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                                                                                                                 BINDING NUPTIALS Of the over 45,000 species of spiders, even if you're not a fan of arachnids, this one will blow your mind This week, I had the good fortune to be invited to exhibit my paintings and photographs in coastal South Carolina again.  Seacoast artists gallery is an impressive gallery located at 3032 Nevers Street in The Market Common, and where they will hang.   The Gallery is made up of over 70 talented artists who are juried and showcase their works there, which are in a wide variety of mediums. Market Common is a growing and up-and-coming area with a diverse composite...

The ice embellished seed pods on this Crepe Myrtle made a provocative and most unusual background for this January 22nd photo and surprised a year-round resident Bluebird in South Carolina Article and Photos without Photoshop or AI by Penelope Penn Winter Storm Jasper was not "for the birds."  It was a serious storm that caused power outages, closed schools, and dropped record amounts of snow, sleet and freezing rain, as well as caused a record-breaking number of flight cancellations, as it barreled across the US this past week.  And it didn't stop when it plowed into the southeastern coast.   The ice it brought caused flight delays and hazardous road conditions in coastal South Carolina, a dilemma for residents, and resident and migrating birds as well.  The city's website and news stations issued frequent updates on the status of the storm, since these storms are rare and infrequent.  A statement on the city's website reported that, "Myrtle Beach and othe...

The Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament organizers just announced their 2022 Lionfish Tourney in Destin, Florida, so now is a great time to reserve your spot and get in on the perks of early registration!                                Donnie Brzuska ridding the oceans of the invasives, one lionfish at a time.  Donnie Brzuska is the perfect example and proof positive how fun and easy it is to get hooked (pun intended) on this sport.  He and his wife, Milisa grew up in Florida so he said they “saw firsthand the destruction lionfish caused to our marine ecosystem.    They can decimate an entire reef, shipwreck or underwater habitat if left unchecked." Sous Chef, Brian Barber was one of the first to promote preparing the lionfish for adventurous foodies to eat, and let me get a really close shot of this one that he had in the cooler at Fleet Landing Restaurant in Charleston, South Ca...

It's delicious!  As luck would have it, I overestimated the amount of banana bread I needed recently for a family brunch, so I decided to try to come up with a bread pudding recipe to use the banana bread that was left over.  The banana bread I make is dense and moist, so it’s important to dry it out for it to be successful in bread pudding, fyi - if yours is as well. **See the bottom of page for tips to dry the bread. I wanted to develop a recipe that was not only delicious, but also had enough protein and nutrition to make it a special guilt-free holiday breakfast.  And as a holiday breakfast or dessert, it had to also be  super-fast and easy to make, plus an easy clean up as well.  How delish and holiday-ready the nutmeg and eggnog made the house smell was an added bonus!   My lactose-free, nutrition conscious friends especially loved it and suggested I post it on my blog for the holidays.   Happy holidays and bon appetite!   Preheat oven t...

  There’s a lot more reasons to head to Greenville than beautiful mountain vistas, 1,000+ restaurants and the revitalization of downtown shopping with new businesses erupting every day.   As if that isn't enough, and y es, I said "erupting."   That’s the best word I could think of to describe this exciting and dynamic area clearly with big plans for a bright future.   I came to Greenville to enjoy the social life downtown in the evenings, and the many opportunities it offers to explore the natural areas surrounding it during the day, but I quickly became fascinated with all the rest the area had to offer.   For one, it’s steeped in a well-preserved history.   It’s more than just a few buildings on the historic register however.    Several historic districts have been defined and earmarked in the city for upandcomers, entrepreneurs, and the rest of us common joes with just an insatiable fascination for the artistic craftmanship in homes built in ...

  Birds of a feather do flock together, however this particular bird was oblivious to her obvious uniqueness.  I discovered this beautiful goose recently and learned she’s not only rare but probably new to the northern Myrtle Beach area as to date, unreported.  And while the rest of her species appeared to be accepting her, her coloration was completely different.  This Leucistic Canada is a Prime Example Why We Should Never Let Anything - Especially Our Appearance, Deter Us From Pursuing Our Dreams and What We Feel Destined to Be and Do in Life I felt fortunate that I was able to get her to pause briefly, and she appeared to be coyly posing for her 5 seconds of blog fame. In this case it was important to get the shots perfect to be able to present her true and unique coloration. I also included a few of her flock very close by so you can see the similarities and the unique and rare differences. After some research I identified her as a Leucistic Canada Goose, a sp...

There's no way to describe the amount of talent displayed at the annual Sea Coast Artist Guild’s "Art in Common" event September 11 - 12 2021 at Valor Park in Market Commons.  It was obvious we all needed a break from the confines and angst the Pandemic has caused us all and it didn’t hurt that the hurricanes far away from us brought us some breezy, cooler, but sunny weather.  It was also obvious how relaxed everyone was and clearly enjoying being out with their friends and cohorts again. As I wandered the grounds, I was impressed not only with all the creativity but with the diversity of this talented group.  Art ranged from the sublime and soothing to the wacky and whimsical.  And don't we all need that, depending on the day so I'm already looking forward to their next Spring show scheduled for April 2022.  Check the Sea Coast website (below) for the exact dates and times.  Kristen, in her Golden Zen Boutique booth was a delight and added her obvious cre...