Middleton Place near Charleston, SC

I was sorting through the 20 Gigs of photos I have from the last year and a half and I stumbled across some pictures of Middleton Place that I didn't share back when I first talked about the trip.

Enjoy!

Embroiled In Battle

Laura, my lovely lady, is embroiled in a quilter's battle to the death* known as Iron Quilter 2!

This post is to ask my readers to please take a moment, go to this link and click to give it a plus one, please! She worked so hard on this beautiful quilt that I'd love to see it do well in the competition.

Thank you for your help!

(Baby not included.)

*No death actually involved

I Am Everything I Have Ever Really Worked Towards Being

If you want to be something, do something.

Want to be an athlete? Practice, exercise, push yourself physically and work hard.
Want to be the best dog trainer ever? Read books on training, volunteer at shelters, work with dogs, take classes.
Want to grow slothful and large in the midsection? Sit in a chair all day typing on your computer, eat way too much food, don't ever clean up your house.

You become good at what you practice, whether you practice it purposely or not.

Following that line of logic I now have four daily goals that I want to accomplish every day so that I can become who I want to be, who I am deep-down, but who I just haven't yet practiced at being quite enough yet:

• Write for 1 hour per day or 500 words whichever comes second.
• I will use a tracking program to keep time. I just need to remember to turn it on and off.
• Sweat every day.
• In the beginning, small steps are needed. No time frame, no amounts. Just sweat; show effort.
• Fill at least one canvas with art.
• Yesterday and today those canvases were windows, using Crayola Window Crayons. Tomorrow maybe the canvas will be a piece of paper.
• Clean one room, top to bottom.
• This one will be the most difficult, I believe, because I will be fighting against 33 years of life in which I have grown used to not worrying about cleaning as a daily exercise but rather only when it "needs to get done."

In the meantime I'll continue to become more proficient in other ways, of course. I'll practice dadding every minute of every day, for example. I'll probably continue trying to pick up any number of other skills, or accidentally learn how to be the best chair-rester ever. But these four things are my focus.

Write, Sweat, Create, Clean.

My Kitchen Theory

Sometimes life gets away from you a little bit. Things get messier than you meant them to and when you look at the tangled mess of things all jumbled together you just feel like throwing your hands in the air, giving up, and walking away. You just don't want to deal with it anymore.

There are things you can't control, of course, but for the things you can control sometimes you just focus on the whole picture when you should really just look at a little bit at a time. Sure, things are a mess but if you pick it apart little by little maybe it'll all seem a bit easier.

Sure, it doesn't seem like much when you just do the quick-and-easy, right-in-front-of-your face jobs; throwing out the trash or putting things in their place, but it doesn't have to look like much: It's progress!

It's all about the little steps, one-by-one, a bit at a time. You do the quick things first and then look at what you have leftover after that.

Then what do you do?

You take a long, hard look at the mess and you organize it. Put everything in order and look at what has to get done. Maybe you write everything out or maybe you just sort it in your mind; just put it all in one place and go through it step-by-step to see what needs to be done next.

Putting it all together like that and sorting it into piles based on what needs to get done will make it look more controllable, easier to do.

And then you start the work. I like to start on the easier bits to ease myself into it. I take it slow and if it's not urgent I'll even take plenty of breaks if I feel like I need them. There's nothing wrong with resting when you need to, or even just want to, as long as you know that you have to get back to sorting and cleaning!

I don't do all the easiest things first, just a few, and I'll explain why in a bit but it's very important to make sure you leave a few easy steps for later.

After most of the easy things are done I start working on the harder bits, the things that take some elbow grease, some time, and some special care. This is where I scrub the pots and pans, really put my nose to the grindstone and power through the trouble spots.

Sure, I'll still take a rest if I need to but I find that it's at this point where I do my best by just powering through, otherwise the thought of going back to the daunting bits can be too much and I'll lose myself in Facebook or something else just as inane. I do the hard work instead and just keep going.

Those last little bits and pieces of the easy work that I left for last? Those are the last big things I do so that at the end I feel like the job wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Sure, I put in a lot of work but if the beginning and end of the project are relatively easy then next time I'm more likely to remember that than I am to remember the middle part where I had to scrub everything down, scour through the grime, and really power through.

It sounds silly, sure, but it's one of those mental tricks I use to make sure that the next time I do this I won't keep procrastinating.

After all that it's just doing the detail work that's leftover, making sure that you don't let it get to that point again, and working a little bit on the job every day (if that's the kind of job it is).

