13 is a lucky number....
Anthony "Packrat" Thompson and his harmonica, agree that Gary Erwin, a.k.a.
Srimp City Slim, has been Charleston's Number One, main Blues Man for at least 20 years.
I've been back home about that long and I heard Shrimp when I first got back here from traveling for a long, long time.
He plays Blues on stage, spins Blues records on his Sunday morning radio show and performs a weekly Blues Cruise on Charleston Harbor with his tight band.
I came back home just in time to enjoy his 17-day annual Februay long-running Blues Bash.
This busy promoter and performer is a gift from Chicago and this weekend, he staged his 13th annual
Blues By The Sea at Freshfields Village Green at Kiawah.
Gary "arranged" a cloudless, sunny Sunday event that draws hundreds each year to this free musical outing.
The printed program stated it was sponsored by the
Cultural Events Fund of the Town of Kiawah Island.
Gary told us that the 14th annual has already been approved by the Fund for 2018. Hooray!
Happy dancers kicked up their heels when this was announced.
This year we were not only entertained by the opening act Chef Bill Wharton, we also were watching as he played and whipped up a tasty simmering pot of delicious Louisiana Gumbo!
Smelled so good!
The
Sauce Boss started "cookin'" with his music about 28 years ago and we all were offered a bowl of happiness at the end of his second set.
He stopped once to add splashes of his "secret Sauce" into the pot.
A table was set up in front of the bandstand and, at the break, we eagerly queued for our bowl and spoon.
Yummy!
I scored lots of okra, tangy sauce, and a good-size crawdad.
Gary had the Sauce Boss open the show, followed by Robert "Top" Thomas and the
Packrat's Smokehouse. They are the purveyors of turgid deep Blues known as Florida Swamp sounds.
Featured on vocals - and harmonicist extraordinaire - was Anthony "Packrat" Thompson, pictured in the first photo above
The little kids - and their parents - knew how to react to the hot, bouncy sounds this Sunday afternoon.
It was a good workout for my
Canon SX280HS with its crystal clear images and crisp 500 mm zoom lens.
Children, especially, tend to freeze up - or strike a pose - when they see a camera pointed at them.
With the long zoom lens, I was able to remain seated in the audience beneath the huge white tent and zero in on the jumping, grinning and laughing activity in front of the stage.
I didn't stop and ask the name of the lady with the colorful parasol.
As the sun moved around from left to right, she adjusted her shade-maker accordingly to keep her cool.
Here she was being offered a bowl of Gumbo and had to decide how to handle the vittles.
It was definitely a two hand operation to spoon up the food, liberally enhanced by Bill Wharton's own formula Liquid Summer sauce.
The 3rd and final act of the day was
The Lucky Losers, Click the link to see several of their videos.
Bay area notables Cathy Lemons (vocals) and Phil Berkowitz (harmonica and vocals) have joined forces in the Lucky Losers, a swingin', rockin' ensemble making their South Carolina debut.
Theirs is a classic sound with great original songs and female/male lead vocals and lots of spicy instrumental work.
The late afternoon cooling golden glow brought out the dancers of all ages.
Fueled perhaps by a helping of Gumbo, the couples - and singles - whirled around and around, moving to the energetic beat.
Thanks again, Gary, you gave us something for everyone for your lucky 13th.
(Click on the photos and links for more details.)
It was a pleasant, musical afternoon down at the entrance to Kiawah.
Labels: Anthony "Packrat" Thompson, Bill Wharton Sauce Boss, colorful Parasol, free admission, free Gumbo, Free music, Kiawah Cultural Events Fund, Packrat's Smokehouse, The Lucky Losers
Working In The Garden on Saturday....
Dee, a member of my Photo Group, suggested a trip to
Cypress Gardens for a Photo Walk Saturday.
"It's free to residents of Berkeley County on the 3rd Saturday," she explained.
She added we had to check in before noon for the free admission.
We set a 9 am meet up time in the parking lot.
I live in what is called Lower Berkeley County.
The Gardens are in the Upper section.
I set my alarm clock. And my GPS.
My last visit there was about 48 years ago so I certainly was overdue to go again.
Arrived in plenty of time and wore layers of warm clothing.
It had dipped to just below freezing the night before.
But, the sun was shining and a nice day was predicted.
As members arrived, I saw the variety of backpacks and their shoulder bags filled with cameras and lenses.
My new small Canon sx260HP was on my belt.
Oh, I did have my 3-year old workhorse, the Canon S90, in my jacket pocket.
I almost tripped on a log on the pathway as I read the warning sign.
At least, I think it was just a log.
Jackson, one of the members of my group, agreed he was sitting pretty on the edge of the swamp.
Later he said he was going to test a device that fits on top of his tripod to make panoramic views.
It physically moves the camera in a predetermined arc to snap a series of pictures that can be "stitched" together later to make quite a spectacular shot.
It works both side-to-side and up-and-down. Yikes.
I remember being paddled around the cypress trees over the black reflective water in a small boat.
Our then 2-year old son sat on his mother's lap and my mom also was on board.
My son Chris turns 50 the middle of this year.
Did not remember there being a
Butterfly House way back then so I wandered inside.
Double doors keep the flying critters inside when people are coming and going.
It really is amazing to stand and watch them up close as they flutter around.
They land on the leaves as well as the flowers.
Maybe that's just to rest.
Signs asked us not to touch them nor attempt to
"brush them off" if they land on you.
The message added
"they do not bite."
After a few hours of walking some trails and enjoying the Gardens, I hopped in my car and headed for home.
I saw a belching smokestack in Bushy Park and pulled over in a safe spot off the highway.
There was a shot I wanted to try and, fortunately, I had a water bottle in the car that would work well.
I placed the plastic bottle on the roof of my car and carefully aimed my camera.
I wanted to make it appear the smoke - or steam - was billowing from the bottle.
I think the effort worked.
The water had a delicate smoky bouquet and aftertaste.
Labels: Aquafina bottled water, Bushy Park, Butterfly House, Canon sx260 camera, Cypress Gardens, free admission, panoramic photos, some restrictions apply, upper Berkeley County
Digital AND Film Cameras ....
The first meeting of the 21st Century Photography group met last night and 11 of us talked about cameras, darkroom experiences, Charleston area photo shoots and ...the next meeting. One member has already sent his RSVP for next month!
Purely as a social gathering, it was fun at the Madra Rua Irish Pub and Grill and many sampled the
"Pub Grub" as well as a few pints. Well, I know I did.
As promised, everyone received an "official" Press Pass and, when asked where they could use it, I was reminded of years ago when my kid brother bought a wallet that had a dummy press pass for
"The Continental Baseball League" in one of the picture sleeves.
He used it several times to get in free to see baseball games at the old College Park.
We kicked around a lot of ideas and agreed the next meeting place should have a separate room where we could face each other around a conference-type table instead of sitting at different tables and having little circles of conversation.
Also a Power Point video projector was offered for the March 12th meeting so each could bring his or her favorite pictures burned to a CD/DVD to share them on a large screen.
Our meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7pm - probably still in the North Charleston area. It looks like North Towne (Greek) Grill on Eagle Landing Blvd has what we need for a site and they've booked us into a private room. If you wish to attend, go to meetup.com and check out the details.
Oh, and be sure to RSVP. It really helps the planning.
Labels: Baseball League, CD/DVD, College Park, fake credentials, free admission, press passes, wallet
