Playing Tourist

I took Oma and Opa on a whirlwind tour of Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter when they came to Charleston last month. As we explored the grounds, I kept finding myself drawn to the different textures and architecture.

Congratulations, You Have a Healthy SCOBY

I’ve been told that people think one of three things when they hear someone say kombucha: 1. Yuck, that stuff tastes like vinegar 2. Yum, I could live off that stuff 3. What the heck is kombucha? Long story very short, Kombucha is a fermented tea that can be wildly expensive but incredibly delicious. 

Since we haven’t executed a completely successful batch yet I won’t list out a step by step guide (like anyone would actually be inclined to make it after what I’m about to show). We certainly aren’t experts and we don’t claim to know what we’re doing. That being said, there are lots of great sites online that we’ve been perusing with different kombucha recipes, flavoring options, and starter kits. We will be harvesting our third batch this weekend and will share what we’ve learned as we go.

Number One: SCOBYs are disgusting. What is a SCOBY? A SCOBY is a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast (the heart of the kombucha). When we grew our SCOBY, I was anticipating a jellyfishishy boogery blob. I was pleasantly (?) surprised that it felt like a cold raw piece of chicken.

Number Two: We’ve tried lots of different flavor combinations. The most successful kombucha flavorings have come from freshly juiced  fruits. We’ve loved using RAAW to add flavor to the kombucha but we’re still experimenting.

Number Three: Testing the first sip of the first batch of kombucha is terrifying… get your boocha buddy to do it for you! The second batch was slightly less terrifying but I  still heard my mom’s ‘you’re going to kill yourself with that stuff’ whispers as I took my first sip.

Last but not least, we’re still alive! As we tinker with our ratios, flavor combinations, and tea selection, we’re learning more and more with each batch.

You Only Get One, You Only Get One

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I’m posting a couple of pics of (as Brand Nubian would say) “My favorite girl.” I get to see her in a week and there’s no one on the planet I’m more excited to lay around and do nothing with. My family came down to visit in February and these are some of my favorite pictures of my very Audrey Hepburn Mom… Way to rock that scarf!

To All the Beautiful Mothers:

Where the Wild Things Are

Last weekend I stood on a narrow wooden walkway in the middle of a tidal creek to watch shooting stars. After a day of exploring old plantations, walking on a wasteland beach, and setting up camp, five of us trampled through the woods of Edisto State Park to do some galaxy gazing. With bellies full of live clams and steamed oysters, we romped around like the Wild Things and looked for wildlife, and also timber for our fire. These photographs are from our hike at the Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve/ Wildlife Management Area. Hands down, the beach we combed is one of my top three beaches of all time.

Asheville, North Carolina Phoneography

Last month I went to Asheville, NC for my birthday. Thanks to Rob, it was a weekend filled with all of my favorite things: live music, great drinks, mountains, foliage, snacks, people watching, detours, and strolling. Niether of us had been before but  it takes about 4.5 hours from Charleston which makes Asheville the perfect weekend getaway. I tried to keep my camera packed away so I could soak everything in but I’ve been reading a lot about ‘phoneography’ lately and I tried to take a couple to experiment.

Like any great little city there was more than you could do in a couple of days and lots of stuff to want to do again on your next visit. We agreed that it would be hard not to return to some of the gems that we found but that we’d want to check out some of the other offerings we missed out on.

My favorite Asheville bar was 5 Walnut Wine Bar. It was the absolute perfect mix of neighborhood pub and classy wine joint. Sitting at the window seat of an open-air bar at midnight, drinking red wine, listening to Led Zeppelin, and watching the local flavor was pretty perfecto.

Our first night out in Asheville started off at Sazerac for some rooftop dining. Afterwards, we went to The Orange Peel and saw the Walkmen, a band I’ve been listening to since high school. They didn’t say much (virtually nothing) on stage, but they put on a great show. They also had an amazing opening act: Woods

This first song is one of my absolute favorite numbers that they played at the show.(If you don’t already know about NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, be sure to check it out because they have amazing acts smooshed up in an office playing great tunes.)

I regret not taking more pictures downtown but I was having too much fun to stop and take out my camera (did I just say that?!). I’ll post more pictures of our adventure home and our hike next. In the meantime, more phoneography for a peek of what’s to come.

Pitt Street Bridge

If I could live anywhere in Mount Pleasant, it would be in the Old Village. If I lived in the Old Village I would walk on the Pitt Street bridge every evening with my camera and a cocktail. I practiced last weekend and it went  quite well. Our plan to take some pictures and then make it to an evening movie went out the window when we realized what a sunset we were about to witness. When the sky and light started changing dramatically, we bailed on the movie and waited till the sun disappeared.

Bailey

I remember sitting on the front steps of my Portsmouth apartment, stressed and shivering, while I chatted candidly on my cell with Kristi about moving to South Carolina. Kristi and I had been coworkers, but she and her family had relocated from Maine to the Charleston area several years ago. When I found out that she made the move and loved the area, I was pumped to pick her brain. Our call was most helpful; once we hung up I had a little extra boost of confidence to hop on a last minute flight to South Carolina. Since I’ve been down here, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Kristi’s two beautiful daughters. Her youngest daughter, Bailey, is a bundle of giggles. Kristi, Bailey, and I recently ventured out to take some pictures as the sun set over the water.