Life is like a really messy kitchen, sometimes: It looks overwhelming and feels crowded but if you go step-by-step and work a little bit at a time, you can make it sparkling clean and easier to manage.

And hey, if you can't do it on your own? Ask a friend to come help; they might not be great at cleaning your kitchen either but maybe they can help you organize the project a little bit better.

My 10,000 Hours

http://www.easydrawingtutorials.com/

Recently I decided that while I love being a stay-at-home-dad (and I really, really do) there needs to be a bit more to my life than just taking care of the little girl It just makes sense that I should use her nap times to clean the house have some fun and learn new things.

I've always wanted to learn how to draw and recently I asked my friends on Facebook how I should go about doing that.

Turns out the only way to learn how to draw is to just sit down and draw. Strange.

So, I sat down with a sketch pad, a mechanical pencil, and the internet. I Googled "Easy drawing tutorials" and strangely found http://www.easydrawingtutorials.com.

The tutorials were simple, short, and fun. It looks like it's just full of a bunch of kid's stuff but since I'm a big kid this was perfect.

I'm strangely satisfied with how this all came out. I learned a few things (like when you're drawing the framework you really barely need any pencil pressure at all) and laughed at myself a lot.

Drawing is my new project when I have time during the day. It's something I know I can have fun with and hopefully pick up fairly easily (the basics, anyway). If I use her nap times to draw (assuming the house is clean) I should be able to put in at least an hour or two per day on it.

If it takes 10,000 hours to master something and I take 2 hours per day to work on it that means it'll only take me about 14 years. I better get on that!

Also, I have no idea why Mario looks so angry but I'm really happy with my Luigi and Sonic. Harley Quinn? Well, let's just assume I was distracted by the Joker or something.

I voted for Epic Rap Battles of History to win Artist of the Year at the...

A New Direction

I've decided that my life is rockingly awesome and that instead of only using this when I go somewhere special, this blog title adequately describes my and my family's life. As such, I am turning this into my daily blog, for when what I have to say doesn't fit anywhere else. I'm sure there will be some cross-over between here and other places since those other blogs are part of my life but there's been plenty I want to say and I've had almost nowhere to say it.

Now I have somewhere!

I'm not going to shill out this blog; I'm going to let people come upon it on their own if they want to. I'm writing for me, not for other people, and I think that that's probably for the best. That way I can share all sorts of things and not feel like I have to spin it for anyone's enjoyment; I can write it exactly how I want to write it, say what I want to say, and damn the torpedoes. Erm. Consequences.

See? Like that. That was hilarious to me. If it wasn't to you then I don't care because I don't believe you're reading this.

The great Trash Heap has spoken. Nyah!

Here's a cat. Because I can.

Sweet Springs, WV

The walkway to what was Old Sweet Springs resort and spa.

The old bath house.

 Laura and I drove down with the little one to a little place called Sweet Springs, WV. We stopped along the way to see a little restaurant called the Swinging Bridge Restaurant on the way but didn't eat there; I just had to see the bridge inside the restaurant. Check out their website for a good look!

The real reason we went out there was to look at a place known as Old Sweet Springs resort and spa. It's been long-since defunct but the building was used as an old-folks home for many years and now lays completely empty.

Except for the ghosts.*

It's an amazingly gorgeous area. The lawns are still groomed, and one of the houses (that I did not take pictures of) is still lived in, probably by the caretaker. There was talk in 2010 of restoring this place to its former glory but judging by the dusty scaffolding, broken windows, and a few beer cans seen through windows I have a feeling that has fallen through.

Old Sweet Springs resort and spa (and sanitarium, and tuberculosis ward).

One of the old stairways outside.

 Truly, though, the scope of this old resort is amazing. The brick is still holding together fairly well on the facade, though they show some major bowing out at the bottom in the under-tunnels.

The whole area is beautiful and I'd like to go back some time with a picnic lunch, though the "No Trespassing" signs may suggest that I have the lunch somewhere nearby, rather than on the front porch.

One of the houses that used to be rented out at the resort.

The ivy was beautiful.

Locally known as "The Jefferson Building."

*I cannot confirm nor deny the presence of ghosts. All I know is that I kept expecting to see faces peering from the windows in my pictures but have not spotted one yet.

The Cascades - The Adventure That Never Was and Mountain Lake, Pembroke, VA

Yesterday we went adventuring since the weather seemed nice and we have a friend visiting for a few days who also enjoys adventure. We thought we'd go see the waterfalls known as The Cascades.

An excess of water at a waterfall? Oh...no?

