chuckography

Great Company and OUTDOOR fresh air...

 A dear friend and I have just had a second meal together during the pandemic.

We agreed on a time and place (her house in West Ashley) and I arrived on time with a bottle of white wine.

Again, we sat outside on her cozy patio, seated at least 6-feet apart on a cool Saturday afternoon.

Joan had set up a large fan,  directed toward me, and a smaller "personal" USB fan covering her end of the table.

Apart, we removed our masks and felt safe conversing as we dug into the Philly Cheesesteak hoagies that had been delivered to her front door just after I arrived.

Oh, great, she had them add french fries too!

When we dined like this before, I did not take any photos of the very large brown bear in her back yard,

She had just painted it and was going to get some blue paint to clean up the base. I asked about the glaucoma-white eyes and she said some of the blue paint would add back the missing pupils!

This is her largest "guest mascot" but she reminded me she has a full-size mermaid in her house.

Trying to figure the "size" of a mythical figure, I let that comment stand.

Joan added there was a real wooden Cigar Store Indian in her garage breezeway.

This fun friend likes her 2nd new house after leaving a longtime residence on the peninsula.

The empty discarded beer cans and finding her driveway often blocked were some of the downsides she said of living in the Historic District.

A very nice backyard here was a great setting for our outside visit and meal.

I commented on the cute storage shed she had a local craftsman make. The added stain glass window at the top utilized another of her varied keepsakes.

Joan and I were "fellow bloggers" for a few years after I started but the sparse fans of my efforts were minor compared to her huge audience!

Lately, she has found that her posting on Facebook boosts her already gigantic gang of followers to dizzying proportions!

I always learn new things from her so I will explore her suggestions on how to reach more people with the 7 or 8 postings a month that I write and place online.

I said I had just ordered my 2018-2020 postings to be Volume 6 of the series I started with Blog2Print bound books quite a few years ago. Joan laughed and said she had too many to even consider doing that...but she did jot down the online link.

I drove home, very pleased to have spent some relaxing time with Joan again.

During this pandemic, she and I have also shared a meal at my house, sitting socially-distanced, on my new screened porch addition to my deck.

Isolation is not that bad when you can share it with a delightful, interesting friend.

My cat liked her too.  (You know how I do this...click on the photos and links for more details.)

And, please, wear a mask, wash your hands, and practice social distancing!

Labels: fellow blogger, full-size mermaid, Joan Perry, newly-painted big brown bear, real wooden Cigar Store Indian, West Ashley backyard dining

posted by chuckography @ 3:01 PM 1 Comments

"Lake" at me now...

This is my one-picture stylized image of Lake Marion.

It was my first time on the water there.

Even off the water, I had not been here before.

Joan Perry, a good friend,  had invited me to join a group for BBQ and a boat ride out to Church Island.

I knew there were trees (Cypress) sticking up out of the water but I had not thought about the shorter ones that were slightly under the water.

Yikes.

We all were on the lookout for birds sitting atop these stumps to warn the skipper there was danger ahead on this "3-hour trip."

I should not have worried. The Captain was Wayne "Cat Fish'n Fool" Vining, a veteran fisherman.

He also was watching the screens of a depth-finder and, I guess, a stump-finder.

Joan had told us he takes out fishing parties but also groups of non-fishing types like we were.

She had hired him and mentioned we were interested in Church Island and its history.

"Hey, I ain't no historian, jes' a catfish guy. With me, you're not fishin', you're fish-catchin'."

We gathered for a group shot after walking around on Church Island.

The church was de-sanctified as the water rose when the dam was built and the lake formed.

Oddly enough, the cemetery was spared and we walked among headstones dating back to the 1800s.

The large island can't be reached by car, only by water.

A local young lady in our group remembers when her grandparents long-time family land was taken through eminent domain. 

I recalled reading about the danger of ticks when walking through tall grass.

I was prepared though with my hiking boots and long pants that were snug around my shoes.

We inspected each other before we re-loaded onto the pontoon boat. (It was NOT named the S.S. Minnow.)

There were no sightings of bugs.

Did see several trees that had been struck by lightning.
What an awesome display of power!

Bet it made quite a racket when the bolt(s) met the tree.

The group wandered around for quite a while at the cemetery. There was a marker where the church had stood.

There was an enclosed area with multiple plots for two families.

Joan found one headstone with no first name. Just the word "Baby." A sad reminder of young deaths.

