Presto Chango 12 ' 12

 As soon as Thanksgiving was over CC dragged down all of the Christmas ornaments from the attic. Bruce swears he left the house to play golf and it was Fall gold and Orange with Thanksgiving decor , and by the time he finished his game and returned home it was  all red and green and Christmas like. Only a few edible squash remained to convince him he hadn't walked into the wrong kitchen

Willbrook Plantation Golf Course '12

I have to admit, Bruce is getting smarter about how to con me into playing golf with him.  He's finally figured out that I like going to places that have cultural significance, are visually  appealing, and /or are at least athletically and mentally challenging...  So he took me to the Willbrook Plantation.  That golf course definitely has all three traits.

Willbrook  is one of the a multitude of  nearby golf courses that are built upon what were once a major Rice Plantations

The difference is that Willbrook has managed to highlight the culturally significance of the area by allowing archeological digs on the property, and documenting these sites with historical markers.

Site  ruins and marker of the original plantation house

These include the plantation house, slave village, slave cemetery headstones,  a rice mill,  rice fields, and the original canal system to irrigate the rice fields

Which brings us to the second benefit of playing at Waccamaw  -  the canal system is based upon tidal input which is constantly ebbing and flowing, and presenting an never ending series of  reflections.  I only wish that golf courses would let artists on-site  to paint.  I could spend a lifetime here and never capture all of the beauty of this place.

 Which brings us to the third  attraction... again provided by  water..  It's everywhere.

You tee off across it, onto a  islands that are surrounded by water.  

You play long narrow fairways that have a canal running along its length,

Or drive over  what appears to be a  large lakes in the middle of the fairways.

And water isn't the only hazard along the fairways some are even more intimidating

Willbrook  Plantation is certainly one of the more challenging courses around , and definitely tests ones  nerve as well as driving skills.

Thanksgiving Dinner Nov '12

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Pawleys Plantation Country Club was awesome.

All the traditional Thanksgiving foods, plus some of the freshest seafood in the nation.

AND NO CLEAN UP Totally Awesome!

Happy Turkey Day Everyone '12

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours

Happy Birthday CC '12

CC with her new Golf Bag

Guess What Bruce Gave me for my Birthday?

Yup - you got it!

A Bright Pink Golf bag and matching pink golf balls.

Maybe he thinks that if he disguises them in my favorite fashion color,

I will be more willing to spend time playing with them.

Pumpkin patch painting '12

12"x12" original oil painting

Bruce and I love decorating our home in the fall.  After I finished painting a pumpkin I had seen in a local farm,  Bruce set the painting up in the corner of our kitchen and surrounded it with Indian corn we had bought at the same farm stand.  Just looking at the display brings back good memories of that day trip.

Fall has arrived in the Low Country

The photo above was taken along the Black River in Georgetown County, SC

The Low Country is  beautiful to behold in her Fall wardrobe. 

Mini Canvases Now Available at Applewoods '12

mini-canvas display

CC just set  up the Mini canvas  fundraiser display at Applewoods

Once again the Seacoast Artists Guild are making original works of art on mini canvases available at the Applewood House of Pancakes.

100% of the revenue from the sale  of this affordable artwork goes to support  training & educational art programs at our local schools as well as funding scholarships to be awarded to gifted art students.

The Applewood House of Pancakes can be found at 14361 Ocean Hywy,  Litchfield, SC 29585

Jane Woodward Demos at SAG Nov 4 Meeting '12

Jane Woodward

Even the General membership meetings of the Seacoast Artists Guild are well worth attending. On Nov 4th 2012, our guest speaker was the well know artist, Jane Woodward,  who gave a demonstration to the Seacoast Artists Guild on how to paint skies and clouds.

Nov 4 2012 evening cloudscape

As though to reinforce the lesson just learned,  mother nature treated us to  a magnificent  evening cloud-scape as  as the meeting ended.

My Wall at CAG Nov.'12

I have three of my pastels of the local dunes up in the Charleston Artist Guild

CAG Miniature Holiday Art Sale '12

This year CAG put up two Christmas trees in the gallery.  One tree was for CAG members who had been jurried into exhibiting status,  and the other was for exhibiting members who are in the CAG gallery

Exhibitors are  allowed to hang small affordable miniature artwork on their respective tree.  You may remember that last year I put two serious holiday still lifes on the tree, and a playful Surfing Santa. The still lifes sold almost instantly, but the Santa did not find a home. Honestly I was kinda glad that he didn't, as I really would have liked to have him in my own home.

This year caught me short on paintings and Bruce talked me into putting Santa back on the CAG Tree.
Wouldn't you know it.  He sold within two days.  Now I may have to  repaint one for myself.

Newest Exhibitor at Applewoods Gallery '12

My wall at Applewoods

I was caught off guard when an opportunity to exhibit in the Sea Coast Artists Guild Applewoods Gallery opened up at the last minute.  Based on the lengthy wait list to get into this popular gallery, I had not expected to be hanging there until next year.  But I was  not too  surprised to say yes to the opening  and  rush down to the gallery to hang  a number of reproductions  my local landmark series.  I love the way my work looks displayed  on the gallery's tomato red walls

Sandy's on her way '12

Got home about 8pm yesterday. Overcast sky but dry roads all the way home. It started raining about midnight and hasn't stopped. The winds are still light as well... but then Sandy is still only half way up the coast of Florida so there is more to come.

