Say Ahhh...

As I mentioned earlier, we have more Eastern Bluebirds raising their young in the same bird house as before. I guess they found a ready made nest so laid the eggs in it. We are pretty sure these are not the same parents as before as we can see subtle differences in them. We have no idea how many babies have hatched this time around but there are a few in there. We hear them singing and see little beaks peaking out from time to time when one of the parents arrives with food. I sat outside for awhile the other day and caught another snapshot of a little mouth ready to accept a juicy worm. This one is not as good as the one I took before but it is still thrilling to see. I hope we will be privy to see these little ones take their first flight like we did the others.

Heron

Looked out the kitchen window a few minutes ago and caught this heron down on the lake. No matter how many of these I see they always thrill me and I always grab my camera and snap a few shots.

Haircut

I went and got a haircut yesterday! Last one was back in October so I knew I was overdue. It had grown quite a bit and I was happy having it long again but was wanting a new style. I found one I liked but still was not sure. I didn't know if I would just ask for a trim on the style I had or go for the new look. As I took my seat in the chair I still had not made up mind. I was brave and decided to shoot for the new style. My stylist was fantastic and he spent 2 hours making sure every hair was cut just right. I am very pleased. It still feels the same to me but when I see my reflection in the mirror it takes a second or two to get used to the new look. Here's a peek from the front and back.

Tapas

David and I went out to dinner with friends last night. Scott and his wife Tonya live in Tucson and were here visiting and we got together. Tonya has a childhood friend who also happens to live in this area so Sarah joined us for the evening as well. We chose to eat at a tapas restaurant in downtown Greenville. It was our first time there and an enjoyable experience. For anyone who does not know what a tapas bar is here is a little history that I found interesting. According to legend, the tapa tradition began when a Spanish king recovered from an illness by drinking wine and nibbling small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered taverns to serve their guests food along with wine and the tapas became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to drink. Original tapas were the slices of bread which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. But soon, enterprising bartenders were putting small snacks on the bread, and the lowly tapa (from tapa derived the verb tapar, "to cover") became as important as the sherry. Most tapas bars serve Spanish foods but the one we went to didn't. The portions are smaller, more like appetizers, and oh so delicious. I loved everything we had last night which included, lamb chops, mussels, formage and procuitto, lobster cigars, chocolate empanada and a carbonated red wine...yummy! The lobster cigars were soooo good that we had to order a second plate. The others in our party ordered tuna, suishi and calamari... things I don't care for. Typically a group will go to a tapas bar and everyone orders a plate or two and then all are put on the table for everyone to try. It was a very enjoyable evening and we left full after sampling wonderful foods that are not typical restaurant fanfare. After dinner we walked around on Main Street and went to Fell's Park before calling it an evening. Downtown is alive and a thriving place.

Here we are after dinner

Scott and Tonya

Front Porch

We recently got an unexpected piece of furniture. Arlene, one of our neighbors here in the RV park, gave us a glider she needed to get rid of. It was in need of new seat cushions but otherwise was in fantastic condition. I bought a new cushion and matching seat cushions for the bistro table. Below are some photos of our comfortable front porch.

the glider with new seat cushions and footstool (it is so comfortable!)

the bistro table and chairs with their new seat cushions

the wicker chairs

Sunrise

After the horrible storm the night before we were treated to a beautiful sunrise yesterday morning. I quickly grabbed my camera and took the following photos thru the kitchen window. Very pretty!

