We happened upon a great fish restaurant called the Catawba Fish Camp in Fort Lawn, SC, 10 miles east of Highway 77, south of Rock Hill. It was a HUGE place, with a large variety of seafood offered, all you can eat. It was so good, we made the 3 hour trip to eat there again a few weeks later

The new Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Charleston SC Bridge opened July 15, 2005. It is not only the largest in South Carolina, it is also the longest cable-stay bridge in North America

The record-setting bridge features two diamond-shaped towers more than 570 feet tall, eight traffic lanes and a pedestrian lane. Beautiful! Here's a virtual crossing:

It replaced 2 other bridges including the Cooper River Bridge:

Here is a view of both bridges from a naval base memorial (the old Cooper River Bridge is being demolished now):

KUDZU (the vine you love to hate)

It's a bean vine. The legume, Pueraria thunbergiana, to be exact.

I swear, if we moved away from the South, I would surely miss seeing the endless phantasmagorical shapes of the kudzu. Kudzu is a species of climbing vine brought in from Japan for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. At first folks here touted it as a miracle vine with 100 uses (it is) until they realized it could not be stopped. It grows A FOOT A DAY (or more) during the warm months. It covers trees, houses, EVERYTHING in its path. If it weren't for frost, the South would be one big Kudzu patch. It grows better here than in its native Japan and China.

Here is a tongue-in-cheek website that gives as much detail as you could wish for:

https://www.cptr.ua.edu/kudzu/

As a result, it looks like lost cities, wherever the kudzu has crept. Enjoy a few photos we have managed to take:

JULY 2005

BREVARD, NORTH CAROLINA,

Home of the White Squirrel

Here are more pictures of the whites squirrels found around the college campus in Brevard:

ANDERSON, SC

An interesting art museum there with a giant bug sculpture above, and an exceptional painting by Christy Green...

We discovered Anderson have fish sculptures on display for auction throughout town, what fun! Called "Fish Out of Water, Hooked on the Arts"

MAY 2005

May 8, a surprise Mother's Day visit to the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC was a real treat. The largest private residence in America (4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms - 43 of them are bathrooms), built by George Washington Vanderbilt III and completed in 1895, this is a modern day castle near the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina is surrounded by 100,000 acres of forest. We've been to castles in Europe, and this is STILL an impressive place. Photos not allowed inside, but we were allowed a self tour of 90 of the rooms.

The welcoming sign and archway..

The "cozy" home of the Vanderbilts... no, that's just Heidi posing there, the Vanderbilts don't live here anymore..

Over two of the doorways...

A water fountain under the ramp approaching the house, and an ornate cornice atop a pillar on the house...

and an assortment of delightfully gruesome gargoyles protect the "home"..

and impressive statue columns:

The left side has a "porch" like no other. Okay, so we have a love affair with gnarly trees, we admit it! ...

The greenhouse (not in sight of the house)...

The winery where we found a lovely tea rose tree, clock tower and an impressive array of wines made here, and a lovely walkway to it...

And a detached stables now serves as a lovely restaurant, stalls and all, where we had a Mother's Day luncheon...

The gardens were so extensive, we decided to return to walk the grounds another time. We hope you enjoyed the view of the memorable Biltmore Estates as much as we did.

APRIL 2005
WASHINGTON D.C.
VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL
For pictures of the Viet Nam War Memorial, click here to the Support our Troops page and view the photos at the bottom of that page: Support Our Troops
CHERRY BLOSSOM TIME

Cherry blossom time!	An innovative drummer near the Smithsonian	A beautiful gazebo next to the Smithsonian	Cherry trees around the Basin
I cannot describe the surprising beauty of the Potomac Parkway around Washington D.C. we discovered when we took a wrong turn. It is worth the drive!
LINCOLN MEMORIAL
Glenn headed toward the Lincoln Memorial (above) and Heidi (below)	The beautiful walk to the Washington and Lincoln Memorials A willow tree in the park near the Lincoln Memorial	Again, a somber tone, respectful of the President's memory. We are also reading the opposite wall of sayings	In the detailing along the top of the Lincoln Memorial, all the states are listed, including South Carolina
WASHINGTON MEMORIAL
View from the "National Mall", really a grassy area between two of the Smithsonian buildings
Washington Memorial from the Smithsonian and through the trees:	Glenn viewing the Washington Memorial from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial	Heidi From the walkway between the Lincoln and Washington	View from across the Basin (above) and through the trees (below)
JEFFERSON MEMORIAL
View across the Basin through the Cherry trees		A solemn tribute of flowers	Heidi on the steps
WHITEHOUSE & CAPITOL BUILDING

ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL
	A fine outdoor memorial	Even his dog!
KENNEDY CENTER
The unique construction of the J.F. Kennedy Center causes it to overhang the freeway inbound lanes!
MUSEUMS
True! So many museums, so little time! Here's the Hope Diamond that was on display at the Smithsonian:		One of the Smithsonian buildings viewed from the National Mall (above) and the street side (below), closed for renovations
SPLENDID ORCHID EXHIBIT at the SMITHSONIAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Heidi was in flower heaven...no other explanation needed





