Night of a Thousand Candles

Night of a Thousand Candles is an annual event at Brookgreen Gardens where the gardens are transformed into a spectacular winter wonderland.  The gardens are beautiful by day as well, but seeing them at night is completely different, especially when the old oaks are draped in white lights and candles appear to glide on water.  It is absolutely stunning.  Visitors can make an entire evening out of this event since there are three entertainment tents that you can circle through, and with a full food menu and beverages, there are plenty of options to fill your belly.  Here are some photos to transport you there:

Ben took me for the first time last year (I know! It's hard to believe I have lived on the Grand Strand for so many years and had never been to this), and I was blown away with how spectacular it was.  We went this year on the opening weekend, and it was, again, very impressive.  I stood and walked in awe at the beauty of this seemingly magical place.  Our friends Brian and Nancy also joined us this year, and it was great to watch them as they were seeing everything for the first time.  We also listened to some of the musical entertainment and indulged in some delicious food.  This year it was much warmer, so we were able to enjoy being outside in the cool night air.  My personal favorite is the Palmetto garden where they have large Chinese-style lanterns weaving between the trees above the pathway.  You feel as if you have been transported to some fictional land, until you are almost run over by someone in a wheelchair or a family with three strollers and kids running about.  I think this is a great family event, and it is great to see children enjoying the lights.  An "adult only" evening would be wonderful, even if it was on a weeknight.  I would be willing to pay a little extra to not have to be bumping into strollers and hearing crying children.  It would definitely lend itself to being a peaceful night, where guests really can be transported into a magical place.  It was a very enjoyable evening regardless, and it is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.
This is definitely a must see!  If you can't make it during the Christmas season, Brookgreen Gardens is still a very beautiful place to visit, especially in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom.  Just don't forget those allergy meds!
http://www.brookgreen.org/NOTC.cfm

Sweet Home Alabama

Thanksgiving brought us to Foley, Alabama to visit my maternal grandparents for the long weekend.  Ben was a great sport, making the 11+ hour car ride with us, and we had a nice visit, a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, and explorations along the Gulf Coast.  Saturday, Ben and I had the opportunity to take a drive into Gulf Shores and head east towards Orange Beach.  We drove along the ocean road, comparing the resort atmosphere that we are so familiar with in Myrtle Beach, and admiring the large expanse of state park that splits highway 182.  Ben took some pictures of the beach resorts, and we took a nice walk through the fluffy, white sands along the Gulf Coast.

That afternoon, we went to downtown Foley for some more exploration.  The old train station that was part of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad is a centerpiece of the downtown area.  There are 4 stationary cars on the old tracks, including the engine and a caboose.

We also looked at the Magnolia Inn, which is a large bed and breakfast on Main Street.  There is quite a juxtaposition between the historical architecture of the main house, the modern connecting bridge to the restaurant with a gigantic crystal chandelier, and the Art Nouveau influenced sign in the front lawn.  As it was adorned for the holiday season, it drew even more attention to itself, so we decided to step inside.  The inside was no less bizarre and over the top.  Large classical architectural elements, including oversized pediments and busts, adorned the main lounge area off the entry, and the furniture was extremely traditional and stiff.  In the word of my grandmother, "The furniture in the lounge is the most uncomfortable furniture I have ever had to sit in."

It was quite interesting taking in all of these elements, but it seems that much of the South chooses to be "over the top."  Regardless of the styles, it seems that the proprietor of this particular establishment chose whichever style was her liking to incorporate into the decor and exterior of the property.  Not exactly the best idea, but somehow in all the hodge-podge of the mess that was this bed and breakfast, there was a distinct charm to it.  It had a home-like quality, where everything had a story and history to it, and that if the walls could talk, they would have some interesting stories to tell of all the people that had come through the doors.  Much of the South is like this, and we have much more exploring to do...

Auburn

A stop at Auburn's campus on the way to the Gulf coast was a nice break for us on our car trip to my grandparent's house.  We were able to look around the campus, see Toomer's oaks, and check out the architecture building.  It is another beautiful college campus.