Storm Damage

Yesterday was a very hot and humid day here in the upstate of South Carolina. It was the sort of day that you are extremely grateful to the person who invented air conditioning. Last night just after sundown we had a magnificent storm that blew through. And when I say "blew" through I mean it literally. We had winds in excess of 60 mph along with heavy rains, lightening and thunder. Leaves were being blown through the air like the raindrops. Large tree limbs were falling from the tall oak trees around the lake and everything was being blown away. The awning over the RV was swaying and we were praying it stayed intact. It did. My hanging baskets somehow remained in place but they were rotating round and round and round, much like the blades on a helicopter. There were actually waves in the lake! A few times when it has been windy we have seen white caps on the lake but yesterday we saw full waves breaking. It is quite scary being inside an RV while the wind is that strong. We lost electric power for over an hour as the storm continued. The temps had dropped somewhat so it was in the mid 80's and we finally had to open windows and the door a little to get some air. We couldn't open them much due to the winds blowing the rain horizontally. David and I witnessed a little hummingbird trying to get to the feeder during the storm. Poor little bird was being blown to smitherines and was having a lot of difficulty trying to fly. I saw it 3 different times trying to get a drink from the feeder, always unsuccessful as the winds were too strong. All was well by bed time last night. The storms had finally moved out, the power was back on and the air conditioner working. We are in for yet another very hot, humid day... heat index of 105 is predicted, which is hot for this area. Below are a few photos of what was waiting for us this morning when we woke up. We are fortunate this is all the damage we had as many places right in this area suffered severe damage with roof tops ripped off and buildings damaged.

one wind sock blew into one of the flower beds

one of my bird feeders was left dangling

leaves and limbs were scattered all over

flower pots were knocked over

tables knocked over

tables and chairs blown over

tree branches fell

wind sock blew across the lot and got all tangled up in a table that was blown over

Precious Photos

Below are two of my favorites of the new photos I obtained at the reunion. There are not many old photos of my mother when she was young so anytime I get one I am thrilled. My grandparents were the best in the world and I loved them tremendously. They are both long dead and I still miss them. It was especially great to see these photos of them in their younger years and to see a picture of my mother's old piano was icing on the cake for me. Granddaddy bought it for her when she was a little girl and she learned to play it herself. She never learned to read music but is one super pianist playing old gospel and old country tunes. How wonderful to get my hands on these! Thanks Karen!

this is a photo of my mother in 1951, wearing a long formal gown, I don't know what the special occasion was but it must have been something big since she lived out in the country and didn't have much opportunity to dress like this often

this is my grandparents in their house before it was remodeled, this was probably the late 1930's or early 40's and you can see my mom's upright piano in the background, and yes, that is Granny and Granddaddy

Another Family Reunion

We attended the annual reunion of my Mom's family this past Sunday. It was great seeing so many relatives. It seems the only time I see most of them is at this annual event or a funeral during the year. This year we had the largest turnout yet and it was a lot of fun. My Native American cousins were there again this year and came prepared as usual with their guitars, mics and amps to entertain us. They are very talented. This year Mark and Junior were joined by their neice Brandi on a few of the songs. Also David joined Mark on stage for a couple of songs as well. I have a wonderful family and it is an honor to have these reunions and see everyone. I was also able to get my hands on several photos that I had never seen of my grandparents and I am so grateful for those. I also got one of my mother as a young girl in a long formal gown. I'll blog about that later.

Brandi, Mark and Junior provide our musical entertainment

David and Mark sing for the family

Delight

It is with joy and delight that I tell you that we have a new bird in our birdhouse. This is the same bird house that I blogged about several weeks back when we had 4 baby Eastern Blue birds inside. A week ago a neighbor told us he saw a bird fly out of the house but it was nearly dark and he didn't see what kind it was. Yesterday evening David and I had been on a walk and as we returned back to the RV I noticed something in the bird house hole looking back at us. As we approached out flew an Eastern Blue bird. So it looks like we may have yet another brood that will soon hatch. I have not heard any noises from the bird house yet so it may be the parents are sitting on the eggs right now. I will be keeping my eye on it and will blog about any updates. I am so thrilled to see the bird house being used again. I wonder if it is the same parents or a different set this time around???

Refreshing

Thought I'd post something a little refreshing on yet another hot, humid day. Enjoy!

Horsing Around

Spotted a few remnants of things gone by while on Main Street the other day. These things have to do with the days when horses were used for transportation. Below are a couple of photos. The first one is a watering trough for horses. There is an inscription on it but very difficult to read. The date appears to be 1820. Too bad they don't use it for the many dogs that are now walking up and down the street as it would be a fantastic watering hole for them. The second photo is of a tie up for horses. We saw several of this along the street.

