This photo was taken on Murray Blvd last week, overlooking the Ashley River in Charleston, SC. After days of being indoors this bright, sunny and warm day was fabulous. With temps hovering near 60℉ the shining sun sure felt good. We decided to take a walk on “The Battery” and it was so pleasant. Many people out walking, jogging, fishing. Quite a delight to feel the warm sun on your face.
Continue reading “After the Ice/Snow – “Winter” Resumes…”
The day I wrote this post was a snow day (woot! woot!) and the grocery store was out of the hot cocoa mix that we like which prompted an investigation. Good grief, I’ve come to find I’ve been paying for the tin! It’s inexpensive to make, comes together quickly and is every bit as tasty as the other brands. TWO ingredients and an optional two more… Whip this together in a few minutes and have it ready to make a nice mug of hot chocolate in the time it takes to heat the milk! FYI, as cold as it was last week, it’s near 70 and sunny today. Crazy🤪! ❄️☀️
Continue reading “Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Is the Best!”
This post was originally entitled “Happy Christmas Eve Eve”, but then I switched things around… well, most things… forgot to update the title, so for those of you who receive this post by email, and then look at it online… you aren’t going crazy! ;)
This was our drive to the airport a few weeks ago… let me tell ya… snow, snow, snow… cars off the road, a few spun around, and these brave souls… collecting money for a local charity. This was a cold, windy day, but they are dressed for it!
This is some hard core collecting no doubt! These photos serve as a great reminder to give what you can to someone in need. Whether its merely a visit, a small gift, or a meal… you can brighten someone’s day who is alone this Christmas season. This can be a sad time for many, so keep your eye out and do what you can do to help out. You will be richer because of it!
Hope you had a nice Christmas!
F L A S H B A C K
O N E Y E A R A G O… Featured Artist… James Richards!
T W O Y E A R S A G O… Artist to watch… Ulrich Gleiter!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
G-g-g-g-g-ives ya goosebumps doesn’t it? This photo sends a shiver down my spine… (note to self: make a poster of this for summer in Charleston!)… this photo was taken in front of my parents house on the river in Algonac, MI. The ice is flowing nicely, but at times jams up and a ice breaker (Coast Guard) has to break it up. Pretty entertaining! I used to think the big glacier-like hunks were cool… would be neat to hop on and go for a ride! You really have to respect the river this time of year. It can look frozen and safe to walk on, but there is a swift current that usually keeps that from happening… never a good idea. However, we used to drive out on the lake (frozen with ice) and have a big time! I’ve even been to bonfire’s on frozen canals in my younger years. It truly makes no sense to me that you can have a fire on the ice and not melt, but I’m here to tell you… it happens!
Happy First Day of Winter! The days start getting longer from here! For some of you that is welcome news…
F L A S H B A C K
O N E Y E A R A G O… In the wilds of the North on this first day of winter…
T W O Y E A R S A G O… Artist to watch… David Scriven Crowley!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Holler if you’re getting tired of all my sunrise/sunset photos! I swear I can’t stop snapping photos! Each moment is as mesmerizing as the next! This photo was taken in front of my parents house in Algonac, MI. Gorgeous isn’t it?! I hope you enjoy your day… get out and enjoy the sunrises and sunsets, it’s so worth it!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
“In the Wilds of the North” by Ivan Shishkin, 1891
An amazing painting, isn’t it? This is “In the Wilds of the North” by artist Ivan Shiskin. Cold and eerie but also a little magical as well. A fitting painting for the first day of Winter! I ran across this painting on Facebook Jonathan McPhillips had posted this and when I saw it I knew it was perfect for this day! (Check out his work if you get a chance… AH-MAZING to say the least!).
What’s the big deal about the first day of Winter you may wonder… here’s a little blip from the Farmer’s Almanac:
The start of winter—the winter solstice—is the shortest day of the year, when the Sun reaches its most southern point in the sky at local noon. After this date, the days start getting longer. See our First Day of Winter page!
Pretty cool, eh? Catch you back here tomorrow!
Image: Wikipedia.com
The Laura B is a magnificent boat that takes you and your belongings to Monhegan Island, Maine. It departs from Port Clyde, Maine. It’s about a one hour ride, the shortest ride of the three boats that are Monhegan bound. This year while we were on Monhegan there was a storm. It rained that night and the winds howled. It was exciting. I love weather, can you tell? The next morning all boats canceled their first trip to the island. Word had it that the other boats might cancel the rest of the day, but Monhegan Boat Line would go at some point. Their route is through more protected water (or they have that option anyway…). So good to know that we’re on the boat line that will trudge through most weather to get you where you’re going! Ha ha…
Here’s an image from Monhegan Boat Line… can you imagine the winter?! Oh, I would love to be on that boat at least once in the winter!
Read a blip about the Laura B from the Monhegan Boat Line website:
The world-famous Laura B makes the early-morning trip to Monhegan every day during the summer season, and delivers all the freight to the island year ’round. She has both indoor and outdoor seating. She is also available for private charters and for hauling freight to any of the islands.
Built in 1943, the 65-foot Laura B is rigged as a heavy-duty work boat. Originally designated a U.S. Army T-57, she spent World War II in the Pacific, where she served as a patrol boat and carried troops and supplies. She came under fire during those days, and carried two 50-caliber machine guns on deck. This rugged vessel was brought to Maine in 1946, and spent the next few years transporting lobsters from Vinalhaven to Boston and New York City.
For the past half century, the beloved Laura B has been ferrying passengers, freight, and mail between Port Clyde and Monhegan Island. A prominent marine surveyor has described her as the best-maintained wooden vessel on the Eastern Seaboard.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
This has been the craziest winter that I can ever remember in all my life. I grew up in Michigan, where (at least in my memories) it snowed in the winter, and snow pretty much stayed around until spring. Now it comes and goes, and this year??? Lots of places are without their regular amounts of snow. Wonder why the big change all of a sudden? Here in Charleston, SC it was downright freezing last winter (well, to our standards it was freezing)… this year it’s been so nice. Lots of days in 60’s and 70’s. A few in the 80’s! We slept with the windows open recently… I love that! I’m wondering what that means come summer? It certainly can’t be any warmer than it normally is here in Charleston! Heat index in the 120’s. It’s barely tolerable, and makes me want to pack and move to the Antarctic! We were talking to a woman in a store yesterday, she said many customers were telling her that if we have a warm winter that means our summer will be cooler… OH YAY! HAS ANYONE ELSE HEARD THAT? Personally I don’t think there is any science behind it… it’ll be what it’ll be and we’ll just have to go with it… Dump a few bags of ice in the pool and move on, ha ha… Hope the weather is lovely where you are!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Dangit! I forgot to go to Hallmark to get cards… hmmm. Wonder if we get mail today… hmmmm. It IS a holiday. YOU did remember, right? What holiday you’re thinking… ahhh, that would be GROUNDHOG DAY. Yes, today is the day, in the middle of an ice/snow storm that good ole Punxsutawney Phil will be pulled into the limelight to determine if we’ll see six more weeks of winter… DO WE SEE HIS SHADOW? If it’s cloudy and there is no shadow that means an early spring… I’m kind of hoping he see’s his shadow. Winter in Charleston is nice, I sure don’t want to rush it! Here’s hoping you have a great groundhog day! Until next time…
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