Sadly, that adventure was not to be. As you can see in the picture here, the road was closed due to flooding and we were warned not to enter.

Because they left the marker with the white board (you can see it at the bottom right) I may have written "Darn" on it. I wanted to write "Unless you are a fish" but decided that was just too much; you never know what people might think they have gills.

I snapped a few photos in this area but we didn't get to see the real falls, unfortunately.

This was about 2 inches high. Still counts!

The alien-like creature, is a ladybug larva! Weird looking, no?

Not to be deterred, we allowed the sign to stop us. Instead, we went a few miles away to a place high up in the mountains called Mountain Lake. Apparently, during the time of the settlers, the first people through this area wrote back home to say "Hey, there's this lake on top of this mountain. It's a great place to water your horses and resupply!"

When the next batch of settlers came through, they arrived at the town where the first bunch finally settled and had murder in their eyes. "You sons of bitches! You said there was a lake on that mountain where we could resupply and your joke almost killed us! There was nothing for miles!*"

What neither batch knew was that the entire area was riddled with Limestone deposits and this lake actually drained into an underground cavern! It would then fill back up over the course of time but meanwhile there was either no lake, or a much smaller lake than expected.

The area was beautiful and it was very serene. Walking where the old lake used to be to get to the shores was an interesting experience, knowing that where I walked was once a giant lake.

Oh, and did I mention that this was where they filmed Dirty Dancing?

Fans of the movie should recognize these cabins.

This was a dock, once surrounded by water.

These amazing rock formations were on the other side of the lake and were easily several people tall.

Lois was attacked by the wildlife! Daddy (that's me) saved her.

Some of the flowers growing at the resort near the lake.

More of the local flora.

We drove through the mountains nearby and  this little girl stopped to let us snap a few photos.

While the adventure we had may not have been the one we started off on, sometimes I think it's important to realize that maybe the accidental adventure is the best one you can possibly have.


*This story may not be 100% historically accurate but the gist is true as I understand it.

Angel Oak Tree in Charleston, SC

Angel Oak Wiki

The signs mostly said "Do not climb or carve tree." It's sad people need to be told this.

First, I beg your pardon for the quality of these pictures. I didn't forget my camera but instead accidentally left the memory card in my computer, so these shots are all taken with my phone.

I think the majesty of this amazing Southern Live Oak tree is well-captured, however.

Here are a few shots I took while there. Enjoy!

For some perspective: I am 6' tall, give or take half an inch. (Take)

Many folks say the tree is 1500 years old or more! Science isn't 100% sure on the age, however.

One of the dozens of off-shooting branches being held up by poles.

Look closely and you'll see some local wildlife! (Skink!)

The Animal Park in The Charles Towne Landing State Park in Charleston, SC

While in South Carolina visiting family, one of the great places we got to see was Charles Towne Landing. There were animals, remains and re-creations of old buildings from the first SC settlement, a great old boat, and a ton of nature to enjoy! 

Fair warning now, I suppose: I do enjoy taking photos of insects and insect-like creatures, so there is one picture below of a very small, very harmless spider. No other insects or arachnids, however, just lots of animals we found in the animal park part of this state park.

Enjoy!

The Aviary Enclosure

Bear with me, folks!

This big guy was right up front near the fence, working the same place over and over with his teeth and paws. He's probably brighter than the average bear and is slowly but surely weakening the structure of the fence so that he can be free. You can't see the rather large enclosure behind him but I assure you that he has a very big place to call his own.

Really, with him only a couple of feet outside of arm's reach, I wanted to pet him. He just looked like a really large, lovable, pet-able puppy dog.

Thankfully, I know better.

Total size, including legs, smaller than the nail of my thumb.

There were a bunch of these little guys dotting the sides of the paths but nothing large and you could easily stay clear of them as long as you didn't wander off the path itself. It was obvious that the staff takes really good care of the grounds, allowing wildlife and wild plants to flourish directly off the walk paths without encroaching on the guests.

As we left, he said "It was good seeing you. Bison!" I didn't even know he was my dad!

It's amazing to think that these huge, alien-looking creatures once roamed this area freely. They simply do not look as though they belong here but would rather be at home in the west somewhere, on a prairie. Instead, they were once indigenous to South Carolina, a state not very well known for its prairie-like climate.

Who you callin' "chicken?"'  ...you thought I was going to go for the easy pun, didn't? Oh no, I'm better than that...