The tree with the missing pieces of bark reminded me of some trees in a scene in  Charleston at Trident Tech.

Various areas represented a town in Ohio for the Mr. Mercedes 10-part series now playing on AT&T Audience network

Three tall palm trees stood at the entrance of a "hospital" building. We extras milled around inside, playing roles as doctors, nurses, visitors, and patients.

On a break, I wandered outside and saw the three palms had been covered with a 20-foot high fake oak tree bark. The "oak" was topped with palm fronds, but the camera did not aim that high. Haha.

I rode out in a comfortable chair, up front on the boat. My small camera often held high.

Fascinating scenery.

The lake water was down a bit we were told, so the bulbous "bottom" of the Cypress trees was very obvious.

I had seen Cypress "knees" before but don't recall seeing this array of so many distinctive-looking ones.

There was a bit of boat traffic on the lake.

My zoom lens and fast shutter speed captured one that was heading toward us.

It threw an impressive wake.

The zoom lens made it look much closer than it really was.

My Mom and Dad used to trailer their 14-foot aluminum boat up to this lake and Lake Murray.

I can picture my Dad cranking up his trusty 40 hp Evinrude!


I hope they had stopped at Sweatman's Bar-B-Que while in the area.

That's where the group met on the outskirts of Holly Hill at 1427 Eutaw Road.

Joan said they now are open Saturday and Sunday and usually are packed.

My full plate showed me why it was so popular featuring dine-in, take-out, and catering.

It was a fun-filled day ashore and on the water.

And the food was so good, one of the group stopped for a take-out meal before driving back to Charleston.

Lunch AND dinner at Sweatman's had crossed my mind too but
instead, I drove back home, planning to stop and visit my brother in Sangaree.

His wife suggested several delicious snacks and desserts but I figured I had topped off my tank with enough calories for the day.

Not very much exercise riding around on a boat!

I also wanted to take another look at a "billboard sign" that had been painted on the side of an abandoned trailer.

It was a pet-owner seeking justice.

I hope he finds the SOB.

(Click on the photos and links for more details.)

Wore my wide-brimmed hat and sunblock.

I make my bi-annual visit to my dermatologist next week and she always asks.

Thanks for spending some time on my 3-hour boat ride that ended well.

This pontoon boat did not even have a name but a great Skipper.

Labels: 40 hp Evinrude, Cat Fish'n Fool, Church Island, Cypress trees, eminent domain action creates a lake, Joan Perry, Lake Marion, Lake Murray, lightening-struck, Sweatman's Bar-B-Que

posted by chuckography @ 1:10 PM 1 Comments

Bicycle ....theme of the day. Worldwide.

A blogging buddy of mine - Joan Perry - posted a shot she submitted to a site that names a Theme of the Day on the first day of the month.

For August, it is "BICYCLE."

Her posted picture shows a bike sculpture at River Front Park in North Charleston.

Bright, colorful and eye-catching.

Looking in my files, I came up with a black & white photo of my Dad and his older brother with a bicycle "built for two" that would have to be shared.

Older brother Eddie did seem to have 100% possession at this particular moment.

Both boys are gone now - my Dad (on the right) died in 1998 and would have turned 100 in 2013. Eddie died in the sixties at age 45.

I'm guessing this shot was taken in the 1920s.

Probably with one of those new "Brownie box camera" made by Eastman Kodak.

I had shown this picture before in one of my blogs but it's here again so I can submit it to Daily Photo Blog to help celebrate Bicycle Theme Day.

Thanks for the heads up, Joan.

I see the theme for September 1st will be "Curiosities." Hmmmmm.

Labels: #bicycle built for two, #CharlestonDailyPhoto.com, #Columbia bicycle, #Daily Photo Blog, #Kodak Box Brownie camera, curiosities., He ain't heavy, he rides on the handlebars, Joan Perry, VG Boyd 1913

posted by chuckography @ 12:59 PM 6 Comments

"Book 'em, Danno!"

It originated online as Web Log.

Not sure exactly when but one day it became known as a Blog.

So, 8 years ago, I became a Blogger.

I hear comments like "Yeah, you write a blog that nobody reads."

And others not quite as nice. But I write the blog for me. 

I recapture fine memories and events and write about them. I get to enjoy that moment again. And, yes, I share them online, along with a lot of other talented local bloggers.


