Faith, Folklore, and Friends

We couldn't wait to try some low country cooking when we got to Charleston.  First stop, Another   Broken Egg Cafe  . Here, Hub had shrimp and grits for brunch.  It was amazing.  AMAZING! I ordered this breakfast burrito with all kind of goodies inside.  Halfway through, Hub and I swapped plates so we could both try everything. Are we the only ones who do this? Next day, Hub had a shrimp omelet with grits for breakfast.  We learned that shrimp and grits are ubiquitous in Charleston. At Hyman's Seafood, fried green tomatoes with grits for an appetizer.  Yum. Slightly North of Broad is an upscale restaurant just across the street from where we stayed.  We had lunch there one day, and it was just the best.   This is white bean ravioli, and it was the best thing I ate the five days we were there. Hub loved it, too, and he usually won't touch anything with basil or pesto in it. The Hominy...

These are stepping stones from Charleston's historic district.  These stones were placed by the curb for ladies to gracefully disembark from their carriages. You can almost hear the carriages on the cobble-stone streets.  Wait!  You can hear the horse-drawn carriages; there are many, many of them loaded with tourists led by knowledgeable guides. We enjoyed a carriage tour, although it wasn't quite as elegant as some those lovely antebellum ladies rode in. There were also several hitching posts still standing.  I have searched diligently through hundreds of pictures and can't find the hitching posts, so you are just going to have to trust me on that. I love walking through old towns.  You never know what you will find next.

It was quiet on this little spit of land when I was there a few days ago.  The only sounds were the flags flapping in the wind, the gentle lapping of the sea reaching the rocks, and the sea gulls calling to each other. One hundred and fifty-four years ago today, April 12, 1861, the War Between the States began at Ft. Sumter.  Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard bombarded the fort, which was occupied by U. S. Major Robert Anderson and federal troops. After a 34 hour battle, Anderson surrendered  the fort on April 13.  It was the beginning, and it was the end. People from all parts of the United States and the world visit Fort Sumter.  Some have read books and visited grave sites and arrogantly speculate about what was right or wrong. They have never smelled the cordite and death, never written a letter for a dying soldier, never been hungry and cold, yet they feel qualified to degrade these men who were there. ...

  In August of 1886, Charleston was struck by a massive earthquake.  The Richter scale had not been invented at that time, but geologists estimate it was a seven or more.  The earthquake was so severe, some residents were convinced that Florida has broken off from the mainland. About 75% of Charleston's grand homes were damaged.  Afterwards, homes already old in 1886 remained standing, but were in poor condition.  Some that could be salvaged were repaired using long iron rods for reinforcement.  These rods were run through the walls of the buildings and anchored with bolts.  They can still be seen on many of the buildings.  No one knows if these earthquake bolts will be effective if another earthquake occurs.  One guide speculated that they would do more harm than good, since there would be no 'give' to the houses. I had never heard of using earthquake bolts before, and I have been in many places that have experi...

Broad Street in Charleston is a dividing line.  South of Broad (SOB) is for the very wealthy who are able to pay for the sea breeze to cool their humid summer days as they sit on their piazzas.  Slightly North of Broad (SNOB), while still a beautiful place, is more for the working class. These home are located in the Battery, at the tip of Charleston's peninsula.  We were walking by the seawall when I shot these images. On September 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo, a strong category 4 storm,  made landfall  just north of Charleston.   A ten foot storm surge at high tide washed into the Battery and covered the vintage carpets and furniture of all these lovely, historic homes. When the water receded, the homes were cleaned up and restored.  People can again sit with their iced tea on these cool piazzas and watch the water and the sky, waiting for the next hurricane. Hurricanes are something that peo...