Watroo Point

Biking in Puglia (heel of the boot)

2011-10-05T15:10:00.004-05:00

Our second “Backroads” holiday was to Puglia in southern Italy. It is the trip that we were supposed to have made a couple of years ago when David had his accident.Somewhat off the beaten tourist track, Puglia is the Italian region that covers the heel of the boot of Italy. It is primarily agricultural and predominantly an olive producing area. For the most part, the weather was excellent riding weather with highs around 80 degrees.

The trip lived up to expectations, the accommodations were comfortable and trip arrangements made by our Backroads team leaders were excellent. On the negative side, David’s camera decided to act up and some of the photos are not as good as they could have been.

We arrived in Bari - via Milan and London – miraculously on time the night beforeand were ready to meet the others on the trip at the train station at noon on Sunday. There were twenty of us and we began the day with a 21.5 km loop from Polignano to Conversano in order to get used to the bikes and get rid of the airplane induced paralysis in our lower backs! There was only one frighteningly steep climb this early in the trip. Arriving at the hotel Corte Alta Vila in Conversano, we showered,joined the others for antipasto, proseco and wine in order to get to know one another and then went to dinner at a nearby restaurant. As with all Italian meals, it did not end early!

Day two was more challenging with more climbing. This day took us through the town of Alberobello where many of the homes are cone shaped buildings inherited from Turkish influences. Very photogenic and more spacious than they look from the outside. We rode 62.7 km from Conversano to San Martino, over rolling terrain testing the legs of a couple of South Carolineans who are used to biking on flat terrain. Just to show the others we sprinted the last 5 km (actually because we could see a thunder storm coming and did not want to get caught in it) and just made it. It was a spectacular thunderstorm alright, but lasted only a couple of hours. Our hotel for that night and the next was the Masseria San Martino owned by an Italian couple who had lived in Edmonton most of their lives and now ran this Olive farm. Dinner was large, diversified and fun.

Day three took us on a 61 km loop to the fortress town of Ostuni and then back along the beach back to our hotel. Ostuni was an interesting town (the White Town as it is known) where we stopped for a sandwich lunch on our own and some exploration. Donna and I were among the few who took the long option back along the coast and had to climb back up the escarpment on the way home. Most of the others were relaxing in the pool as we arrived at the hotel. One exception was one of our fit colleagues whom we passed on the road as she ran an additional 5mi to get in shape for the Hawaii Iron Man competition. Dinner that night was at a famous local pizzeria. Good but waaaayyyyy too long.

Onthe fourth day we packed up and were shuttled to Salento (just north of Gallipoli) on the Ionian Sea and rode across the heel for 83km. We had the option of swimming at either end. This was a long haul and we don’t mind saying that we were a wee bit tired at the end. The route took us through small farmroads and tiny villages. I am proud to say that we did not get lost once (that day). David went for a swim in the Adriatic but also headed straight for the pool at our new hotel Masseria Panero. The hotel had spectacular views and a great pool. Dinner that night was on our own in the old town of Otranto where we were able to bribe the bus driver to get us back to the hotel at a reasonable hour for a change.

Thursday,day 5 was probably the most interesting ride day. We rode down to the tip of the boot some 48km and had the option of riding back (this time we were smart and took the van back and sat by the pool). The route followed the coast downto Sta. Maria Leuca at the very tip, past villages and some wonderful scenery. When I say “down” in the previous sentences, I refer to the map, not the absence of climbing. The whole coast is an escarpment that we rode up and down all day long. Of course by this time we were experts and led the others valiantly to Leuca where we stopped for a quick swim and then lunch. As the return ride was basically a repeat of the ride down, most of us took the van back and headed for the pool where we were treated to a show as water bombers swooped over us putting out a brush fire about one KM away. At dinner that night we were treated to a wine tasting of the local wines.

The final day was a short one consisting of a 15 KM loop to one of the nearby villages which allowed us to stretch our legs and little more. I will confess that this time we did get lost, but found our way back in lots of time. Directions provided to us were excellent, however, this is Italy and signs change, what was a red house is now blue, the garage on the corner is now a restaurant and try as the trip leaders might to stay up to date, there are challenges. We were dropped of at the train station at noon for what seemed to be an interminable trip home!
Click on Photos for album.

Puglia

The Wedding

2011-05-25T15:53:00.003-05:00

Noelle and Stu got married last week and they brought some of their good friends and family to share the moment. We loved it because all the grandkids came down and managed to exhaust us in the pool, at the park, on the beach and of course at the wedding. David’s Mom came up from Florida to join in the fun and I think everyone had a good time!
We could not have picked a better day for the wedding but I will leave most of the wedding photos to the professional photographer and focus my attention on family photos before during and after the event. Lets face it, it's all about the grandkids! You will see that water is a common theme and we were lucky to be blessed with nice weather, a little cool early in the week and then getting hot.
Here is a photo of the bride and one of the two men in her life!

