An Evening at the Isle of Palms

I suppose it is about time I wrap up my coverage of our trip to Charleston. It has taken me longer to write about it than to experience it!

I'm going to close by telling you about a night that occurred early in our trip. We'd spent our first day at the at the Citadel for the North American Lutheran Church Convocation. At the end of that day they loaded us all up into school buses and drove us out to the Isle of Palms. It was a pretty long drive in a very hot bus, but we survived.

Isle of Palms is a long, skinny island and we drove quite far out on it, I think. It is a barrier island and we passed many homes that were built elevated so as to let the ocean flow under it when a hurricane or something came through. It was all so flat, I could easily imagine the ocean flowing over it and making it all disappear. Apparently that hasn't really happened but it seemed like a pretty precarious place to build a big fancy house...beautiful but precarious.

We were told we were going to the Citadel Beach House. That didn't mean much to me but if you click here you will see where we stopped. What a delightful surprise! There were many different areas set up for eating as well as for entertainment. There was a group dressed in traditional African clothing singing spirituals. There was a place set up for a DJ to play music while teaching dances. I enjoyed observing these, especially the singers, but I think you'll see where Nicole and I wanted to spend our time.

We left with our skirts wet but it was so wonderful to get to play in the ocean!

Charleston Neighborhoods

As I told you, we went to Charleston with our friend, Chad and Nicole, to attend a North American Lutheran Church Convocation. After that ended, Nicole and Chad moved to a resort on Mount Pleasant (just across the harbor from Charleston) and Ben and Sara (our son and daughter-in-law) joined us for a  couple of days. The day after they left, Mike and I set out to see a bit more of Charleston on our own.

We decided to take a tour in a little van around the town.  They were just lined up, many vans, and they left every 30 minutes or so. We purchased our tickets and were directed to a van. We waited a few minutes and looked up to see Chad and Nicole getting on the same van! Of all the vans tours that day, we ended up on the same tour! It was really pretty funny.

Anyway, this little tour was really very informative. We learned all about the wall that once surrounded the city. We saw so many beautiful homes, many that were several hundred years old. It was absolutely amazing to me to see how they had been so well maintained. They took such pride in keeping them historically accurate, it was easy to feel you were travelling back in time.

I wish I'd been taking notes so I could tell you about each of these homes, but I didn't and I can't. Sorry. I can tell you that one of them had a cannon ball go through its roof and that that cannon ball is still in an upstairs room!

You'll see a pink house that was along the harbor. It was said to have been owned by a dentist who originally chose the color to be that of healthy gums. Hmmmmm.....

We walked along the battery. People kept telling me we should see the battery and I admit I didn't even now what they were talking about. Well, it is part of that protective wall around the city. Now it is like a boardwalk along the harbor, with beautiful historical homes along beside. 

When we were first talking about going to Charleston, Ben told me he knew I'd just love going through the neighborhoods, looking at the houses. He was so right! I think I will just let you browse through my photos of some of those homes. Sorry that I had to take them through the van windows, sometimes on the move. You'll get the feel for the neighborhoods, though, anyway.

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.

Be My Guest!

My friend, Nicole, gave me a great idea!  I get to write a post everyday here. Not everyone wants to have their own blog but maybe sometimes you feel the thoughts and words bubbling out with nowhere to go. Well...I am offering you a chance to write a guest post here on my blog.

There will be rules...
1.     Nothing offensive.  Of course it is hard to know what might be offensive, Since it is my blog, I would make the ultimate determination. Yep, kind of like I'm the queen.
2.     I get to make grammatical/spelling corrections. I know, I make plenty of my own mistakes. If I notice them in a guest post, though, it will bug me and I will have to fix it.
3.     I can make up more rules on a whim. It's hard to know what rules I might need.
4.     I will decline any posts that I don't want to feature on my blog. I'd be nice about it but if your post seems wrong for my audience, I will let you know.

So, Nicole? Anyone? If you have some thoughts to share, write them out and e-mail them to me at onlythemanager@yahoo.com. Send photos as attachments if you'd like. Tell me a bit about yourself if you wish for me to do any kind of introduction.

The invitation is open indefinitely! Here's your chance!

The Week Behind Me

It was so warm this week!  We've had a lot of temperatures warm enough to be outside without a jacket.  For those of us who live in cold country, that has been an unexpected way to start November.

