Crumbling Beauty

It is not just by chance that the city of Charleston is so beautifully preserved. Charleston is in fact one of the founding fathers of the preservation movement in this country. As early as 1783 the city's municipal government adopted  

the motto: "She guards her customs, buildings and laws."

Almost from the begining, Charlestonians have been keenly aware of the historic beauty of their city & have gone to great lengths to preserve it. Over the years they have progressed from preserving individual structures to protecting the whole historic area. There are now laws in place to prevent destruction or inappropriate modifications of buildings in this district.

These laws while saving Charleston's unique character, have in many cases put a hardship on owners, financially unable to restore their property to city requirements . 

As a result, you see many crumbling beauties, like those pictured here. 

Personally, I  find these faded gems equally as lovely as their pristine, perfectly renovated counterparts.

 It is for example, against the law to remove or replace the corbels or decorative lights that are traditionally placed over Charlestonian front doors. 

I liked how this still corner grocery preserved the old sign while restoring the rest of the building.

All of these details, both the crumbling & the reinvigorated  make up the special character of this unique city.

The House

A lot of the work that we have been doing on the house is not very interesting but indeed very necessary, structural things mostly. 

And although we have been painting, in most cases we have just freshened up the colors that were already there. Recently however, we decided to add a little pop of color to our tiny & rather boring entry hall.

We knew we wanted a green but we had a hard time deciding just what shade to go with. In the end we chose the lighter brighter hue with just a hint of blue.

 Even so it looked pretty dark as we put it on.

Once it was done though, we were quite pleased.

Now we can uncover the furniture & move on to the next project.

A Little Bit of Color

 I love photographing the facades of  buildings in Charleston. 

I love the roof lines, the architectural decoration...

....the windows & doors as well as all the many color combinations.

I love the decorative details, especially the doorway below, where a bird has built his nest just between roof & porch.

....Or this doorway that was once the address of a dentist.

 ....Or this bright & cherry door.

There are so many beautiful color combinations here in Charleston it is hard to pick just a few.

I hope all of you are having a happy & colorful week.

Happy Martin Luther King Day

Charleston seems to love a parade & today, being Martin Luther King Day, was no exception.

 Today is also the inauguration of Obama's second term.

 It would be nice to think that Martin Luther King 

would be pleased

to know 

just how far his dream has come.

Little Morning Vignettes

 Early sunlight on a bowl of oranges mixed with some treasures from the beach.

Breakfast on the porch.

A closer look at the yellow tumble weed from the beach.

Some treasured gifts. A pretty little soap dish from my husband.... the sweet sea grass basket was a house warming gift from my brother.... & the beautiful ribbon a gift from my cousin Molly, remembering all the pretty French ribbons our grandmother used to collect.....& in the back a lovely handmade new years card from Elsa at Menthe Blanche all the way from France.

Thank you everybody!

&

Happy Weekend 

to all !

Topsy Turvy Weather

While we are having record high temperatures here in Charleston, almost summer like to me, I received this photo form a friend in France. Snow is pretty rare in the south west where our little village is. But with the power of the Internet here is a picture of my house taken today. My friend Mel said that it had been snowing since early this morning with no sign of letting up. Apparently it is predicted to continue until around 8 tonight. Thanks Mel for this cool photo.

I thought all the readers that follow my summer adventures would appreciate seeing this photo too.

Hope everyone is having a great week no matter what your weather might be.

A Weekend Jaunt

With amazing summer like temperatures, this weekend was perfect for a little side trip to the beautiful antebellum town of Beaufort.

One of the first Confederate towns captured by the Union Army at the commencement  of the Civil War this remarkable town was saved from the destruction that would befall the rest of the southern cities later in the war.

A town now standing as if time has stood still, Beaufort offers a look back into the picturesque life of the old south.

Beaufort has offered  literary inspiration, providing settings for many of the works of author & native son Pat Conroy. 

This beautiful site has also been the  location of a number of Hollywood films including The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, & Forrest Gump to name a few.

Filled with so much history & beauty Beaufort is a wonderful place to visit on a warm lazy day.

With the majestic old live oaks dripping with Spanish moss to the beautifully preserved historic homes, Beaufort is a photographers paradise.  

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of Beaufort South Carolina. 

Glad to Get Back

.....to Charleston

 ....in all of it's glory....

.

....& faded splender....

....the bird's song & warming sunshine

......it's welcoming colorful charm

....the palmettos

 ....& the friendly feel of small town Americana.

It's like the parade was just for us!

Out The Car Window

We have left the snow behind & hit the road again for that long trip back down south.

Seventeen hours of driving with little to do but look out of the windows  as the landscape rushes by.

There is actually a lot to see but it flies by too quickly to capture with the camera.

 You just keep on going mile after mile....

....all the while realizing that it is getting warmer & greener as you go.

 And before you know it all that snow is but a distant memory.