Let Me Show YOU more ANTIQUE Wrought IRONWORK from Charleston, SC

Here we go with more shots I took of antique wrought iron work from downtown historic Charleston, South Carolina. I took a little more close up pictures of some of this, and some full shots of gates and railings. The ironwork is such a staple here in Charleston, it is a element that men and women both like in their gardens and encircling their homes.

I believe there are feminine and masculine garden elements, plants, and even styles. Ironwork is one of those masculine elements , representing strength , fortitude and uppermost security.

It looks it's best with draping vines or greenery peeking through it...softening it some.

Psy. 101 lesson on masculine and feminine elements in your garden by a surely shady source...my own ever deducing brain.

Take it or leave it for what it's worth.

Ok, let me show you around hot and humid Charleston...

Upper balcony railing balustrade or balcony.

Always peeking in, that's me.

I loved this old timey bicycle behind this front entarnce gate.

I believe I showed this in my last post with the shadows, but I love it so much I'm making you look again.

I worked a bit for this shot. See the gorgeous. draping Spanish moss on the trees ? It was a hot, but beautiful morning when I was walking around that day. 90 degrees.
190 % humidity.

These were some pictures of some large gates to a bed and breakfast that I like to sneak back and look at the garden. I remember these shots, because I stopped to take a gulp of water from my plastic water bottle...and it made that silly crunchy noise that I believe cheaper water bottles make, very loud...and a man sitting under a  patio jumped reading his paper beside me.

Tough tiddlywinks for him, as I had to go back and see this garden again...and I was thirsty.
We all need someone to wake us up now and then.

 Problem was for Mrs. Tough-T...many people were back there enjoying their breakfast still...so I retreated and left them to listen to the birds and drink their coffee.

Out past the man I scared earlier and back to hunt down more ironwork.

 These photos were all taken off the Battery by the way. The really, REALLY expensive area of town.
Anywhere is pretty pricey in downtown Charleston though.

My beloved blue plumbago peeking through some iron. Feminine, masculine elements in perfect harmony.

A porch railing.

Very Victorian don't you think ?

Outside of a church.

More hearts.

What a stunningly artistic shot ! I really like this one.

Hey...see the heart at the very top ?

All of this old ironwork makes these gardens complete...I also like vintage woodwork around gardens. Picket fences are terribly charming.

I just realized this is too long of a post, so I will do another one tomorrow with the last of the ironwork , some statuary and some more of Charleston, SC.

At present, I need to go finish cleaning up around here and preparing a Father's Day dinner for my dad and my husband. For all you cooks and chefs out there that include recipes in their blogs....I am not going to include a recipe, as I know you all know how to make this meal.

But I will tell you my simple menu for the dinner:

Father's Day Dinner

Grilled marinated Italian

chicken ( I'm always the griller-barbecuer lady here )

Strawberry-spinach and pecan salad

Homemade potato salad made last nite and chillin'

Chocolate cake for dessert

( courtesy of my oldest beloved daughter )

Sounds good right ?

Happy Father's day to you men , bless you and your families,

Gina

" Therefore if any man be in Christ , he is a new creature ; old things are passed away ; behold, all things are new. " 2 Corinthians 5:17

Wrought IRON Shadows from CHARLESTON, South Carolina

We went to Charleston , SC...one of my very favorite places in the world, if you have followed my blog before. If you are a newer follower, a warm welcome. Or a hot one as it was 95 degrees in Charleston , a city with possibly the highest humidity on the face of the planet. I was in an artsy type of mood , melancholy...contemplating -my- life type of mood for the last few days ( wait, make that a good couple of decades ), but it is more profound of late.

That in turn has caused Mrs. Profound-over-thinker to notice even more than I already notice, which is too much for my own good.

But here , I will show you the shadows of some gorgeous, heavy, chunky antique wrought iron gates and ironwork I noticed reflecting  on the ground in the early morning sunlight of Charleston.

I hope you enjoy these pictures...

 I love the heart in this gate. I saw many hearts in gates here...once I stopped and looked at them more carefully.

 See...lovely shadows.

Artwork outlines courtesy of God and His sunshine.

I will throw in this shadow on a sidewalk that I was walking down, I loved the crape myrtles draping heavy with their blossoms, creating outlines for anyone who could truly notice. That morning I walked was full of birds singing , clip-clopping of horses hooves from the carriages that give tours, and lots of going around construction crews renovating homes.

