful and was surrounded by beautiful gardens. I'll get to that later.

This photo of Ben and Sara is blurry so I can't enlarge it, but I liked it so much I couldn't delete it.

 The greeting party at Magnolia included a number of peacocks.

Peacocks are so strange to me, 

beautiful from the front and naked looking on the back.

This guy posed nicely for me.

 Pretty civilized peacocks who expect to be fed at the table!

 It was fun to take this tour with Ben and Sara.

 Around the outer parts of the plantation, things were a bit spooky-looking.

Sara loved the swampy areas!

 Our guide told us this site was used in the old movie, Swamp Thing.

I will say that I do NOT want to go swimming there!

 I was intrigued by these little stumpy things around the bases of these trees.

Friends from the South, what kind of tree is that and will those little

things grow up to be more trees?

To me, they kind of looked like little gophers surrounding

the base of the trees.

 I know these birds are perfectly fine birds

but don't they look a bit evil?

I was about to delete this photo, not because it was so bad 

but I took soooooo many photos, editing is necessary.

Thankfully, I decided to enlarge it just in case I was missing something.

And there he is, a baby alligator!

We were told there were some really big ones there in the ponds

but they were elusive on our tour. This little guy showed up for us, though.

We then moved in closer to the house, touring the beautiful gardens.

This is pretty, don't you think?

There's the house.

Nice, huh?

Poor Ben and Sara.

I made them pose until they were sick of it.

We were touring through an area called the romantic gardens.

The original home was destroyed in 1780 by the British.

That was a long time ago!

Ben and I braved the garden maze.

Sara waited outside; I was

confident she would rescue us if we couldn't

find our way out.

It got a little frustrating at times

but it was kind of fun.

I followed Ben for awhile then we went our own ways.

Thankfully, we made it back to each other at the end!

Peace Like a River - Now

I took this photo by the Magnolia Plantation in South Carolina. I will tell you more about that another day. 

This tree, draping over the Ashley River, seemed like such a place of peace to me. I suppose it is, now. However, this place certainly has been a site of terror and destruction during varying times in its past. It is hard to imagine, really.

Today, though, it makes me think of a song I've known from my childhood. I find it to be very calming. If anything, that spot made me realize that my peace does not come from a place or a time, but rather from being secure in the knowledge that God is there throughout and that his love does not waver.

I’ve got peace like a river,

I’ve got peace like a river,

I’ve got peace like a river in my soul,

I’ve got peace like a river,

I’ve got peace like a river,

I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.

I’ve got love like an ocean,

I’ve got love like an ocean,

I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul,

I’ve got love like an ocean,

I’ve got love like an ocean,

I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul.

I’ve got joy like a fountain,

I’ve got joy like a fountain,

I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul,

I’ve got joy like a fountain,

I’ve got joy like a fountain,

I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul.

Drayton Hall

Last Friday night, right as our conference was ending, Ben and Sara arrived from North Carolina to spend the week-end with us. I am so glad they came!

Last Saturday we toured Drayton Hall, an unrestored plantation just about 20 minutes from downtown Charleston, SC.  Isn't it beautiful? From a distance, it still looks habitable. As you will see, it is not exactly move-in ready.

It sits along the Ashley River and from a distance, looks much like it did in the 1700's. It is a survivor. It has survived the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the earthquake of 1886 as well as numerous hurricanes.

The house is an example of Georgian-Palladian architecture and the grounds are a beautifully undisturbed historic landscape. Our tour guide said that it was the only plantation house along the Ashley River that wasn't destroyed during the war (I think she was talking Revolutionary War but maybe Civil War) because it was posted as a smallpox hospital.

The neighboring plantation, Magnolia, was owned by the Drayton family as well. It was inherited by their oldest son so a younger son had Drayton Hall built nearby. He was only 23 or so when he became the master of this place! He lost 3 wives and a couple of his son to disease and such. He married his fourth wife when he was 59. She was 17. I don't know what to say about that.

I loved this tour! Here, let me show you some of the highlights...

It was about a zillion degrees out, but Ben and Sara waited patiently for our tour to begin.

 This is one of the huge Live Oak Trees.

There were many there, some over 200 years old!

 As we entered the house, I instantly noticed that it was full of little details.

It wasn't a typical suburban home.

Many of the parts of the interior were shipped from Europe.

 Remember all those windows you could see from the outside?

Each of them has a window seat!

We learned that symmetry was very important to this style of architecture.