			Train overhead of the orchid exhibit entry

VENICE, FLORIDA for the Shark Tooth Festival April 8-11
The official banner	Our friend Bob's megalodon jaw with Glenn	Mote Aquarium exhibit Florida Cracker Seafood	"I Survived The Shark Tooth Festival" T-shirts
THE PIG AUCTION - a Venice event and fun surprise - locals decorated fiberglass pigs which would later be auctioned off. This is PIG HEAVEN for you piggy lovers...
The SHARK PIG at Sharky's Restaurant is decorated with real fossil mako shark teeth, whatta grin! Named "When Sharks Fly"
Dollar Bill Pig	The Gondolier Pig	Musical Pig	Racing Pig
The Elvis Pig (nope, nothing's sacred)
Patriotic Pig	Pigasso	Andy Warhog	Miss Pig-Me Date
Chef Pigatoni	Piggy Bank	Pigmillion	Porky Pig
Miss Princess Plenty-Full	Sight for Sow Eyes	Sow Jones	SWine Connoisseur
Tropical pig	Another tropical pig	Venice Pig in Paradise	When Pigs Fly
Pigs the Butler	Pigsaw Puzzle	This Little Piggy...	Theater piggy
"Check Me Out"
Pigahontas
VENICE PIER at Sharky's a shark caught and released while we were there... View from the pier... Typical shark toothing with a handled scoop on the shore. A nasty storm was moving in... Casperson Beach just south of the pier... The beach is so narrow compared to a few years ago, plenty of unfortunate beach erosion... Our own mug shots have to show up somewhere in this photo tour...

Other views of Venice - built in 1925 as a retirement community, it has kept those demographics ever since...

Palms on the Venice Boulevard, and Glenn holding up a tree, taking a break...

A brilliant yellow but unidentified tree...

And the unforgettable hibiscus on the boulevard..

In Rambler's Rest motor home park...

The cranes are very comfortable around folks:

A mini fire truck for sale as part of a garage sale in Venice...

Sarasota Sunshine Skyway bridge.jpg (36913 bytes)

Sunshine Skyway bridge

DINOSAUR WORLD

PLANT CITY, FLORIDA

We're not easily impressed, but this was an AWESOME MUST SEE Outdoor, Natural setting park with over 150 life-size dinosaurs. West of Orlando off Highway I-4. We have created a complete web page to show off ALL the dinosaurs we saw there.

Here is a link to the Virtual Tour of Dinosaur World for a real taste of Jurassic Park:

DINOSAUR WORLD, Fossils Page 10

The First Annual Live Oak Arts Festival in Conway SC., 10/2/04

An artist that makes something out of found objects was particularly interesting...

And as always, Kim Clayton of the Blackwater Gallery had a great setup and was also painting her trailer on-site. She gets stopped wherever she goes with her jeep as it is...keep having fun, Kim!

MARCH 2004

With our friends from Oregon, we made another trip through our closest town, Conway, to see how a real Tree City builds its town AROUND the live oaks famous in the South...

They build the roads around the historical trees...

An early blooming magnolia...

Linda pointed out the heart shape the leaves make, a true "heart palm"...

Say, is that house hanging like a swing from the tree? Could have fooled me!

This massive oak limb grew over the drive, and is supported on the other side to keep it from growing down...

We stopped to view the river, the ducks...

and the local color...my own Glenn, and our Bill...looks like the movie "Grumpy Old Men"?

Yup.

CHERRY GROVE PIER,

Cherry Grove, SC

An especially windy day in March at the beach creates beauty all its own...

But it gives Glenn and Bill something to complain about, so they're happy!

Our Oregon visitors, Bill and Linda, even think this is cold compared to Oregon in winter!

But even we have time to act silly...

SWAMPFEST

November 6, 2004

Near Loris, SC, this educational festival is held on the grounds of the Playcard Environmental Education Center which teaches swamp ecology, wetland plants, natural history, forestry, reptile and bat biology.

Young people were there to learn old skills, such as churning butter, soap making, fire-pot stewing, and making things using antique hand tools. One skill was helping make a dugout canoe, as our friend Tim did at a recent boat show and also set up here. You see the pine log and the tools he uses. Safety is probably the biggest issue when young people and sharp tools are in the same arena.

Of course my Glenn headed straight for the chicken bog and cornbread, as did many others...

And I found a fire pot stewing swamp potatoes (sweet potatoes cooked in pine sap). But imagine my surprise when they pulled black lumps out of a sticky black mixture in the pot! Remember, pinesap, cooked with water, makes turpentine! The potatoes were pitch black and looked inedible. But wrapped in brown paper, split open, and topped with butter and salt, the taste was amazing! Back in 1816 pine sap began to be used to cook meat, fish, turtles, potatoes and other root vegetables. It seals in the flavor and preserves the food for later use because it hardens into a seamless shell. Foods are preserved for up to a month this way. I learned something new today...

And here's Glenn with a hand full of bog AND swamp potatoes..

Here are some of the working hand tools shown...a lathe

a planer

a circular saw

a dowel maker

a machine that takes the dried corn off the cob and makes cornmeal..

and an assortment of others..

Even a monkey accompanied one family...

And of course a picture of the swamp itself, without which the Swampfest would have no name...

OCTOBER 2004

For Heidi's 50th birthday, we went back to Vegas to visit old friends, conduct business and have fun. Here's the lovely flower arrangement from Glenn delivered to the Hacienda Casino hotel room:

A Vegas truck having Halloween fun, below:

And a Volkswagon Beetle with a "GOTRAID" license plate that was amusing:

Since we already did a great article on Las Vegas on Latest Travels page 8, we added all the new photos to that page, and updated the info, be sure to hop over there and enjoy it... Page 8

Drive-up LITTLE WHITE CHAPEL, Las Vegas

Yes, we were married here on June 26, 2001. If you're in the mood, it can be quite charming...

Drive up, drive under the cherub ceiling ...

to the gate, put 'er in park...and the minister will do the rest through your car window, yessiree... single rose and Polaroid in the gazebo is extra.

