Reindeer Run 2012

After my February commitment to blog again I am finally stepping up to the plate.... so for the millionth time ... here goes ... thank goodness we can always keep starting ... and what better week to start than this one ... Not only am I starting my blog back up - I am starting my fun with 5K runs again.... Thank you to my friend Renee who lit the fire within... The Reindeer Run was so much fun this year - mainly because Renee let me jump into her family plan and run with her... so ... thanks Renee and friends for all of your support and for making my holiday season one of my best already !  ho ho ho ... see you at the finish line !

 

It's a new day ....

It's been quite a while since my last post.   
Today I commit to blogging again about my life and the things that keep me wondering ... .
I love this photo of a church at Cades Cove .. it reminds me of a calm spirit and of a great trip with my dad a couple of years ago.  

One Year Ago ...

One year ago we moved to our own little paradise... it's called Little Rockland. Our first guests were Randolph's best friend Woody and his girlfriend Jen.  The weekend consisted of Pumpkin Carving, Star Gazing, GEORGIA Football , and the FAIR ! This year will be a little different ... we have an action packed weekend planned  to include good food, good friends, more pumpkin carving , more Georgia football and this year .... a DANCE PARTY!  

We are excited to show off what we've done with the place .. the most fun thing is that we've turned Duchess Townsend's house into our home ... she must like what we've done with the place because all  (and  I do mean ALL) of the people who knew her swear her ghost lives here...and that she would let us know if she were upset with the progression of things.  I'm not convinced she likes our artwork as the pictures are always crooked , but otherwise I think she feels the love.  The stories of her life  are the BEST and I hope that we continue to learn more about her , the island, and this place.   In the meantime I'm simply excited for the annual Fall Visit of our good friends. I'm excited to come home to a place that I share with a loving black lab and a supportive loving guy. 

Talkin' 'Bout My Generation...

gen .er. a. tion ( noun )

According to Miriam Websters dictionary  a geneartion is   a body of living beings constituting a single step in the line of descent from an ancestor.

 I  often find my mind drifting to another time .. wondering once again where my roots are .... where did I come from ( I know for all of you wise-cracks out there ... from my mothers womb ...) but don't you ever wonder what it would be like to have a conversation with your great great great ....  I pull from my deepest memories sometimes to grasp on to the recollection of spending time with my Granny Carroll ... She was my fraternal  great great grandmother . I can barely remember now her home in Maryland but what I do remember was her huge hugs - burrying me in her bossom with her  white apron on ... She was quite the lady - certainly not too affectionate but definitely full of love ... a hard working , strong woman but gentle and kind... I remember the way her eyes twinkled when she would smile ... and I remember  ever so slighlty her immaculate home - wide porches and a fabulous winding staircase leading into a big entry parlor.  I remember being very small and in that very house when the Nixon scandal was ground breaking news... and I remember her cellar and the fish pond in her yard. .. I have always wished I could have spent more time with her sitting on her porch and hearing stories of her childhood ... I'd love more time  with my grandfather ... pictured here ..  I was his only grandchild and he treated me like a princess ... he was always patient ( probably due to a little help from his afternoon martini ) and always so proud to show me off to his friends ...  So when I received this old photo the other day those fond ole' memories flooded back and my heart smiled... Thanks for lifes lessons , thanks for your love, and ... thanks for the memories !  I love you still ....

Let it BEE

Nothing like a little sweet honey ....

