What Season Is It?!

WHEN: March 2010
WHERE: Charleston, SC

***WARNING***

Potentially boring post about crazy spring weather (you've been warned)!

I know...I have a blog whose title begins with the word "time", but I am seriously questioning if I know what time (of the year) it is.  In the span of the past week, Charleston has experienced every season of the year, and in no order for that matter.  It seemingly went from summer to spring to winter to fall...and now back to spring.

Last Tuesday, the high was 88°, breaking the record for that day by one degree.  The following day it was 86° and Thursday it was 82°, so as someone who loves the heat, I was thrilled about summer's early arrival.  In fact, during the preceding week it had climbed into the 80's four out of the seven days.  Not only was it warm but it was dry - bone dry!  We're talking blue skies, no clouds, and humidity below 20%, about as dry as the desert southwest.  Because of all the heat and low humidity, 57 wildfires broke out in South Carolina last Wednesday alone.  One of them, which turned into a 2,600 acre blaze, occurred in the northern part of Charleston county.  What was all this, July?  Nope, March.

Friday the mercury only climbed to 67°, jacket weather for sure after growing accustomed to the summer weather.  While it was a brisk day for Charlestonians, it was only four degrees below average for the day.  It really was more aligned with a spring day here.  Maybe it was March after all?

Saturday it reached 78° and the day started out full of sun and warmth.  Stacie and I went out for a walk in our neighborhood and it really felt like it was going to be another 80°+ day.  That all changed in the afternoon when the storm clouds (lightning, thunder and all) rolled in during the afternoon and we got our first rain in over 2 weeks.  As much as I love a warm, sunny day, we really did need the rain and it helped to wash away a lot of the pollen and green things up even more.  Sunday the rain continued but the temperature dropped down to 65° for the high.  It rained on and off all day, which made the weekend mostly an indoors event.  Between the deep greens and thickening vegetation brought out by the rain, and the scattered thunder and lightning, the weekend felt like some mix between summer and spring. 

Charleston had received about the least amount of precipitation anywhere east of the Mississippi, prior to last weekend's rain.

As of today, after this past week's rainfall, we have caught up with most of the rest of the eastern half of the country in terms of precipitation.

Winter hit Monday - hard and out of nowhere!  Even as of Saturday morning the forecast was for a high in the upper-50's, well below average for Charleston in late-March.  By the time Monday was written in the record books, we hadn't even reached 50° that day.  Nope, the high in Charleston on Monday was a frigid...47°!  The high!  Our lows had been warmer than that for most of the past two weeks! I can already hear the disgust of our families up north, listening to me complain about 47°.  Let me put things in to perspective.

First off, Monday was also overcast, rainy, and windy all day, with wind chills well into the 30's.  Just six days before it was 88°, setting a new record high for that day.  Now, six days later, it was 47°, breaking a new low-high record for the day.  It was 25° below average Monday and it was snowing in North Carolina.  Yes, Monday it was 11° below the coldest average in January for Charleston. We're talking about March 28 here! 

Monday was the coldest day (below average) of 2011 in Charleston!

I know I have lost most of you by now, going on about temperatures and over-using the °°°°°°°°° symbol.  To offer some direct perspective of the cold and why I am so upset about the weather the past two days, let me illustrate to our families in the Midwest how cold it was (with more temperatures of course!).

A high of 11° below the coldest average for January would translate to a high on March 28 of 10° in Minneapolis, MN or 14° in Waterloo, IA.  We went from 17° above average to 25° below average in just six days.  From breaking a high to breaking a low.  "Frigid Monday" (as I'm calling it), just 4 days away from April, was the 7th coldest day of the year in Charleston!  And if it were not for another well-below-average week in January,  March 28 would have been the 2nd coldest day of the year so far here.  What is this, January?  Nope, almost April.

High temperatures on March 28
Yep!  It was warmer in Boston than it was in Charleston.

Snow cover as of March 28 (far too close to South Carolina)

The cold snap, peaking on Monday, was all thanks to a front straight out of the Arctic that had pushed itself all the way into the deep south, bringing snow as far south as North Carolina.  It was just part of the mix in a week that brought the country tornadoes, wildfires, and snowstorms.  