This next set of photos was taken at Magnolia Plantation where the event took place. The happy couple were saluted by a jet flying over so we never got to hear what Noelle said and then a grey heron saluted them with a trumpet as it flew over so we never heard what Stu said – so we assume they married.

The wedding

This batch of photos is from our pool

In the pool

while this next batch is from the beach.

On the beach

I could not keep up with everyone since I needed to nap to keep up my strength. Here are some final shots at the park or biking.

Biking & park

Mexico Feb 2011

2011-02-07T20:33:00.003-05:00

After the miserable, wet and cold winter we have had, it was a great relief to escape to Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Coast south of Cancun for a week.
We arrived on Monday to temperatures in the mid 80s and settled into our hotel on the beach. To our great surprise it was filled with Canadians! In the bar or in the restaurants all you could hear was “eh” or the French equivalent. The hotel was chosen to be strategically near the scuba dive operation and we headed out loaded with our gear early on Tuesday morning for two ocean dives. It was just the two of us with the dive leader and thus was a relaxing and pleasant way to get our feet wet, so to speak.
The second day we drove 30 min. south and dove in a “senote” which is an underground river that flows through caves and caverns in the limestone. Fresh water was cooler and thus we had heavier wet suits on, carried flashlights and had to scramble over rough rocky entrances with full gear on in order to get to the entrance. Getting in was hard enough, but getting out again was worse. That first step was a giant one. It was different and fun. No fish to speak of, but a lot to see in the caverns and interesting to see the thermocline where water of different temperatures meet causing a distinct visual line.
Day three was once again two ocean dives, this time accompanied by three other men. Mexico is not one of the premiere diving destinations, but we enjoyed our diving, the visibility was good, we saw a lot of spotted and moray eels as well as turtles, lobsters and other stuff. It is a very relaxing sport.
When not diving we enjoyed the hotel and the town. As we were on an all inclusive package, the drinks were free but we had to eat in the hotel. The food was only OK and were would have preferred to try one of the many restaurants in town but we did not starve! Playa has a very active tourist center and when we were not on the beach, we prowled the tourist haunts.

After our dive on Thursday, Donna and I rushed back to check out of the hotel and headed 15 minutes up the road to the Rosewood Mayakoba resort where we stayed through Sunday. This place was simply the most elegant place that we have ever stayed at. We had our own cabana with its own plunge pool overlooking the lagoon. Everything was luxurious; indoor and outdoor showers, a tub that could host its own superbowl party, sundeck above the cabana, our own butler and total privacy! The hotel itself is sumptuous but guests stay in private cabanas, there are three central pools as well as a great beach, three top class restaurants and three bars. On arrival guests are taken to their rooms by boat across the lagoon inhabited by birds and turtles. The following photos only convey a little of the flavor of the place.

Playa del Carmen

As you can see in the photos we also played golf at El Camaleon Mayakoba golf course on the property. It was also gorgeous and is being groomed to host the first PGA sanctioned event in Mexico at the end of this month. Donna and I could get quite accustomed to being pampered at this place and were sad to leave.

Christmas in Toronto 2010

2011-01-04T16:38:00.002-05:00

We joined Noelle, Stuart and Liam in Toronto for a nice Christmas. Liam is a bit young to understand the concept but he has no trouble knowing what presents are for. And boy, did he get a lot of presents! As always he was the center of attention and he loved all the gifts he received. Here are some photos:

Liam's Xmas 10

When it came time to leave, Donna was able to get out on time but my flight was cancelled on account of weather in the Northeast US and I was able spend a couple of extra days with Liam>

Thanksgiving in Darien

2010-11-30T15:36:00.002-05:00

We drove up to Darien, Connecticut to visit Marc, Lesley, Kincaid and Cormac for Thanksgiving. Going by car gave us the opportunity of loading it with a lot of Marc’s old “stuff” from school and other things that we have been anxious to get rid of plus, of course, toys.
The drive up was long but not nearly as long as the drive back on the weekend which was plagued with stop and go traffic. Fortunately, we broke the up trip with an overnight in Washington and left early on Sunday morning for Charleston. If we had left much later, we would have faced even longer delays.
Traffic aside, it was a great visit with good food, and lots of quality time with the grandkids. We have lots of photos to share with you if you click on the following picture:

Thanksgiving in Connecticut

Brazil - October 2010

2010-10-18T14:27:00.010-05:00

In early October, Granny, Donna & David met at the Charlotte airport and headed for Rio! Granny was anxious to see granddaughter Nicole and Ava, her great granddaughter for her second birthday party. Here we are on Copacabana.