There wasn't a front door and a back door but rather two grand entrances.

One was for those who arrived by the river and

the other welcomed guests arriving by land.

This brick wall was discovered when they took out a sealed door.

Why a fake door?

It was there to balance the actual door for entering the room.

By the way, all of the bricks were hand made, likely by slave labor.

These are obviously well-made bricks, having held up since the 1700's.

More lovely details...

This is a skinny stairwell that ran up the center of the house.

It was to be used by slaves as they served the family.

They were pretty modest compared to the main stairway.

This is one side of the grand stairway.

Of course, there had to be two sides for symmetry.

This was taken in an upstairs ballroom, I think.

 This is Ben at the entrance to the basement.

It was a place where the slaves were to do the work for the family, likely preparing the meals, processing the garden vegetables, etc.

The basement wasn't not grand.

I loved the grounds!

Ben is standing by the Ashley River.

The land across the river had been donated to remain untouched.

It was really wonderful as standing there looking across at a Walmart would

certainly ruin the effect.

I LOVE Spanish Moss.

Just so you know,

it isn't Spanish...

and it isn't moss.

 The maintained grounds were surrounded by swampy places.

There are soooo many creepy-crawlies in there!

It was noisy!

And yes, there are alligators.

Can anyone tell me what these are?

Figs, maybe?

As I said, creepy crawlies.

Oddly, just the day before, Nicole had asked me to try to get a photo of a Cicada.

This one actually fell out of a tree as we walked by it.

That was handy.

This is definitely NOT Wyoming vegetation!

I enjoyed a last look at Drayton Hall.

A Clock and a Ring

I took several photos of the clock tower at the Citadel before I decided to follow the sidewalk right up to its door.

It was not at all what I expected inside.

First of all, the temperature was cool

and felt wonderful!

I didn't follow up the staircase but I thought it was a pretty route to the top.

 It was a columbarium,

a place for storage of the urns holding

cremated remains.

Given that I like walking through cemeteries,

you likely aren't shocked to know this place

seemed very peaceful to me.

Another unexpected thing we discovered was this...

Yes, that is a giant Citadel Class Ring.

Tears at the Citadel

The main purpose of our trip was to attend the convocation of the North American Lutheran Church. Mike and our friend, Nicole, were the official representatives for our congregation. Nicole's husband, Chad came along as a visitor, as did I.

Yes, the meeting was held at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. I was really excited. We'd never been to South Carolina before and I love seeing new places!

I thought the Citadel was strictly a military school. I was wrong. Did you know that they also serve as a civilian college?  If you want to read more about the history of the Citadel, please go to this site.  I will tell you a few things, though.

The original site of the Citadel was actually downtown, closer to the harbor. We did see that site from the outside several times before we learned what it really had been. The original site looks quite a bit like the current one. I really hope you will click to see what it has become. It is a little bit sad but at least it is somewhat preserved. Nope, I'm not going to tell you. You have to click here.

So, most of our time those first 2 days was spent at Summerall Chapel at the Citadel. What a beautiful building!  It belongs to no denomination and is there simply as a place of worship.

Take a look at the inside. The building is shaped like a cross and this view is from the bottom of that cross shape so I didn't really get the entire interior. There were probably 1,000 people there. Listening to them all sing, especially with so many male voices, was enough to bring tears to my eyes....and down my cheeks. Actually, I was kind of embarrassed that I had to keep wiping my face dry but I learned later that I was not the only one. Music is so powerful!

 There were flags for all the states. I took a photo of the Wyoming flag especially for my friend, Nicole.

This is Chad during one of our breaks. He was sitting by a water purification station. It was a display for Water Missions International, a group who helps those in need of clean water. They do this globally. It is a project our local congregation helps support. Their headquarters happen to be in Charleston so Chad and Nicole actually took a tour of it.

 Nicole took this photo for me. Mike had been called up to be honored with others for their work for the church. Mike, of course, was being honored for his 25 years as a pastor. Another tear-filled moment came for me when these people received a standing ovation.

One of the coolest places on campus was the clock tower. I actually decided to see if I could go in it and found that it was unlocked. You might be surprised at what I discovered inside. I'll get those photos ready for tomorrow.

The Castle

We just returned this afternoon from a trip; we've been gone about 1 week. We were in South Carolina and it was quite an adventure! I've not had time to sort through all my photos yet,  but I wanted to post one for a starter. Do you know where this is? Doesn't it look like a castle or a fortress? I will be telling you more about this place when I get caught up.

