Spanish Moss #2

I just LOVE these trees with Spanish moss on their limbs

Light and Shadows

There where is sunshine - there are also shadows

Good Bye Juergen!

It's a sad time for me today and I don't want to say to much words because I lost a good friend of mine!

Good Bye Juergen, see you soon in the other world and then we will have time to take long walks at the beach - We all are missing you!

Old Rusty Boats & Shrimp Boats

Welcome sign to Folly Beach

This is the spot where "old and new" meet each other

I'm sure these old rusty boats have seen a lot and could tell you a lot of interesting stories

Sparkling sunlight over the Marsh

I love these beautiful Marsh scenes, so typical for the South here

Knock, Knock, Knock - on Charleston's Doors

I would love to know who is living behind all these nice doors. :-)

My Wordless Sunday #4 - in Charleston

Flowers, Everywhere You Go

Wonderful red Camellias are blooming

Flowers high up as a window decorations

Or, flower between the fences

and flowers along the boardwalk

Flowers in the park

Life at the Beach

Contemporary architecture overlooking the ocean

Looking out for shells is big fun for everyone

Summer already in February ? No, no.. kids just cannot wait... :-)
btw, the water was pretty cold!

Fly Seagull fly

Rolling Waves - The Song of the Ocean

The rolling waves, The constant flow.

A fine array of constant change.

It is a song. It is a never ending melody,

A fine array of constant change.

The Holy City - The Huguenot Church

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE HUGUENOT CHURCH

The French Protestant Church of Charleston was founded in approximately 1681 by Huguenot refugees from the Protestant persecutions in France. About 450 Huguenots had settled in South Carolina's Low Country by 1700. The first Huguenot Church was built on its present site in 1687, but in 1796 was destroyed in an attempt to stop the spread of fire, which had burned a large surrounding area. The replacement for the original building was completed in 1800 and dismantled in 1844 to make way for the present Gothic Revival ediface, designed by Edward Brickell White and dedicated in 1845 The church was damaged by shellfire during the long bombardment of downtown Charleston in the War Between the States and was nearly demolished in the severe earthquake of 1886. The present building dates to 1845.

In 1845, the church also purchased and installed a tracker organ carved in the name and shape of a Gothic chapel. Its keys are connected with the pipe valves by a wooden "tracker" or mechanical linkage which responds to the organist's touch faster than any modern mechanism allows. Its tone is similar to the Baroque organs for which Bach and Handel composed. It was built by the leading American organ builder of the first half of the 19th century, Henry Erben. After the fall of Charleston in 1865, federal soldiers dismantled the organ and were loading it on a New York-bound ship when the pleas of the organist, Mr. T. P. O'Neale, and some influential friends saved it.

This is the only remaining independent Huguenot Church in America. Our church is governed by the Board of Directors and the Board of Elders. Calvinist doctrine, as handed down by the early founders, is very much in evidence today.

Our weekly worship service is conducted in English. It is a liturgical service, adapted from the liturgies of Neufchatel and Vallangin dated 1737 and 1772. Communion services are held periodically and are open to all believers. Since 1950, an annual service in French has been celebrated in the spring.

See and read more here

My 500th post and an Award!

I had a very nice way to start my day today! Somebody wrote me, I made someones day - I almost cannot believe it - and I got an award for it! :)

Some months ago I met in this big world of blogs a great photographer friend, Barbara Gordon. She is living at the West Coast, there where people sing, there is never raining....is that right, Barbara? :)

http://barbaragordonphotographyblog.blogspot.com

awarded me with this wonderful and honoring award....
YEAH!

Thank you so much Barbara - YOU made my day! I'm so honored to get this from such a nice person and a great photographer, like you.

I LOVE your work too!

And this is how it works...

1. Write a post with links to five blogs that make your day.
2. Acknowledge the post of the award giver.
3. Display the You Make My Day Award logo.
4. Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs or emailing them the news.

OK, it's easy enough, right? :)


And here are the 5 blogs that made MY day:

http://chunkymountains.blogspot.com
to my good friend Michele, the Rocky Mountain Girl in Canada

http://dianealdred.com
Diane with her beautiful blog about her tasteful handmade book covers

http://juka14.blogspot.com
She has a great travel blog with excellent photography

http://bluedelphy.blogspot.com
Delphy and his blog "Sad Smile". But a smile is not always only a "sad" smile, right?

http://laughtatvids.blogspot.com
Mark's blog and some of his funny videos made me laugh

Almost Springtime

Spring is around the corner.....