Donna and I took some detours to Fortaleza to visit our friend Cira and enjoy some beach time then Salvador, where we chilled by the pool in a beautiful inn (see picture)located in the heart of the old part of Brazil’s most historic city.

Fortaleza, located in the country’s north east region is best known for its beaches. To us it is a smaller, more civilized Rio, without the crowds and yet with great food and lots to do at night. Our hotel was located right across from a great swimming beach and just up from the fisherman’s beach. In the evening a handicraft market was set up on the sidewalk and the restaurants were humming. Here is a picture taken from the hotel room window:

Cira was a great hostess, meeting us at the airport and whisking us off with daughter Celina to the “Sirigado” restaurant for a delicious (and huge) seafood lunch. Then it was off to shopping …. The one lucky piece of good news was that all Banks were on strike so we were unable to get any money to buy "stuff" - Seriously, the bank strike was a major inconvenience since ATM machines were emptied out in no time and cash was king. Dinner was at “Coco de Bambu” a charming outdoor restaurant where a few “caipinhas” were consumed to help with digestion.
The next day, Donna and I took off for a more remote beach “Canoa Quebrada” where we put our lives in the hands of a suicidal dune buggy driver who took us over 90 degree drops at great speed. Pictures of that day are here (double click on picture for album):

2010-10-15 Fortaleza

On the third day we walked up the fisherman’s beach and took these photos:

Fortaleza.boats

We arrived in Salvador and were taken straight to our small Inn (12 rooms) in the center of “Pelourinho”, a UNESCO heritage site in the heart of the old city. Salvador was the first Capital of Brazil (under the Portuguese) and it grew rich on sugar. An integral part of its culture comes from the religions and traditions brought by the 1.3 million slaves (double the number that the US imported) that were imported to work the sugar cane. The following album contains photos around Pelourinho :

Salvador

On return to Rio, we joined Granny again and enjoyed Ava's second birthday party.

Granny&Ava

Prague to Vienna, July 2010

2010-07-29T11:44:00.002-05:00

Once a very long time ago we had to cancel a biking trip in Europe because one of us had an accident with his bicycle. This year we made up for it with a memorable bike tour of the Czech Republic and Austria with Backroads and were joined by good friends Jo-Anne and Doug Ellenor.
It all began on a warm Friday afternoon and Saturday in Prague as we arrived early in order to get to know the city before we joined the tour. Prague is a glorious old city that escaped bombing during WWII and thus has maintained its magnificent baroque and gothic buildings in good repair. Used as a backdrop for a number of movies, it still has a charm that characterizes the “bohemian” lifestyle and the glory of ancient Europe. To get the most out of it, we took a tour of the city which was led by the daughter of a former Czech ambassador to Canada. Highlights were the Prague Castle that dates back to the 9th century but was expanded and remodeled many times. The gothic cathedral of St. Vitus (and St. Wencelsas of Christmas fame) is part of the castle enclosure. Other sights are the Charles bridge and the old town square. Click on the following photos to access the full gallery of photos of our two days in Prague.

Czech_ Prague

and

Czech_ Prague day 2

The Backroads tour officially began as we were picked up at our hotel Sunday morning already dressed in our biking attire and were transported in a chartered bus with the other participants to the town of Tyn where we were issued our bikes and were handed our trip directions and sent on our way to Hluboka with one stop at a distillery (slivovice and plum schnaps) on the way. (by the way – slivovitz seems to weaken your legs) First day of biking was 42.3 km, through wonderful forested countryside, some good hills to test our mettle and perfect weather in high 60’s warming to the 80’s later. We overnighted in a hotel at Hluboka. Click on this photo to access the gallery of day 1.

Czech_ Tyn to Hluboka Day1

Day 2 began with Donna and I getting lost straight out of the box ,which added a few kilometers to the ride but we caught up in no time and rode the 65.1km to Cesky Krumlov arriving before most of the group. It was fun ride with the exception of one gravel stretch that cut through forest in order to avoid traffic. When we pulled up to Cesky Krumlov it was like emerging from the forest into Disney World! A UNESCO world heritage site, this is a marvelously restored medieval town surrounding a magnificent castle on a twisting river. Ignored during communist times, it has been wonderfully restored according to strict architectural guidelines to preserve its authenticity. We stayed two nights in a transformed Jesuit monastery decorated to match the period. Photos can be accessed here.

Czech_Cesky Krumlov & lunch Day 2

Day 3 was also launched from Cesky Krumlov as we did a 45.6 Km loop through the countryside coming back to Cesky Krumlov. We were back around noon, allowing lots of time for us to explore the town and do a tour of the castle. In our honor -I’m sure- a Canadian band played in the town square. More photos are here.

