West Columbia Riverwalk

My busy season began with a vengeance in August. Customers are stocking up on jewelry making supplies for the upcoming fall and holiday season. Keeping up with the blogoshere is a challenge but with such a backlog of photos for my online journal, I am going to try to keep up!

Occasionally we stroll the West Columbia, South Carolina riverwalk (part of the Three Rivers Greenway).

While it is not completely shaded, it has enough shade to keep walkers comfortable from the sun.

It is either paved or with boardwalk sections so one does not need to worry about mud.

A winding path cuts the hill from one of the parking lots to the river.

The river is rapid in parts creating soothing audio.

This is a popular place for walkers, runners and dog owners.

The erosion is ever increasing along the riverbanks. Stone is added to help prevent it but we have noticed it becoming worse over the last few years. While the trees look cool, as though they could start walking at any moment, it is not a good thing!

There is an outdoor amphitheater along the walk for concerts and other events.

Fun sculptures decorate the top of the seating.

My favorite distraction on this walk are the beautiful homes along it.

The variety is fantastic!

I would not enjoy strangers walking by my home all the time but on the other hand these homeowners can partake in people watching all day from their porches and decks!

I do love that no two are alike.

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val

Steel Hands Brewing

 Steel Hands Brewing is located in Cayce, South Carolina.

The vibe here is fantastic! There is a smart set up of ordering your food at a window and it gets brought to you whether you are sitting inside or outside. Your tab can be started here as well and then you can stroll over to the bar to sample some brews and choose what you would like a pint of. 

 The beer garden has multiple seating environments.

Our favorites here were the raspberry lemonade ale and the peach lemonade ale.

This is the portobello burger. 

Here is the pulled pork sandwich. I ordered coleslaw and Jim ordered sweet potato fries and we split our sides 50/50. All the food was delicious!

The outdoor stage is a moving container. Brilliant! It keeps costs down and can be moved. (I am just guessing that is the reasoning behind the container). Doug Jones (former singer of Cravin' Melon) was performing. His style is perfect for a beer garden having a bluesy rock vibe.

It was a hot, sunny day so no one was at the unshaded tables. The crepe myrtles are young here but they are sure to create more cover in the coming years.

One of the aspects of breweries I love is how they enhance the community. So I love that this is part of Steel Hands' mission. We see groups of all ages at the breweries we have been visiting. They are so perfect for gatherings, live music and more.

Unique steel sculptures are on the grounds relating to brewing and enjoying.

This brewery is also dog friendly (outside)! We saw a few canine friends here during our visit.

If you go, the brewery is located at 

2350 Foreman Street in Cayce, SC

website

Tuesday - Wednesday 3pm - 8pm

Thursday 4pm - 10pm

Friday - Saturday noon - 11pm

Sunday 10am - 8pm (brunch is available 10am - 2pm)

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val

Artwork of Greeville

Downtown Greenville in South Carolina is filled with street art!

Dick Riley by Zan Wells

I am particularly fond of human sculptures.

Reminiscence by Tuan Nguyen

A version of the famous Il Porcellino is here too.

Il Porcellino by Pietro Tacca

Modern sculptures are prevalent as well.

Interval Mountain by Philip Whiteley

Paradigm Pathway by Stephen Kishel

8 little bronze mice inspired by Goodnight Moon dot the streets for the young visitors to seek out.      

Mice on Main by Zan Wells

Falls Lake Fall by Bryan Hunt

One of my favorites has to be the butterfly wall.

Do Butterflies Dream by Yuri Tsuzuki

Charles Townes by Zan Wells

Meditation by Tuan Nguyen

 

 

Rose Crystal Tower by Dale Chihuly

Annika's Rush by Zan Wells

Sterling High School Students by Mariah Kirby-Smith

Some of the works are tributes to those with strong connections to city.

Vardry McBee by T. J. Dixon

Artispheres by John Acorn

I don't believe this is city commissioned art since it is on the grounds of a newer hotel but I love the sewing theme with the thimbles, safety pin and needles!

Greenville offers an interactive map for visitors. Over 100 pieces are featured in the public art walking tour. We only saw a fraction of them since we were too busy chillaxing. 

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val

Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Just sharing a collection of photos from recent visits to the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens in South Carolina.

The smallest Carolina Anole I have seen yet looking for some prey on a trash can!

We stopped by to see the rhinos. Bill, the newest resident, still seems to be experiencing difficulty fitting in with this new habitatmates. We normally don't make it out to the overlook here since it tends to be crowded but we lucked out one day so we could see this handsome guy up close!

The siamangs (the largest gibbons) recently got a cool treehouse added to their habitat. They were on the far end at the time we were there (the 2 black dots in the far tree).

One of the smelliest sections of the zoo is the farm.

It is a super cute section where kids (and adults) can feed and pet goats, llamas, chickens and more. As you can see it was feeding time when we stopped by.

The farm also features a vegetable garden which is so great for showing kids how our food grows. Since the sprinkler was on at the time, we did not get to walk through.

On the wooded nature walk that connects the zoo and gardens we spotted a deer for the first time! She kept a close eye on us.

This walk gets very jungle like during the summer.

Early in the spring I showed the rock and roll inspired gardens (Prince, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen). They have all grown in beautifully! 

I love the touch of quirkiness these bring to the overall gardens.

There is a crazy tall, skinny flower from one of the plants shooting up in the air! I think it is from some form of cacti.

The edible garden is always interesting to check out. The only time I have seen persimmons grow is here.

Figs grow really well here too. 

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val