Morning Walk at Folly Beach

The seagulls also are enjoying the warming sun

Family walk and so many questions for Dad

He is waiting for the next wave

The waves are rolling in to the shores

The pier at Folly Beach

This six-mile-long by half-mile-wide stretch of sandy beach sports condos, a fishing pier, and loads of history.

In the 1930s, the giant pier and pavilion (later destroyed by fire) rose to fame for billing such big-name acts as Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, the Ink Spots, and Guy Lombardo. Gershwin fans may be interested to know that George and Ira composed "Porgy and Bess" while staying on the beach. Although fire wiped out most of the beach's historical structures, the area is still a popular draw for surfers, picnickers, anglers, and sunbathers, and it offers a pleasant retreat from harried site-seeing for the brain-tired traveler.

More to read about the pier here

My Wordless Sunday #3 - In Charleston, SC

A new Award for me!

I got this wonderful award yesterday from Jenty in South Africa.

Go and visit her very nice blog about her daily life and all kind of things that happen in her surroundings, about her two sweet kids and about her wonderful and excellent flower photos.

THANK YOU so much Jenty, to give this award to me! I'm very flattered and excited.


And I'm going now to give this award to:

http://facade-roentarre.blogspot.com

http://wolverlei.blogspot.com

http://photosforthefunofit.blogspot.com

CONGRATULATIONS guys and ENJOY your award!

The Holy City - St. Philips Church

St. Philip's Episcopal Church

A National Historic Landmark, houses the oldest congregation in South Carolina and was the first Anglican church established south of Virginia. This church is the third building to house the congregation, which was formed by Charles Town colonists. The first church, built in 1681, was a small wooden building located at the present site of St. Michael's Episcopal Church. In the early 18th century, the congregation built a second brick church at the site of the current church. It's construction was partially funded by duties on rum and slaves. After suffering from one fire that was extinguished by a black slave, who was given his freedom for this act, the church completely burned in 1835. The current St. Philip's was constructed from 1835 to 1838 by architect Joseph Hyde, while the steeple, designed by E.B. White, was added a decade later.

Many prominent people are buried in the graveyard, which is divided into two parts. The western yard was initially set aside for the burial of "strangers and transient white persons," but church members were later buried there. Several colonial Governors and five Episcopal bishops are buried here, as well as John C. Calhoun (former Vice President of the United States), Rawlins Lowndes (President of South Carolina in 1778-79), and Dubose Heyward (author and playwright). The view of Church Street punctuated by St. Philip's remains one of Charleston's most photographed spots.

Read more about this Church here

Spanish Moss

Spanish Moss

Spanish moss is an epiphyte (a plant that lives upon other plants; from Greek "epi"=upon "phyte"=plant), which absorbs nutrients (especially calcium) and water from the air and rainfall. Spanish moss is colloquially known as "air plant". It is not a biological parasite in the same sense as another epiphyte, mistletoe (it does not burrow into the tree and suck out nutrients)- however this is using a technical meaning of "parasite" of the biological community. By using a tree's structure it blocks out sunlight that would otherwise fall on the host tree's own leaves. The amount of sunlight it blocks is proportional to the amount it reduces tree growth depending on the tree type. On some trees only smaller or lower branches will die but the tree will grow at a slower rate.

It can grow so thickly on tree limbs that it gives a somewhat "gothic" appearance to the landscape, and while it rarely kills the trees it lowers their growth rate by reducing the amount of light to a tree's own leaves. It also increases wind resistance, which can prove fatal to a tree in hurricanes.

In the southern U.S., the plant seems to show a distinct preference of growth on southern live oak and bald cypress, but it can colonize in other tree species such as sweetgum, crape-myrtle, other oaks, or even pine.

Spanish Moss shelters a number of creatures, including chiggers, rat snakes and three species of bats.

Due to its propensity for growing in humid southern locales like Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama, the plant is often associated with Southern Gothic imagery.

In Charleston,South Carolina; the following tale is told:

A Cuban came to the area with his Spanish fiancée in the 1700s to start a plantation near the city. The most striking feature of the bride-to-be was her beautiful, flowing raven hair. As the couple was walking through the forest to reach the location of their future plantation, they were attacked and killed by an army of the Cherokee tribe, who were not happy to have these strangers on their land. As a final warning to stay away from the Cherokee nation, they cut off the long, dark hair of the bride-to-be and threw it up into an oak tree. As they came back day after day, week after week, they noticed that the hair had shriveled and turned grey and had also spread throughout the tree. Wherever the Cherokees went, the moss followed them and would eventually chase them out of their homeland of South Carolina. To this day, if one will stand under a live oak tree, one will hear the moaning of the woman and will see the moss jump from tree to tree, defending itself with a large army of beetles.^[1]