In December I was delighted to find myself photographing some of the most wonderful historic homes in South Carolina. All the homes are managed and owned by South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
The first home is Redcliffe Plantation, it is a Greek Revival home that was completed in 1859 and sits on 369 acres in Beech Island, SC. All these homes are open to the public and have tours for a small fee.
The second home is Rose Hill Plantation, a Federalist-style house built in the early 1800's in Union. It is a beautiful home with fantastic gardens and many orginial buildings, including the brick kitchen and sits on 44 acres.
The last home you will see is the Hampton Plantation in McClellanville. The orginial home was built in 1740 and was modest and in the 1760's additions were added and the portico was added in 1790. George Washington visited and was responsible for saving an oak tree in the front yard, now refered to as the Washington Oak. The last owner of the home was Archibald Rutledge who was South Carolina's first poet laureate and a book of his poems, called "Deep River" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he came in second, to poet Robert Frost.
To learn more about these homes and other great places to visit in South Carolina, go to www.southcarolinaparks.com, which is loaded with information, maps, photos, everything you need to plan a visit.
Awhile back I had the opportuniy to photograph Jenny Sanford and two of her sons playing soccer at the Governors Mansion here in Columbia, where she was living with her husband and Gov. Mark Sanford. But all that ended this summer when Gov. Mark Sanford admitted to an affair.
Tonight at 10pm, Barbara Walters will talk with Jenny Sanford about her cheating husband and her upcoming book, " Staying True". This picture will be included in the book, due out in April.
Well, I can honestly say this wedding was for the dogs.
Really.
PAALS (Palmetto Animal Assistance Life Services) was honoring it's volunteers with a party and a wedding for Charlie and Akira. These two wonderful dogs, who just celebrated with a litter of six potential service puppies, tied the knot at the community room at the Sandhills Mall.
Cecilia Reynolds, warden of Kershaw Correctional Institution, performed the ceremony. Some of PAALS service dogs are being trained with the help of inmates at Kershaw.
The bride wore a white over the back dress with a veil and the groom, a tux jacket and top hat. In lieu of rings, bride and groom rhinestone collars were exchanged and Charlie did manage did remove the garter from Akira. Both the bride and groom and other dogs in attendance feasted on a lovely cake.
If you would like to learn about volunteering with PAALS or making a donation, please check out their website at www.paals.org. And yes, you can find out where Charlie and Akira are registered. It's not too late.
I'm a sucker for puppies. My wish each Christmas would be to have a puppy waiting under the tree for me. I know, can you imagine, but I do love them.
So it was a bit like Christmas for me when I got to spend some time with the newest crop of PAALS (Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services)puppies. These nine-week old labs have already begun their training as service dogs, but they are allowed a little puppy badness, like chewing on my camera bag!
Chloe, Radford, Roberta, RC, Red and little Carol are a true delight. You'll notice that Carol is wearing a sweater and is a bit smaller than her brothers and sisters. Carol won't be able to be a service dog, she was born with a heart murmur and she is quite small. She'll be looking for a home that can take care of her and her heart.
Here are a few of my favorites and if you are looking for a break in your holiday shopping this Saturday, you are invited to attend a doggie wedding. It seems as if these puppies have been born out of wedlock and this weekend their parents are making it official.
If you'd like to have more information about Akira and Charlie's doggie wedding, please go to www.paals.org.
And yes, you can find information on the site where the happy couple is registered.
