Midweek Rambling ...

So this week has already been a crazy , exciting, updside down week where once again time has completely evaporated into thin air... complete hours have simply vanished ... Is it me or is it funny how time , while scientifically calculated is exact but in reality some time moves faster or slower than others ??? Take for instance... when you have big plans for the weekend or a vacation -  time seems to
C R E E P by .. nothing can speed it up ... but when it's time to actually go there never seems enough time to PACK, wash the dog, do the laundry so you can pack , stop the paper , water the plants, finish up the last e-mail at work  - the list goes on and on ... mind you I don't have any plans for vacation any time soon but am certainly trying to find the time to are work on that too ....  In the meantime , I long for those Norman Rockwell moments where time seems to slow down ... to sit in my new vintage style chairs that remind me of my great great grandmothers yard ... and sip sweet tea ( vodka but don't tell ) , and simply be....  So as we head into a long holiday weekend  my hope for all my friends is that you can hurry up getting everything done so that you can slow down and enjoy friends, family, burgers on the grill, iced cold beer, a few fabulous fireworks , and the independence our soldiers and those before them fight so hard to give us !

Finds....

Yesterday Randolph and I set  out with no real agenda other than to get to our debut at Harolds Country Club by 6:30 pm so we headed out for a  drive south in search of nothing really but time together... one of our favorite things... time and roadtrips ... we never like to take the highway - if there is a backroad that will get us there at least the same day ....we're off trail and running !  We find the most beautiful things , places and people this way.. and many times our best conversations on life , love and the pursuit of happiness occur on these drives ! 

Today we experienced all of the above. 

First stop ... a little shack on the side of the road in Adams Run .. we had been kicking around the idea of a new dining room table - not just any table ... one that would reflect our love of all things old, that would be a place where many friends would surround for a hearty home cooked meal and share laughter and stories ... one that could tell a few stories of its own .. you know the table ... the one that you will want to pass down and your grandkids would say... THAT was my grandmothers table and they would reflect on the many great memories made there. 

Well who would've thunk that our perfect table , all dressed up with just the right shade of shabby chic blue as if she were smiling at us &  saying - "take me home " ,would be waiting patiently for us in Adams Run!  After a little romance dance around the perimeter of the store we got closer... fearful that she may carry too high a price tag ... we didn't want to fall in love... not just yet ... what if she didn't fit ?

Again she called ... finally, as we prepared our exit Randolph made the approach ?  Do you want this table he asked ?  I don't know ... how much ?... he just said .. do you want it ??  I did but seriously ... we weren't out to actually BUY a table today ... but there she was like most great finds ... ready and waiting ... so love had already taken hold ... she was ours ... and she was out for her first big adventure ... All loaded up in the back of the Surburban we head further south to Walterboro ... Randolph had never been and I had not really wandered around Walterboro .. ever ... wouldn't you know ... we wandered into the most peaceful environment ... peaceful  like a  museum or library  ... the Artisan Center in Walterboro ....  There we found more clues in an artist named Bernadette Cali .  She knows   a store on Wadmalaw that we too have fallen for ... another romance in the making... this one however may take a lot of courting ... be patient dear ole' nine mile ... we will find our common ground in time !  However I do have high hopes of making another friend in Cali Arts ... a beatiful artist who seems to know much about our beloved store .. excuse me ... schoolhouse...  I can't wait to know you Ms. Cali and soak up your stories of island life and travel ...

Onward and upward we continue our adventure ... upward to the next store that is ... by now I'm getting hot and hungry ... but Randolph is now on a mission ... our girl needs chairs to complete the family... again ... in and out of stores ... lots of cool things ... then ... we spy the ones ... 4 beautiful ladder back chairs right in the window ... mismatched with a wobbly old table.  We came and went and came again after justifying .. I negotiated what I believe to be an incredible deal ... the family is complete... no more looking ... we are so excited ... and still hungry .. so we drove "the family" around some more ... when what did we find next ... DAIRYLAND ...retro and ridiculously yummy - chili dogs classic , onion rings, soft serve and iced cold coke with rabbit pellet ice ! My somach is jumping up and down in anticipation ... DAIRYLAND - you did not disappoint !  When it can't be Jacks Pink Rockets a trip to W'boro for Dairyland is worth the gas...

After filling up on chili dogs we head for Yemassee - more food ... but on the way  - one last stop for serenity at Old Sheldon Church ... That in itself is another blog but not to be forgotten ... What peace lies there in that beautiful place.



We did make a 15 minutes of fame stop in Beaufort to see if we wanted to make a day of it on another trip but now back to Yemassee and Harolds ...
Harolds is a delight ... we arrived and found parking right up front ... we dusted off, straightened our shirt tails and made our way in ... past the gas tanks and right in the front door ... first things first ... when you don't know anyone - go to the bar ... or the bathroom !  Rand gathered our liquid courage ( a bargain at $ 5 bucks )  while I visited the loo.   I loved the people watching but was in great anticipation of THE CALL ...  The call for dinner  that is ... Randolph called early, ordered our steaks as we had been instructed, and shortly the lline opened ... lord child ... you should have seen that place move - like the Dixie Stampede they ran .... old and young.... now being a veteran I'm not so sure what they were running for because once you pay up and get through the turnstile , Gladys finds your name on a sheet , highlights it , and hands over the goods... rib eye - well done - it's all well done thought they do let you believe that the three pans of steak hold med rare, medium and well just for shits and grins ... jokes' on you ... all well done ... but then again .. it's not grain fed texas kobe beef so ... probably a lesser health risk ... well done it is !   Move on to the salad bar - or shall I say ... iceberg ,  1000 island ,  baked potato and a roll.  There is a pile of A1, parkay spread and sour cream likeness... and don't forget the ketsup ... lord i've never seen so much ketsup on adult steaks in one place IN MY LIFE ...

So as much as we loved our Harold's experience , the new family was waiting ... we were excited to get home and make introductions ... and as etiquette goes, it's really not polite to stay too long anyway  - especially on your first visit .... We we thanked our hosts , bid adieu to Harold and headed back home ...  It was the PERFECT day .... and we are excited for our first dinner guests to share stories around the table ...