Dear Reader:

I was  happy to see an unexpected vine dangling a gorgeous cobalt-colored morning glory’s petals (the other morning)… down from the top of the fence. It looked like an artist had added the beautiful bloom at the last minute to the Summerville Sweet Tea window painting … how bright and cheery it looked!

I love the word “plethora.” We don’t hear or use it much any more, a rather antiquated word…. but the writer of  this article on Summerville (I randomly came across) couldn’t have found a better-suited word to describe our beautiful home town. It means a “large or excessive amount of (something)” ….in our town…petals is always a good choice…and sounds enticing next to the introductory word.

Angela Shoultz writes: “A Plethora of Petals”

“Just north of Charleston, you’ll find Summerville, SC—an almost secret sanctuary where three centuries of stately Southern
homes sit perched on tree-lined streets, hidden by an abundance of green foliage. And like most quaint towns of the sort, private and public gardens play a large role in the community.

 One large public garden is Azalea Park. Beyond its entrance is a relaxing and well-kept city garden complete with picnic tables, pathways and plenty of shade. It’s a delightful place to stroll any time of year, especially when the azalea bushes spring magnificent blooms, turning the lush, green landscape into a sea of pink, purple and white petals.

But it’s not only the inherent beauty that
attracts flocks of flower fanatics—Azalea Park hosts a variety of annual events every year, including the Flowertown Festival, Taste of Summerville and Sculpture in the South. A stunning specimen of nature all by itself.”

A couple of weeks ago the annual Sweet Tea Festival in downtown Summerville took place.

I was so “bummed” that it was the same weekend as Jake’s and my birthday parties…Fall brings so many fun festivals crowded in together.

Every year ( for the last 8 years now) the festival has grown. *And our Guinness Book of Records largest sweet tea mason jar  has been affectionately dubbed “Mason” by its birthplace of citizens.

The latest mural shows off Summerville’s pride in this historic event.

Now we have even added a Sweet Tea Trail for visitors to follow through our hometown.

We are trying hard, like so many other  small southern towns, to maintain the “small town charm”… while, simultaneously, Summerville continues to grow in leaps and bounds. As more schools are built…more subdivisions spring up…can retail stores, restaurants, franchises of every kind… be far behind?

The answer to the question is answered by visitors and tourists as soon as they pull off Interstate 26 into Summerville. Shops, shops, and more shops…to the right…to the left until you finally reach the historic “little town” we older residents remember.

Summerville has even expanded across the interstate with more stores, shops, restaurants, and communities. We are definitely experiencing a growth boom that is redefining the perimeters of Summerville.

So until tomorrow…For me, however, no matter the growth, Summerville, my adopted home where my children were raised, should always be described with the first word spelling “PLETHORA”  because it has so “many” of all the things that make a town a “place to dream and stay”…The secret to the charm of Summerville isn’t just in its many gardens, festivals, history, and memories….but its people!

‘SUMMERVILLE- A PLETHORA OF AMAZING PEOPLE’!

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

I got home from Mt. Pleasant yesterday to a cooler day than I left on Friday for sure. As of this writing Saturday afternoon…Mt. Pleasant has seen some rain showers but so far it hasn’t made it inland to Summerville yet…we are still praying though it will.

Jake had some minor outpatient surgery Friday so I went over to meet Eva Cate’s bus and keep her until Jake was released. All went well…but the  anesthesia really did a job on his emotional confusion when he got home…distraught and upset. But children are so resilient…by supper time he was wolfing down spaghetti and ready to play cars with Boo Boo again and watch movies with Eva Cate.

The Turners are getting their house decorated in the Halloween mood…too cute…Jake and Eva Cate love the colorful flying ghosts

All’s well that ends well…a big hug and now Boo is home and writing blog posts for when I am gone next week and adding a rain coat to the suitcase…no snow…but a chance of some rain. No matter…rain, sleet, or snow…on we go! With prayers for some sun…here we come!

The cool weather that greeted me when I got back home yesterday produced the most beautiful surprise of all…The Confederate Rose was covered in huge pink clusters of beauty.

From the nineties to the seventies…”Life is deliciously ambiguous!” (Gilda Radner) Now if we can just get some rain…fall will be back in business…beautiful as ever. 🙂