Czech_Cesky Krumlov day3

Our Austrian portion began on day 4 with a bus trip across the border to Ottenstein where we hopped on our bikes and rode down to the Danube town of Durnstein. Ottenstein is a former summer castle now owned by the forest service in a beautiful wooded part of the countryside. This was my favorite ride of the trip. 59.8km long, it snaked through very picturesque forest and farmland. The route included lots of challenging hills that took you to high farmland and beautifully maintained little villages and a great downhill portion which passed various castle ruins. Just before the end, we rode through the town of Krems , another cobble stoned historic town in the Wachau valley along the Danube. We would have liked to explore it more but the temperature was in the 90s and we just wanted to find somewhere cool.
Durnstein is a charming little fortress town that is famous for having hosted the imprisoned Richard the Lion-heart (of Robin Hood fame) when he was held hostage by King Leopold in the 12th century. Today it is also known for its wine. The hotel we stayed in was a converted convent but… it had a great swimming pool. Boy did it feel good! Here are some photos of the town and along the ride.

Austria_Ottenstein to Durnstein

By now the temperatures were in the 90s and riding was hot! Day 5 was characterized by a ride along the Danube along a bike path that originates in Germany and runs 1800 miles to Romania. We went to the Abbey at Melk (76km with a loop up the hills for a little additional exercise). The Danube is sprinkled with castles (ADC = another damn castle) and picturesque villages and the hills are beautifully organized farms of mountain cattle, corn, wheat, barley, sunflowers and one particularly annoying horse fly that liked the taste of me. By the time we got to Melk we were dehydrated but proud of our mountain climbing prowess.
The Benedictine Abbey of Melk is still in use and served as the inspiration of the book and movie (Sean Connery) The Name of the Rose. Its restoration was financed, in part, by the sale of the Gutenberg Bible to Yale University. We stopped for lunch and a tour (plus a lot of liquids) and then rode back to Durnstein and the pool!! At night we were forced to do a wine tasting. Photos are here.

Austria_Durnstein&Melk

Our last day was short and David was elected to scramble up to the top of the escarpment to the castle ruins and take pictures while Donna did a short ride on the other side of the Danube for exercise. We were transported to Vienna at noon to end the tour. The Ellenors and ourselves stayed an extra day in Vienna to search for the perfect apfel strudel but were too pooped to do much else. A few Vienna and some final Durnstein pictures from on high are here.

Austria_Durnstein&Vienna

It was a great experience and we would do it again in a heartbeat!

Celebrity week - June 2010

2010-06-14T11:38:00.013-05:00

Beginning on June 04, several celebrities decided to visit us in Charleston and brought their parents or great grandparents along for company. With all their comings and goings, I am sure that my car can find its own way to the airport without me!
Marc, Lesley, Kincaid and Cormac arrived on Friday as did Donna later in the day. Stuart, Noelle and Liam arrived Saturday as did my Mom. The weather was hot, hot but we began with a visit downtown to Marion Square before the rest of the gang arrived. Kincaid enjoyed the "bouncy castle" while the adults looked at the art exhibits. Given the heat, a fountain turned into a popular attraction. See the album by clicking on the following photo.

2010_06_05

On Sunday we went to the beach which was windy and hot. The boys enjoyed digging in the sand or playing in the waves while the adults hovered around like paparazzi taking photos. When time came to go home, at least one small person expressed his disagreement. Click on this photo for the album.

Isle of Palms 06.2010

It was fun watching the cousins interact over meals and toys. Given the warm weather a lot of our time was spent outside on the back deck and at the pool. See the album behind this photo:

Cousins

Whatever else we did, we were in the water, either our pool or the club pool:

Drop Box

Now that they are gone, the house is empty and quiet! Boo Hoo.

Cindy ("Sandy") Braddon visit

2010-05-12T14:58:00.004-05:00

The first weekend in May we were lucky to have Cindy Braddon visit us for the weekend. The weather was perfect again and so we managed to play golf both Saturday and Sunday. I think Cindy was more interested in visiting the beach because she spent lots of time in the sand traps that litter our courses. Her new nickname is "Sandy". A good time was had by all especially this green fella that I photographed lying next to #12 on the Ralston course.
The pool temperatures have finally hit the "acceptable" (low 80s) level and these two ladies enjoyed margaritas after a hard day of golf.

Ellenors and Daniels Visit - April

2010-04-18T18:24:00.006-05:00

April is usually characterized in Charleston by a coating of yellow pollen that gets over everything and brings out the allergies in most of us who are seeking to enjoy the outdoors. This April has been no different - we have had no rain to wash it away and have powerwashed the back deck twice already. Perfect weather makes for good golf and beautiful flowers, and we have taken advantage of both. Here are some photos of the flowers in the yard. (Remember to click on picture to access album.)

Garden flowers

April is also the best time for visitors and the month began with the Ellenors who just dropped in from Vancouver. We had an action packed week with golf and tourism.
In addition to playing lots of golf, we managed to fit in a trip to Fort Sumter and a house tour of the Old french district houses. Here are some photos of both events.