Today when I woke up I had no idea the adventure we  were about to embark on ... I always have a list of things I want to experience but when I need to extract those options I seem never to be able to recollect my bucket list.  However ... today simply proved that my other half actually DOES listen .. one more reason why I love him so much .... so with no idea if I've dressed appropriately we hop in the car and off we go ... quietly I take in the surrounding route south ... we stop at a gas station for gas .. I don't know if this was to stump me or if we truly needed fuel ... but post stop we went "swurvin' down a dirt road ... ok... not really swerving but it sounds good ... we hugged the Edisto River ... and I thought I had an A-HA moment ... we are going to Bulls Island ... really ... I'm starving so as much as that would have been a great idea too  I'm glad we ended at ... Bee City ... there is a spot to get a hotdog there and as hungry as we were , that little nugget was as good as any steak would have been at the time ...
After our victuals we ventured through Bee City .. interesting ... very interesting ...they have more than just bee's at Bee City ... there are turtles and goats, and donkeys and goats, and monkeys and goats and exotic animals ... and did I mention goats ??   We also hiked the nature trail ... don't be too impressed ... the nature trail is a small little loop through the yard but when in Rome ... you know the deal ...  We did see some bee's and we even brought home some honey and I even saw how turtles "do it " ... don't ask ... it's not pretty... But I had fun and I have learned a few things today :
*  Randolph really does listen to me
*  I can check Bee City off the list
*  I don't really like to see animals   ( other than snakes which I'd really rather not see at all ) caged and out of their natural habitat.
*  And in the words of John Lennon ... There will be an answer ... let it be,,, let it be ...

PS.. I think this little guy liked my shirt too ... 

Cruising Through Lunch ...

It really can be done .... First you gather the friends who will push fun to the edge .. those who know you but wanna come along anyway ! Once you've rallied, let the fun begin ....

The Port purchased a fancy new gangplank which is air conditioned... key for keeping your good looks for that ship photo once on board...

 Make a quick stop in front of the mosaic tile wall ..
Photo Tip: All the Color makes a girl look skinny . 

A Quick Dash Through the Disco will help make room for the Luscious Lunch that Awaits... We choose to " Do the Monkey " .. our theme song ... 

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil .. Just like Vegas what happens on the Ship, Stays on the Ship...



 

A 5 Course Lunch with Shrimp, Scallops, Beets, Goat Cheese, Lobster, Filet, and a Trio of Desserts - It's true that the way to a mans ( and woman's) heart is through the stomach then Carnival Cruises  has won our hearts !



It's OK if he doesn't speak English ...
He can just show us how the equipment works...




Yoo Hoo ... Is This Right ?







Check Matey!



FORE!



A Quick Run Through The All Day Buffet



American Idol Ain't Got Nothin' On Us!

Shore Excursions Never Looked So Good ..

Lucky 7's .. Come On ... I need some bar bucks !

Poster Girl !

Carnival Fantasy Ships Is Home Based Right Here in Charleston ... All Aboard !



Post Cards Ship to Shore.. Weathers Great .. Wish You Were Here...





I'm beat.... But it sure was fun ! Wonder if they have a great rate at the Courtyard Historic Distict ?

Yesterday we were treated to a tour and lunch on Carnival's Fantasy Ship ...  It brought a whole new meaning to the term " Lunch & Learn" ..  I learned that you can have a mini vacation during your lunch hour, meet tons of great new folks, see an awful lot of fun getting ready to take place on the ship, eat , eat, and eat... then run through a variety of fun activites before heading back to reality ... Thank you to Carnival for Choosing Charelston as a home port - your support of our community both economically and philanthropically is aplauded ... May we sail into many beautiful sunsets together ....



HE NEVER PROMISED ME A ROSE GARDEN ...

"Flowers are beautiful hieroglyphics of nature,
with which she indicates how much
she loves us " .. Wolfgang von Geothe 

My Wildflower Garden @ Little Rockland

Short Blog today , but I had to share my beautiful wildflower garden for those who can't come enjoy it in person...

To quote Rufus Wainwright .. " When you are smiling , the whole world smiles with you ... and when you are laughing the sun comes shining through ... "  I'm sure smiling in my little piece of paradise - come visit and stay for a while ... it's peaceful here ... the gentle breezes off the marsh will welcome you as much as Randolph and I do ... So Come On ... Walk in a Little Sunshine with us ... Boy It Feels Good ! 

"Earth laughs in flower" .. Ralph Waldo Emmerson

... to quote Sheryl Crow , "Love is like wildflowers... it's often found in the most unlikely places.. "