Summertime Color

Our summer is particularly lovely this year. The temperatures have been milder than usual. This lovely old Antebellum Home was built before modern air conditioning was available so they built it to stay cool. It has high ceilings, covered porches, and has a long central hall. We installed new screen doors a while back, now we can leave the doors open for a good bit of the day and enjoy the breeze.

 A very wet evening

This post is all about summertime color, and well, you don't get pretty summer color without a little rain (no this does not look like a "little" rain). This is what it looked like when we turned off the paved road to head home.

 A welcome site

Our road sign. The distortion is caused by rain. It was really coming down. Somehow this scene still manages to be beautiful (and it means I am almost home).

 Sparklers!

Sorry, no pictures of the sparklers in action. I was to busy being a kid to grab the camera. Just so you know, they are still fun. I was surprised to see the notice on the box though, "This is not a toy and not suitable or recommended for children 12 years of age and under". Really? At 5 or 6 they are magic, at 13 they are "kid stuff"(at a slightly more advanced age, they become great fun again). Sparklers are one of the joys of childhood.

 Green Country Road

Who would not want to take a walk down this country road. I may be a little biased, but I think this road is lovely anytime of year. If you have been looking at this blog for long, you have seen it in all seasons, if not, feel free to explore the Blog archive links on the right hand side bar.

 Snake Skeleton

There is always something interesting to look at. This was on a side rode we don't usually walk on. I don't know how long it had been there. I am not going to pick the snakes up and play with them, but we do like having them around as they keep the rodent population under control. 

 Don Pablo's

My Sweet Husband took me out for dinner at Don Pablo's last time we were in Greenville SC. This is one of the most colorful restaurants I have seen. Just walking in and looking around is cheerful. 

 See what I mean?

Even the air ducts are painted lavender.

 Don Pablo's Interior

We had a booth near the fountain.

Don Pablo's Food

I will admit we did not go to the restaurant for the environment. We wanted to check out the food. Don Pablo's is next door to one of the Barnes and Noble Book Stores in Greenville. We have said we were going to try it out for years. Finally got around to it. We will be going back, the food was great and there was plenty of it. 

 Spontaneous Play

Spontaneous might not be a young kitty, but she still loves to chase that ribbon.

 Colorful Turtle

It could be a tortoise, I do not know the difference. My Sweet Husband rescued this one from the road. We keep napkins in the car for just such occasions. After we took his picture, Sweet Hubby released him on the side of the road he was heading towards. Off he went seemingly content.

 Bright Yellow Wildflowers

Breakfast is ready!

Got to go, homemade pizza awaits.

Hope your day is colorful and fun!

Cheers,

Kat

& 

Spontaneous

Summer goodies

Summer time! My school schedule is pretty hectic right now, but my sweet Hubby makes sure I take time to enjoy life too. I had a birthday this month, (I won't tell you how many this is). This is part of my birthday pie.
Birthday pie? Yup! Pumpkin pie is my favorite desert. My sweet Hubby makes the best pie, so every year for my birthday, he makes me a pie. He usually makes an individual one as well as the regular size. It was good!

This elk is from our last visit to the Smokey Mountains. Isn't he magnificent. I wish there was some way I could show you the size of this guy, he is huge. He was wary, and kept an eye out, but he knew he was bigger than me.

A summer visitor on the back steps. I can't believe how close he let me get. He is a salamander. They are supposed to be lucky. I like them because they eat bugs.

Charleston beauty! One of my favorite summer goodies is a trip to Charleston. This window box is just one of many lovely examples.

This little mini garden is around the base of a fountain in front of Charleston Place Hotel. No we don't stay there, but we do pop in for the shops on the ground level. They have a Godiva Chocolate shop among others.

Charleston has impressive old and new ironwork. There are a few artists still producing and repairing it. Lovely.

From a peak into a garden.

A new shop we found. "V. Smith Gallery" This is the owner, Vicki Smith, showing off crystal to my Sweet Heart. She has quite a selection of crystal at very reasonable prices, as well as original paintings and jewelry.

She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about everything she sells.

Charleston is one of those cities where you really have to look up. The sky line is full of great architectural details. The next three photos are just a few examples. Do be careful though, I frequently stub my toes. The side walk is not always even.

See what I mean?

The weather cooperated perfectly. This rain storm cut loose less than five minutes after we got back in the car.

What sort of goodies are you enjoying this summer?

Kat