Muddy Church Ladies

The annual James Island Christian Church womens' retreat was held this weekend at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island.  One of the optional activities that was offered was some time in "The Mud Pit".  I had zero interest in actively participating, but I did tag along because I sensed a photo opp in the making. Sure enough my nose didn't let me down.

Summer Party - Just add Water

Several family members have birthdays this month so it was decided to throw one party for all of them.  The formula was low key; just come, bring something to add to the food pot, and hang out.  I think the guys enjoyed this one the most. They rigged a slip 'n slide from an old tarp they found in the garage, set up the sprinkler nearby, soaped everything down and the fun began.  Then of course there was the river ...  This is all about the boys; big and small :)

Lost in the cotton fields, seriously

There are still places in this day of advanced technology where you can still get very lost.  Google let me down big time (or maybe I should shift the blame to Verizon) because when they can't find you, you can't find anything.  I was happily following a road that dead-ended into a new highway that is being created somewhere west of Myrtle Beach.  Don't ask me for more details because I have no idea where I was.  While Google remained obstinately silent, my on board nav system screeched every 15 seconds for me to do a legal u-turn, a futile option since it was directing me in "square circles", not being in the loop concerning the new highway.  Suffice it to say that I probably drove more miles than I needed to (and burned more gas), but I am safely home with a determination to search out "downloadable maps".  One plus for the interstates, better signage and cellphone coverage.

Brattonsville Historic District, McConnell, SC

Barn at Brattonsville

Cotton bud

One of my favorite rail bridges over the Santee on Hwy.41

Another favorite landmark on Hwy.45 - only one gas pump left (used to be 2)

Things you miss traveling on Interstates

I know that sometimes you just have to get from A to B quickly, and so the obvious routing choice is the Interstate. Other times though, urgency is not such a priority and taking the roads less traveled is a great way to get a better appreciation for the history and beauty of our state.  So much more interesting than trees, bridges and eighteen-wheelers.

Cotton from the ground up

Yard art south of Bamberg

Roadside shrine north of Blackville

No longer in use, Hwy 78

Town of Edgefield, home of 10 governors

More Stono Scenes

I was settling down for an uneventful evening when I got a text from a friend alerting me to the really interesting lighting outside.  Storms were in the area and I wasn't sure it was safe for an inexperienced jet ski driver to be out there, but my radar app told me we were in the clear, so I grabbed my stuff and went for a short ride.  These images were from the Stono, Penny Creek, and the Wappoo Cut.

An evening in the Stono Creeks

Perhaps it's symptomatic of a midlife crisis, but I bought a jetski a few weeks ago to serve as my "water taxi".  I tried a small jon boat awhile back which didn't work out too well - couldn't get the hang of it at all, but I love this jetski.  First of all I had to get comfortable just riding on it, but now I am learning to manoeuver it on and off the jetport and generally take care of it.  Today I learned another (expensive) lesson courtesy of the SCDNR - lifejackets are not optional accessories.   Anyway, it was a really pretty evening and the jetski served it's purpose well.