Drayton Hall

A few weeks back when I was in Charleston SC, I visited Drayton Hall one of the best preserved plantation houses left in the South.

In January 1738 the South Carolina Gazette ran the following add:

"To Be Sold, a Plantation on Ashley River, 12 miles from Charles Towne by water, containing 350 acres, whereof 150 acres of it is not yet clear'd, with a very good Dwelling-house, kitchen and several out houses, with a very good orchard, consisting of all sorts of Fruit Trees..."

It was at this time, that John Drayton bought the property & it stayed in the Drayton family for seven generations, before being given to the National Trust in 1974.

What is most surprising is that, through all of those years, it was kept in it's near original condition.

Rather than being restored or "modernized " Drayton Hall has been preserved as an artifact for future generations. The main house is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the United States. 

It survived the American Revolution, the Civil War, the earthquake of 1886, hurricane Hugo, and even urban sprawl. 

It is not furnished or embellished in any way, & there are no women dressed in antebellum costume to show you around. 

 There is a guided tour, with a period historian, through the grounds & the house, where you see the simple beauty of the bones of this remarkable building, & learn the fascinating story of its history.

To read more about its history & the Drayton family or the Bowen family, who first came to Dayton Hall as slaves in 1670 go here. 

Their stories woven together, tell an important part of American history, from very different angles & points of view, as do these beautifully preserved slave cabins on the property.

One can also visit the near by Magnolia Plantation, which was owned by the Drayton family as well, & is now one of the oldest public gardens in the country.

It was while there, that I took all of the spring flower photographs that I posted here.

And where I spotted these two proud peacocks,  perched on an old blue wagon...well, I couldn't very well resist a shot of them.

I hope you are all enjoying your week & looking forward to the weekend ahead!

Yoga

I have not posted much about yoga recently, although it is an important part of my life. Yesterday I saw this on just jody & thought it was so sweet & inspiring, that I wanted to share it here with you. Thanks jody!



Have a healthy happy weekend everyone!

Spring Is In The Air

Sunday was a beautiful day! A walk in the woods showed all the subtle signs of spring emerging.



















But best of all, we were actually able to eat our dinner outside! Pretty amazing for mid March in New England.

New Glasses

Speaking of Jack Kerouac, I got some new glasses. I bought them from Warby Parker, a young online company, that sells great looking, good quality eyewear for under $100. 

What could be better than that? Well, maybe this, when you purchase a pair of glasses from Warby Parker, they donate another pair to someone in need.

I liked the concept of this company so much that I bought two pairs.

In fact, I liked everything about them, from the cool packaging, to the vintage inspired styles, to the easy & fun shopping process.

They will send  up to 5 pairs of glasses to try on in the privacy of your own  home, for up to 5 days, for free. And they include a pre-paid return shipping label to send them back, with no obligation to buy. They have showrooms in some cities, so I was able to do both, & found the whole process a lot of fun.

But what could all of this have to do with Jack Kerouac you might ask? Scroll to the bottom of this link for the answer. If I wasn't already totally smitten, this little tidbit sealed the deal!

It is my hope, that Warby Parker can be an example, for how all businesses will operate in the future.

Remembering a Literary Legend in Lowell

Jack Kerouac, the writer & voice of the beat generation, would have been 90 years old today. In commemoration of his birthday I visited Lowell, Massachusetts, his hometown.

Yesterday, a walking tour, sponsored by Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, honored both the man & the city that meant so much to him.

Walking was an appropriate way to discover Kerouac's Lowell, because surprisingly, the writer of  On the Road, 

never actually owned a drivers license, but was in fact an avid walker.

Little about the old mill town of Lowell has changed since Kerouac's time.

The city's multi ethnic neighborhoods represent a true slice of America's melting pot of the world.

The French Canadian grammar school, where Kerouac attended classes in French, still stands, not far from the Polish National Catholic Church, where mass was conducted in Polish rather than Latin.

We covered a lot of ground on our walk. We saw the houses he lived in, the house where his brother, Gerard, died, the library where he skipped school to read. We crossed the Merrimack River & walked across the old Moody Street Bridge, that he so often wrote about.

Ending our tour in Kerouac Park just in front of some of the beautiful old, early 19th century mill buildings.

The park is a peaceful place, where you can read the words of Jack Kerouac, engraved on granite pillars.

“I hope it is true that a man can die and yet not only live in others but give them life, and not only life, but that great consciousness of life.”   Jack Kerouac

Guest Post

Hi my name is Emily.  I am Sally's granddaughter.  I am 12 years old, turning 13 in four months!

 Lately I have been taking photography classes at my school.  It is so much fun!

Even outside of school I have really gotten into taking many pictures.

Every wednesday I go over to my grandmothers house before gymnastics and the pictures of me were taken by her.  The glasses aren't really mine they are my grandmother's.

 All the other pictures are mine.  I have taken them with an amazing camera.  I tried as best I could to make them really artistic.

I love the tree picture.  I took this by laying under the tree and facing the camera up.

That is my Ipod.  I just thought that one looked cool sitting on the checkered table.

This photo is my absolute favorite!  Mustaches are so cool!  And the cactus was sitting in the most perfect light so I had to take a picture of it.

Thank you Nanny for letting me be your guest blogger.  I love showing people my art.

A Lovely Gift!

Today is a very special day!

I received a mysterious little package in the mail from Japan. 

It was from my blog friend coco. 

I loved everything about it. They way it was tied with string, decorated with sweet dried pansies, & notes written on tiny slips of pink Japanese paper. 

Coco had sent me two lovely crocheted coasters & seeds from her garden.

I was very touched by her note which read in part: 

"I have been enjoying your beautiful world in your blog. Thanks for sharing such nice scenes with us....."

This lovely little gift meant a lot to me, especially today, as it is in fact my blog birthday. I have been posting his blog for two years today!

And just as I was about to write about this occasion & this gift, I received another surprise. I had a comment from Paulita, from "An Accidental Blog" & she had nominated me for an award. How sweet of her!

Thank you so much coco & Paulita. This has been a very special & serendipitous way to celebrate my blog birthday!

Thanks, too, to all of you, for sharing your blogs & visiting mine. Your kind words & comments mean the world to me.