Thursday, October 28, 2010

Historic and Beautiful Charleston

Since we were in the vicinity we went to Charleston...if you are a history buff or if you love beautiful historic homes and buildings, and you want to see the way the Southern Aristocrats lived, then you must come see it!! It is the oldest city in SC, and my town Camden is the oldest inland city in SC.




that lady in pink is MOM

The Old exchange and Provost Dungeon was built by the British as an Exchange and Customs house in 1771.  American Patriots were held in the dungeon during the American Revolution.  There was a tour..but I'd much rather be above ground thank you very much--lol





The last time I was in Charleston I spent a lot of time in the Market area and didn't buy a thing--so this time we didn't bother to go there we strolled along the historic district....Gallery Row-Charleston has more than 30 art galleries!!




The beautiful baskets of the Gullah people are still around but not as prevalent as years gone by.  They hand weave beautiful sweet grass baskets.  I spoke to a team of mother/daughter weavers and they told me that like the rug weavers of the Navajo the craft is a dying art!  They said it takes patience to go out to the marsh and gather the grasses used to create the baskets and it takes patience to sit and weave the baskets and to come up with interesting designs and keep the heritage of the old designs alive.  Lastly it takes patience to wait for the basket to be sold, and according to them few have the patience to learn this wonderful art and trade.  The mother said "young people want to make their money today and spend it tonight." She sounded very wise to me, and I think she really wants to preserve this beautiful craft

.



Rainbow Row is one after the other of wonderful homes built along the edge of the Peninsula facing the sea and the battery wall. The homes are painted all colors of the rainbow, thus the name-



This one I really like most it's the Edmonston-Alston House C-1825. Its now a museum.  With original furniture, silver, painting, books, and legal papers of the Alston family




I love the C-1800's homes, store fronts, and all that wrought Iron..the Charleston Historic Society has done a wonderful job keeping the historic look to the Peninsula area of the city.







Although I am not in favor of using animals for profit, I can only speak for myself and came to that conclusion after working in the horse racing industry for quite a few yrs...the horses in Charleston seem to be in good shape, well fed, groomed and shod, I saw a few that looked like they wanted to call it a day--this one had a beautiful braid job on his mane.





 Down to Battery Park the history of the wars, Revolutionary and Civil, is remembered...why is it we put up statues to remember war and none of what we have done for Peace?  Maybe we have not done enough for Peace-I think Woodstock is the only memory we have when we think of Peace-Y-




Up the waterfront and river walk parks there are some cool fountains and Swimming is allowed, they call it wading---




many comfortable benches line the riverwalk park for relaxing in the shade this couple serenaded us,


                                                                

             ...and a sweet view of the Ashley-Cooper Bridge-






       The yacht club had a youth race underway...it was a tight race-




 Saturday I am heading upstate for a couple of reasons...One to dog sit again, and to enjoy the beautiful fall colors that should be just about right in the  Blue Ridge Mtns. and if all goes as planned I will finally hike to the Raven Cliff Falls!

9 comments:

  1. Absolutely beautiful pictures! I have not been to Charleston for a loooooonnnnng time... Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Charleston seems to be an impressive town worthy of a visit, thanks for this wonderful and interesting tour. Great shots, I love best the one with the reflection in the shopwindow!

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely images like these make me grateful that my husband and i have finally made charleston our home!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love Charleston, as shown by you. Especially the "reflection" photo. I have added to my list of places I MUST visit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Charleston is one of my favorite places too. There's just so much southern charm. Gorgeous shots of a beautiful place.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What grand old buildings. Great shots.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What beautiful looking buildings. Charleston looks a lovely place to explore.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A very impressive city, lots of history there!

    The art gallery looks interesting and I liked the photo of the bridge too.

    Hope you enjoy the dog sitting and the Autumn Colours.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you friends and I hope you enjoy Fall in your areas too!

    ReplyDelete

Comments are appreciated, and reciprocated!
However I delete comments that contain links or instructions to visit a site unless it directly relates to content of the blog it is posted on. In other words DONT SPAM MY COMMENTS SECTION!!