Dear friends Dann & Cindi in their newly remodeled home in Nevada. Previously a smoker's home, never painted since the original paint from 1970, they have truly worked wonders with their place. They rebuilt the fireplace you see with local rocks, tore down walls, replaced windows, made new doors..truly an EXTREME MAKOVER story.

Their nephew Alex at the Open House, hamming for the camera:

Our visit to Boulder City would not be complete if we didn't visit our loyal customers-friends-families, Ellen and Alex Ray (missed you, Chris). Surprisingly, they are PACKERS fans!

The incredible view of Lake Mead from their balcony:

Also, a visit to our favorite Asian art store on Stephanie Blvd. in Henderson NV where we found the owner hard at work doing finishing work on a lovely carved room divider:

And sitting in our favorite gazebo...figuring out how to ship it back to us in South Carolina!

We bought elephant and horse wooden puppets from him that we will treasure.

LORIS (S.C.) BOG-OFF10/16/04

This is a rice and chicken dish called "chicken bog" that causes fierce competition about home chefs to decide who makes the best!

An ingenious "rocking bench" enjoyed by young and old..

"Boiled peanuts" best eaten hot, a South Carolina specialty that grows on you...

Local color, part of the reason we go to the Bog-off...

A trailer full of mini tractors, a colorful diversion to enjoy...

And of course we each had a big plate of chicken bog, no pictures this time, look at other bog-off festivals for that (below) if you wish!

WOODEN BOAT SHOW

Georgetown, SC 10/16/04

Our Wisconsin friend now living in South Carolina, Tiny Tim the Axe Man, volunteered to build a dugout canoe from an 11 foot long yellow pine tree he found near Loris. He started chopping the log at home using his own embossed axe collection and at this point had 70 hours into the project, he called it "the beginning of hell, otherwise known as my first dugout canoe". He had several offers to purchase it by the time the show was over, but has decided to build a few more before selling. He'll chop another at the Swamp Fest in Loris on November 6. A sucker for punishment, but he loves it! He was even autographing big chips of wood for folks asking for it.

Here's Tim vs. log, well into the project already...

Chopping away, chips a-flying, with his new wife, Karla, in his cheering section...

The selection of axes he had on hand to use, they are his own:

We came back 2 hours later...making progress!

And worked on it long after we left. These are his own final pictures, I suggested the name for the 11 foot craft: "Hell Floats" :

and with young friend Billy the first to try it out:

BOAT BUILDING COMPETITION

Contestants (partners of 2) must build a boat from a provided blueprint within 4 hours using the plywood, trim, nails and caulk provided. The record was about 2 hours 10 minutes. Judged on the time, the quality of the boat, and also the speed of the boat as they are rowed across the Inlet for a final decision. What fun to watch the work progress so quickly. Mind you, the following photos were taken within 10 minutes of all different contestants in all stages of building. Some were first-timers and just wanted to finish, others were old hats at finishing first.

Below are three of the early finishers:

Boats are judged on quality, speed of completion, and finally a relay race across the inlet for judging practical use and speed.

Many dog owners and their dogs looked on.

We were impressed at the number, variety and quality of the boats on display at the rest of the show - many for sale:
A paper canoe with directions on how to make your own:	Striped canoe:	Kayaks:	A kayak with sail:
Glenn's favorite canoe:		Assorted canoes for sale:
A mini tug boat for sale:		Outboard:	Glenn's favorite:
Sailboat:	Speedboat (owner in purple shirt):	A two-mast boat with a third placement for the mast as well:	Beautiful wooden boat for sale:
A real boat cradle:	Kid's boat competition:	Even some long hair worthy of a photo:	And gorgeous mini boats:

SEPTEMBER 2004

In lieu of our own travels this month, good friends Linda and Bill Pugh attended the Canby, Oregon Dahlia Show. Below is a new dahlia called "Junkyard Dog" though I haven't a clue why:

This new hybrid is named "Freedom Fighter"

Nehalem Bay, Oregon where they go salmon fishing:

Mr. Bill, a master salmon fisherman, we know he'll die with his fishing boots on:

AUGUST 2004

A Florida bridge at the beginning of Hurricane Bonnie

Amazing live oaks throughout Savannah, Georgia always captivates us

Shrimping boats near Tybee Island

The large gazebo on Tybee Island beach, showing the mural and the anchor in front of it

Tybee beach dunes and from the pier, a lovely beach

This will be a prestigious beach house when they get done elevating and renovating it, you'd never know it!

We DID go to Hilton Head Island, but the only thing noteworthy besides people spending plenty of money to be there was this great little South American bakery:

DRIVING ON DAYTONA BEACH, views of egrets, terns and gulls

We found this amazing array of outdoor displays west of Ocala Florida. The big "bronze" statues are a heavy aluminum and very affordable (and yes, Glenn, it's okay to pull THIS buffalo's tail !!).

The colorful Mexican pottery is a volcanic clay that fires into a type of glass that is very high quality. Unusual animals such as monkeys, Great Danes and giraffes!

At the State Museum in Columbia, SC, we found an interesting display of wrought iron by Philip Simmons of Charleston SC. Wrought iron was not considered a form of art for many years, now he is recognized for his skill. Below is one of his WROUGHT IRON gates, and a CAST iron window grate (big difference I now understand)

A lovely English tea-garden store and nursery that is unforgettable, in Wilmington, NC

Watermelon Fest in Pageland, SC

Though they were just about out of watermelon when we arrived at 3 p.m., there were plenty of deep fried Oreo cookies!

