April Showers

Bring May Flowers

Just some updates

on all that is going on at my house. I had a water leak right before I went to South Carolina and when I got back I discovered that I had Carpenter Ants. So, leak repaired, ants fumigated and ceiling patched and painted.....a $650 leak. I don't understand why life can't go smoothly. My whole house is tore up as I am in a spring clean fever. Have got to put the kitchen back together. It seems that there is no time to have any fun. I have Crack O' Dawn next Saturday but doubt that I can walk because of a bad toe. I also hope to go to shoot some tulips with my photographer friends on Monday. Can't seem to get to yoga because something comes up every Wednesday. I am getting downright disgusted! I try to tell myself that things could be so much worse but since January there has been one thing after another.
I'm remembering (to try to cheer myself up) a Sunday in late summer, when I went to church at St. Josephs (now closed for steeple repair) and after went to Belle Isle. It was such a beautiful day. Haven't had a chance to go there again or back to Lower Huron to catch the Redbuds in bloom. Life is too short and I an too old to let any of this pass me by.

Ravenel Bridge, Charleston, SC

 This is looking out to Folly Island....overcast day

 Ravenel Bridge, Charleston

Love!

Love this building and the cobblestone street
(click to enlarge)

Behind the Garden Gate, Charleston, SC

 Of course, we didn't get to see behind any garden gates as that was private property but there were a few that we did get a little glimpse. Instead, we took photos of the gates themselves and just imagined what it looked like behind them. We found one little alley that we spent walking down and I wonder what these people think of tourist gawking at their house....hence the gates, I guess.
The Crepe Myrtles on the left will bloom in the summer.....beautiful I bet.

 Cypress

 Love!

 Read a mystery once that took place in a house on Tradd......this is the back so I assume the front of the house is on Tradd.

 Love the beautiful patina on these bricks. Some walls are newly built using old bricks.

 You can kind of see back into this garden.....note the 55 1/2 address. You see that a lot in Charleston because some of these houses were once a carriage house on the original property.

 Love this one and love the car.

Another great wall with a great patina

Beautiful

There may be summer flowers in SC but not here....cool and rainy today in Michigan :-(

Charming Charleston

Finch Story

I posted the other day that the Finches are back....both the Goldfinch and House Finch. I found a solution to a problem that I want to share. As soon as I hung the finch sock, the sparrows flocked to it. This has been an on going issue for several years so following advise that I got from a facebook friend I hung a bit of fishing line from the top of the sock hanging down. For a week no sparrows. I was worried that the fishing line would keep the finches away but there are 2 to 4 at a time getting the Niger seed. So far, no more sparrows. Thanks to my son-in-law for providing the fishing line.
The other day I was so happy to see two little Chickadees bathing in my kettle water feature. They were in the pitcher that empties out into the kettle.....just the right depth for them, I guess.I always hear them but seldom see the Chickadees about,  I also have a Cardinal pair nesting in my Blue Spruce in the front. It's all happening here on Pagel Ave.

St. Philip's Cemetery

I will be posting a series of photos that I took in Charleston, South Carolina starting with this one of St. Philip's as well as architecture and gardens and gates.

 St. Philips

 I could have spent hours here reading all the headstones. some of course, were unreadable and many were very beautiful

 I wish that I could read this one as he must have been a soldier, probably in the Civil War. Also it appears he was a Mason.

 Beautiful!

 My grand daughter put me in my place when I didn't know who John Calhoun was. He was a Senator form SC, Vice President, Secretary of War, Secretary of State and a Democrat (that must have been long ago when there were Democrats elected in South Carolina)

Goldfinches are Back!

Charleston Doorway

Building a Nest

 I was totally entertained by this Carolina Wren building a nest...doesn't take much to amuse me.

I love the shadow in this photograph!