Arthur Ravenel Bridge and Angel Oak Tree

 When staying in a lovely hotel and enjoying day after day exciting trips, time is FLYING...

Our departure day did arrive...

Just had to capture this Arthur Ravenel Bridge.

 So I crossed the Cooper River by car onto Mount Pleasant and turned right for standing behind Embassy Suites by Hilton Charleston.

The height of the two pylons is 175 meters and the total length of the bridge is 4 kilometers. 

It is the 3rd longest such span for a cable–stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

The design is done with the frequent natural disasters in mind; the bridge can withstand gusts of wind in excess of 480 km/h and earthquakes rated 7.4 on the Richter Scale.

Taken while driving over the actual bridge...

There are 8 lanes, four in each direction and also lanes for pedestrians and cyclists.

What a marvel; it got opened in 2005.

In about half an hour, we arrived at St. John's Island at the ANGEL OAK TREE

It is HUGE and you can read more about it here: Angel Oak® | Charleston, SC – Official Website ←click link.

Circumference is 25.5 feet or 7.77 meter. 

It is the largest Live Oak Tree east of the Mississippi estimated to be 300 to 400 years old.

It is named after the owners Justus Angel and his wife, Martha Waight Tucker Angel whose family owned the land in the 1800s and 1900s.

Charleston County purchased the land in 1991.

Houmas House the Sugar Palace in Darrow, Louisiana | ←click previous post by me with huge Quercus Virginiana or Live Oak Trees

Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana | ←click previous post by me with huge Live Oak Trees

Same photo but now cropped...

Me in front of this giant wearing my Escada stretch pants and boots; seen here: →click {Happy with my Escada Stretch Pants}

It was quite dark from this giant!

Now Pieter stands in front of one of the branches that are laying down.

Do you see to the left those two wooden poles, to support these huge branches?

It is really hard to capture its enormous size...

Pieter wore his Zegna summer jeans.

There were lots of people when we were there.

Again, perfect blue sky.

Now the 3.5 hour drive home for picking up our tax papers at the CPA and for making it in time for early choir practice for Holy Thursday...

Below is the short Relive video from drive over bridge and to Angel Oak Tree; enjoy!

Got to cross the Cooper River and the Ansley River...

Our Charleston See–It–All Sightseeing Bus Tour

 Quite pleased with having booked us a Charleston See–It–All Sightseeing Bus Tour!

That proved to be excellent and conveniently close within walking distance to our Hyatt House Charleston Historic District in South Carolina.

Thanks to TripAdvisor, where I found some excellent reviews that highly recommended this.

Also instead of a carriage tour, which covers only a limited area and would be rather noisy as you are out in the open... Considering my Pieter wearing hearing aids.

Having booked on line I had our tickets on my iPhone and we walked in about 5 minutes from the Hyatt House Charleston Historic District, to 375 Meeting Street to VISITOR CENTER of Charleston.

That's where all the tour buses come to pick up their passengers.

Charleston with its Southern Charm was founded in 1670 as Charles Town in honor of King Charles II.

Charleston is also called the Holy City because of its religious tolerance and abundant places of worship.

Charleston has lots of handmade wrought iron work. Notice the elaborate front door that goes to nowhere?

It just gets opened for letting the natural breeze go through all the way by opening the next door and/or windows.

Also the single house (one room wide) has its narrow side with a gable end, along the street.

Always facing north/south or east/west for taking advantage of prevailing breezes.

Citadel Military College

The Citadel Airforce Jet named Annette from the Vietnam War era.

Huge Replica of the Citadel's Class Ring

Colonial Lake Park a charming historical city park in the middle of Charleston's historic neighborhoods

As you can see, the weather was perfect!

Charleston maintains also a perfect green image of its beautiful historic city!

Great architecture and perfect gardens, parks and green sections throughout.

Lovely historic home and especially the lower outdoor shutters are exactly in the pattern as we have for our indoor shutters and doors!

You can see our Historic Charleston raised panels here: {Our 'GREEN' Bedroom} ←click on link.

Also The Charleston you can see here: → Solid Oak Shutters REDONE: Now Professionally Mortise Hinged by Husband Pieter

Real lovely homes and often surrounded by Live Oak trees, as you see here in the front.

Statue to the The Defenders of Fort Sumter Monument in Battery Park

Text reads: To The Confederate Defenders of Charleston 

Fort Sumter

1861–1865

The statue is located in the southern tip of the Battery

The Battery in Charleston is a fortified seawall and promenade.

The Battery is lined with historic antebellum homes... the cream of the Holy City's architecture.