And we found plenty of watermelons just south of here:

And the birthplace of Dizzy (John Birks) Gillespie in Cheraw SC, the famous jazz musician, a great bronze statue as a tribute to him (1917-1993)

What a noble billygoat and his large herd of goats we found starting our trip to North Carolina

Seafood house Chocowinity 1.jpg (36477 bytes)

Seafood house Chocowinity 2.jpg (37477 bytes)

A seafood restaurant in Chocowinity NC

A novel business with African safari designs on house and cars, near Wilmington NC

These mules are evidently a cross between a mule and a Belgian draft horse, best of both! Found right here in South Carolina

Late JUNE 2004

FOLK ART Fair at the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC - plenty of fun art not only on canvas but on vehicles!

Kim with her newest work, Statue of Liberty on a boat

Kim Lauren Ellis painting.jpg (88522 bytes)

Painted live at the Jazz Fest in Conway SC May 11th by Kim Clayton of musician Laren Ellis, it is now Laren's latest CD cover! Original displayed here at the show in Myrtle Beach

Woman on door, the laminated strips repositioned to become the texture of hair

Just another pretty face - if you're a gator that is! Another of Kim Clayton's works (Black Water Gallery), at FolkArtWeb.net

The Funky Chicken, a regular hen house on wheels! Parking lot of House of Blues

Kim Clayton (Black Water Gallery, Conway SC) hand painted jeep!

Hilarious truck in the parking lot

House of Blues ceiling is a work of art too!

Late JUNE 2004

Georgetown Art & Jazz fest (Georgetown SC), plenty of folks and food and music (it's okay to eat barbecue and cole slaw mixed together here) (eeww, but Glenn loves it!). We met our Tagua nut carver here from Ecuador (see Tagua Nut Carvings page)

(below) The Historic River Street Restaurant on the waterfront in Georgetown SC, lovely!

The new gigantic hammock at the Hammock Shop in Pawley's Island (south of Myrtle Beach SC) was installed by crane .. now we see why!

Early JUNE 2004

A super "Lion King" sandcastle being built on Myrtle Beach, FUN to watch!

AURORA NC Fossil Fair & Memorial day parade, May 29, 2004
Marching band	Military float	Sudan mini tow truck	Our friend Ken as a veteran on a parade float
Uncle Sam on stilts!	Vintage mule-drawn hearse, compliments of the Shriner's	Vintage ('54 or '55) Thunderbird in the parade	"Monster truck" golf cart drew a few chuckles
The Hillbilly float, complete with outhouse, compliments of the Shriner's

MAY 2004 FRANKLIN, NORTH CAROLINA FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A GEM & FOSSIL SHOW, HERE'S A SAMPLING OF WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE. We did not take photos at the MAIN tent, this is the SMALLER of the two shows
HERE IS OUR BOOTH DISPLAYING DICHROIC GLASS

Indian bone beads and craft items in a huge tent - before the storm	...and after the storm. Their tent was the only serious casualty.	A view of the other tents	Fossils from Russia and Morocco
Czech glass and gem beads	African trade beads etc.	You want a strand of pearls from Asia? How many?	Agate bookends, and amethyst cathedrals
Amethyst & citrine cathedrals from Brazil	Crystals and other mineral specimens	Did I mention we saw amethyst cathedrals?	Rough cutting rock for sale
One tent held down with a milk crate of rough obsidian for weight (it is so common!)	Rough calcite specimens from Mexico	Fossil coral specimens from Tampa Bay	Petrified wood sections from Utah
More rough gem for cutting	Which crystal ball holds your future? (these are quartz crystal from Brazil)	Fossil shark teeth by the thousands (from the East Coast, USA)	Many more thousands of fossil teeth
The MOTHER of all megalodon shark teeth... NO it's not real NOR is it made the same size as a real tooth. The original was 7" long.	Replica dinosaur heads	More replicas	Maybe now you'll understand how POOPED we can be after a gem show, even if we didn't set up a tent of our own stuff! The choices are endless, the folks friendly, and the prices are great.

More about

FRANKLIN, NORTH CAROLINA (western NC in the Blue Ridge Mountains)

What a surprise to see a gas station with a "Caffe Rel Restaurant" in it - is it fast food? Doesn't sound like it - so our curiosity brought us to the door where we found lovely landscaping outside - inside we found a lovely warm decor & ambience, friendly smiles (owner Richard in the kitchen, and waitress Ashley and fellow waitress) and awesome gourmet Italian food. View the pictures and you can enjoy the surprise with us...hey, they even do classy take-outs!

A fun Easter visiting with our kind neighbors for their Easter egg hunt...

An April '04 baseball game featuring the Myrtle Beach PELICANS. We were invited by our Wisconsin friends Carla & Tim (newly engaged; Carla's birthday choice of an event to attend)

APRIL 2004

On our trip to North Carolina, we stopped at the "Seagrove Area Potteries" where at least 100 potters sell from their homes. We stopped at Fred Johnston & Carol Gentithe's ( https://www.johnstonandgentithes.com ) because of the "iguana chimney" and the kiln we could see in the backyard. A great visit with Fred revealed their lovely gallery of pottery, as well as his interesting acquisition from Alaska of a walrus oosik, and even the distinctive "potter's phone" - not a display but a glimpse of their real working life we can appreciate.

Here is the well-known Biscuit Company near Asheboro NC where Mike makes the best biscuits in the South, we'll guarantee it!

