Icy Temperatures in the Deep South

I woke up this morning before daylight to just barley make out our Palmetto Palm tree bent over with ice.

As the sun came up one could make out what anywhere else would be considered a winter wonderland. 

However, because these plants are not accustomed to such harsh weather conditions it is a sad sight to behold.

Warmer days are just around the corner though. So heres hoping not too much damage has been done.

My thoughts are with all the people in the South that are not used to this kind of cold. 

I hope everyone is staying safe & warm.

FINDING VIVIAN MAIER

You may remember quite some time back that I published a post about the street photographer 

Viven Maier & her amazing story. 

If you don't remember you can check it out here.  If you have been as fascinated (or now find yourself as fascinated) as I have been, you will probably want to know about the film

Finding Viven Maier.

The film is a documentary tracing the life of Viven Maier & the remarkable discovery of this unknown photographers's astounding collection of work. It  made its debut at the DOC NYC Festival in New York in 2013 & has made the rounds of other film festivals both nationally & internationally. Now at long last it will be opening in theaters in the US at the end of March.

I have been waiting with great anticipation for this film to come out & cannot wait to see it.

You can view a trailer below.

A list of play dates & locations has been listed on the Viven Maier Facebook page, where others will hopefully be added.  I am posting it below, & it looks like Atlanta is the closest place for me to view it, unless I find myself back in Boston in April. 

Please, let me know if any of you share my interest & are hoping to have a chance to see this film.

Rainbow Row

It is hard to imagine today that the houses in Charleston known as Rainbow Row were once the inspiration for the opera Porgy & Bess. This row of thirteen pastel homes, which were built in the 1700s, has had a very colorful history. Originally constructed by merchants as stores, with family dwellings on the upper levels, they were a part of a larger bustling commercial neighborhood. In 1778, however, there was a fire that distorted all but the buildings that remain today.

 In their heyday they had been the center of Charlestonian life, but after the devastation of the Civil War,  the city of Charleston fell on hard times. This area suffered as well. The buildings, falling into disrepair, were in almost slum like conditions until the late 1930s. At that time the houses  became known as Cabbage Row because the inhabitants, descendants of enslaved people, sold cabbages & other garden vegetables from their windows. 

It was this period in history that inspired the 1925 DuBose Heyward novel Porgy. The book romanticized African American life in the fictitious neighborhood of Catfish Row, which was drawn almost entirely from  Charleston's very real Cabbage Row. It was the musical adaptation of this novel that was the basis for the George Gershwin opera Porgy & Bess.

Now multi-million dollar homes, most of these houses were restored by 1945 & painted the Caribbean pastel colors that you see today.

People Watching in Paris

One of the great pleasures of traveling is the simple act of people watching & there is no better place for it than  in Paris. Last summer I had the opportunity to wonder the streets of Paris admiring not only the beauty of the city of lights but the people that inhabit it.

I hope you have enjoyed this little gallery of people watching. And because I am dreaming of France today I am linking up with Paulita at The Accidental Blog & her Dreaming of France meme.

Frigid Temperatures

What does the cold look like in Charleston? 

There is no snow to herald the cold weather here. There are even blue skies & sunshine, but when the temperature drops, it is indeed cold. These old southern houses were not built for this kind of winter weather, which makes it seem all the more cold inside as well as out. When the pipes freeze & the power goes out, well there isn't much to do but curl up under a warm of blanket & read a book ( a real book ). 

Or you could always bundle up & go out for a very brisk walk.

I hope where ever you are, that you are staying warm. 

If you are looking for some books for winter reading you might find something here.

 I can only vouch for

The Hundred Foot Journey

 which I read last summer, while the filming of it took place in

St. Antonin.

  And the wonderful book 

Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

 I read it two summers ago & loved it. 

Also, because I am a big fan of the Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books, I found  this entertaining. I am not making a judgement here, just enjoyed thinking about cold winters in the past.

Stay warm everybody!

Happy new Year!

I am a bit late in embracing the 

New Year

but I suppose that it is never too late to wish you all a very Happy 2014

Thank you for following along

I appreciate your creative sprites 

your enthusiasm & your friendship

& all of the kind comments you have left over the past year

May you find joy in all of your new beginnings!