Have met some really nice blog people here in my hometown..

Dan Conover is the fellow who encouraged me, explained how to do it and got me active back in March 2006. 

He and I had worked at the Post & Courier newspaper. He was a true journalist while I was having fun with InfoLine, the paper's
early foray into providing 24-hour access to information. As close as your phone.

At the daily afternoon editorial meetings, I would suggest the paper could invite readers to call the InfoLine number for updates on stories and what had happened since that morning.

Silence.

"And for breaking news stories that we are conceding to the 5:00 television news." No reply except frowns around the table.

An editor explained we could not tip our hand on stories being worked on for the next day's paper. (I mumbled to myself, it'll be on television and radio this afternoon and this evening.)

I was about to retire so I stopped beating my head against the "way we always have done it" mindset.

Meanwhile, Dan gathered together a batch of bloggers and created an umbrella place in the paper so readers could see how to find and read our blogs.

He and Good Morning Lowcountry started running excerpts and links to blogs.

I covered Spoleto one year as one of several bloggers who attended events, took pictures, wrote copy and had them posted online even before the paper hit front porches the next morning.

It was good being retired  and seeing awareness of our efforts growing.

Naturally, we in the blogging community got together socially.

Facebook and other social media were starting to sprout but
we liked to temper our computer time with some face-to-face contact.

We met in bars and restaurants and had laptops handy when Wi-Fi was available.

We brought our families to blogger picnics. A Blognic.

One lady, in particular, is an ongoing inspiration to me.

Heather Solos was raising three children while blogging helpful household hints.

She published her efforts in a slick book called Home Ec 101 .

Heather continues today online with the household props as well as recipes, nutrition guidance and lots, lots more.

As a bachelor, I have often sought her suggestions on keeping thing clean and healthy. I even tried my hand at brewing my own beer with help from fellow bloggers.

I decided to drink the craft beers instead of trying to make them. LOL.

Other bloggers showed an interest in weather forecasting (Hey Jared Smith)  and daily walks with her camera - Joan Perry, take a bow.

Yes, lots of fond memories of dining and partying with bloggers and their spouses.

Many venues around town were pleased to have 20-25 people, who wrote things for the internet, come into their establishment.

Some set out a buffet or poured nice wines.

We gathered information about the place and made sure to write about them afterward.

Many bloggers have hundreds, even thousands, of followers.  Joan Perry's blog is awash with 20-30 comments  almost every day. As she tells her readers "Send me comments, they make me strong."

I write about my memories and things I have been lucky enough to experience.

I was a staff photographer for the daily metro San Diego Union-Tribune and often recall a time when so and so did this and that.

Sometimes celebrities. More often "real people" leading normal lives.

I delve back into my Marine Corps days often. It was quite an education for this South Carolina teenager!

I blogged about the time my kid brother kept me company on a fast round trip up to Camp Lejeune, N.C.and back, when I was home and our dad suffered an accident.

The trip turned into an all night/next day procedure so I had to "hide" him in the barracks overnight. We found clothes for him to fit in.

He recalls going through the chow line afraid that the name "Boyd" on a shirt twice in a row would be noticed.

In the back of my mind - and perhaps for most bloggers - was the fear that one day, the internet would "eat" all their postings.

Yikes! It's true. Computers fail and work is lost. Nothing remains. Zero.

Remember, it's not REAL, it's all created with 0s and 1s.

People are advised to back up what they have on a computer.

So I thought I would print out my nine years of blogs.

Or maybe make a PDF of each page.

Then I found a site called Blogs2Print. Yep. That's exactly what they do.

So now I have three thick bound volumes containing words and color pictures of almost a decade of my blogging efforts. Worked out to cost an average of about $107* per book.

Relatively cheap for peace of mind.

(Click on the images for more detail.)

* Volume I (2006 - 2008) has 189 pages - including a 9-page index by topics - and cost $71.00
Volume II (2009 - 2011) grew to 323 pages - including an unnecessary 10 pages of an index - and cost $111.00. The thickest, Volume III (2013-2015), was the maximum 450 pages - no index - and cost $141.00

Labels: 8 years of blogging, Blog2Print, Blognic, bound books, Charleston Daily Photo, Dan Conover, Heather Solos, Home Ec 101, Jared Smith, Joan Perry, WeB Log = BLOG

posted by chuckography @ 1:09 AM 5 Comments