This is Antique Woods on Hwy. 501 near Aiken SC, where the folks collect and re-mill wood from old buildings. The lovely house you see is the home/business, an excellent example of their work. Inside, the thick wood floors are a superb example of precision milled, cut and laid wood available for a fraction of the cost of their woodworking competition. The red building is the sawmill behind the house, and the piles covered in plastic are an abundance of wood ready for use. We were impressed! Cool place!

"We Serve Kids", a novel & humorous advertising gimmick by Angelo's Steak House in Myrtle Beach

"The Race Lodge" in Conway, SC, sure sounds bad--it was burned out recently, we can only guess at the reason!

Spring in Nevada...

A Luna Moth in South Carolina..

MARCH '04

Trailer wooly and tiger.jpg (38205 bytes)

This is D.J.'s 9th birthday party, our closest neighbor. We were able to reserve Safari Bob's Animabots (robotic animals - a white tiger and a woolly mammoth - made by this ingenious engineer) to show their stuff at his birthday party. A memorable hit for all, we're pleased to say! (phone them at: 843-236-6489 if you're interested in booking, cost is around $150)

UPDATE to 3/26/11

Here is D.J. at his 16th birthday party, posing with the SAME TWO KIDS that rode the mammoth when he was 9, they were both at his birthday party today. Isn't continuity in family & friends great?

"13th Annual RUN IN THE SUN" Myrtle Beach SC Street Rod show March 04

2800 restored vintage cars on display at this show, it was overwhelming! We snapped a few pictures of some outstanding cars and had a hoot of a time.

https://www.rustrus.com/ has these great collectible toy cars purposely aged, often selling with the perfect new ones.

Pink low rider cadillac with STYLE!

Green low rider truck

Purple super charger car

VERY cool vintage red car

Retractable hard top car is rare

Also a rare 1940's car hauler

Whatta street rod!!

By far the smallest entry!

NOVEMBER 2003

Charleston, SC is a stately city on the coast,

Glory be! A Mercedes Sleeper Motor home! Zowee!

Closeup of the sleeping area

Ebay Street? Yes indeed, corner of Reid and E Bay, of course!

OCTOBER 2003 A 'Bog-Off" in Loris, South Carolina. For those who think this is a foreign phrase, well - chicken bog is the food of the South, rice cooked with sausage and whole chickens till it's all a "bog". The proportions prepared for this event stun the senses...

BROOKGREEN GARDENS (South of Myrtle Beach on Highway 17 across from the Huntington Beach State Park) A farsighted vision of one woman to create a very special garden in the South--and she succeeded (she also directed the building of the Atalaya Mansions across the street, pictures on the next page) . These gardens rival any in Europe. Enjoy the virtual tour with me!
The vibrant seasonal fall floral arrangement at the entrance to the gardens	Indoors first, we discovered---a bird in the sand, carved in wood. We marveled.	The antelope carving, with the gardens as a natural backdrop through the glass. It gives "graceful" a new meaning.	Two souls beating as one, woman and swan
The fierce Kabuki Chinese Opera figure--a striking presence in the gallery	Our continuing love affair with the trees of South Carolina	Live oaks at their tortured best
The beginning of the outside bronzes, set a spell and read a bit with him...	The noble rhino in his territory	Woman with fawn and mother, we found them enchanting at the edge of the garden.	Woman with pet chicken
The two horsemen...	the Greek myth eludes me...	the "sound" of their trumpets I hear loud and clear	The only thing out of sync in this magnificent fountain picture is me!
Panthers 1, Tapir 0	Snow owl woman	Swimming woman
Boy with chicken	Man with panther	Lord of the Pigs!	A cougar lurks!
Did I tell you about our love affair with trees?...		And our personal favorite...the blissful child in the fountain who has caught the frogs...

HAMMOCKS Where hammocks were invented, and are still hand made - in Pawley's Island SC (south of Myrtle Beach)
The hammock maker hard at work	He'll use up these stacks of rope in no time	Glenn enjoying the fruits of the hammock-maker's labor--with an awning too!	A child enjoying the hammock swing

2003Columbia, South Carolina
I visited the State Capitol building in Columbia, SC Sept. 13th, a grand building.	This Statehouse has been in the news because of this controversial Confederate flag they continue to fly here.	Here's a bit of irony - these grand steps to the entrance, marked "Public entrance" with an arrow directing you to a humble side door	Here's a full view of the sign on the steps, what a hoot!
Here's the side door where the public is "allowed" to enter. Give me a break, this grand palace was paid for with taxpayer dollars, I'd go in the front, wouldn't you?	Tucked (yes, "tucked") around the left side of the statehouse is an impressive map of Africa along with samples of this continent's native rocks	A short distance away is this incredible tribute to African American history in a raised relief bronze wall	Here's one portion of the African American history wall
"Gang of 25" plaque detailing the sale of Negroes in the South	References to "Jim Crow" in black history.	A larger view of this wall with the Jim Crow portion included	One last view of the wall. The quiet dignity and innate pride of our African American people depicted here lifts the human spirit to hope that perhaps one day prejudice will have no meaning.

Maya Angelou My Glenn bought me a ticket to hear Maya Angelou (whom I have always admired) speak in Columbia SC at the convention center. A Columbia choir performed before her speech, and they were MAGNIFICENT and moving. Maya herself is a grand dame worthy of the highest honors. Her uplifting words, snatches of poetry and song, and earthy stories connected her entire audience. I found myself jotting notes on whatever I could find to remember her words. I will never forget her, nor will I forget Glenn's foresight in his gift of this ticket to such a breath of fresh air.
			A lovely floral display at one of the booths surrounding the convention hall.

