Summer Sensations- Plants Thriving in the Heat

 

While I regularly wilt in the recent weeks of high heat and humidity, plants and flowers outside our house have never looked better. They are stimulated by what many humans find oppressive. Lots of rain in recent days has helped them too.  

Our many sago palms are in full glory. July and August seem to be their time to shine, though look consistently good year-round. 

These two sago palms are new to our yard, as is the bigger one below. Neighbors did some landscaping work and decided to dig them up and not keep them. They posted on our neighborhood Facebook site that they were free to whoever wanted the trio, and I snatched them up. I replanted the two small ones in a pine straw bed in front of our house and put the large one in the back. Hopefully they will flourish in these new digs. Pun intended. 

The Best of the Beach Summer 2024

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, I’d like to share my favorite photos from several enjoyable Charleston area beach visits (with Alesia and a couple times with our son Joseph). 

From my comfortable beach chair I watch the world go by. On a hot summer day there’s nothing better! On Sullivan’s Island we usually set up near the old Sand Dunes Club at Station 17 or 18. 

I have called Sullivan’s Island the intersection of commerce and recreation. These photographs show you what I mean. 

4th of July Fun in Chicago!

 

We traveled to the Windy City to visit our son during the Independence Day holiday. The River North area downtown was where we stayed and the atmosphere was vibrant and festive. 

Chicago’s many skyscrapers are always neat to see and photograph. The iconic Wrigley Building was adorned with a huge American flag. As this site reveals, the huge flag cost $6,200 and has been flown during the 4th of July period since 2002 as a way to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.

To the left of the Wrigley Building is the 100-story Trump International Hotel & Tower, the city’s second tallest building. The hotel cost a whopping $847 million to build and was completed in 2009.

We had a wonderful view from room 1526 in the Westin Chicago River North Hotel on N. Dearborn St. 

Sunday afternoon when we checked into our room, this was the view.

Fortunately, the rain ended within a few hours…

Last Day of Spring- Summer is Here!

More beach scenes from the comfort of my chair set firmly in the sand at Station 17 on wonderful Sullivan’s Island, S.C. This was on Saturday, June 19, the last day of spring. Summer began officially the next day. 

Edisto Cloud Show!

Edisto Island has become our go-to beach this summer. The drive is longer than Sullivan’s and Folly but we know we can bring our chairs. Sullivan’s Island still asks visitors to keep moving. We’ve heard if you bring a towel you can stay for a while. We need our beach chairs.

Edisto on Sunday was very nice. The sun was shining, it wasn’t too hot, the water was comfortable and the waves were active for some body surfing. But the clouds, to me, were the highlight. They were poppin’ in all directions. With the Snapseed application on my iPad, I need some processing to make the clouds pop even more.

I also shared these on the Facebook site South Carolina Rambles and have received many likes and favorable comments.