Posts Tagged ‘South Carolina’

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Changes in Little River

May 14, 2009
The Little River, South Carolina, waterfront, May 7, 2009.

The Little River, South Carolina, waterfront, May 7, 2009.

I lived in Little River, South Carolina, from November, 1997 until  November, 2000. Most of the time while I lived there Little River could best (charitably) be described as a quiet fishing village.  There were fishing boats moored along the waterfront, along with a very few pleasure craft.  The buildings along the waterfront contained a couple of restaurants (definitely blue collar) and seafood markets that sold the catches brought in by the boats.

The picture above was taken last week while we were on vacation.  The two boats in the foreground are charter fishing boats which will take fishermen out to sea for a day or half-day of fishing.  But what is that large boat in the background?

A casino boat docked at Little River. May 7, 2007.

A casino boat docked at Little River. May 7, 2007.

Casino boats came to Little River  in 1999.  At first there was only one, but now there are two.  While this second picture isn’t from a very good angle, it does give some indication of the size of one of the casino boats.  This particular boat holds up to 600 passengers and makes two cruises daily.

So what changes have been brought to Little River?  There are definitely more people around than there used to be.  Many of the seafood markets have been replaced by bars or parking lots.  Little River now has a traffic problem.  Does that qualify as progress?

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St. Michael’s Church

February 26, 2009
The pulpit in St. Michael's Church, Charleston, South Carolina. June 22, 2008.

The pulpit in St. Michael's Church, Charleston, South Carolina. June 22, 2008.

The picture above was taken in June, 2007, of the pulpit in St. Michaels Church, Charleston, South Carolina.  Betsy and I attended Sunday services at the church and toured the sanctuary after the service.

St. Michael’s Church is the oldest church building in the City of Charleston, standing on the site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia.  The cornerstone for St. Michael’s was laid in 1752 and in 1761 the church was opened for services.  The only change to the structure of the building was the addition of a sacristy in 1883.  St. Michael’s is one of the few city churches in America that has retained its original design.

The pulpit is the original one, remarkable for both its height and the sounding board supported by two Corinthian columns.  The panel on the front of the pulpit was taken as war booty after the War Between the States and then later voluntarily returned and replaced on the pulpit.  The base of the pulpit still shows the scar caused by a shell which exploded in the church during the Federal bombardment of the city in 1865.

The pews in the church are very much as they have always been.  There is a large, long double-pew in the center of the church, No. 43, originally known as “The Governor’s Pew”.  George Washington sat in that pew during worship on May 8, 1791, and General Robert E. Lee worshipped in this same pew during the first year of the Civil War.

St. Michael’s is a beautiful church.  If you are interested, more pictures of St. Michael’s Church can be found HERE.

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A Snow Day

January 29, 2009
River Hills golf course, Little River, South Carolina. January 25, 2000/

River Hills golf course, Little River, South Carolina. January 25, 2000.

We got caught in some snow and ice on our way home from the grocery snow today.  It got to be interesting for a while, but we made it home safe and sound.  Of course the schools in the county closed early (at 10a.m.) before the bad weather got here.

That got me to thinking — when was the last time I got off because of snow?

I honestly don’t remember missing school because of snow when I was growing up in northern Indiana.  I do remember lots of snow as a youngster, but I also remember snowplows quickly clearing the roads.  I may have missed some days when in elementary school, but I honestly don’t remember any.

I know I didn’t miss any school because of snow while I was in high school.  Although I lived out in the country, the high school was a city school and they NEVER closed.  If the buses didn’t run, I went to school anyway — Dad felt we lived close enough for me to walk.  I got a perfect attendance award when I graduated.

When I went to college almost all students lived on campus — no snow days.  I taught high school in Cleveland, Ohio, after graduating — they always had school.

We had snow when I taught in North Carolina and Ohio, but both of those colleges were resident colleges, so the students were on campus and no snow days.