Museum of Art, Columbia SC
An active and refreshing imagination Artist: Rafal Olbinski	A woman unfurled...I know how she feels! Artist: Rafal Olbinski	Okay so I'm a sucker for comical critters, I'm sure there's other folks who will get a hoot out of this bear folk art piece too!	A closeup for another chuckle
Just an irresistable face	A somber and exquisite painting, reminding us of so much sacrifice.	\ A chair made of horns--weird! Right up our alley,eh?	A lovely frosted coating on this peacock feather vase.
Three views of a HUGE mirror cabinet, truly a massive work of art!	Bottom details of the mirror cabinet	Top detail of the mirror cabinet, what a work of art .	An amusing and functional light made of a plastic bag, found in the museum store.

AUGUST 2003

A new seafood restaurant in North Myrtle Beach (across from the Galleria Mall) called The Giant Crab is indeed living up to its name!

STONEHAVEN RETREAT LITTLE SWITZERLAND, NORTH CAROLINA In our search for the perfect abode, we landed in this area (though it has plenty of snow in the winters--could you tell from the name?) We were captivated by the views of the Blue Ridge Mountains here in western NC and found our tour and overnight stay of this retreat a unique experience. Since the owner decided to keep it as a retreat rather than sell it as a residence, we continued with our search, but we will not forget Stonehaven, indeed a Shangri-la . Enjoy her website with more detail: https://stonehaven.hypermart.net/
			\ The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the great room's custom made stained glass window
The great room	A room with a View	The master bedroom/balcony	Glenn on the balcony. Since Stonehaven is fully furnished, we enjoyed the slipper collection, as you can tell.
The upstairs open bedrooms	A second building, the Ark, on the 28 acre property here on the top of the mountain, built as part of the owner's vision of Last Days	Lower level of the Ark	Upper level of the ark

JULY 2003

A picturesque scene on the Brevard, NC college grounds. Brevard is known for a great music college.

The famed white squirrel breed found only in Transylvania County (an adapted grey squirrel)

Flash--there he is again! Heidi saw the squirrrels first and it took plenty to convince Glenn that Heidi wasn't plumb crazy.

A local Brevard lawn service has a sense of humor!

This traffic in Hendersonville, NC could "grow" on ya! Well, at least they're not moving too fast!

JUNE 2003

This is in Brevard, NC, Transylvania County, no it's not Draculaville contrary to popular opinion (south of Asheville), a truly lovely town we are considering moving to. This county has 250 waterfalls, the view of the Smoky Mountains, home of a prestigious music college. I spotted a WHITE squirrel crossing our vision across the street that made me think I had stepped through the Looking Glass (Glenn thought so too) till we found it was a local phenomenon, an aberration from the Eastern gray squirrel. Perhaps a good omen, the opposite of having a black cat cross our path!

Outside Rutherfordton, NC (near Hendersonville, south of Asheville) we stumbled across an AWESOME Rock Shop, Broad River Gems & Mining Co., owned by Russ Wood, a gracious host indeed. Great carvings, rock/mineral specimens, fossils and jewelry, a destination for ANYONE to enjoy and to purchase any of his lovely items with confidence. Here's a few pictures to help you appreciate what we mean... and here's their website with information, photos and directions as well...

https://www.broadrivergemsandmining.com/

One of the few houses on the beach that has survived all hurricanes, it's made of thick concrete, an interesting phenomenon.

This is the famous Atalaya Mansion built in the early 1900's right on the beach, now a ruins, it is a square structure of many rooms with an inner courtyard. First view is of the water tower in the courtyard, then the courtyard itself. It's an amazing place to visit, it was built as a home and sculpture studio, the sculptures are displayed across the street in the Brookgreen Gardens here in Myrtle Beach. Art shows are held here each year.

A walk on Myrtle Beach, mid June, we found live sea urchins galore (left hand picture), breakfast with friends Dann & Cyndi from Nevada at Nibil's Restaurant at the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach (middle picture), then a seafood buffet at Benjamin's Calabash on Ocean Blvd. (entryway has a large model of the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth), right hand picture.

We discovered this lovely restaurant in downtown Marion, SC. Great menu and buffet, elegant decor and smiling faces everywhere. Costello's Cafe was named for Steven and Harold Crawford's grandmother who loved to cook and saw that everyone that came by her home could get a good meal. We recommend it if you're anywhere NEAR Marion! Lunch and dinner hours. Great job guys! **UPDATE** We went to our "favorite" restaurant again in 9/03 and found it closed. When we inquired across the street at the discount store, there was a STRONG anti-black sentiment expressed, and they were GLAD the restaurant was closed. What an attitude! Marion has lost a lovely restaurant it evidently didn't deserve.

"Red Dawn" over Boulder City, Nevada, photo by Larry Hunt...a little taste of "home" - thanks, Lar!

Though we made this trip more than once, our friend Larry did a photo tour for us from Boulder City, Nevada down Highway 95 to the Nelson town turnoff - in Nelson, a tiny desert town, not only have their been alien sightings, but there is a real gold mine (no longer functioning) but the family gives GREAT tours of the mine along with all the legends. They operate from their home with a great multi story barn full of memorabilia. The newest chapter in the town of Nelson was when the making of the movie "3000 Miles to Graceland" brought the movie crew to Nelson to tape a dramatic plane crash for the movie - the plane remains there next to the farm property.

MAY 2003

Fossil Show, Aurora NC - these are some of the entries for the Memorial Day Parade.

