WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Waiting

I just love my mom's garden. This old wheelbarrow has held flowers and even the birdseed from Meredith's wedding. Now it sits rather lonesomely under a tree. It appears to be waiting for its next job.

Last of Summer's Bounty

The tomato vines at my parents' are yielding the last few fruits of the season. They have been plenitful as both my parents have 2 green thumbs. My dad loves to be in the soil...plowing, planting, weeding. My mom is the picker and preparer. But best of all they always share the harvest with friends and family. From blueberries to beans, corn and tomatoes, and now scuppernongs and turnip greens, there is always a crop in season at the Hopkins "Farm". I appreciate that my parents taught me a love of the outdoors and the joy of growing something from a seed that can beautify your yard or provide a delicious meal for your table.

Scuppernongs--The Taste of Fall

Scuppernongs as defined by Wikipedia--A scuppernong (also called "scuppernine" or "suscadine" in parts of Georgia, and "suppeydine" or "scuppeydime" in central and Western North Carolina), is a large type of muscadine, a type of grape native to the southeastern United States. It is usually a greenish or bronze color and is similar in appearance and texture to a white grape, but rounder and about 50% larger and first known as the 'big white grape'.

The fruit of my childhood. Daddy had a huge scuppernong arbor. As children we climbed in it, played house under it and used it as a hiding place during a game of hide and seek. But come September you could smell the fruit on the vine. The smell and taste of scuppernongs bring back a flood of childhood memories for me. My sisters and I picked the ripe fruit which our parents took to work and sold for a quarter a quart. This was our fair money to spend each year when the Anderson County Fair came to town. My dad now has a smaller arbor but the fruit smells and tastes exactly the same. Want to know what fall tastes like--a scuppernong. At least it tastes like fall to me.

All Shapes and Sizes

I thought today I would take a break from posting Charleston images, although I will probably have more to post in few days. I have been thinking about fall lately. There has been that crispness to the air in the evenings and the scuppernongs at my parents are ripe. If you want to know what fall tastes like, try a scuppernong. Don't know what scuppernongs are. Well that will be a post on another day. Fall is my favorite season for shooting images. The colors are wonderful. So I l9oked back through my folders to find some shots from last fall. This one was taken in Cashiers on a visit to see my friend Janis.

Across the River

Here is a view across the Ashley River of the aircraft carrier Yorktown. Charleston, SC

Along the river

Ronnie and I really enjoyed our visit to Magnolia Plantation. It has such a rich southern history. If you ever get to Charleston, be sure to visit. We did the whole tour which included a tram ride around the plantation, a boat ride through part of the swamp, a tour of the house, a view of 4 original slave cabins. and a self guided tour along 3/4 miles of boardwalk through the swamp. It was all very lovely. If you want to know more here is the web site. http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/ I would love to be able to photograph this bridge in the spring when the azaleas and camellias are blooming.

Beyond the Blue Door

The gates and doorways of homes in Charleston have so much character.

Wordless Wednesday

Along the street

To really "see" Charleston, you have to take a stroll down some of the streets in the older parts of town. Ronnie and I parked near the battery and just ambled our way up and down a few of the streets. How neat to peer over a fence or through a gate and see the lovely gardens beyond. It is quite easy to close your eyes and imagine how it was 200 years ago along these quiet thoroughfares.

High Above the Water

Ronnie and I spent a wonderful relaxing week-end in Charleston. We stayed at a hotel near the Ravenel Bridge and got up early (well not too early) to walk to the peak of the bridge. What a beautiful view of Charleston Harbor. More shots coming--I think I probably took 400 pictures over this short weekend. There is so much to see in Charleston. We haven't been in 5 years. I won't wait that long to return.