Review of Patriots Point Naval Museum

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One of the highlights to our Kiawah summer vacation back in June was a trip to Patriots Point naval museum featuring the USS Yorktown and USS Laffey. The Yorktown is a retired WWII aircraft carrier located just off the Cooper river bridge in nearby Mount Pleasant. It is the first exit right off highway 17. It is pretty tough to miss the turnoff as there is signage indicating the exit just after crossing the river. The aircraft carrier along with other historical naval craft is located in the Patriot’s Point area right across the river from downtown Charleston. The Patriot’s point area is also located adjacent to the Charleston Harbor Marina.
The cost of admission to the USS Yorktown exhibit is $18 for adults. The admission for children is eleven dollars with those under age six being free. I would recommend seeking out a coupon found throughout various downtown Charleston establishments to save a little extra money. Also consider looking on the website for specials or discounts when making advance purchase. If living in the area or plan on being in Charleston area more than once during the year, there is a seasonal pass that is reasonably priced and may be ideal to really take your time exploring the ship.
This was my first visit on an aircraft carrier. The tour immediately captured my attention when walking upon the top deck for a fantastic view of Charleston harbor and the Cooper River Bridge. The tour turned even more impressive as we navigated through the various galleys, sleeping quarters, and strategic mission rooms that were once inhabited by the brave US sailors that fought in World War II. The information comes at you through numerous plaques, aircraft displays, movies, models, artifacts, and audio clips located throughout this floating city.
To really explore the ship, I would recommend a good pair of walking shoes and be prepared to ascend and descend several stairs. Be warned that though some stairwells are gradual ascent, there are a few that go straight up and down through narrow openings. Keep these physical demands in mind if you plan on taking this tour with young children, the elderly, or have a member in your group that is disabled.
This tour has it all and even includes a “mess hall” that actually serves meals. (We had to pass up the mess hall in favor of some southern barbecue in Charleston later that day). There is so much to see between the USS Arizona and the adjacent destroyer across the pier. This exhibit could technically require more than one day to really absorb all the information and appreciate the history of this amazing carrier. The views off the deck of the Cooper river bridge also make for a great photo. Overall, I highly recommend a visit to Patriots Point.

Fast Food and Travel: Stops to Avoid

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If you plan a road trip that is under four to five hours, most likely you may stop for at least one meal at the maximum. The choice of food whether healthy or not does not really matter as you are only sacrificing one meal of the day during a short trip On the other hand, if your destination is several hours away which involves numerous meal stops, you will need to consider a sound meal plan to avoid numerous stops at burger and pizza joints.
Each year we travel about sixteen hours when going from Chicago to Charleston. The excursion typically requires four meals (between the two days) before we arrive in Kiawah. We make it a point to allow no more than two stops at a fast food franchise whether it is McDonalds, Arby’s, etc. The kids seem fine with that plan so long as they can get at least one kids meal; for them it is all about the chocolate milk and the toy. Personally, I allow these stops to by my personal free pass at a tasty guilt meal that I actually look forward to while driving numerous miles.
Day 1
Since we usually leave in the morning, we typically pack our van with a cooler that includes healthy deli sub sandwiches, sliced fruit or fruit cup, and an unsweetened beverage. The fare is light and keeps the belly satisfied without any sluggishness that would occur from a fast food stop. We arrange the fast food stop as the final meal of the travel day which is usually Wendy’s.
Day 2
Day two is a healthy breakfast of bagels, fruit and juice. (I drink a large cup of coffee to avoid highway hypnosis). We usually stay at a Holiday Inn Express which includes a decent continental breakfast. The kids dig the yogurt and muffins.
We do make one final lunch stop before the final 200 mile leg to Charleston. We usually stop at a Subway and get sandwiches. I do like the healthy choices offered up at Subway. When you load up a sub with lots of vegetables (next to turkey or ham), the sandwich becomes quite filling without indulging in too many fatty calories. My kids are even big fans of the subway spicy Italian sandwiches so long as they are briefly toasted.
The total crime committed for fast food on this road trip down was only one guilt meal which I can live with. The keys are limiting fast food stops, considering alternatives, and packing healthy foods such as sandwiches in a cooler for the first food stop.

Kayaking the Kiawah River

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While we were down in Kiawah this past June, I picked a balmy evening to take a post dinner bike ride out to Freshfield’s. The bike is one of my favorite modes of transportation on the Island and allows me to burn some calories as I tend to eat more while I am down here. The ride was peaceful and gave me a great opportunity to soak in Kiawah’s wildlife. The round trip excursion took about an hour but included spotting a bobcat (climbing up a tree at Cougar golf club), a few deer running across the fairways, and finally a dolphin spotting. The bike trail pretty much follows Kiawah Island Parkway (getting on and off the island). One great stopping point along this trail for pictures is the bridge over the Kiawah River. This river is a good place to stop and take in some great sunset views over the picturesque salt marsh. It isn’t uncommon to spot a few photographers setting up for some dusk shots just about every evening. The bridge over the river is also a great place to observe fish and an occasional dolphin coming in to feed. I witnessed a few dolphins that seemed to enjoy the company of neighborly kayakers that just departed Mingo point (just down the road).

While I swear by the bicycle being the best way to navigate the island; I would add the canoe or kayak to that statement. Small boats whether canoe or kayak appears to be the only way to get into those unreachable but picturesque places along the marsh. It also affords the opportunity to pal around with the dolphins. I did notice the fifteen minutes spent on the bridge dolphin watching included the nuisance of the no see ums that can be relentless, and I was unarmed with pest repellent lotion. I will definitely have to add a Kayak excursion to my itinerary next time I am down in the lowcountry.

