February 19, 2022
My eldest son, Brandon, bought an old house in South
Carolina some years ago. He flies out
off and on, to work on reconstructing it to make it habitable. Our trips somehow managed to coincide, so I decided
to take a drive down and see what he was up to. It turned out to be a beautiful, warm day.
He has pretty much rebuilt the whole thing. Wherever possible he is utilizing the old wood and components, sometimes in a new application. The front elevation is just darling, in my opinion. He had just been working on the little portico on this trip.
The Blue House
We took a couple of hours to go through the house room by
room. In one area you could see the layers
of history, with rough-sawn studs faced with different paneling and
wallboards. Brandon is incredibly
knowledgeable and talented and seems to be very confident in doing this job on
his own. I was so interested in
listening to him explain everything that I forgot to take many pictures. Or I may have been distracted by his stories of the whistle pig that had moved into the crawl space of the house.
Explaining the Details
If, and when the family moves here, this would be their daughter’s room. A gorgeous antique bed with lace canopy awaits her.
To make the most efficient use of his time, Brandon camps
out at the unfinished house. A tent
makes a cozy sleeping area, and he has a useful kitchen set up as well.
House in a House
The back side isn’t quite as pretty at this point, but there
is a lot in progress. It’s fun to
imagine a possible future visit. All the
upstairs is new construction as it was just a small single-story house when they
bought it.
Backyard of the Blue House
I was in raptures over the huge magnolia trees on the perimeter of the yard area. I can just imagine them in full bloom. Of course there is also kudzu vine and poison ivy.
Huge Magnolia Tree
Another plant of interest was a Confederate Rose. A member of the hibiscus family, it has big
fluffy blooms that turn from white to pink.
I took several cuttings of it that I’m hoping to root at home.
Dried Confederate Rose Pod
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| Locking Up the Blue House |
We were both pretty much starving by the time we were done with the tour, so Brandon drove us to the little town of Landrum for lunch. Most restaurants on the main street were really busy so we drove to a bbq place outside of the downtown, called Southside Smokehouse and Grille.
Southside Smokehouse and Grille
The service was excellent and the portions huge. The server had some kind of funny accent (haha!)
and probably thought the same of us. It
was nice to visit one-on-one with my son.
Brandon Tucking into His Pulled Pork and Hush Puppies
I’m not a big meat eater, but just had to try the ribs. They were pretty amazing. It was my first time trying hush
puppies. They were delicious, but I
probably wouldn’t eat them every day.
 |
| Ribs and Hush Puppies |
After lunch we drove to an antique and architectural salvage store and poked around awhile. I had a two-hour drive back to Blowing Rock and didn’t want to chance driving home in fog, so after we got back from town, I pretty much headed out. Brandon also still some work to get done, as he was flying home very early the next morning.
Partway back, despite my desire to get home, I got waylaid by an old church and cemetery. Despite the recent losses in my family, I still enjoy exploring old cemeteries. The gate was open so I drove in, just as the day was slipping away.
Old Cemetery
Reading the stones, there is so much to ponder about the lives that have been lived. Who were they? What did they do? What did they dream of? Who did they love? What kind of an impact did they have on the world around them? Who will remember them?
Some epitaphs are long and poetic, but most say so
little. Lots to ponder. We get a short time here on this earth to live a meaningful life. It may never get written on a stone, or be remembered long, but we can touch the lives of those around us in small ways that could have eternal significance.
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