Garden tour 4.10

We also managed to hop on our bikes to ride down by the beach at Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island to Fort Moultrie which was on the receiving end of British shelling and the delivering end of the attack on Fort Sumter.

Fort Moultrie4.10

As the Ellenors left, Ron Daniels (Donna's brother) and Nancy arrived. Once again we tested the golf courses and the beaches as well as the restaurants. All in all, I think I have gained ten pounds. It would have been impolite not to drink and eat with our guests after all! Photos of their visit and golf spectators are attached.

Ron & Nancy on Ralston

Birds and Beaufort

2010-03-21T14:40:00.005-05:00

It has been a rather miserable winter - wet and cold but I have been able to get out and about with my camera looking for things to shoot at. Most recently I was in the Beaufort area for a delightful visit with friends Jim and Joan Anne who (like the birds) winter in Harbor Island.
While there, I stopped by to photograph some egrets in a mood for mating, caught a osprey as it looked out over the harbor and visited a church ruin built in 1740 but later destroyed in a fire. Here are the highlights (as before, remember to click on the photo to see the album):

Beaufort 3.10

Around Daniel Island I rode my bike around the golf course one day to take a few playful photos. These are the results:

Golf Course Feb 10

January 2010

2010-02-06T18:34:00.012-05:00

Well it is a new year and so I have decided to update this blog. This is my first entry with photo albums so that those interested can see more than just the photos on the web site itself by just clicking on a photo album the link will direct you to a gallery of others in that album.

January has been unusually cold and wet in Charleston. Cold for Charleston, that is, but nothing compared to what you northerners have experienced. On one of the nicer days I threw my camera into the car and motored over to Magnolia Plantation on the outskirts of town and just wandered the grounds. These photos are the results: (remember, click on the photo to go to gallery)

At the end of the month we visited the Millers at their place in Florida. Donna flew down from Washington and I drove. We had a great time eating, drinking, playing golf and catching up. It was windy golf so we were not pressured by golfers behind us which allowed me to take a bunch of photos. The huge clubhouse shown is Tesoro Country club. (There are building lots available in case you are interested) The Millers live at Martin Downs CC and the second batch of photos are taken on their course.

Golf with millers Tesoro

Golf WMillers day three

December 2009

2009-12-27T14:13:00.007-05:00

We were lucky to have many visitors in the month of December, beginning with an old Ottawa friend Jim Elliott who introduced us to Joan Anne. They made the pilgrimage to the COSCO store in Charleston from Beaufort, SC where they hibernate from Canadian winters. After a day of shopping they joined us for dinner in town and spent the night in the frog (family room over the garage) before heading back south. It was fun catching up and swapping tall stories from the foreign service.

Next came Cira Pereira with daughter Celina on the way back from Tampa. They brought the rain with them, and boy did it rain - over 5 inches. Rain notwithstanding, Donna's flight was on time and we had a nice visit despite David's efforts at cooking dinner. Cira and Celinas departure the next day was tentative given that 5 inches of rain translated into two feet of snow in the Washington area. It took them two full days of driving to get home.

The next week, Liam came back bringing his parents and stayed through the holidays. As you can see from the photos, he was the center of attention as he experienced his first Christmas. The weather treated us well and Stu, joined us for golf and we managed to fit in some biking and the gym whenever we felt guilty from overeating. I think Noelle & Stu enjoyed the occasional break from parenting and found time for shopping, a movie and lots of lazing about time. Donna and Dave enjoyed waking up with a little "elf" in the bed as Noelle passed Liam to us so that she could go back to bed and sleep in. We all wonder how Liam is going to adjust to life back in Toronto where he won't have a crowd of people to entertain him and no paparazzi photographing his every move!

It was a great December!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T12:26:00.009-05:00

David's Mom joined us for Thanksgiving. We were blessed with cool but sunny days, very convenient for shopping and wandering about town. It was a very nice visit.

Liam comes back for a visit

2009-10-17T16:05:00.005-05:00

Liam brought Mom & Dad back to Charleston for a week in early October. We had a lot of fun.

Noelle and Stuart were able to get away and visit some of the plantations and spent one day in Savannah.

Stuart was also able to get in a couple of rounds of golf and one visit to the gym!

They will be back in December for a longer visit.

Millers visit

2009-09-19T15:19:00.006-05:00

Nancy and Gary Miller dropped into Charleston for Labor day weekend and tried out our golf courses, our restaurants and our pool.

The weather was great, the alligators were friendly and we had a great time. Hope they come back!

4th of July visit to Charleston

2009-07-12T08:33:00.012-05:00

We were fortunate to have Marc, Lesley, Kincaid and Cormac visit us for the holiday week and they were joined by Great Gramma who came up from florida to join the fun.