Guava

Yesterday in the news was a list of 10 foods that are especially good for us so I made a list and went to Whole Foods to see what I could find. One thing on the list was guavas. I have heard of them before but never tried them. They were quite expensive but I splurged and bought one. It had a wonderful aroma. Today when I made my lunch I decided to give it a try. I cut it in half then discovered I really didn't know how to eat one. I read in the news that you can consume the entire thing, seeds, flesh and rind but I wasn't too sure so looked up online... "how to eat guava". Sure enough there were details. I must say I really like it alot. I cut off the outer parts and ate them first, including the thin skin or rind. All of that was quite tasty. I then tried the part with the seeds but found the tiny seeds to be rock hard and spit them out. It was sort of like chewing tiny pieces of gravel. The center part was extra sweet and soft but I like the outer portions the best. A couple of hours have passed and I can still smell the fantastic scent on my hands even though they have been washed a couple of times since. I doubt I will buy this tropical fruit very often but glad I gave it a try. I never met a fruit I didn't love and guava is no exception. It sort of reminded me of a ripe pear in both flavor and texture.

Falls Park on the Reedy

While on our geocaching journey of downtown Greenville last Sunday we visited Falls Park and looked for some hidden caches there as well as the ones on Main Street. One of the focal points of the park is the bridge. The $4.5 million Liberty Bridge does more than span the Reedy River, it serves as the focal point of Falls Park on the Reedy, showcasing man’s creativity alongside nature’s beauty. The bridge is 355-feet long, 12-feet wide, has a horizontal curve radius of 214-feet and 90-foot towers weighing 26 tons each. Walking across the bridge is not something I particularly enjoy as you can feel it moving. Scary! It is beautiful though. The park is very nice too. When we visited on Sunday the river current was really strong and the water was muddy since we had some heavy rains during the night. Below are a few photos.

these two guys were playing their violins at the entrance to the park

a photo of Liberty Bridge at night (photo by Mark Burton)

Shoeless Joe Jackson

Professional baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson was born in 1888 in Pickens, SC and died in 1951 in Greenville, SC. He got his nickname during a game in his teenage years when he suffered from a blister on his foot from a new pair of cleats. They hurt so much that he had to take his shoes off . Once he was on base, a fan started yelling inappropriate and vulgar comments at him. One of the things Jackson was called was a "Shoeless son of a gun." The name stuck with him throughout the remainder of his life. His professional baseball years were with teams in Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago. There is a statue of Shoeless Joe in downtown Greenville. The bricks surrounding the statue are from Cominsky Park in Chicago where Joe played with the White Sox. This statue was one of our virtual geocaches of the day. We had to look at the bricks surrounding the statue and see how many diamond shapes are on some of the bricks... the answer was "one".

Joel Poinsett

I have blogged about Joel Poinsett before. Those who are regular readers will remember when I blogged about the Poinsett Bridge located nearby here and also about the popular Christmas flower, the poinsettia. Greenville is proud of Joel Poinsett and there is a statue of him downtown on Main Street. Mr. Poinsett was a Statesman, a Diplomat and a Naturalist. He was born in 1779 and studied medicine, law and military science. He was fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, and German. Although we remember him the most by what he brought back from Mexico, the poinsettia, in 1826, he was interested in all sorts of plants. He also brought home red and yellow mimosa, the Mexican rose, and a very interesting hibiscus capable of changing from white to pink all in a single day. His statue is located in the courtyard in front of the Westin-Poinsett Hotel on Main Street in Greenville.

Linda has a friendly chat with Mr. Poinsett

David learns a lot about Mr. Poinsett

Father of Greenville

Vardry McBee is often called the "Father of Greenville". He was a very important person in Greenville's history. He dropped out of school at 12 to help his father work, after he lost his fortune following the Revolutionary War. When he was 18 Vardry learned saddle-making from his brother-in-law in Lincolnton, NC and by 1836 he had an entire chain of saddle shops. In 1815 he purchased 11,028 acres of land in Greenville County that now makes up much of the central part of Greenville City today. He donated land for the first four churches and first male and female academies. He was also extremely vital in bringing the city its first railroad. McBee was even involved in the relocation of Furman University to its present day location. He owned two flour mills, a cotton factory, wool and paper mills, and a store in Greenville. He was born in 1775 and died in 1864 and is buried in Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery. David and I stopped by the statue of McBee for a photo op. This was one of many virtual geocaches we found on Sunday and a good little history lesson.