June Photos of Kiawah Island

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I stumbled across some extra photos from my past June trip to this great place. Aside from the lush green resort golf courses and the prestine beach, the crown jewel of Kiawah is the river and salt marsh. These photos captured some of the beauty.







The river current runs strong and rises and declines depending on time of day and respective tide. The river is occasionally busy with kayaks, dolphins, and many different birds. Sunset brings forth occassional photographers, sketch pads, and bicyclists a sit back and enjoy a marsh view sunset from the bridge.

Halloween Events at Kiawah and Charleston - 2012

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Now that autumn is here and the dust is settling from the PGA Championship, there are still plenty of fun things to do down in the low country. Fall is probably one of the best times to visit coastal Carolinas with the cooler temperatures which are a welcomed break from another humid summer. My first two visits to Kiawah were in the month of October. This month is a great way to take advantage of cooler temperatures as well as enjoy a swimming in the Atlantic that carries forward warm water temperatures from the hot summer. Are you planning on visiting Kiawah, Seabrook, or the Charleston area during October? If so, please consider these fun activities while in the area. Aside from these fun Halloween activities, Charleston will once again be hosting the Annual Fall Tour of Homes and Gardens through October 28th as well as a downtown pub crawl. Both of those events require tickets to be purchased in advance.

Legare Farms in Johns Island will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October. Activities at the farm include pumpkin picking, scarecrow decorating, hayrides, mazes, farm animals and much more. For hours and more information please contact (843) 559 – 0788.

 Summerville’s October events include the Low Country Nightmare which is a long haunted nature trail with spooky scenes. This attraction will be open every Friday night in October and is located at 18033 Round O Road, Round O (Summerville). There is an admission charged for this event. For more information, please contact (843) 538 – 6795.

 Hollywood, South Carolina will be the scene of St. Paul’s Academy Halloween Extravaganza during October 6, 13, 19, and the 20th. The festivities include a haunted hayride, a haunted house, petting zoo, games and concessions. The Halloween extravaganza is located at 5139 Gibson Road, Hollywood. For more information, please contact (843) 889-2702.

Come out to Kiawah’s Freshfield’s green on October 20th to enjoy Dogtoberfest. The event starts at 1 p.m. and runs until 6 p.m. Please bring your canine dressed in costume for a day of contests, pet blessings, pet products, and much more. There will be pet adoption services also available for those interested in rescuing a needy pet.

How to Paint a Daisy

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'Summer Buzz'      5x7      pastel     ©Karen Margulis  sold

 "My daisies look like a 5 year old painted them"   I hear this all of the time when I teach my wildflower workshop.  There is actually a very good reason why this can be true for many artists.  It has to do with how well we really look at the daisies when we paint them.  The problem is that often we don't observe these flowers as well as we should. Why not?

A Collage of Available Daisy Paintings

We often don't spend enough time observing the daisy because it is such a familiar flower to us. We think we know just how they look. We know they are white with yellow centers and that there are petals surrounding this center.  We probably drew daisy-like flowers as children whenever we had to draw a flower.  Our brains have developed the daisy into a symbol.

This is the daisy that we drew as children. The yellow circle surrounded by white petals.  Now as mature artists we often revert to this symbol without even being aware that we are doing it.  Our brain jumps in and helps us by supplying the symbol for a daisy and as a result we don't take the time to study the daisy and see that it isn't like our symbol!   The result: child-like daisies!


How can we paint more painterly mature daisies?  Here are some tips:

• Take the time to really look at the daisies you are painting whether it be from photos or from life. Notice the colors and the way the petals are not always perfect and regular. Notice the direction of the petals. Are they pointing up or down?  What about a variety in the stages of the flowers? Are some not quite in bloom or maybe on their way out?
• Color is important!  We typically think of the local colors of the daisy as being white petals with yellow centers.  But painting them this way will give them a sterile look. Add some colors to the petals and the centers. 
• Pay attention to the light source and it will help you choose colors to make your daisies come alive.  Paint the petals in the shade with cooler colors...pale blues and lavenders.  Paint the sunlit petals with warm pale lights....pale yellows and peaches work well. Rarely do I ever use pure white.
• Stems and leaves: Try not to paint every stem and leaf. Hint at some and the viewer will fill in the rest. Be especially careful not to make stems too thick and regular. You don't want them to look like balloons on sticks. I like to vary the thickness and pressure when I paint stems.

More Water Play with Pastels

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'Across the Desert'      8x10       pastel       purchase painting $75

I love the versatility of pastels!  They suit my personality so well.  I am not one to be content with any one technique or paper.  I love experimenting and pastel makes it so easy!  One of the things I have been fascinated by recently is mixing pastel with water.  Last week I tried liquifying my pastel by spraying my painting with water. See my blog post HERE.

'Stormy Day'    4x4    pastel

For the spray bottle water technique I like to use Pastelbord. The rigid surface doesn't warp or buckle like paper can. I also love the pastelbord because if you aren't happy with the painting you can wash it off!  But the other day when I was playing with the spray bottle I ran out of Pastelbords. Instead I decided to try using my own homemade surface.

I had several pieces of matboard that I had coated with clear gesso. It was a nice rigid and textured surface.  It did fine with the spray of water and didn't warp. But I didn't get the same interesting effects with the puddles of water and pastels that I got on pastelbord. I think the homemade surface was too absorbent. The water soaked in and didn't allow the pigments to separate and drip.

That didn't stop me though!  I decided to take some pastels and paint on top of the wet surface. The pastels got wet and thick. It was different!  The colors were dark when wet but dried to their original colors. Both of today's paintings were done with dry pastel on a wet surface.

I am registered to take Bill Creevy's workshop at the IAPS convention and the topic is Pastels & H2O. I think I am going to love it!