The weather cooperated as it has hot and sunny. We all visited the beach, hung out in the pool, and generally had a relaxing time.

I get the feeling that everyone had a lot of fun.

More of Liam in Charleston

2009-06-06T13:18:00.007-05:00

As promised, we have published a few more photos of Liam's time visiting with us and David's Mom who came up from Florida to meet him. The pictures below speak to his day at the beach and the rest of the time just hangin' with the Ryans.

Don't know how he will adjust to life back in Toronto where he does not have all kinds of people to entertain him all day long.

Liam hits Charleston

2009-05-31T19:41:00.005-05:00

Liam brought his parents, Noelle and Stuart, to visit us in Charleston at the end of May and stayed for a week. As you can see, he made quite a splash on the social scene with his spiffy wardrobe and ladykiller smile.

Later in the week, he will be joined by Great Gramma who will be travelling from Florida to meet him. The week ahead includes plans for the beach, pool and other exiting activities that I will document.

Noelle and Stu added to the goverment stimulous package and I would strongly recommend buying stock in Target or Costco as both are going to have a great quarter.

Cira's visit

2009-05-16T11:34:00.010-05:00

Cira Pereira was on her way back from Florida with her daughter, Celina, who attends college in Tampa and spent mother's day with us in Charleston. Coming from Fortaleza in northern Brazil, it was difficult to impress her with SC beaches but it was nice to get out and go for a walk to work up and apetite before mother's day brunch at a popular beach spot.

Lots of touring, market shopping and, of course, eating was done.

Easter in Connecticut

2009-04-13T15:38:00.010-05:00

We drove up to Darien Ct. for a quick visit to Lesley, Marc, Kincaid and now Cormac, over the easter weekend. This was our first introduction to Cormac.

It was a horrible drive on a Friday afternoon with several lengthy delays and heavy traffic all the way. Kincaid was in bed but Cormac was up to greet us when we arrived. What follows are some photos from the weekend.

Saturday it rained all day and Easter Sunday it was cold so our excursions included only a quick run to the park and some grocery shopping. Nonetheless it was a great visit and we just loved being around these two great kids! (...and their parents, of course).

The Ryan Family has grown!

2009-04-05T14:41:00.009-05:00

After years of wondering if we would have to buy a dog to keep us company in our old age Noelle & Stuart and Lesley & Marc have stepped up to the challenge and given us grandchildren numbers 2 and 3. Liam was born in Toronto on March 1st while Cormac, brother to Kincaid, waited a little longer and was born in Connecticut March 19th. Of all the players, Donna and David were the most exhausted!

Donna visited Liam shortly after birth while David waited a week before going up to take a look. We are off to meet Cormac over Easter weekend. While it is hard to say in the first weeks, Liam definitely looks more like a Nodell than a Ryan, while Cormac may finally have some of the Ryan genes. Whomever they look like, we are thrilled and will start fielding enquiries from NHL scouts in a couple of years.

Colemans Visit

2009-02-07T09:07:00.012-05:00

Good friends from Ottawa, John & Marg Coleman, visited us in Charleston in late January providing us an opportunity to be tourists in our own town. The weather was cool for most of the time that they were here, however, to visitors from Ottawa it was just fine! The first photo shows John and Marg getting ready to tuck into dinner in our kitchen.

The following photos include shots of downtown Charleston in the historic district including some of the grand old houses along the Battery. One dinner at one of the grand old restaurants downtown turned out to be a disappointment, but a final dinner at the beach on Superbowl sunday was a very pleasant surprise.

One of our visits included the aquarium which was very well done. In addition to all the displays inside of the building, we were lucky to have been visited by a pod of dolphins in the harbor out front that put on a show for us almost as if they had been part of the exhibit!

The Ryans had to go back to Washington during the week but the Colemans used our place as a base and visited every plantation and historic site within reach. I believe that a good time was had by all!

New Year's Day

2009-01-01T13:46:00.008-05:00

It has been a while since we have posted anything on this site, so I took my new camera (a Christmas present) and went out for a walk on New Year's morning to see who else was out and about in the neighborhood. This little Fox Squirrel was only mildly interested in me.

It was cold (for Charleston anyway), so the alligators were nowhere to be seen, but these birdies were hungry and looking for a meal.

The scenery was also very nice as the shot below along the golf course demonstrates. Most of the grasses are dormant now except for the fairways and greens on the golf course. The other shot is along the creek that fronts the house.

Kincaid pays us a visit

2008-07-06T15:24:00.009-05:00

Marc, Lesley and Kincaid came down for a week spanning the 4th of July weekend and Great Grandma came up from Florida to meet Kincaid for the first time. A good time was had by all, especially the great showman who thoroughly enjoyed all the attention!