I did not have my headphones on this time, as I had to bring water it was so hot, and I had my camera and key as well.

A gal only has some many hands right ?

The evening before I got caught in a torrential downpour about a mile from the hotel, with way too much to carry and to get damaged if they got wet.
I went under someone's porch for awhile, but did not want to appear to be a vagrant...a wet vagrant...so I made my way out into the rain again.

I looked like a drowned rat when I walked back to the hotel.

So this time, I edited my carry-on items for my walk.
Not in case of rain...simply to make my walk lighter.

That afforded me the added benefit of Charleston's own daily sounds.

Nice.

 The sun started to get too high overhead, which meant time was passing and I had to head back to our hotel.

 Here is me and my love-bug  later, getting ready to go out for some dinner at a restaurant that had a live jazz band , and then off to walk around Charleston at dusk at the water park. It was still 95 degrees at 6:30 PM.

Our son's favorite thing at this hotel was racing up the elevator to beat me, who always takes the stairs here, to get to the room first.

I won 90 % of the time . Only because it was only 1 flight of steps up, and he had to wait frantically pushing elevator buttons, the joy children derive from elevator buttons !

I have more entries I will post with many more pictures of wrought iron accents , and some gardens and miscellaneous shots around Charleston.

More later,

Gina

 "Be still, and know that I am GOD. " Psalm 46:10

OUTSIDE Views of CHARLESTON, South Carolina's Private HOMES

 Typical old single 3 story home on Church St.

I am very fortunate to be able to drive to Charleston, South Carolina...and roam through the downtown historic neighborhoods for ideas and inspiration for my garden and my home. In this guide I will show you some homes that caught my eye on a hot late summer afternoon there. 

Let's go--

 

I saw this house with it's really neat overgrown ivy surround while I was looking for Mrs. Whaley's garden . I did find the garden, it was across the street a ways down from here...but it had a sign on the back gate ( to the garden ), that said GARDEN CLOSED. I felt like a kid who couldn't get into the zoo that day. Considered trying to get back there anyway...did not follow through with my rebellious tendencies against No Entry signs this time though.

Maybe another time.

Here was a huge old home , on some street I do not recall...and I could not for the life of me get far enough away to take a shot of the whole house. See,  in Charleston, homes are right on top of each other. The good thing about that though is you get to see so many houses all at once !

This was a gorgeous old home off of S. Battery that  had intricate wrought iron accents, doors, balconies...all around.

One of my favorite views of all these homes is the front /side gardens with their large porches or piazzas looking out. Again , since these homes are right on top of each other...I could not get far enough away from one house to take a photo of a house without running into the neighbor's yard, fence, yardman, or dog.

Here are two views of a large, home with unusual hodge-podge wood work, wrought ironwork, and appears to be whatever the owner fancied at the time.

This home was off of Lenwood or Legare, across from a small lake ,columns are huge, very Gone with The Wind style home.

I remember very well taking lots of photos of this home, it was a delicious shade of pinky-peach, had heavy wrought ironwork all around and elaborate cornices over all the windows. The door also has stunning stained glass. I took so many photos of this home, ( I usually only take one shot and keep on moving ), that I thought the owners were going to come out and say, " That's IT Lady , no more photos ! "

Lucky for me, they did not...and lucky for me that I am fast...if they did.

A close-up of the front of same pinky-peach home.

Close-up of the beautiful front door.

Ok, last look.

Again, this was across the street from the pinky-peachy home, and I could not get all four stories of this in here. I could have layed flat on the sidewalk on my back and take it, but did not do that...this time.

Here was a very lovely home with the clipped holly all around and a small fountain in front.

 

This is one of my very favorite larger mansions with large balconies, porches, piazzaz..this home had it all.

 

Gorgoeous home near the water, S. Battery area.

 

Very front of the same home with overflowing planters , I love anything overflowing , especially flowers, gardens  and fountains.

 

On and on and on, large Victorian mansions left and right.

 

I believe this is where they, ( architects, decorators, home-builders ) , get the term " Charleston-style" home. This is the real deal , one of the originals .

Nothing ever compares to ' the real deal ', in anything in life.

Set of row houses near Church St. When you come to Charleston, you get an eyeful of these style homes.

I'll do more Charleston ' tours' online soon. Check out my ones from September if you have time.

Have a blessed day and be sure to be a blessing yourself to someone else too,

Gina

" In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so , I would have told you . I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself ; that where I am ; there you may be also. " John 14 :2-3