Hallelujah Singers

I had the joy of attending a concert at the Hilton Head Arts Center. The performance began with the primal beat of drums, then the Hallelujah Singers walked onto the stage, black skinned and dressed in white. They swayed and moved to the beat and began to sing. The hair on my arms stood straight up...the sound was amazing. Deep, rich and multi-layered harmonies that hit me in the heart. What a night.

The Hallelujah Singers are of the Gullah Culture and sing music that has a strong spiritual history that dates back to a time before slavery and comes from the West Coast of Africa. The Gullahs live on the Islands of the low country of South Carolina and are the descendants of the slaves that worked the rice plantations. They say "Gullah" is an interpretation of "Angola" where many of the people came from who were sold into slavery. The closest experience I've had to what I heard, was in Tahiti on the Island of Bora Bora, in a local church. The harmonies are coming from a place of spirit....they flow and build naturally. It is a wonderful sound.

Marlena Small is the guiding force of the Hallelujah Singers. She is working to save the Gullah Culture through the music and story telling. She is a force of nature and I was blessed to hear her and her Singers. Now I am obsessed with learning more and more about the Gullah Culture...and the music.

I found music CDs on Amazon.com and have ordered them all. Check out the Penn Center on St. Helena Island in South Carolina....they are all about Gullah.
It is a fasinating history.

Charleston is beautiful

I don't know if I loved the bridges or the architecture more. The bridges are amazing and so many of them. The historic district is full of beautiful old homes and buildings. I have some pictures but there is so much to see and so much history. I found out I am very ignorant regarding the Civil War. On the history tour I took, I learned that South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and Charleston has an interesting and lively history. I was very interested in learning about the Gullah culture and history. Unfortunately the tour I had hoped to take was cancelled.

I'm now on Hilton Head Island in a very nice RV resort. I plan to stay here a week and tour Savannah, GA. as well as the Island and surrounding area. I had hoped to be able to stay at the Hunting Island State Park but alas, there was no spot for me. It is a beautiful park, directly on the ocean.

Here are my pictures of Charleston houses.

Heat, Humidity, the South in the Summer

I know, I know, "What was I thinking"???? I should be on the coast of Oregon or Washington, or back in the Mountains of North Carolina or Flagstaff or Cape Breton. But for reasons that will remain my special secret, I am in Charleston, North Carolina. I arrived yesterday afternoon on a day that was setting a record at 100 degrees with humidity at about the same level. I nearly lost it to sun stroke while hooking and setting up Ms. Capri. Fortunately an unlikely Angel named Ernie rescued me. I did have to lay down with a cold cloth and AC to recover.

Early evening I drove into the historic district of Charleston and was wowed by the beautiful homes and interesting streets, shops and brave souls strolling about. I however, viewed all this from the air conditioned, front seat of my automobile.

Today it is going to be another scorcher so I shall again seek out AC and see what I can in comfort. Tomorrow however, the temps are slated to fall to the 80's and I shall be touring this beautiful and interesting city. I hope to have pictures and stories to share. Until then, stay cool.

More pictures from New Bern

I have moved on from New Bern to Wilmington, NC. Before I left however, I wandered through a very interesting old cemetery and got some interesting pictures. Also a picture of the Tryon Palace.

I'm staying in Wilmington for a couple of nights before I head south to Charleston, SC. Can't say I care much for this Wilmingtron area. Although the historic area of Wilmington is charming, it is very crowded and the beach areas are fully developed. I hope their are some natural beach areas as I head south...we'll see.

New Bern & Atlantic Beach, NC

I arrived in New Bern, NC yesterday and am staying at the KOA. New Bern is of interest because it is the location of the North Carolina government house, built between 1767 and 1770 by Royal Governor William Tryon,representing the British Crown. Tryon and New Bern played a big role in the last installment of Diane Gabaldon's Outlander series. I figured if I went all the way to Scotland to see sites from the series, I should check out the local sites. I have been in the "Highlands" of both Scotland and North Carolina and now this coast. I should thank Ms. Gabaldon for such an interesting travel itinerary.

I also finally got to the Atlantic ocean. It has been a long time since I've seen the Atlantic. The first time was in 1961 when I took my son Dan to meet his paternal grandparents in New Jersey. Mom and Pop Havens lived in Ocean Grove, NJ, a beach town right on the Atlantic Ocean. Having spent my life up to then on the west coast I was thrilled to see the Atlantic. Since then I have had many opportunities to revisit the Atlantic but none as exciting as that first time. So here I am again.

Blowing Rock (aka Mitford)

I finally pulled myself away from Asheville and went north up in the Mountains. I stayed at a KOA in Boone but my destination was Blowing Rock. This is the town that Jan Karon lived in when she began writing the Mitford/Father Tim series. I have loved those books and wanted to see the town Mitford was based on. It is a charming place with many shops, galleries and yummy places to eat. It actually reminded me very much of Edmonds, WA. with the many flowers and historic buildings. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Horsing Around with Charlie

That fine bit of horse flesh I'm standing beside is Charlie. Last Saturday night my friend Anita invited me to the first horse show I have ever attended. Charlie belongs to a friend of hers and was a participant in the show. What fun. Anita explained all that was going on which made the event that much more enjoyable. Unfortunately, our Charlie didn't take home any ribbons but he already has a wall filled with ribbons so it wasn't too sad. He is learning new moves and hasn't quite mastered them at the level he had reached with his old "tricks". The pictures don't do the horses justice. Such beautiful and smart creatures.