There were a number of firsts for Kincaid who arrived to find a walker, something that there is not much room for in the NY apartment. As the picture shows, I believe that he liked it.

Then there was the swimming pool with nice warm water and a number of big clowns to entertain us. Here he is with Daddy.

The pool was cool, but not as cool as the beach. Hot sand does not bother you when people carry you around and Grampa keeps watch over me as I experience my first waves!

Finally, here is Great Gramma with me as I eat one of my toys.

Now that we're in...

2008-06-15T15:17:00.013-05:00

Some of you think that all I do down here is laze about. That isn't so!

The work dosen't stop once you move in! There are pictures to hang, curtains to order and all kinds of other stuff that Donna does well. Nonetheless, our typicall weekend begins with a Friday night arrival, early golf on Saturday(see pic - lucky there was no sound; this one found the sand), a quick dip in the pool to cool off, then rushing around to Lowe's for plants, hardware or similar. Often it has been dinner out on Saturday evening and early to bed. Sundays involve a bike ride or rollerblading, a swim followed by a lazy breakfast then more running around.

Mondays begin with a dawn trip to the airport and back to DC.

We have broken in the house in with visitors as David's Mom came up over the May long weekend and Noelle and Stuart spent a week here over the same period.

The pictures to accompany this include some little friends we have seen in the neighborhood including a fox squirrel. We also get deer and have seen a wild turkey but did not have a camera at hand.

We crossed the Finish Line!

2008-04-26T13:18:00.014-05:00

The week of April 14th was a busy one. We moved condos in Washington within the same building and packed for our move the Charleston arriving here and taking possesion of 54 Watroo Point, Charleston S.C. 29492 on the afternoon of Thursday april 17th! The house looks fabulous and we are delighted with every little detail!

The movers arrived with our stuff from Washington and storage early on the 18th. It was a pleasure working with an efficient mover for a change and the process went quickly - almost too quickly at times, as packers unpacked before we could decide where to put stuff. Suffice it to say that everything arrived in good shape and we busied ourselves with the organizing all weekend long. When we got tired or hot, we jumped in the pool for a quick dip. Falling asleep this past week has not been a problem! The first couple of nights we were guests of Bob and Catherine Lee, our builders, who graciously provided their guest cottage so that we could escape the mess.

Now that we are in the house, we realize that this place is much larger than it appeared during the building process and larger than our previous house. On earlier trips we had ordered new furniture that arrived on Tuesday and was quickly absorbed. We need more! We have enjoyed sleeping in our new master bedroom and waking up with the sunrise (no curtains yet) and sneaking in some exercise either roller blading or biking before the day gets going.

The landscaping was done just before we arrived so it was new to us and once again, they did a nice job. I guess it is my job to add annuals for color, but the palm trees, oak trees and evergreens they planted are large and very nice.

The views from the deck off the master BR are spectacular and most mornings there has been a low mist hanging over the golf couse behind the house - very pretty. (Photo below shows the house from the golf course early in the AM. It blends in nicely with its surroundings.)

Despite being slaves to the inside of the house, we have met our neighbors who are very nice and welcoming. Everyone is from somewhere else. Donna attended a ladies dinner at the Daniel Island Club together with 176 other ladies and we participated in a couples golf tournament on friday night. Both occasions have led to lots of introductions. While on the golf course we met a couple of aligators natives to the area - but they were not as friendly!

Tomorrow, we head back to Washington leaving the builder some time to finish some of the tasks that did not quite make the deadline, such as put the finish on the deck, seal and coat the garage floor etc.

Only a few shots of the interior this time (including one of the guest suite sitting area) but we promise to add more later.

End of March Walkthrough

2008-03-30T12:11:00.023-05:00

We made our final walkthrough on March 28th to see the last mad rush to the finish line. It was 81 degrees and sunny again (yawn)!

The progress is impressive and there is a lot of activity as contracors vie for a window to do their thing. The upstairs is practically done and looking good!

The master bedroom is great with the recessed ceiling (above to the left with the evening deck through the doors). Bedrooms 2 (above right) and 3 (blue) below are almost finished and as we left they were completing the floors upstairs.

The master bath came out better than we hoped for. The walkin glass enclosed shower looks great and our tub is fabulous. The photos below show two views of the bathroom .

We are very happy with the way it all came together.

These exterior views reveal some of the touches we have added. The mahogany railings with copper-capped newell posts. Back deck lighting and the diveway.

Finally, below a few views of the interior lower level including the butler's pantry, the great room mantle and built-ins, kitchen (still underway), the dining room and entryway lighting, and the all of us in the den discussing stain colors.

The team is into the final push to complete the main floor interior, final pool work, and the garden plantings. We will arrive to move in on April 18th at which point 54 Watroo will become the Ryan residence waiting our friends and family's visits.