David and Linda with Vardry McBee statue on Main Street in Greenville, SC

Mice on Main Street

In 2000, a local high school student came up with an idea that would inspire Greenville residents and visitors alike to feel as if, when they visited downtown they had stepped into an extrordinary place with character and individuality. Nine little bronze mice are placed up and down Main Street. Goodnight Moon is the children’s book that the mice idea came from. A bronzed sculpture of the book and one mouse are mounted on the fountain in front of the Hyatt Regency hotel and the other eight mice are installed along a nine-block stretch of Main Street between the Hyatt & the Westin Poinsett hotels. You can pick up a hint sheet and go in search of all nine of the little mice that are somewhere along Main Street. We had been wanting to do this since we first arrived here 2 years ago so today we set out with a our friends Cheryl and Jay, in search of the mice and found them all. What fun! We ran into numerous other people who were also searching. Most are fairly easy to find with the hints given but one in particular is quite difficult as it is up on a sign and peeking down on you. We got lots of exercise and had a fun day with friends. We also did a lot of geocaching today and I will be posting about some of those in the next few posts.

I am sitting by the first mouse and plaque that are shown in the previous two photos

this is mouse #5, she is up high and looking down on you making her more difficult to spot

Chairmen of the Board

As I have mentioned before, David and I, along with a couple of our friends go to Larkin's Rhythm on the River every Thursday night. It is a park in downtown Greenville, SC right along the banks of the Reedy River where a stage is set up and each week a different group is there to entertain us. This past Thursday it was General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board. We have seen them perform in the past at the Apple Festival in Hendersonville, NC. The show was great. It was the largest crowd so far for the shows there. Usually there is a grassy area in front of the stage for people to dance but this week as soon as the band was introduced there was an onslaught of fans who rushed to the stage and filled in the grassy area. They remained there for the entire show so there was no room for the dancers. Below are a few photos from the night. David ran into an old school buddy of his, Bill, during intermission. How cool! There were in the master's program together and had not seen each other in nine years.

I had to have my picture taken with this sign. There is a Donovan song called Lord of the Reedy River and I have wanted my picture taken with this sign ever since I first saw it.

David and Bill, long time no see

General Johnson sings to the crowds

General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board perform

4th of July

We had a rather quiet but fun holiday. A couple of our neighbors, Arlene and Robert, came by and brought steaks and we grilled them and had a big picnic lunch at our site on the lake. We taught them how to play Mexican Train so we spent several hours playing and having fun. Last night we sat outside and watched fireworks in all directions right from out site. It was really nice. Sometimes we could see the reflection of fireworks in the water making it doubly beautiful. We were amazed at how many different areas were shooting fireworks as we could see them from the north, south, east and west. Especially nice since we never had to leave the comforts of home or fight the crowds and traffic and still had a wonderful show.

Let's Play a Game

I thought I would do something a little different today. Let's play a little guessing game. I know several people check out my blog on a regular basis but many of you NEVER post a comment. This time I really need you to say something. As you know I went to the zoo this week and took pictures. I have posted 13 photos below. These are not exactly the normal photos you see when one goes to the zoo, however these are things you see while there. These photos are up close and personal. Now for the fun part. Each photo is labeled by the letters a thru m. Each label is posted under the photo. Take a look at each pic then post a message with what you think each photo is showing. You can just say a-xxxx, b-xxxx, c-xxxx, etc... I want to see if you know what you are looking at. Some of them are pretty obvious, well most of them actually, but there may be a few that you may not guess. I'll wait a while then post the answers. Come on people... I need everyone to start guessing and posting your answers! Please! Thanks!

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


i

j

k



l

m