Bode was even chasing a wasp this week.  Just so you know, he's a Vizsla. Vizslas are hunting/retrieving dogs but since we don't hunt, Bode has honed his skills in a new direction. This dog doesn't seem to enjoy playing fetch but he does enjoy using his skills for insect-hunting.  It doesn't always work out that well for him (he's been stung) but he keeps trying.

Earlier this week I got to implement some other skills myself.  I got to be a hairdresser at work!  OK, I really don't have any training in that department but I did start cutting all my doll's hair at a very young age.  Sadly, their's never grew back.  This time, I was cutting some hair from the head of a patient preparing for a surgical procedure.  I learned a cultural tip regarding hair and Native Americans.  They were teaching me that they believe it should be returned to Mother Earth.  So, I carefully banded it before cutting.  The family members gathered around as I cut, taking charge of the hair in a respectful manner.  I then shaved the area and the patient was good to go.

I worked long, hard hours this week.  It was a busy, busy week at our surgical center and each night I came home pretty wiped out.  It was good, though.  I enjoyed my work and had interesting patients to care for.  I had several patients who's first language is Spanish.  Although most could also speak English, they allowed me to practice my Spanish on them as I prepared them for surgery.  It seemed to distract them from their worries as they helped me with my words and accent.  I am quite limited with what I know but because our class focused on phrases and words specific to nursing, I was able to say quite a few things.  It was fun!

One of the things I did when I wasn't at work this week, was shop.  My friend, Nicole, spearheads Operation Christmas Child at our church.  They send boxes around the globe to children in need.  The boxes contain an assortment of little gifts for these children, some of whom have never received a Christmas present.  Our youth group sent about 300 boxes last year and hope to send 500 this year! What a big goal, huh?  They offer a variety of ways we can do it, from packing our own boxes (they will provide them) ready to ship to donating money for them to purchase more things to put in the boxes.  We can also donate money to go toward the shipping costs.  If you click on the link above, you will find opportunities to pack-a-box online, without even going shopping.  It is a fun way to share the joy.  Do you have any special joy-sharing things you like to do for Christmas?

To start off this last day of the week I slept in!  Yay!  I was up before 7:00 a.m. but I still slept past the 4:30-5:00 a.m. alarm I need for work.  I REALLY hate it when I wake up at 4:30 on days I don't have to go to work!

 When I got up this morning I took this photo from our back door.  Apparently our reprieve from winter is over.  No worries.  I have my favorite coffee cup and I'm in my favorite chair.  Looking outside I see the street in front of our house is pure ice so it looks to be a great morning to pick up the crochet hook and watch some Netflix.  What are your plans for this day?

An Autumn Hayride for Snow White

Each Autumn friends from church invite the entire congregation to their farm for a hayride.  It is something the kids all really look forward to and the adults enjoy it as well.

This year the hayride wasn't on the usual wagon with hay bales.  It was a bit more uptown, having bench seats and everything.

We enjoyed entertainment from a real cowboy while we waited.  I like this photo.  Do you see the after-shine where the lasso had just been?  I thought that was cool.  I've no idea how that was captured but it no doubt has to do with my remarkable photography skills.  No?

For those of us who don't live on a farm, just seeing a horse close-up is a real treat.

These cows seemed a bit suspicious of me and were trying to get their babies closer to themselves.

I soon left as I didn't want to make them nervous.

Some of the kids enjoyed bobbing for apples.  I just thought they looked pretty.

We enjoyed our meal together, eating in one of their outbuildings.  It felt quite Western.

The best part for me, though, was the late arrival of Snow White.

After waiting and waiting and waiting for Halloween, Cordelia had been sick that day and missed out.  Her parents promised a Halloween II for her and last night was it.  They'd taken her trick-or-treating to a few prearranged homes before coming to the party.  She was so beautiful!  

For me, the thought of showing up at a party in a costume and discovering that everyone else was in regular clothes is rather a nightmare.  Not Cordelia, though.  She has great self-esteem and it did not bother her one little bit that she was the only one in costume.  I guess princesses are just used to standing out in a crowd.

Since she is a Wyoming Princess, adding a jean jacket to her gown seemed appropriate.

I loved this photo of my friend, Nicole, holding Elise.  Elise wasn't in the mood to wear her matching Snow White costume.  She carried off the casual princess look with class, though.

It was a peaceful and beautiful Wyoming evening. 

I wish everyone had a chance to experience this kind of evening in the middle of Wyoming.