The week has remained cold and below average here in Charleston and has for much of the country.  I think many of us are sick of riding this crazy meteorology train we've been on since spring started.  Some may have already forgotten it is spring, like those in the northeast starting off April with a snowstorm tonight.  Thankfully it IS April tomorrow and as bad as winter may have been and spring has already been, we know it can only get warmer before it gets colder.  Summer is more in sight every day!

The beautiful spring foliage in our front yard today.  While it sure looks like spring, it sure hasn't felt like it this week!

The sun and warmth are finally supposed to return here tomorrow and this weekend, right in time for the Flowertown Festival in Summerville.  Stacie and I are excited to get outside again, enjoy spring, and experience all the food and fun at the festival.  It will be a necessity after surviving this past week.  Maybe it is spring after all?

Springtime In Charleston

WHEN: March 16-21, 2011
WHERE: Charleston, SC

I am a week late in getting this post finished and it feels even longer than that.  Stacie and I have spent the past week getting back in to the routine of our regular schedules, after her parents came for a fun and active visit for 5 days.  We made good use of the limited time they were here and got to enjoy spending time with them, as well as doing things we don't often get to do in Charleston.  They picked a great spring week to visit Charleston, with sunny skies, warm weather, flowers blooming left and right, and March Madness in full swing (when we needed to move indoors to escape the onslaught of pollen, or just rest our busy feet). 

We walked 10 miles in three days, just touring downtown Charleston and navigating plantation gardens.  It was a short(er) but action-filled vacation, yet I managed to take 502 pictures during the 5 days they were here.  It is somewhat overwhelming, knowing how to begin to organize and share all that happened (even with 500+ pictures documenting it all) and frankly, I don't want to.  Therefore, this post has experienced what I'd call "photographic diarrhea" and I leave it to you, the reader, to sort through the mess.  (Yes, I just used the word and analogy of 'diarrhea' on my blog).  But really, wouldn't you rather look at pretty spring pictures than to hear me ramble on about what we did?  Thought so.

Stacie's parents flew in to Charlotte late Tuesday night then drove down to Charleston on Wednesday.  Stacie and I both worked half-days on Thursday then headed down to Mt. Pleasant Thursday night for the beach, food, and a little shopping.  We made sure to stay away from downtown and any Irish pub (given that it was St. Patty's Day).

Though it was a pleasant night, the cold water and persistent breeze coming off it required jackets and made our visit brief.

Friday was beautiful and we headed downtown Charleston for a picnic

Steve and I walked out on the pier downtown to watch the dolphins feeding around the cruise ship in port.  Do you see the dolphin surfacing right in front of the bow?

Our next stop was the Charleston City Market

Taking a break from the heat in a cool, shaded courtyard.  It was 86° Friday.

Azaleas blooming in the cemetery across the street from the St. Phillip's Episcopal Church.  Azaleas are usually in peak blooming season around Charleston in the weeks surrounding April 1.

Headstones braced on the brick wall surrounding the cemetery

Debby found this headstone, noting the death of a grandmother (and her infant grandson) in 1848.  She was born in 1781.  The headstone reads...

THIS MARBLE

marks the spot where repose

the remains of

Mrs. ELIZA B. R. MENDENHALL

who closed her earthly career

on the 29th December A.D. 1848

aged 67 years

By her side sleeps her infant grandson

JOHN BRUCE LIMEHOUSE

Thou art gone to the grave but we will

not deplore thee

Whose God was thy ransom thy Guardian

and Guide

He gave thee, He took thee, and he will

restore thee

And Death hath no sting for the Savior

hath died.

This stone is consecrated

to a beloved mother

by her daughter.

The steeple of St. Phillip's Episcopal Church, overlooking the cemetery

The historic Dock Street Theatre (c. 1809)

One of the hundreds of secluded courtyards scattered around downtown Charleston

It's no mistake springtime has arrived in Charleston

Flowers in front of the Edmonston-Alston House on the Battery
 

Sign posted on the gate at the Palmer Home

Front yard garden, with Two Meeting Street in the background

We ended the night downtown eating at Coast, a seafood favorite in Charleston and one that Stace and I had been to before.  We also noticed a couple days later, while watching the movie 'Dear John' (filmed in Charleston), that Coast was in one scene.