Cemetery Walk

I have to admit, I kind of like walking through cemeteries. In 6th grade, when my family moved to a rural church parsonage in Minnesota, I began a lifelong fascination with them. That parsonage we lived in was right beside the little church where my Dad was a pastor. The beautiful setting was completed with a small cemetery. Click here to read about that place and to see photos taken when Mom and I last visited there.

There is a cemetery just a block from where I work now. It is a cemetery where I've gone for several years now, using it as my place of peace or thinking or whatever I need at the time. I started going there when my friend/patient, Sara, died. I treasured her and miss her easy laugh. She was also a nurse and we enjoyed a precious bond. You can read again about Sara here.

Later, when other dear patients died, I didn't usually know where they were buried. Sara's grave became a place where I could mourn all of the patients I've known and cared for. Is that too weird? Over the years the spaces around Sara's grave have been filled. Just standing at the foot of her grave I can read the names of at least 7 or 8 other patients I knew. It is a strange feeling. It kind of reminds me, though, that we are all in this place for just a short time, really.

Anyway, like I said, this cemetery is by my workplace. I decided it would be a nice place for a lunchtime walk recently. As it turned out, I wasn't really alone there. I just thought you'd like to see the photos I took with my cell phone when I took that walk.

Hey!

I don't think you are supposed to eat those!

So, tell me the truth.

Am I weird or do any of you enjoy a walk through a cemetery?

I'm In a Tattoo!

OK, here's the thing, I'm not much of a tattoo kind of gal. I've certainly seen some pretty ones but it's like art to me. I like to rearrange my art, put some away for awhile and bring out others. I also like to rearrange furniture. It's the permanency of a tattoo that stops me from considering one.

When I got our new washing machine our son, Ben, made a comment that I should have purchased a front loader. You are probably thinking I lost my train of thought here, but a washing machine DOES have something to do with my thoughts on tattoos. Let me explain.

Ben's reason for wanting me to have a front loader was because it would be more gentle on my clothes and they would last longer. That seems smart.

EXCEPT...

I like to change out my clothes as well. I don't want my clothes to last too long because my tastes change and sometimes I just want to update to different styles. So. Do my thoughts make sense now? Like I said, it is the permanency of a tattoo that bothers me.

Our daughter, Maria, IS a tattoo kind of gal. She got a couple tattoos quite a few years ago.  In fact, she had them two years before we knew about them. As it turns out, a girl CAN hide her upper arm from her parents for two years without them noticing. Enough about that.

Well, recently Maria decided to change the artwork on her arm.  Hmmm.... I guess it doesn't have to be permanent in the same way I'd thought. One day she called up and asked me which flower was my favorite. I messed around with my answer for a bit because I love, love, love the smell of carnations, daisies are so happy-looking, and I've always enjoyed morning glories. When she told me it was to represent me on her new tattoo and that she was going to use wheat for Mike, I KNEW that it needed to be a morning glory. Read here to remember why Mike worries about morning glories and how I show little respect for his worries...at least about morning glories.

Maria called on her talented husband, Eric, for the designing of her tattoo. I'd suggested that my morning glory be wrapped up tight around Mike's wheat. That was kind of a mean idea, I suppose, but it entertained me. I guess I really don't want to be represented as choking the life out of Mike.

The final design was beautiful and probably less worrisome to Mike. Anyway, her new tattoo has elements to represent herself, her family and her parents. Isn't that sweet? I like that the morning glory is close to the inner aspect of her arm, close to her heart. And I can truthfully say, "I'm in a tattoo!"

When Sin Looks More Enjoyable Than God

Andy Mason - How to Make a Burrito

Andy Mason is a talented international singer/songwriter who spends most of his time entertaining children. Do you know how hard it is to find great musical entertainment for children?

Andy is a friend to our daughter and her husband, Eric and Maria. In fact, he sang at their wedding reception. I was just thinking about his music and thought maybe you should see this video. Not only does it feature Andy's fun songwriting skills and voice, the video itself was done by Maria and Eric. It features Cordelia as a baby and I think those are our son, Sam's, hands making the burrito.

Do you have any children in your life? Perhaps you sometimes have a hard time finding gifts for them that are fun and different. Consider one of Andy's DVD's or CD's. Visit his website here.  In case you are wondering, NO, this is not a paid commercial. Andy doesn't know I am posting about him today. I just felt like it because I like my readers and I thought you could use some fun.




Here's another sampling.  Enjoy!