Brief Vacation Update

Today we went out to Folly Beach so I could photograph the Morris Island Lighthouse. The weather was beautiful: clear and sunny, but hot. Humidity wasn't too bad, so the heat was at least bearable. I took lots of photos of the lighthouse, not too sure how they'll look until I get them home and load them into the desktop computer there. In my netbook here the lighthouse looks out of focus in some of the shots.

The beach from which you photograph the lighthouse is easy to reach, but requires a few hundred yards of walking. You park at the last public beach access, then take the paved road (gated off from vehicle traffic, pedestrians ok) to the beach, walking the last fifty yards through a path in the dunes. There were several people out there fishing when I got out there, but no houses or other developement there. Some old house foundations can be seen in the area; I'd guess that they mark sites that were wiped out by Hurricane Hugo back in 1989.

After photographing the lighthouse I walked back down the beach itself to the area where we had parked the car, beachcombing along the way. Folly Beach is one of the better shelling beaches I've seen in the last couple of years; Sara actually found a complete sand dollar.

After leaving the beach we did some antique shopping in the area, then had lunch at a Greek pizzeria; I had a pizza, Sara had lasagne. Both delicious.

After lunch we drove back to Mt. Pleasant and visited Boone Hall Plantation, the most famous of the Charleston-area plantations. We toured the house and the grounds, took some photographs, and overall had a nice time; Sara had especially wanted to see a plantation while we were in the Charleston area, so this satisfied her desire.

After leaving Boone Hall, we visited a Barnes & Noble, then had dinner at Melvin's BBQ for the third time in four days. Melvin's has a great menu, folks, and you're missing out on something special if you don't eat here during a trip to Charleston. Today I had the hamburger that Emeril Lagasse has praised, along with great onion rings (they make them with a sweet fritter batter, so they are fat, chewy and delicious); Sara had the smoked turkey, and some more of the banana pudding that Melvin's does so well. Melvin's vegetable side dishes are also wonderful, Sara reports, although I was less than happy with the result of her eating the collard greens: chemical warfare would not be describing it inaccurately.

It's our last night, tomorrow we depart for home. We'll be stopping for a visit at Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery, on the way home tomorrow morning.

Arrival

Via the US Postal Service:



Spyderco Tenacious, with 8Cr13Mov flat-ground steel blade and G-10 handle scales. This was the first of the Spydercos built in China, and the fit and finish seems to be of the same high quality as the Japanese or US production. $30.64 from Amazon, with shipping a total outlay of $36.22. A bargain by Spyderco standards. I'll do an update if I encounter any problems with it.

Weekend Ramblings

Sara and I headed for points west this past Saturday, visiting antique stores in Belmont and Shelby, North Carolina. Sara found a nice purse in Shelby, made of cloth in the same manner a quilt is made; she's already quite fond of it, and my mother has expressed a desire for a similar purse for herself.

While we were in Shelby we again ate at Bridge's BBQ Lodge, which is on the NC BBQ Society Historic Trail. We'll be using that particular resource when choosing travel destinations in the near future.

After leaving Shelby we headed south into South Carolina, narrowly avoiding the gravity well of Whitmire, South Carolina, a small town in the depths of the Sumter National Forest. We've found ourselves there twice on our travels, and we have a fear that if we find ourselves there a third time, we may never be able to leave.

While fleeing the baleful influence of Whitmire we found ourselves east of Lockhart, SC, and saw the following street sign, which we had to photograph; it apparently is popular with travelers, and I suspect it has been subject to theft and vandalism in the past:

The location of this road is not far from the village of Skull Shoals, SC, so a comedy sketch about living in that particular area would be quite amusing.

A Bookstore, One Year Later

I met my girlfriend Sara nearly a year ago. On our first date, we met at a restaurant, then after eating went to a nearby Barnes & Noble bookstore to look at books and chat while looking at books.

