Farewell to Our Century Plant

I have taken many photos of my neighbor's plant since moving to Charleston. It is, or I should say, was an Agave Americana. Often called a Century Plant, the Agave Americana can take up to 100 years to mature, although it usually takes far less. It blooms only once in its life span after which it dies.

 I have been amazed & fascinated by this plant & as you can see it has been a favorite of my grandchildren as well. Our neighbors told us the plant was over 50 years old but no one seemed to know for sure just how much older than 50 it was. 

I took the blurry photo below from my window last winter during the freezing ice storm we had. Somehow this hot weather succulent, which normally are found in Florida, Mexico & South America, survived that bitter cold snap.

Then last spring I noticed a giant asparagus like stalk shooting up from the plant. Yes, the 

fifty-ish year old plant was preparing to bloom.

It took most of the summer & fall for the stalk to mature & actually flower. The Agave Americana produces one of the largest inflorescences in the entire  plant kingdom. Stalks can grow as high as 25 feet & can produce thousands of tiny yellow flowers.

I am not certain exactly how tall "our" Century flower grew but it was clearly taller than the three story houses surrounding it. And sadly just as predicted, the majestic old plant collapsed & died after its profusion of tiny blossoms fully opened.

I feel sad each time I walk by the now empty spot where the Century Plant once grew. I miss it. Yet I feel extremely fortunate to have witnessed this amazing & rare feat of nature.

They say that sometimes, but not always, a new plant will appear where the old one had been. So far there is no sign of one but I will keep watching & hoping.

It is wonderful to imagine that  perhaps in another 50 years  my grandchildren's children might fall in love with another giant Century Plant just as they had done.

Tiny Spaces (part 1)

 I am a big fan of the Tiny House Movement. There are a number of great blogs out there devoted to the tiny house. Here are just a few that I have come across: 1 2 3 & 4. 

 Charleston seems to be ahead of the curve on this movement though. There are so many adorable small homes & businesses to be found in this city.

 It would literally take forever to document all of them, there are so many. 

But I have been enjoying taking photos of the ones that I happen to pass.

And it turns out I already have quite a collection.

I especially love the ones with a second story. They are so tiny it is hard to imagine how they have fit in a staircase.

 These long low dwellings, which are not but one room wide, are very typical country cottages in the South.

There are also the ones that go straight back & are often called shotgun houses, because you could fire a shotgun straight through them.

But most are called Freedman's Cottages & were believed to have been built after the civil war for freed slaves to live in.

I especially love this tiny two story house tucked in between much larger & grander homes in the heart of downtown Charleston.

Happy Weekend!

Wow, the week has just flown by. Hope you have all had a great one!

I have taken a lot of photos this week, but with no rhyme 0r reason.

Although the weather has been a bit chilly of late, flowers are starting to pop out everywhere. Spring is on it's way!

A lot of old houses are getting a fresh coat of paint.

We discovered a cool little restaurant that is within walking distance of our house. 

Xiao Bao Biscuit is in an old, rustically renovated filling station & has the most delicious & exotic menu.

Meeting Street at sunset.

Grey can be such a beautiful color.

We took advantage of some of the great food trucks in Charleston this week. Some of our favorites are Roti Rolls, Hello My Name Is BBQ ( I like the black bean burger), & Diggity Doughnuts for the best vegan doughnuts you'll ever eat.

Wishing you all a very Happy Weekend!

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.

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.

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!