All Aboard!

During our day of truancy we went with The Mom's Club to the South Carolina Botanical Gardens in Clemson. This was Jaykeb's and my first time there. We started out walking the path that goes around the entire garden to the right, then all the way back around to the area with the gardens and ponds, and back up to the parking lot. You can click on the map to enlarge.



Yes, we were dieing by the time we got back to the main entrance where the few moms who were left sat and had snacks and let the kids play on the old caboose. I was very proud of The Boy. He made it the entire way and never once asked for me to carry him. I was ready to ask him to carry me though!



The gardens were really nice and I plan to go back on a cooler day to explore them a little further. By the time we got around to the good stuff we were too tired and thirsty to look and just headed for the parking lot and the cooler.



There is also an old historical landmark home in the gardens called the Hanover House. You know how I love to look at old homes! This one was relocated from the Low Country to the gardens. I don't know if you could go in it or not, that will be something to check out next time we go.



I think the favorite part of the gardens, at least for the kids, was the caboose. They played for a long time up on the end of it, pretending to pick up passengers along their way.



Jaykeb loved being able to take a long walk outside and didn't want to leave. I think we did leave just in time though. He was worn out. We made a quick stop on the way home at another old plantation house just to get a brochure on it. It is the Ashtabula House. I've been wanting to tour it for a while. I think we will go back when Oma is here. Jayke and I were lucky enough to get a sneak peak though when they took us through the main corridor of the home to get the information I had requested. Jayke wanted to stay and look around. I would have settled for sitting on the big ol front porch for a while. There is something about those old porches, you could spend hours just sitting. With the slight breeze today it would have been a perfect afternoon to lounge on the porch at Ashtabula. I love that name!



We headed home after that and The Boy took a very long nap. He even woke up in a good mood for a change. I think I need to wear him out more often. I, on the other hand, did not take a nap so I am exhausted.



Update: Angi's mom had her surgeries today. They were able to fix everything instead of having to go back and do more surgery at a later date. They repaired her femur, wrist, and knee. She will have to go to rehab but should be able to begin her recovery now. Angi is doing well, just really tired. I'm sure she is relieved now as well.

Kudzu...It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

In Georgia, the legend says
That you must close your windows
At night to keep it out of the house.
The glass is tinged with green, even so...

From the poem, "Kudzu,"
by James Dickey



I first took notice of this vine when we were driving to South Carolina from the Atlanta airport to begin searching for a house. We were moving from Indiana to either Georgia or South Carolina, we hadn't decided yet. Driving along I85, heading north I saw fields and fields of this vine literally eating forests, telephone poles, signage, and anything else it could grasp ahold of. I know from reading about it that people have a love/hate relationship with Kudzu in the South. They either love it or hate it. Personally I think it is beautiful. It makes forests along the interstate look like tropical jungles. I try not to think how it is killing the trees it is climbing and just enjoy the view.

I took this picture along I85 somewhere between Atlanta and Anderson, South Carolina...




Kudzu is a native vine of Japan and China. It was brought to the US in 1876 as an ornamental plant. later, it was used to prevent erosion along roads and highways. It grows approximately 1 foot a day and is almost impossible to kill. Livestock like to eat it, it has culinary uses and even medicinal uses. In 1972 it was declared a weed and now has been a nuisance to southerners.

It hasn't bothered me yet but then again, I don't have it growing in my yard. I hope I never do! I will admire it from afar.

Here is a house in Seneca, South Carolina covered by Kudzu. You can see lots of other pictures like this at Jack Anthony's website.

There is a history and whole list of websites with uses for Kudzu at this website if you would like to learn more or see more pictures. I just thought I'd try to edumacate you Yankees who read this. If ya come down to visit I might even fry some up for y'all!

His What?

Jaykeb is learning the planets. Oma bought him a t-shirt that has the planets on it and also a sticker book. She sat with him and went over the planets on his shirt, naming each one so that he could learn their names. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.(We are still calling Pluto a planet...poor thing) Then it was Jayke's turn to name them, "Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, My Ranus, Neptune... Wait, What? His ranus? Or was this his anus? I had to have him say it several more times. It was, "my Ranus" that he said. I laughed and laughed. The kid is a nut!



He has cracked us up a bunch of times since Oma and Opa have been here. He told Oma, "Stop mumbling, Oma!" when she was talking to him the other day. On the boat he was sitting driving us across the wake another boat made when all of a sudden he yelled, "Don't lose your camera's ladies!" Ladies? I know it doesn't come off as funny when you read about it on here, but when you hear that tiny voice say it it is hysterical.

Here he is in his planet shirt...the picture is one I took when we went to the town of Abbeville. Very historical little town. We toured some of the historical locations while there. This bell was one thing but I can't remember the story about the bell. I was too intrested in making my way over to the old Opera house, the old hotel, and one of the many churches you could go in. Abbeville is the place where Jefferson Davis held his last war council meeting and signed the succesion from the union documents.




This fountain interested me since I am such an animal nut. It is a fountain for animals, mainly horses. The top level for the horses, the bottom for cats and dogs. They had them in other towns too. This is one of the few that is still in the orginal location. Put there in 1912.

The old Opera house was really neat. You could go up to the box and balcony seats. They still have shows there. There was an old hotel and an old church you could also tour. The mansion where the succession papers were signed was not opn the day we were there so we couldn't go in it. I got a picture of it though. Everything else is in the slideshow below.



This will probably be the last slideshow for a while. Mom and Jim leave tomorrow. We haven't done anything the past coupld of days. Just hang out. Jayke has been worn out so he needed to stay home and rest up. Back to my normal boring routine again after today.