This is Bob Purdy and Dave Bohaska from the Smithsonian, helping us identify a customer's fossil from a picture - she's hoping it's a dinosaur coprolite that was found in Utah! The Smithsonian fellows come to the show every year to find the unusual fossils that may have turned up in the last year.

We had a double booth and did very well selling dichroic, amber and sharks teeth. Of course Heidi found a booth selling "fried banana pudding" - you know in the South they'll fry ANYTHING - just last week she had a fried Twinkie, also available were fried Snickers bars - you can write us and we'll tell you how they did it! And yes, it was delicious!

APRIL 2003

We're at "South of the Border" at the North Carolina/South Carolina border where there's a Mexican themed Amusement park, arcade, lovely antique store and beach stores. The best thing was this 27 foot great white shark trophy mount - this shark was caught off the coast of Barbados in 1995.

An idyllic river scene that just slows you down to remember the things that matter - your goal in life should never be just a cleared desk; take time to really breathe. Water so calm it makes a perfect reflection, green so green it makes your eyes water. Photo taken off one of Conway, SC side roads.

A magnificent live oak we found on a side street within the town of Conway, SC. Yes, some things ARE older than we are and some things DO get more beautiful with age. A comforting thought.

Pure Myrtle Beach South Carolina fun - a monkey with a camera, no less, bigger than life, on a trailer parked at a restaurant on Highway 17. Here's lookin' at you!

What a catch! This is a view of the Fish House Restaurant in Pawley's Island (south end of Myrtle Beach SC) - the boat is on the sign, the great white shark is exploding through the roof of the restaurant! Another Myrtle Beach attraction in itself. The truck gives some great local color as well.

MARCH 2003

This display is part of the Grand Strand Shell Club's setup at the Inlet Square Mall here in Myrtle Beach this weekend. These fun and incredibly labor intensive framed items are an example of Bill's hard work with the shells he obviously enjoys to collect and display. The Peace Dove is made entirely of over 1400 of the tiny "doves", the bones inside sand dollars. The shark is made entirely of fossil sharks teeth. Then there's his famous sunburst Shell picture. Bill is sitting next to a hollow glass lamp filled with more partitions of endless numbers of small shells. The shells are certainly plentiful on Myrtle Beach's shores, and learning more about them here at the show has been a pleasure. We're set up nearby with our own display of Weird Museum, fossils, rocks and jewelry too. See our Cool Customers page for more photos on the show.

Denise, a member of the Grand Strand Shell Club, makes these incredible wreaths and flower arrangements from SHELLS--aren't they amazing?

This little sweetie is listening to the "ocean waves" in the shell, while the Shell Club members look on, amused.

Here's pictures of two young boys who are fascinated by the Weird Museum display of ours, some is real and some is not, they can't figure out which!

Here's a view of our Rock/Fossil/Weird/Jewelry/Alien display at the mall. Our Alien Gent has made his debut here, quite regal isn't he?

FEBRUARY 2003

Valentine's Day, 2003, Glenn took me to the Dolly Parton Dixieland Stampede here in Myrtle Beach. Now we're not the country music type, folks, and I had my misgivings, but gee we had a good time and a great meal, a nice surprise! This was a pre-show of an Electric Horseman from Australia who walked and ran his horse in the carpeted dining area right among us, certainly a refreshing twist to the entertainment! He also went up the stairs to the balcony so they could all experience his stallion close up, then the third picture (apologize for the low quality) is bringing him back downstairs. An amazing animal.

The mansion where singing took place, a real Southern flair, also a battle between the North & South, the audience taking part of course.

The horseshoe (i.e. toilet seat) throwing contest, a pig race, stampeding buffalo, an ostrich race (they were too fast for me to catch on tape, but here's the clown with his great ostrich costume).

A great finale with the horses, light show of stars, a magnificent flag, and a last view of the arena before we left, our own photo "postcard" memory of the night.

Right here in Myrtle Beach is a store called "Shark" - the mouth is the entrance to the store...and NO, it DIDN'T eat the jeep, it just...use your imagination!

The Chicken Man travels the country being paid as an attraction for businesses and fairs. The chickens do tricks that sure pay their way! This is another "local" Myrtle Beach view.

December 2002

To the mountain town of Cherokee, North Carolina, at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains for Christmas time.

Oh no! Snow! Get a peek at Glenn in pants, because this happens only once in a blue moon!

An awesome bronze statue near the Indian Museum in Cherokee, NC. along with the story of it as a traveling message to us all, including their website. Very moving.

A bit of fun with the "bear" that even had a bullet hole and is still standing! There were "bears" everywhere in Cherokee!

An incredible carving from a sequoia tree, Glenn even knows the artist, it turns out.

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES - A GIANT GATOR HAS GOTTEN LOOSE! Is it from Lake Placid? Afraid not..this one is part of the Trading Post in Cherokee, NC. Gee we could use this at our shop!

How can there be a Santaland that closes in October? We had a chuckle over this one!

Breathtaking - looks like Old Master's paintings. It was hard to pick my favorites. The Great Smokies at their finest. Photo taken between Cherokee and Maggie Valley, NC.

Local color! An antique store in Maggie's Valley, and a Stompin' Ground dance parlor.

A ghost town in the clouds! There was gold in them thar hills at one time, now you can take a cable car up to see what's left.

Enterpreneurs make snow while the sun shines! The weather was just right for making snow for snow tubing!

November 2002

Our trip to Florence, South Carolina on Thanksgiving Day, where the simple faces of pansies brightens the spirit. Taken at a motel restaurant in Florence where we had a nice buffet.

