Sedona Series now on Exhibit 10 ' 15

Eight of CC's Sedona Series' Oil Paintings are now on exhibit at:

the Seacoast Artists Gallery  

3032 Nevers Ave. Myrtle Beach, SC

Date Night at the Jerusalem Restaurant: 10 '!5

"Oy Veh!" Bruce said looking at the hours of operation posted on the outside of the Jerusalem Mediterranean Restaurant.  "This place is so Kosher it closes at 3 pm on Friday, and doesn't open again until Sunday."

When we stepped  through the door of the restaurant we found ourselves surrounded by decor imported from Morocco:  hand-painted tiled walls; hand-embroidered art work, were everywhere.

Authentic Moroccan potter, including dozens of tangines, decorated the walls .

Yards and yards of flowing fabrics draping from the ceiling;

 a traditional family-style dining area with lowered tables surrounded by authentic Mediterranean poof cushions; and comfy padded booths with hundreds of pillows.

 The three dining rooms and full bar are adorned with hand-blown glass chandeliers that will leave you awestruck.

Our waitress, Chelsea,  greeted us as soon as we stepped through the door and told us we could seat ourselves wherever we liked.  As soon as we were settled at a table she brought us our menus .  Bruce grinned from ear to ear when she handed them to us as though they were to read from right to left.

'Talk about eating Kosher', BJ said.  'It says on the menu that this is the only Glatt Kosher restaurant in the Carolinas, and that the Rabbi comes in daily to inspect the restaurant and the food preparation. , 

"Actually, sometimes he comes three times a day to make sure everything is up to kosher standards, said Chelsea".  "Even our wines are kosher", she said, nodding toward the sparking cocktail lounge.

Now it was my turn to grin.  A beautiful exotic,atmosphere and a clean healthy environment .... what more could one ask for from a restaurant?  Why good food of course.  And that, they have!

We ordered Turkish Cigars  and Babaganush  for appetizers and  Lamb, beef kabobs with saffron rice for our entrees, and two of their beautiful hand made pastries.The Naan and salad were complimentary.  The meal was served warm and everything was delicious,  but the serving portions were enormous.  We  wound up taking enough home  for an entire meal on Saturday evening.

We would certainly recommend The Jerusalem Mediterranean Restaurant to any one. This restaurant has very authentic decor and atmosphere. Our food was amazing. We felt like we had been transported to Jerusalem.  Our only regret is that we came for lunch when the lounge was not open.  We would love to come back at happy hour, sit on cushions and eat at one  of the lowered tables while sipping a glass of kosher wine. 

Hickory Knob State Resort:gold Course 10 '15

BJ on the 17th Tee off

Today we played the Hickory Knob State Park Golf Course which  is nestled along the shores of Lake Thurmond.   Located in South Carolina on the South Carolina / Georgia border, this is a challenging 18 holes for golfers of any skill level.

The huge  Lake Thurmond Reservoir Lake serves as a defining feature of this challenging course.  As you can see from the map  and photos below,  the waters of Lake Thurmond are visible or come into play on every hole. 

In order to score at Hickory Knob,  one has to be prepared to hit a variety of shots.

 There is a tremendous assortment of slopes, contours, fairway widths, and bunkering.

Also competing for your attention is  gorgeous scenery,

 Fall color

and wildlife 

Fortunately, Bruce brought his 'A game today' 

BJ on the 17th green

and he played very well on this challenging course.

BJ on the 18th green.

And me.. well I just played every other hole , 

so I had time to take photos of all the beautiful scenery.

Hickory Knob State Resort Park, Guillebeau House: 10 '15

This historical cabin is located directly across the street from the cabin where Bruce and I are staying.  It has a interesting history.

Late in the 1700's the French Huguenots came to this area looking not for gold, but for the golden opportunity of a new world free from religious persecution.  They settled within the boundaries of the Old 96 District McCormick County, living and worshiping in a section named after their homeland in France, New Bordeaux.

In the late 1770's the Guillebeau House was built by Andre Guillebeau and his wife in the Mt. Carmel area of McCormick County.  Ancestors of Andre Guillebeau lived in the house for many years.  In the 1930's the house was revived when the remaining Guillebeau descendants decided to hold the Hueguenot reunions there.  These reunions were held for the next several years.

After the Guillebeau family sold the property, Mrs Ina Guillebeau Savage, a descendant of the builder purchased the Guillebeau House in order to preserve it, and donated it to Hickory Knob State Resort Park.    The Guillebeau House is on the National Registry of Historical Places, and has been recognized as one of the top five cabins in America.