Did you know that the turkey was once put up as an idea to be the national bird of the United States? It's true! Look at the wattles here and you'll see why: You have red, white, AND blue! Apparently they change colors/intensity when excited, which I think means the turkey in front really wanted to be in my friend.

You wanna go, punk?

Does it seem like a bad idea to anybody else that they had the turkeys in the same enclosure that they had the turkey vulture in?

I do understand that the name 'turkey vulture' is because of its coloring and not because turkey is its primary meal but has anybody explained that to the vulture?

Hey, hey, hey!

If you click to make this picture bigger (something you can do on any of the photos in this blog, by the way) you'll see Fiddler Crabs, and in the bottom right there's a bunch of oysters all bunched together!

These were actually over near the boat, nowhere near the animal park part of the park, but I figured they belong here anyway, with the other animals.

I've never actually seen Fiddler Crabs, OR oysters, so this was pretty cool!

The whole trip was a lot of fun and there's a part that we missed so I'm sure we'll have to come back next time we're in the area! I'm told there are often alligators here and I look forward to seeing some; for some reason I'm a bit obsessed with seeing alligators in the wild.

Middleton Place in Charleston, South Carolina

Take a gander at this!

The Awesome family went on vacation in South Carolina this weekend to visit family and see the area! We've visited several amazing local sites and we just got back from Middleton Place, a great site to visit with some amazing formal gardens, informal gardens, animals, and old buildings like stables and mill houses. There were also a few people there to show us what life would have been like back when this plantation was fully functional.

I even got to milk a cow for the first time in years! This time, successfully!

We ended up coming later in the day with about an hour and a half until they closed up for the day; this meant that we had to rush a bit more than we should have but even with rushing we saw some absolutely amazing things. 65 acres of garden, rice fields, and history, all rolled together!

Walk with us through the garden:

Liminal doorway into and out of the garden

I thought the entryway almost added a fae touch to the beautiful garden. Standing as its own structure it simply nicely delineates that you are entering a place straight out of history.

Wizened Crepe Myrtle Trees

Truly, I thought these trees were dead but I'm told I was wrong. I find it amazing that they seem to be bark-less trees (The Basenji of the tree world?), beautiful, old, and almost magical.

A beautiful, unobstructed view...unfortunately.

The great house used to stand here, and guests would enter from the water-side. In the war that is known around here as "The War of Northern Aggression," a rogue troop from the Northern military came through and destroyed the home that stood so grandly.

A Live Oak in front of the stables, amazing, huge, and so very old.

This is a Southern Live Oak, one of many growing on the plantation lands. To give some kind of perspective to this picture, that stable is roughly 18 feet tall at its peak. These trees grow very slowly but it's almost impossible to gauge their age due to the trees being susceptible to heart rot but suffice it to say that they've been around longer than many generations of families. They're simply amazing, and awe-inspiring.

Don't mind me, I'm just strutting my stuff.

I was taking long-distance shots of this peacock (one of several peafowl on the premises) when it seemed to notice I was taking its picture and came to say hello.

In one of those cages back there a peahen is protecting six baby chicks. I couldn't take photos because my camera couldn't focus past the tight-knit fencing but you'll have to trust me when I say that they were absolutely adorable.

Annabelle!

This is the cow I milked! I successfully got a few squeezes of milk from her and left happy.

She only hit me in the face with her tail seven or eight times!

Magnolia tree flower over a life-filled marsh.

This was a garden, not just a home for animals; there were many beautiful magnolia trees, as well as other flora.

Not everything was blooming but that just means that we'll have to come back again some time in the future to see it in a new light.

What are you looking at?

There are two water buffalo in the back area. I wonder what the story is with this big guy's broken horn.

As we walked by he made an unhappy noise. The flimsy fencing made me hope that his unhappiness was just because we didn't stop to pet him, not because he was planning on using his remaining horn on us.

A bit of prettiness on the side of the path.

Beautiful pink gladiolas dotted the paths of the formal garden. Fully in bloom they added an appreciated brightness and beauty to the gardens.

The sunken garden, a beautiful place.

This is a shot of the sunken garden, surrounded on three sides by rolling hills and water on the fourth side.

If we had had a little more time, I would love to have a picnic under that tree in the background, overlooking the waters, watching the birds, turtles, and gators.

Pretty little white flowers.

On our way out, the path was walled by bamboo and some bushes that were bearing these pretty little white flowers.

Each flower is roughly the size of my pinky nail.

Stepping back to the real world.

Goodbye, Middleton Place! It was an amazing two hours! I am absolutely certain that the Awesome family will come back to see you again!