Our Sightseeing Bus Tour lasted 90 minutes and the driver was very knowledgeable.

My Pieter enjoyed listening to him and getting to know more about Charleston's history and architecture; so did I!

Charleston See–It–All Sightseeing Bus Tour provided by Adventure Sightseeing, SC ←click for more info.

Just snapped this picture hastily as we had disembarked at the Visitor Center before driver Benji pulled up...

That was a wonderful Adventure!

Now we leisurely stroll back to our hotel...

Pieter comfortably dressed in his Zegna jeans and comfy shoes, just as I was wearing, with my Escada jeans and Wolford top seen in top picture.

Lovely handmade wrought iron work everywhere and these lanterns got adorned with flower baskets.

And arriving "HOME" again at our Hyatt House...

Perfect for tea time at our One Bedroom King Suite!

The weather was perfect as well with still 23℃ or 73.4℉ at 16:40 o'clock! 

Enjoy our short Relive video and stay tuned for more...

And NOW the LONG ride back home from South Florida

 Well, the 10th day has started and we both decided to have breakfast early and hit the road.

It would be a long ride ahead but still with perfect weather!

Yep, 937 km or 582 mi and I did them in 8 hours and 16 minutes.

Of course we opted for the Turnpike = Toll Road and it was such a smooth ride all the way.

This was one of the two times that I stopped for gas...

There are convenient Service Plazas along the Turnpike which are accessible from both sides as they're in the center.

Pieter was wearing his comfy ribcord Zegna jeans from Last Call Neiman Marcus from a previous trip.

On my 1:46 minute Relive video you can see where this got taken, shortly after our 2nd gas stop.

We also stopped at a Rest Area for enjoying our lunch from Whole Foods Market in Davie with some fresh fruits and a little rest.

Escada Rose Suit and Hat

 For quite a while I meant to show you my hat that I wore with my Escada Rose Suit.

Pieter wearing his Zegna suit and I wear Escada shoes with my Escada Rose Suit and blouse.

A kind of a Spanish style hat...

Closeup of my hat...

Both of us in our garden on a Sunday, after Mass...

Working hard all week but enjoying our Sunday together as a blissful relationship!

Bye for now...

Do any of you wear a hat?

FINALLY two successful grafts of our Grand View Gold Live Oak

On April 3, we received the great news from tree enthusiast Adam Black, that he had FINALLY two successful grafts of our Grand View Gold Live Oak!

We got to know Adam in November of 2012, when he was still with the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, FL.

He made the trip to our garden several times, trying to graft this very rare species.

On April 16, Our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold looks almost as golden as my Escada leather skirt!

April is Grand View Gold Oak's most stunning season and on April 13, Adam got to see it in all its glory as he once more did make the LONG drive to our garden...

Coming all the way from Peckerwood Garden in Hempstead, Texas!

You can find the article by Adam about Preserving a Stunning Golden Live Oak in their Peckerwood Garden Newsletter, just scroll down to read about it.

Of course, Pieter too is feeling very proud of the fact that this unique tree will get preserved for the future!

Pieter is wearing his Patrick James Herringbone Tweed Ibizza grey sport coat, woven in Italy with Alberto Tonal Stripe Five-Pocket Jeans from PatrickJames.com. with his Ermenegilda Zegna shirt and Escada silk elephant tie.

My Escada leather skirt and Escada shoes.
Wearing it with my RED Valentino sweater.
To the left you can see our Spooky on the lawn...

Of course, our loyal Spooky boy is always near us, he follows like a doggy!

Thanks for your visit!

Catching up on things, slowly...

Related links:
{Princess Diana's Elephant Tie just like Pieter's} | previous post by me showing Pieter's silk tie
{My Escada & RED Valentino Score} | previous post by me showing the above outfit...

{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969}

It was in June of 1969, when I had read the weekly local paper 'De Echo van Horst' and spotted an advertisement from the practical Training College for Mushroom Growing. So before lunch, I did go over there to apply for the job; and got it. The founder and principal, Mr. Vedder, told me that with my long hair I reminded him of his daughter Lizzy... Later I got to know that cute little daughter of age five. Well, I loved the job, attended also the very first ladies course ever given on the subject of mushroom growing. That was in 1970! Sounds like ages ago that women were not considered to do the very same things as men do... Mr. Vedder turned out to be one of my most favorite teachers. Over the years, thousands of students would agree with me on that! His book, translated into eight official languages, has often been called the Mushroom Bible. It is still available in print in Spanish, as well as in English, at least here in the USA and in Spain. He wrote his first Dutch edition in 1961. And our new English version: modern mushroom growing 2020 harvesting is available worldwide. 