The Guillebeau House was rented during our visit,( as it often is)  so we were not able to go inside.  That is too bad; we would have loved to have seen the inside.  Even though the Guillebeau House has been updated with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a modern kitchen, a gas log fireplace, screened in porch, and central heat and AC,  it still contains many antiques of the era.  I bet one can feel a real sense of the past within its walls. One certainly can when looking at it from the exterior .

Hickory Knob State Park Resort 10 '15

Hickory Knob State Park Resort is owned and  operated by State of South Carolina . Located on a peninsula on the banks of the Strom Thurmond Reservoir and the Savannah River,  the resort offers a complete selection of recreational facilities including: archery, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, golf, skeet, swimming, and tennis.  

We are here for a 3 day weekend, and intend to sample as many of the facilities as possible. As soon as  we  arrived yesterday  (after a 4 hour drive), we took off on a hike along the banks of the massive lake which surrounds the park.  We are really enjoying the  perfect fall weather and beautiful scenery.

How our Garden Grows, Fall has arrived. 10 '15

For the past week  we have been enjoying beautiful fall weather. The daytime temperatures are in the mid 70s F.  We haven't seen temperatures that cool for 6 months, and we know it won't last long.  We want to take advantage of  all this fine weather  while we can and are spending as much time as possible in out of door activities,  Yesterday morning I raked up all the leaf litter and set out  pots of fall colored mums across the front flower bed.  Doesn't it look pretty?

Georgetown Wooden Boat Show 10 '15

  

It was a beautiful sunny Fall day today, so Bruce and I went to the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show.  We were over-joyed to see that it was well attended. 

Flooding on Front Street in Georgetown, on Oct 5 2015

This is especially important this year  because,  up until last weekend, this historic little town was still being  flooded by the overflowing river that runs next to its Main Street

Flooded Boardwalk in Georgetown along Sampit River on Oct 5, 2015

The Sampit River was still high enough today to be lapping at the boardwalk along the  river, but at least it was dry  and  safe to walk on.

Live musicians were playing in several locations

The elevated river  seemed to have limited  the number of wooden vessels that  were on  display in the river itself, but all of the street fair activities  were as lively and well attended as ever.

The Harbor Patrol remote control Talking Tug Boat chats with kids.

Children's activities like a talking miniature tug boat ( remotely controlled by a Harbor Patrol officer and built a mini wooden raft to race through a obstacle course, kept the little  people entertained.

People watching while eating at many of the areas street front cafes

 or food stands  is always popular.

Watching master boat builders  in a timed competitions to build a dory is always a hugely popular event .  Those builders who have a competed their dory within the allocated time  limits, then have to race it across the Sampit River to win the competition. 

And then of course there is the pleasure of being able to get up close and personal with wooden beauties  in every shape and form, from those  which  have engines,

to those that do not,

and everything in between.

BJ by a viking-like  oared  wooden vessel

Protecting our Wildlife 10 '16

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today. There were  massive numbers of  American Woodstork and Ibis resting along the pond by our 18th fairway.

I had just started photographing the birds when some jerk comes off the 15th fairway and starts  waving his arms  and trying to scare the flock off. 

BJ  started whistling, shouting at the guy that they are a protected species ,  and that  he should  back off and leave them alone.  Then BJ pointed to me and my very big Canon camera, which was pointed right at the jerk.  He made a crude gesture, but left.

Sheeessss.  Some people have no respect for anything.

Monday a.m. Status Update on Conditions in Pawleys Plantation 10 "15

Monday Morning status update from Pawleys Plantation!

Looking toward front gate on PP Way x Cameron Ct.

The good news is that our street is still complete clear of standing water and so far all of the rain water is running off our street as fast as it falls. ( Official estimates are 15.95" have fallen here since Thursday).

Looking towards the country club from Cameron Way

Taken from PP Way at  wetlands near Redwing Ct. - looking toward the  front gate.
Bruce donned his scuba gear and waded  in to take all three photos at about 10 am.
These three photos above are of the first of three large flooded areas along  PP way.The others are deeper so he didn't attempt to reach the other two, but  below is a photo someone else posted looking toward the front gate from Savannah Dr. this morning.

The bad news is that we are officially flooded in to the Pawleys Plantation Community and can't get out without a boat.. Bruce tried to drive out to work a few minutes ago and found that the main road in and out of the plantation from the front gate to the driving range was under water . (It is as deep as two feet near the speed signs .) Tanglewood also has a lot of water.