Pink hyacinths blooming in our window.  They smelled amazing!  Only problem is, they only last for about a week.

Checking out all our options at Magnolia Plantation (founded in 1676 and open to the public since 1870).

Ambience

Walking to the gift shop, enjoying spring, avoiding the clouds of pollen.

Which was next to impossible with thousands of flowers blooming on the plantation

Look at all that pollen. Gesundheit!



Our first endeavor was a 45-minute tram ride through the 500 acres of the plantation (the plantation was 2,000 acres up until the Civil War)

Riding through the swamp...

...spying on water fowl...

...and chasing big lizards!

Next stop, the endless gardens.  This was a unique garden with interesting plaques highlighting Biblical references to gardens and what they likely consisted of.

Biblical references of gardens

Interpretations of Biblical references

Still smiling...

...not yet sneezing.

Good thing we took our allergy pills!

One of the many bridges crossing the swamps and ponds on the plantation

Overlooking one of the swamp ponds

Azaleas were in bloom everywhere

Dad and daughter, under the live oaks on the river bank

It wasn't hard finding good settings for pictures

Azaleas and live oaks

This little guy (3-4ft) and two others were about six feet off the path we were on

Looks menacing even at that size

We saw 'Bubba' on our tram ride, a 14ft. alligator who runs the show at the plantation.  Now that's menacing!

Another hidden bridge

Wisteria were in peak bloom in Charleston while Stacie's parents were in town

Of course I had to pose by some, in my well-chosen purple polo ;)

A sunny oasis deep inside the winding and colorful gardens

A fragrant magnolia bloom, the name sake of the plantation

"The bridge"

(I think this bridge is what sold the girls on choosing this plantation over the others in town - can you blame them?)

A view from the bridge

Check out those knotted vines growing up the tree in the foreground

The plantation home

One of the brilliant peacocks at the petting zoo

Remarkable feathers

This guy was just simply annoying!  The only negative of the plantation :)

As much as I hate my alarm clock in the morning, I'm glad we don't have to use these loud-mouths anymore!

Sunday, we headed back downtown to visit some of the sights we did not have time for on Friday.

I took the three of them to The Vault (also Stacie's first time), the vintage sports apparel and paraphernalia shop whose owner grew up with my dad in Iowa Falls. (He was out of town when we visited, unfortunately).  Here we were looking at the old newspaper clippings from/about Iowa sports teams and the numerous collector's items the store owner had on display (team photos, signed items, and magazines). The bonus was that most were of/about the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Green Bay Packers.  Affinity and commemoration for either of these two teams, let alone both, will earn you instant friendship in Stacie's family :)

We went on a guided tour of the Nathaniel Russell House (built in 1808).  Pictures are not allowed inside so even photos online are hard to find.  The tour was somewhat limited but what we did see was quite beautiful.

The gardens and backyard of the Nathaniel Russell House

 

With cemeteries on every other block, I've wondered if there are more people living or buried in downtown Charleston.

This day (Sunday) Stacie and I found out we were aunt & uncle again to my sister's first baby, Henry ('Rhee').  This one was for him ;)

The grand chandelier in the foyer of The Charleston Place Hotel

As we were walking back to our car to leave, the weather was quickly turning cloudy, windy, and cold.  Perfect conditions for visiting a graveyard, right?  I really wanted to show Stacie's parents the Circular Church Graveyard, where, among many others, 3 signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried.

This woman ("Catherine"), whose headstone now sits up against the base of the church wall, was born in Holland in 1687 and died September 6, 1773.

Meanwhile, there was a wedding being held inside - the guests congratulating the bridal party here as I acted the unwanted paparazzi photographer.

One more picture, in front of a restored, colonial storefront

The rental car that got us around town all week (and thankfully no tickets from police).