CHARLESTON, SC

A sampling of the hand made sweet grass baskets made by the lovely African-American ladies of the South - each well-known for their particular styles, which sell for upwards of $10,000 for some large designs. These are in what was sadly the slave market, now farmer's market/flea market area of CHARLESTON, SC where we went for my birthday in October.

This is the oldest Unitarian Church in America - dates to early 1700's. We came through a tunnel of greenery to the back where there was an ancient graveyard, lovely Spanish moss dripping from the trees, and this lovely picturesque church. We could have been in Europe, for all we knew.

Here's where we ate dinner in Charleston - "82 Queens" - the name of the restaurant as well as the address. This is the interior, which is outside - what a pleasant meal in such surroundings! Third picture is Glenn trying to wait patiently for our first course.

Charleston SC is a real antique Mecca - very upper class stuff - so we just enjoyed the lovely greenery and other sights. Old culture here. Some of the streets also resembled San Francisco from the colored house fronts. A pleasant place to go anytime!

YAM FESTIVAL, TABOR CITY, SC (mid October 2002)

45 minutes from Myrtle Beach was the Yam Fest (mid October 2002) where you could get yam fries, fried okra, fried anything!

Here we got a turkey leg (tasted like HAM) - they were so huge, I wonder what it took to catch those turkeys!

Bartering for hot boiled peanuts, a Southern specialty - don't knock it, it's an acquired taste. Dang, they're tasty!

A few local faces in the crowd at the Yam Fest.

MCCLELLANVILLE, SC (September 2002)

A picturesque seaside shrimping town south of Myrtle Beach, full of lovely trees, peopled by families that have been there for generations.

A glimpse of a slower life makes us slow down to enjoy the moment ourselves.

A sampling of the gracious homes near the water in McClellanville.

One of the reasons we stopped - this is evidence of the previous damage wrought by Hurricane Hugo on Sept. 22, 1989 (13 years ago this month), when the town was news for the extensive damage to homes and marina. This sign had clearly been underwater after the hurricane. Here's a few photos to make you pause...

Dis is not where boats are supposed to be, folks! They've made an amazing recovery, haven't they?

August 2002

For those of you unfamiliar with Southern foods, "chicken bog" is an absolute favorite! Some cook the entire chicken with bones, then add rice, spices and sausage. Others start with the rice and add the chicken and sausage later. Any way you cook it, it's BOG...and the members of the Little Lamb Church in Conway SC (15 minutes from our shop) know how! Friends Bob and Laura invited us to the Bog Supper...we didn't need to be asked twice! Friendly faces, good home cooking - three types of Bog, but Malachi (waving to the camera) won hands down. See Glenn waiting for second helpings? Friend Bob is in the purple to the right of Glenn; Laura has the braids in the last picture. MMMM bring it on!

MAY 2002

Memorial Day weekend is always the time for the Aurora Fossil Festival (Aurora, North Carolina), a tiny town with a huge phosphate mine nearby that produces not just phosphate, but thousands of fossils that turn up with each shovelful. The town brings many dump loads into the town center to a huge sand pile, and during the festival, kids can dig their own fossils! LOTS of shark teeth and many other fossils to be found! Across the street is the Aurora Fossil Museum that has recently expanded to become a major information source. We try not to miss the festival each year! Below is an aerial view of the mine, then the square outlined in that photo is upsized in the next photo so you see a cross section of the mine. Next is Glenn in a reproduction of a megalodon jaw, and check out another megalodon head next to that!

A little fill-in information for all you folks - when we closed down our Nevada store to move across the country back to Myrtle Beach, we never dreamed the route our trip would take. But a little friend back in Nevada drew this map of our future travels, and he was not far off! We

started in Las Vegas, through Kingman, Arizona to the Meteor Crater near Winslow, then the Petrified Forest area near Holbrook AZ, then Albuquerque NM, then to El Paso, TX to get dental work done in Juarez, Mexico, then back up to Roswell, NM, then across OK and TX to Hot Springs, AR, then we shot across through Mississippi, and Birmingham AL, and Atlanta GA and up the coast through Charleston SC to Myrtle Beach, even past that up to Calabash and beyond, before we came back to Myrtle Beach to finalize paperwork for the new store. See the "About Us" pages for info on the new store and lots of pics!

WE MADE IT TO THE BEACH! Our new home again - Myrtle Beach - 60 miles of uninterrupted beach to walk. Here's Glenn at the Nibil's Restaurant on the 2nd Avenue Pier (we're actually on the outside deck - ocean is to the left, a plexiglass protective window is behind Glenn, but it looks like a picture, doesn't it?)

Here's Nance's Restaurant in Murrell's Inlet, an oyster bar renowned for guess what? The family behind us has a great "dinner bucket" served to them. Ah, what seafood, now we're back in Myrtle Beach!

Myrtle Beach sights - a great crab truck! And a limo that used to belong to David Lee Roth - 110 feet, I believe, with even a swimming pool at the back! (The shark is actually a separate display beyond the limo)

Above is Mother's Day at Epcot Center in Orlando on our way back from picking up our storage in Hudson, Florida...Glenn said it was all INDOORS! ha...we cooked out there all day...but I did see Epcot! Great floral Flat, and a great mosaic entry to one of the buildings!

We detoured to Hot Springs, Arkansas on purpose - and not to see Bill Clinton's picture either! There's an awesome Quartz Crystal Mine outside of town that we visited again, purchasing a huge assortment of Aurora crystals that came from this mine. (See the Rocks & Minerals pages for specimens available). Truly a lovely drive through this area.

Click To Go To:

Latest Travels Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9