There certainly was a mutual sympathy but nothing else. As I've mentioned before in the blog: {Our Daughter Liz}, that my first cousin Bertie was Lizzy's friend; my paternal grandmother was Pieter's Mom's best friend and my paternal uncle was Pieter's friend at the photo club... I had no inkling that fourteen years later I would become his wife! 

Up till 1980 I didn't even know his first name as we always referred to him as Mr. Vedder...

Okay, let's pull the curtain of that special year 1969 and have a look: 

Angels are my favorites and on this huge 3.75" (9.5cm) bronze coin they playfully open the curtain ~ so the year can begin! Famous French Engraver G. Simon, designed it and he also had become instantly famous with the design of the 50 cents (centimes) coin for Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco. That made him become the Royal Engraver! He has done numerous coins.

My angel coin is in French, listing the beginning of Spring; Summer; Autumn and Winter. As well as the dates of Pentecost and Christmas.

Things have changed in 41 years!

As the angels pull the curtain at the end of the year 1969, let's have a look at some of the highlights since then:

That's me with the long hair at that time... loving roses already! Some antique French roses from an elderly lady that I helped out for some pocket money at the time.

Pieter at the same age as I am in the above photo... in the Dutch military.

Pieter a couple of years later with a head full of hair...

Our civil wedding at the City Hall in Horst aan de Maas, The Netherlands

Happily married, regardless the jet–lag, as we landed the day before from a flight back from Atlanta, Georgia USA to The Netherlands...

After our Church wedding in a parish near Osorno, Chile

Wearing my Laurèl, Escada lace blouse.

Honeymoon in Chile, looking into Argentina. I am proud to have readers from both countries!

Pieter wearing his wool Burberry tie and I the silk Burberry plaid scarf.

At the harbor of Cape Town, South Africa on November 24, 1985.

In front of The White House, Washington DC 1987.

Pieter in his Burberry suit.

After having lived and worked in Pennsylvania and Italy, we moved back to Georgia, USA into our new build home and my Dad from The Netherlands helped us move in.

With our foster daughter Anita, in Indonesia where we lived and worked in Central Java.

Photo taken for the book: A Profile of Dublin & Laurens County Georgia where our story appeared.

At the banquet of the millennium Rotary District Conference.

Wearing a silk Escada top with Majorica pearls.

Trip to the Geuldal in South Limburg (my former Province), The Netherlands during the May 2000 Mushroom Science International Congress.

Wearing my Laurèl Escada suit with top.

Going to our annual Crescendo of the Dublin Laurens Arts Council.

Wearing my favorite Escada silk rose evening gown with Majorica pearls.

Even get to wear my Dirndl to go to the Oktoberfest that was held bi-annually by our best friends Col. John A.Whigham and Dr. Rebecca Whigham.

Picture taken by our foster daughter Anita after midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Spooky our cat is in the picture too, on the left of me... he passed away because of heart-worm!

Wearing my Escada calf hair skirt and leather coat with calf hair boots.

Again for a reception of the annual Rotary Club's District Conference. Since we no longer are International Consultants we at least get to go! We missed so many opportunities while being abroad someplace else... weddings of friends and such.

Pieter in his Ermenegildo Zegna suit and I'm in Escada.

This picture is taken at a wedding in Dublin, Georgia.

Pieter's matching silk tie with gray roses with my Escada dress and jacket with rose embroidery and Majorica pearls.

Another Rotary District Conference banquet where they always ask for wearing the 'Dublin' green jacket. Got Pieter a Brioni 30% silk with 70% cashmere jacket from Neiman Marcus Last Call that is a brighter green than they wear here. The Dublin green jacket we once took to the Rotary Club of Dublin Viking in Ireland to the their Club meeting. When they asked what an ugly color green Pieter was wearing we got cured! They were not in agreement in Dublin, Ireland with that being their Irish green. Indeed, from my fashion education I also know better — so I've taken care of that one.

Wearing my favorite Escada leather jacket with rose embroidery cut work on silk with silk top.

Anyway, Pieter looks a lot sharper in his Burberry tuxedo than in the green jacket! I am wearing a silk batik top that I've made from an Indonesian formal shawl, being hand painted with gold. Added frogs closures (Brandenburger sluiting in Dutch or Brandenbourgs) that I found in Spain while on a tour there. Lined it with black silk lining from my favorite West Coast specialty store (HUGE!) in San Francisco Britex. That are the perks when you travel the world; you find all the luxury that is out there and happen to come upon the most unique stores... For those of you that sew or design, check out Britex Notions at the very top from their home page.

Let's end with this and toast to many more happy years in good health!