Now that I think of it, I can think of only one day when I missed work because of snow — January 25, 2000.  What made that day memorable was that at the time I was working at a company in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!  I was just about to the plant when I heard on the radio that the plant was closed for the day and that no one should try to come in to work since the building would be locked.  So I did what any kid would do — I went home and went out in the snow.  That’s when I took the picture above on the River Hills golf course in Little River, South Carolina.  It was the first snow on the Grand Strand in ten years.

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Skywatch Friday # 28

January 22, 2009
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. May, 2006.

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. May, 2006.

Although today was warmer here on the Plateau of Tennessee — we actually got above freezing for a couple of hours — I still felt led to celebrate Skywatch Friday with memories of warmer weather.

The picture above was taken in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in May, 2006.  We were on the beach in front of Cherry Grove Manor when the clear, deep blue skies behind the manor and palmetto trees got my attention.  We’re accustomed to beautiful skies when we go to the beach, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen a prettier sky.

The Cherry Grove Manor was probably our favorite place to stay at the beach, primarily because it was small and comfortable.  Unfortunately it is no longer there.  It was torn down in early 2007 to make room for a high rise condo.  When we were at the beach last year we went past the site and there was only a small beach access walkway and one tree left from the manor.  It was rather sad.  The condo was under construction in May, 2008, but I don’t know if it has been finished or not.  Perhaps we’ll find out when we go to the beach this year.

To see more sky pictures from around the world, or to join in the fun and post your own picture, click HERE.

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I Was Tagged

January 17, 2009

betsy051

My beautiful bride tagged me Thursday,  I wasn’t able to do anything about it at the time, but now I can share with you what she inflicted upon me.

Upon being notified that I was tagged, I received the following instructions:  “Open a document or a picture folder. Then click on the fifth folder and then the fifth photo. Post the photo and describe it.”

My beautiful bride often doesn’t like to have her picture posted, so there is at least a certain amount of poetic justice involved in following her instructions.  The designated picture (shown above — it can be made larger) was taken in May, 2007, at Cherry Grove Point in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Cherry Grove Point is at the extreme northern end of North Myrtle Beach.  We went to the point one evening after dinner and since it was low tide we were able to walk around the point.  Once around the point, we could see the sun setting over the marsh west of the beach.  That’s when I took this picture — doesn’t she look beautiful in the sunlight?

The rest of the instructions say that I am to tag five additional people.  I’ll admit that I have a problem with that.  Many of the bloggers I visit have fantastic photographs, but I don’t want to impose on them.  I will, admit, however, that it is an interesting exercise.  If you would like to try it, consider yourself tagged and please post the results.

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Skywatch Friday 27

January 15, 2009
Little River Neck, South Carolina. June, 2001.

Little River Neck, South Carolina. June, 2001.

The picture above was taken in the early afternoon in June, 2001, on Little River Inlet in South Carolina.  The trees are on Little River Neck, a narrow strip of land between the inlet (part of the Intracoastal Waterway) and the Atlantic Ocean.  The clouds are forming over the ocean.  You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

I lived in the town of Little River, South Carolina, from 1998 – 2000.  Beautiful clear skies in the morning and early afternoon were often followed by clouds and a sea breeze in the afternoon, making for a very pleasant environment.

Betsy and I were on a cruise from Little River out into the Atlantic Ocean when this picture was taken.

If you would like to join the fun of Skywatch Friday or to see more pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the logo below.

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Scenic Sunday 26

January 11, 2009
Dunes on Sunset Beach, North Carolina. June, 2001.

Dunes on Sunset Beach, North Carolina. June, 2001.

I came upon this meme fairly late in the day, but I thought I would try to make a contribution anyway.

The picture above was taken on Sunset Beach, North Carolina, in June, 2001.  Betsy and I were on our honeymoon and we spent the day on Sunset Beach.  The picture, which can be enlarged by clicking on it, shows the dunes behind the beach proper.

Sunset Beach is the smallest and quietest of the three barrier islands which make up the South Brunswick Islands.  Sunset Beach, which is about three miles long,  has a white sand backed by sand dunes.  One reason Sunset Beach is so quiet is that the only road access to the island is across a one-lane pontoon swing bridge.  All traffic had to stop when the bridge swung open to allow boats to pass along the Intracoastal Waterway.  A new bridge is being built, so it will be interesting to see if the island remains fairly quiet.

