I Love Water Features.....

It seems like forever since I've posted!  I hadn't been back home from Galveston long when my daughter and I headed off for Charleston, South Carolina to find her a place to live for the coming year.  She is entering her junior year of college and was accepted into a national exchange program and College of Charleston was her school of choice.  We were hoping she would be placed in a dorm but when that didn't happen, we decided to make a trip up there to find her some roommates and a nice place to live.

That turned out to be QUITE a task.  The promising places were rented out from under us and we butted heads over one great old home with fabulous roommates but situated smack dab in the middle of a bad bad neighborhood. 

I made reservations at 1837 Bed and Breakfast in downtown Charleston, just steps away from campus.  There were no rooms available in the main house so Kait and I stayed in the carriage house out back.  It was such a sweet place (and inexpensively priced) and the breakfasts were absolutely to die for!  I had NO PROBLEM getting Kait up in the mornings even though she's usually a late sleeper.  All I had to say was, "Time for Breakfast!" and that girl was up and at 'em.  This Pineapple Upside Down French Toast and fresh fruit with lemon curd was my favorite of them all.

That neat front porch was my relaxation and sipping wine spot after long days of walking and walking and walking....

It's hard to navigate around in the city because of the narrow streets and lack of parking so we walked everywhere.  Ate like pigs and didn't gain an ounce either....  :) 

College of Charleston is a small and quaint college of about 10,000 students.  The campus is breathtakingly beautiful so I understand why my daughter chose this school.  My son and daughter-in-law were stationed in Charleston for several years so our family spent a lot of time here.

BTW, I'm having problems with blogger and can't respond to posts unless I do it anonymously.  So if I haven't posted a comment on your blog in ages, you know it's not because I'm not following....  Can anyone offer some words of advice on correcting that issue?

Isn't that an incredibly gorgeous house AKA campus building?

I loved this neat old clock.....  Dear Lord, help it get her to class on time.....  :)

Just when I was beginning to feel that we'd never find suitable roommates that we were both comfortable with, a new ad popped up online one morning and it sounded like just what we were looking for.  We went and visited and BINGO, they hit it off.  The apartment is above businesses along King Street in a safe area of town.  And that's the story of how we found a place for my daughter to live. 

Then it was VACATION TIME!

We went down to the battery at the tip of the Charleston peninsula and gazed across the water at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie.  After the sweltering heat, the cool ocean breezes at dusk were a welcome change.

This gorgeous place is home to a B & B right on the water.  It was named in the book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.  Pretty impressive, right?

We rode over to Folly Beach, just a bridge away from downtown.  The beaches aren't as beautiful as those in Florida but they'll definitely do in a pinch....

Here is my sweet girl, all grown up.....

No trip to Charleston is complete without a stop at Jestine's Kitchen.  Rachel Ray once featured the restaurant on her show and business has been very good since then, so good that there is always a line that snakes around the corner and down the street.  They actually have a large water cooler and paper cups strapped to the telephone pole outside for the patiently waiting customers.  We made friends with people in front of us who were from Austin, TX and a bride-to-be behind us who was getting married that weekend at Middleton Plantation.  She told me that Charleston is the second top destination wedding location, second only to Key West, Florida.  Kait looked at me and I could see the wheels in motion.... That night she said, "Wouldn't it be awesome if I got married here one day?"  Gotta finish school and locate a groom first, my girl.....

Jestine's was definitely worth the wait.....

That evening we went on a night tour that detailed the bawdry past of the city.  And heard about this fence that we'd seen on campus.....  Take a close look.......



People from those parts call it the egg and sperm fence.....  Say it represents all that college partying.....  Don't even want to go there...... Makes a momma cringe, ya know?

I kept seeing window boxes everywhere and came home and replicated one.  Here's the inspiration photo I snapped......

And here's what Johnny and I put together..................

I thought I should add more sweet potato vine but was told that it's very aggressive and will take over so I decided to leave it a little dinky looking. 

I know, I know, I need a brown or black hose as that green one is an assault to the ole eyes. 

But the very best part of my trip was coming home to an almost complete garden fountain!  Johnny and I got it put together and running on Saturday.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  We did the staining and sealing and assembly and saved $$$$$.  Are you ready?????

I need ideas as to what to plant around the base.  I want it lush to hide the stepping stone we set the fountain on but not too tall because that would hide the beauty of the pedestal base.  Ideas, my friends?

I know this is a very very long post but I just have so much to share.....  One more shot.  Had to pass my car down to my daughter as hers was not roadworthy so I traded the clunker and bought myself a new car.  Well, a new to me car.  It's a 2011 with 6,800 miles on it and is a preowned certified car with a 100,000 mile warranty.  It's my "one last hoorah before I retire car."  Ready????

It's a Beemer and my auto insurance actually went DOWN $350 per year with this baby. 

Unbelievable, huh?  I got a great deal and just love my new car.