Campbell's Covered Bridge '12

 CC by Campbell's Covered Bridge

There are a lot of Campbell Landmarks in Upstate South Carolina. This one was named after the miller who paid to have the bridge built so that the local farmers could more easily bring their corn to his grist mill.

Campbell's Covered Bridge located In Greenville Co SC

It was a lovely place to have a picnic.

BJ  and Campbell's Covered Bridge

The grounds around the landmark are maintained by a Boyscout troop. What a nice gift to others! 

SC State Historic Marker

 A bit more history.

Sniff

The decision has been made...we're going home early. Better to leave a day earlier than planned, than battle driving in tropical storm conditions. Plus it will give us a chance to get the patio furniture indoors before it gets too windy. It doesn't look like the South Carolina coast will get battered too badly, but I am concerned about family and friends living in the north eastern states.

Table Rock State Park, SC '12

Third adventure of the day Table Rock State Park, SC

Table Rock as seen from SC Hywy 11

The giant 3200' granite boulder known as Table Rock dominates the landscape of Pickens Co, SC. Cherokee Indian Folklore told of a enormous and powerful god who used the rock as his dining table, and the smaller peak in the foreground was the stool he used to sit on while eating at the table.  Settlers perpetuated the legend by naming the stone "Table Rock"

Table Rock as seen from State Park Road to Resort

The closer you get to the peak, the more impressive its mass. There are no roads to the top, but there are some hiking trails which will get your there ( if you are young and fit enough).

For my part, I was content enough to have a picnic by the lake at the base of the rock and enjoy the serenity and peacefulness of the moment.

Twin Falls in Pickens Co SC 12

Twin Falls, Picken Co, SC

This is Twin Falls (aka Reedy Bottom Falls, Rocky Falls, Eastatoe Falls, ... it has more aliases than an escaped convict) and finding it was our second adventure of the day. Bruce nominated it as his favorite excursion of this trip. It involved navigating through the curvy backwoods country roads, past biker bars, and bear hunters (which are out in force this time of year), driving through private property, and finally hiking up a unmarked narrow trail along side a beautiful gurgling stream, to locate this lovely 200 foot Twin Waterfall. Definitely worth the effort.

Mt Sassafras, Pickens Co., SC '12

BJ on Mt Sassafras Peak

 Mt Sassafras in Pickens County, SC at 3500+ feet is the highest mountain in South Carolina. Don't laugh, I've bagged peaks with the Desert Peak Division of the Sierra Club that weren't as high as this.

Foothills Trail Trail Marker

Of course it really wasn't much of a hike on the Foothills Trail ...

BJ on Foot Hills Trail

It was more of a short uphill walk from the parking lot where the road crossed the trail about 200 feet below the peak. 

Mt Sassafras Overlook

Just off the parking lot there was a viewing platform that provided some spectacular vistas

This view is across North-western South Carolina and beyond into Georgia

This is looking east across Pickens County toward the East Coast of South Carolina. The outer bands of Hurricane Sandy were blocking the view or we might have been able to see the coast.  

Long Shoals Roadside Park '12

Great reflections

 Surprise surprise. This beautiful little river run is right next to SC Highway 11.   Only a  small road sign, "Long Shoals Roadside Park" and a  small pull off of gives any indication that there is anything special to see.

BJ at Long Shoals Roadside Park

BJ was like a little kid when he saw this place.  He went off leaping from rock to rock with a big grin on his face 

Where are those fish hiding?    I didn't see any fish, but I am sure this is a popular spot with anglers in the Spring run off. 

Endless composition opportunities

The water was low so I could stand on dry rocks in the middle of the stream and take photos

Can't wait to get started painting some of these scenes.

Great color

 I loved the combination of rocks and water and fall color all in the same photo. Pretty sure  this and several other shots will wind up  becoming a painting.

Caesar's Head SC State Park '12

BJ hiking at Ceasars Head SP

Bruce hiking at Caesar's Head SP. under a canopy of brilliant fall foliage.

Over Look  at Ceasars Head SP toward Table Rock SP

 This mountain top park has awesome views. 

Campbells' Mountain

Seen from the same overlook is Campbell's Mountain, SC. (The farthest most peak in the photo above).  It was named for the  American Revolutionary war hero, Col. William Campbell who successfully led the patriots against  Lt. Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis, commander-in-chief of the British army in the South.  The patriots victory  at Kings Mountain SC was one of the most important events recorded in modern history, and changed the course of the war. 

Raven Cliff Falls Caesar Head SP, SC

We hiked 5+ miles along the flank of the upper peaks of this SC State Park to an overlook for Raven Cliff Falls. It is possible to hike  an additional 1.5 hours straight down through dismal gorge to the bottom of the falls, but the trail signs warned it would then  take an additional  3 hours  to  hike straight back up.  Alternatively we could have hiked an additional mile  to a suspension bridge that crosses the top of the falls, but then we couldn't actually see the face of the falls.. We decided the overlook was the best choice for getting a good look at the 400 foot plunging waterfall.

Jones Gap SC State Park '12

BJ on trail in Jone's Gap Trail sp, SC

Come prepared for a serious workout in this SC State Park. There are some 55+ miles of hiking trails in this wilderness area. We chose to follow one of the lower elevation trails that followed an old river bed. Lots of boulder-hopping, along a beautiful rushing stream.