I had been to Sunset Beach several times, but this was Betsy’s first visit.  When this picture was taken I still had a home in Little River, South Carolina, which is about twelve miles south of Sunset Beach.

To see more scenes from around the world click HERE or on the logo below.

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Patriots Point

August 9, 2008

On our anniversary trip in June Betsy and I spent a couple of days in Charleston, South Carolina.  We quickly learned that we could have spent a couple of weeks in Charleston and still not have seen everything we wanted to see.  But at least we have a good excuse to go back.

One of the places we got to see, but not visit, was Patriots Point, a naval and maritime museum in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, on Charleston Harbor.  Patriots Point is a hands on museum dealing with military units from World War II through the Vietnam War.  It’s possible to tour four warships (an aircraft carrier, destroyer, coast guard cutter, and submarine) as well as a full scale model of a navy advance tactical support base.

Patriots Point got its start in 1975 with the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.  I visited Patriots Point in 1988, but there have been many exhibits added since then.

We only had the opportunity to see enough of Patriots Point to want to go back.  To see our pictures click HERE.

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St. Michael’s Church

August 3, 2008


On Sunday, June 22, 2008, Betsy and I worshipped at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, in Charleston, South Carolina. St. Michael’s is the oldest church building in the City of Charleston, standing on the site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia. In the 1680’s a small wooden church, the first in the new town of Charles Town, was built on the present site of St. Michael’s. By 1727 that church, St. Philip’s, was too small for the congregation and a new church was built on a new site.

By 1751 the new St. Philip’s was too small for the increasing population, and a new church was authorized by the General Assembly of the Province, to be built on the old site and to be known as St. Michael’s. The cornerstone was laid in 1752 and in 1761 the church was opened for services. Except of the addition of the sacristy in 1883, the structure of the building has changed very little.

The interior of the church is also like it was when built. The pulpit and pews are original, as is the organ case, although a new organ was installed in the case in 1994.

George Washington worshipped at St. Michael’s on May 8, 1791 and Robert E. Lee worshipped there in the fall of 1861, They both sat in Pew No. 43, originally known as “The Governor’s Pew”. Unfortunately we didn’t know which pew they had used until we read material from the church after we got back home.

The service when we were there was well-attended by people of all ages. The rector gave a wonderful sermon and we enjoyed the service a great deal. I’d like to go back just to have an opportunity to sit in Pew No. 43!

To see more of St. Michael’s click HERE.

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Boone Hall Plantation

July 25, 2008


The two major destinations on our anniversary trip were Charleston and Savannah. We did visit some waterfalls in north Georgia on our way south, but we arrived in the Charleston area on June 21.

Our first stop was Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Boone Hall is one of America’s oldest working plantations. It was once known for cotton and pecans, but now produces peaches, strawberries, tomatoes and pumpkins, as well as other fruits and vegetables.

Boone Hall Plantation (including the first floor of the main house) has been open to the public since 1956. In the 1980s Boone Hall was featured in the mini-series North and South. Later it was used in the filming of Queen, the sequel to Alex Haley’s Roots.

Boone Hall Plantation got it’s start in 1681 when Theophilus Patey was granted 470 acres of land on Wampacheeoone Creek. John Boone, who arrived in South Carolina in 1672, married Patey’s daughter and the couple received the 470 acres as a wedding present. It was after the marriage that the plantation began to be known as Boone Hall. By 1811, when the Boone family sold the plantation it had increased to 1,452 acres.

Over the next 150 years Boone Hall was sold several times. Over those years the plantation increased in size to 4,039 acres and became one of the leading producers of pecans in the country. In 1955 the McRae family, who still own the plantation, purchased Boone Hall and opened it to the public.

One of the features of Boone Hall is an avenue of oaks — a three-quarter mile driveway leading to the main house lined with massive Spanish-moss draped Live Oaks. The Avenue of Oaks goes back to 1743. The present manor house was built in 1935 on the site of the original house.

To see more of our visit to Boone Hall, click HERE.

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