The good news is that we are both safe and dry at home. Bruce made it about half way up Pawleys Plantation Way before he decided that it was just getting too deep to drive and turned around and came home. I was scheduled to be at the gallery yesterday and today, but it is closed ( thank goodness) due to flooding at both of the highway 17 entrances to The Market Common complex.

The other good news is that there does not seem to be a lot of trees down ( at least none that I could see). Our sandy soil is saturated, and strong winds can often uproot our tall pines and send them toppling into houses. We had winds up to 25 MPH in the past couple of days, but we didn't see any downed trees when we drove around just before dark yesterday. There aren't even any major broken branches on our street. Keep your fingers crossed.

The storm is supposed to start dissipating tomorrow, then all South Carolina has to worry about are dams breaking and rivers overflowing. Thank goodness we are not really close to either, but I feel bad for all those who are and the roads closures are likely to continue for several days after the rain stops.

Status Update on Conditions in Pawleys Plantation 10 "15

Much ado is being made in the media about the amount of rainfall in the Carolinas this weekend.  Rainfall up to 18 " has been predicted for some areas along the coast, and indeed some areas are getting hammered  ( Charleston Airport got 5" last night, and one needs a kayak to get through some of downtown Charlestons streets).    With stories like that, we are getting panicked calls from friends and relatives alike.  Thank you all for your concern, but be reassured,  Pawleys Plantation is in no current danger of washing away. So far, all we have seen is what is called 'nuisance flooding' where standing water in the streets reaches ankle level.

Bruce and I took a little photo tour of the plantation this morning.  Hopefully it will ease the minds of our snow bird neighbors that their homes  and friends are safe. So starting from the entrance:

PP Way just past Guard House Entrance

We found flooding on Pawleys Plantation Way (PP Way)  just after passing the guard house .

PP Way just past Guard House Entrance

It looks kinda scary driving into it, 

PP Way looking toward the Guard House

but you can see looking at it from the other direction the water really isn't more that 4 inches deep and there is no flow at all. ( The splash does however makes a far better detector than the speed monitors for determining who is driving over the posted limit).

Turtle Creek  and PP Way

Turtle Creek has shallow flooding in the street and driveway entrances for the first few houses.

PP way near the 3rd Fairway cart path

PP then dries out until you reach the ponds between the 3rd Fairway and Savannah/Old Augusta ,

PP Way between  Savannah and Old Augusta 

where water again completely covers portions of the road.

3rd Fairway Pond run off

The problem here is that the street water would normally drain into the 3rd fairway pond, but the pond is full and there is no place for the water to go.

The 3rd fairway itself and its cart path did not have any standing water.

Form Old Savannah near PP Way

Portions of Old Savannah have minor standing water near the pond between Savannah and Old Augusta.  Again, this is due to the retention ponds being too full to accept runoff from the streets.

Savannah Street run off area

Old Augusta looking towards PP Way

Old Augusta did not have any standing water that we could see.  The banks of the pond are quite steep on the old Augusta side of the pond. The water was up to the bottom of the wood duck houses, bu still had a couple of feet to go before it would have overflown its banks.

Corner of Green teal and PP Way

There is shallow standing water all the way across PP way  from the Pond at the corner of Green Teal and PP way.  Same issue as all the rest... No place for the water to go until the tide recedes and some water from the retaining ponds can be pumped into the marsh.

PP way and pond at Green Teal

The next area we encountered water were the two wetland lots that border PP way just beyond Pintail and Grey Fox  The water didn't full flood the street but one can see that the wetland lots were completely saturated and the next rain would bring the water further onto the street.

PP way and wetland lots

The remainder of Pawleys Plantation way and all the other side streets  were free of standing water.

10th Fairway has new water hazard before the sand trap.

Last nights's rainfall did create some interesting new challenges on our golf course. Both the 10th and the 17th fairways have new water hazards.

17th Fairway  has new water hazard before the green.

Don't forget to watch out for the Ibis hanging out in their new pond.

Ibis on 17

Or the  Alligator  and  Wood-storks hanging out on the 18th fairway beside the pond

As I mentioned earlier, most of these problems are very short lived.  Street water  is supposed to drain into the retaining ponds.

Looking across the pond at 18th fairway  to natural creek end

If the ponds get too full, the golf course pumps the excess  into the fresh water marsh ( below) through a natural creek on the pond at the 18th fairway. 

From there the water empties into a larger Pawleys Island Salt Marsh on other other side of the causeway  to the 13th fairway( below)

If the tide is too high to push more water into the marsh, there is nothing to be done but wait for it to recede, and  in the meanwhile enjoy the wild life the rain and the tides bring with them.