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!

Make Exercise Fun

Sometimes, oK, often, I post about random thoughts that cross my mind. This is one of those times.

(all images from Google Images except the one of our beautiful granddaughters)

How Adults Get Exercise

This is a good one.

This sums up how it feels, at least to me.

Kids have a better way.

Maybe we adults can find ways to make it more fun.

Have a fun day!

So Sad

This is Cordelia's face when she had to leave Grandma. Doesn't that just break your heart?

Pop or Soda?

Have you noticed my little try at having a poll?  Look in the column to the right. Here's what I want to know...

Do you call this pop or soda?

(photo from cdkitchen.com via google images)

When I was a girl, I read a lot. Sometimes I read in books about people having a soda. I thought it was something I'd never experienced before. I drank pop on occasion and rather enjoyed it. However, I always wanted to know what soda would taste like. It sounded soooooo refreshing.

When I found out that soda was just pop, I was kind of disappointed. Really? Was it pop trying to be uppity or what? 

Our son-in-law calls it soda. I love him anyway. He was born in New York State so he has a right to Eastern ways I guess. OK, almost everyone now does call it soda but there was a time when NO ONE out West called it that, no one that I knew anyway. 

What do you all think about all of this? 

I know what you are thinking! You are wondering why in the world you wasted so much time reading this dumb post, aren't you? 

I really wanted to try the poll thingy. That's all.

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Our baby is 21 today!  It is hard to believe, except when you look at him. At 6'4" or more, it is hard to convince anyone that he's still our little guy.

Sam was a joy to raise and is a joy to know as a man. He may be a blue-eyed redhead but he is one of the most mellow personalities I've ever met. He is also witty and smart. He's got a soft heart and he loves his people. We love him, too!

Notice that Sam is still wearing a D.A.R.E. t-shirt. Didn't he take that course in about 5th or 6th grade? Cute, huh?

Cordelia and Elise enjoyed delivering his presents to him 

but the wrappings were still more interesting to them. 

Elise got excited over the brown paper!

 Both girls enjoyed the box.

Isn't that typical?

And now, as an extra present for Sam, I just want to sign 

off with some more photos from last month.

Block Party

I admit, that is a dumb title for this post. It isn't about a party at all. Sometimes it is just tough to come up with titles!

Recently a friend of mine asked me to crochet an afghan that she wanted to give to her daughter-in-law. She wanted it 6 feet X 4 feet. Doesn't that sound daunting? As it turned out, she chose a bulky yarn and a loose stitch that worked up very quickly. In fact, I think I only worked on it about three days.

One thing I tend to slack on is blocking. Do you crocheters out there always block your projects? Because this blanket was so big and stretchy, I felt it had kind of stretched out of shape as I worked on it. It is very heavy!   really needed to block it.

It was so big, I wasn't sure where to do this blocking business. I hand washed it  in the bathtub and then set up a folding table on our deck. It was exactly 6 feet long but only 2 1/2 feet wide. If I let any part of the wet blanket hang off the edge, it just kept stretching!

Guess what! I was able to moosh and squoosh until it accordianed in to that size.

I left it in the sun, weighted down because Wyoming is somewhat of a wind tunnel.

After sitting out in the sun on a hot day, for about 8 hours, it was STILL wet! I tossed it in the drier for about 15 minutes and it was STILL a bit damp!  I told you it was heavy!

I was hanging with my Mom, by her hospital bed, as I crocheted this project. She kept talking about how soft the yarn was and how much she liked it so I decided to start another, identical to it. It is soft, fuzzy yarn and has rather a comforting feel to it.

I'm happy to get to make one for Mom as well. 

Three Hour Cruise

Yesterday Mike & I took a 3 hour cruise...a 3 hour cruise... OK, maybe you are too young to have the them song from Gilligan's Island humming through your head right now.


Mike and I were cruising down the river on our little river raft. We did pass a few islands but even if we'd been stranded on them, I'm pretty sure we would have been rescued quickly.

While we were floating, I made a comment about all the life that was going on right around us. We saw a flock of pelicans, a hawk, a wild turkey, bunny, fish, many red-winged black birds and lots of other feathered friends. Then I thought about all the bugs and microbes living around us. All that living goes on every day, whether or not I am thinking about it.

Our natural world is really pretty amazing, don't you think?

John 7:38 ESV 

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”