Rock Hill Riverwalk

While in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and Charlotte this past weekend, we took some time Saturday morning to explore the new Riverwalk in Rock Hill, SC.  The paved trail goes right along the Catawba River, and the trail is wide enough to accommodate bikers, runners, walkers, and dogs.  I took some photos of our stroll on the sunny and beautiful Southern fall Saturday.

 Ben and Dakota

 From death comes life...

 Trail Marker

 Catawba River

 A lone leaf

 Old retaining wall

 Great Blue Heron

 Beautiful fall colors

 Waiting...

 seats from stumps

Fall

The chill that hits through the screen door as the morning walk is again engulfed by the night,

The days begin to fade quicker, an urgent reminder to us the death of winter is lurking near?

Fall back to the standard time the clocks proclaim

an hour of sleep you shall gain

But in this time of shortened days, it is not the sleep we need.

As I walk on leash in hand, the air is crisp, clear.

I think the summer humidity slows our minds, weighs upon us.

I propose for us here South, fall is the awakening of the mind.

The harvest is done, the tourist are gone.

Fall is the time for us.

Independence Cabin

The weekend of August 20th, 2011, Johanna and I joined several of our friends in spending the weekend in the Great Smokey Mountains. Since we have unfortunately delayed in posting this, we will simply attach some photographs for your enjoyment.

Loris Bog Off

Southern writer James Villas describes bog as any stew that contains wet, soggy rice, unlike a pilaf which contains sauteed or seasoned rice. However this highly localized dished can come in many forms but the traditional ingredients are chicken, rice, sausage, onions, salt, and pepper.  For those of you completely lost at this point, trust us this one course dish is truly amazing. So much so that since 1979 Loris, SC has held an annual festival that pits bog chefs against one another in the ultimate bog-off. For one weekend in October Loris, with a population of 2400, explodes into a festival attracting almost 25,000 people. 
This year 13 chefs were competing against each other. After sampling almost all of them, we settled upon two that we felt were amazing. One was just good ole fashion bog with not frills, but a very consistent texture and flavor The other put a twist on the bog by using a mustard base. 
In addition to the chicken bog, the streets are lined with vendors, a car show, animal rides, and tons of fair food if you get tired of eating bog.  

9/11

It has been 10 years and ironically it is again a beautiful clear day. We all know where we were then. As with JFK and the Challenger, 9/11 is one of those moments in our history where all divisions were erased, and we united as one.  While we pause to honor those that died and those that continue to cope, it is our hope that this nation never lose that sense of unity. For it is only through the unity of all that the freedom and diversity of the individual can be protected.

Chicago: Day 6

Our final day was here, and we were sad to see it coming to an end!
We spent a leisurely morning getting ready, packing, and taking it easy.  After checking out, we began to walk towards Navy Pier, and we noticed the increasing fog that was rolling into the city.  We were planning on taking a sky line boat cruise to get some shots of the skyline from Lake Michigan, but the weather obviously was not going to cooperate.  We strolled down Navy Pier, looked at the large stained glass window installation, and rode some rides.  Our ride on the Ferris wheel was a foggy mess!  We looked towards the city, and it was just a big gray blob.  We decided to have lunch and just go over to the Shedd Aquarium.  There was no point in doing much outside because it was so difficult to see, which we realized on the water taxi ride to the Museum Campus.  Boats would just emerge from nothing out of the fog.  It was really spooky.
The Aquarium was a nice change from the gloom outside, and we checked out all of the aquatic life they had on display.  They had some beluga whales, penguins, and Pacific dolphins that we enjoyed watching.
Alas, it was time to grab our bags from the hotel and head to O'Hare to catch our flight.  We both had a wonderful time, and there is so much more of the city to see.  I know we will make it back to explore some more one day!

 Navy Pier

 Stained Glass Exhibit

 Ferris Wheel

 Water Taxi

 Sailboat Emerging from the fog

 Penguins!

Boo!