A year ago, the long wall where the magazines were shelved had comfortable padded benches the entire length of the magazine shelves; now, only two benches remain.

A year ago, upholstered chairs and tables were placed throughout the store, so that customers could rest while shopping, or browse through a book while deciding whether to purchase it; now those chairs are gone, replaced by a few hard, wooden chairs.

The message is clear: you are not welcome here. Get your books and get out.

I don't know if this is a decision that was made for this store only, or is to be found throughout the Barnes & Noble chain. Whichever it is, it's not friendly or welcoming, and I don't appreciate it.

Arrival

Hat:



Ship's ball cap of the battleship USS Alabama (BB-60). Having been in the Navy myself, I'm a little bit quirky about wearing ball caps from ships or commands I didn't serve on. I normally won't think of wearing a ball cap from a ship I didn't serve on, or a command I wasn't attached to, so I won't be seen in a SEAL team cap, for example, simply out of respect and not having earned the right.

I'm going to make an exception with this cap from the Alabama, however. This ship was the single reason I was inspired to join the US Navy in the first place; permanently moored in Mobile Bay, Alabama, as a tourist attraction, I visited her in 1970 when I was approximately 9 years old, and my life was changed. I ran all over that ship for the hour or so that my parents allotted, playing at shooting the various machine guns and anti-aircraft cannon fixed about the ship, sneaking into restricted areas, checking out all the aspects of a WWII sailor's life; I knew from that day what I wished to do with my life, college was never a consideration. I entered the Navy when I turned 18, and lived four magical years as a sailor before leaving to do something else, a decision I regret to this day.

So, although I never served onboard that wonderful ship, I'll wear a cap with her name and hull number to commemorate the part she played, albeit briefly, in my life.

Here's what she looks like these days:

Arrival

Newsboy cap.

I have two of them from this company now. They fit perfectly (they're custom made to your own head measurement), can even be slightly adjusted for size, there are a half-dozen different "cuts," and a nice selection of Woolrich fabrics to choose from. I picked out a grey herringbone in the Extra Full cut. Gorgeous, even if I'm not.

And the best part is that you pay only $44 for a hand-made cap made by Americans in the USA! Great looks, quality construction, first-class materials, American-made! What more can you ask for? If you're in the market for a newsboy for that Sean Connery Untouchables look, give Hat People a look.

Do You Wear Eyeglasses?

If you do, take a look at this article from Slate.

The prospect of paying $50 for a pair of eyeglasses instead of $600 has my hands itching for my wallet.

Arrival

Victorinox Farmer:



First SAK (Swiss Army Knife) I've purchased since 2001, when I bought a Wenger Soldier model. That one has stayed in my pocket ever since, with a camera's wrist thong attached so that removing it from my pocket becomes easier, and as an emergency lanyard in case I am in danger of dropping the knife where it can't be recovered (deep water, cliff, etc).

The only fundamental difference between the Farmer and the Soldier is the inclusion of a wood-cutting saw, which for me is a handy tool. I bought this Farmer with red Alox scales; tried to get it in blue, but the first vendor reneged on the purchase and I had to go to a second vendor, who only had red. I'm using the shoelace from a workboot as a lanyard at the moment; I'll have to see if I can come up with something better.

Anyway, that's my knife fetish temporarily satisfied (I'm a knife man more than a gun man; always have been).

Arrivals!

Swedish Mora knives, carbon steel blades and cast plastic handles:




Great little survival kit knives.

Arrival From China.

Piece of turquoise, destined for a ring:




China is selling a lot of turquoise these days on eBay. According to one of the descriptions I read of a stone, the Chinese didn't really value the turquoise that highly, since they were in search of jade.

Arrival

Dutch military surplus rocket bag, from Cheaper Than Dirt.

Wonderful heavy canvas bag, durably constructed, double-stitched everywhere. Approximately half the size of a seabag. It'd make a pretty good golf bag for a hobbit, I suppose. Less than $20USD.