Mid-March

2008-03-14T19:30:00.007-05:00

We got some new photos showing some of the progress. We are now one month away!

This first shot is of the shower in the master bath.

Now don't you know that my voice will sound just like Andrea Boceli in there?

This second shot is of the den with shelving and paneling , but before the stain and finish has been added.

The third photo is of the great room with the lower shelves of the built-ins completed, but the upper section still incomplete. It does, however show the ceiling with the trim completed. (The fireplace is hiding behind the wood.)

Finally,we have a photo of the progress on the outside. The columns are in and the railings for the stairs are in but unpainted. The louvres are completed but none of the landscaping has started yet. You can see the bridge between back deck and the FROG is finished so the guests can come to visit the main house.

February - nearing the end!

2008-02-20T20:53:00.017-05:00

Things are moving quickly now, as we get near the end of this project, so we drove down on Feb 14th for another round of decisions and revisions. Arriving late on Thursday we got up at the crack of dawn and headed over to the house for a full day. As always, the weather was great but a fog hung over the marshes giving it a beautiful ghostly appearance (see photo).

Our first meetings were with Dennis and Dave the project foremen, to discuss issues such as the size of the painting to go over the fireplace, height of the mantel, the location of the gate on the side of the house, location of the railings and all those things that not many people spend much time over - but we do!

Our tour of the house confirmed that we are in the final stretch. As the photo shows, the painters are in , the railings are going up and the place was buzzing with activity. It was nice to see the wall color in the kitchen (not blue, this is the primer under color) so that we could make some decisions about backsplashes. The fireplace coping is on, but the surround was awaiting our comments. Pool and decking are in, the final touches and interior coating for the pool will be one of the last items.

Next to arrive was the "Wall Candy" lady who is doing the faux painting in the power room. Wait until you see the color David picked! She was followed by the shower door guy to discuss the type of glass we wanted for the shower doors. I bet you didn't know that, in addition to different thicknesses, you can get different types of beveled edges, framed or unframed yada yada. You will just have to wait and see what we eventually chose. The final visitor of the morning was the Landscaper who stopped by to discuss placement of individual pieces and was assured that we had full confidence in his decisions.

Catherine Lee joined us after a quick lunch and we headed over to the ceramic store to pick out a backlash for the kitchen. Did you know that they make the 1/4 inch glass mosaic tiles worth $7 each! We quickly moved to our preferred solution of a graduated mosaic with different colors (It's hard to describe) and looked at a couple of back-up options in case we didn't like the actual samples, when they arrive. I wonder why it is that whatever option we seem to like the best, is outrageously priced?

Back to the house to meet with the architect to get his views on some proportions in the great room, louvres under the house, gate placements etc.

We were on the road by 4:30 headed for Columbia SC for the night. In Columbia we dined at Garibaldi's, a hoppin' Italian restaurant. We ate at the bar and sipped a some delicious white wine, nibbled on calamari while we waited for the best flounder that Donna has had in years. We got back on the road early Saturday and headed to High Point NC for more furniture shopping! And then home by 9:00 pm - tired and hungry.

David's quick visit

2008-01-24T20:19:00.000-05:00

David made a quick visit to Charleston on Tuesday 22nd as decisions had to be made - again! This time it was to sign off on driveway layout, make the final selection of paint colors, approve landscaping plans and sign off on design of column supports and more... It was cold in Washington but much more pleasant in Charleston once the morning chill wore off. The paint decision was a choice between two finalists where the differences were subtle and the main concern was to avoid going too dark. Unfortunately the primer was baby blue and it is hard to look at any samples without being influenced by the blue background. Nonetheless, David summoned all his courage and decided! (We now know who to blame).

The upstairs deck is now finished and looks great! Only some trim and railings are missing. I can see us now with a margarita in the late afternoon... The pool tiling and coping was being installed although the final finish to the pool must cure underwater and is one of the last things to be done. Most of the activity was with kitchen cabinets and trim work on crown molding and wainscotting. Trust me, the blue walls in the photo will not be staying!

Another feature that is looking very nice is the staircase. We are very pleased with the look.

A tour of the property with the landscaper, a meeting with the electronics company, a quick bite for lunch and then back to Robert Morgan to go over the budget. (ugh!) The final discussion was over stain colors for the panelled study. A direction was determined but no final decisions. That will wait until our nextvisit in mid-February. By then the painters will have completed their first run and we will have a much better idea of what we have created.

The Holidays

2008-01-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

After a wonderful visit, great food, and movies with Noelle and Stuart in Toronto for Christmas, we dedicated the rest of the holiday season to the house. On Boxing Day (26th), we drove to High Point, NC where we camped out at Furnitureland South for a couple of days. With over a million sq ft of showroom and very good prices, we exhausted ourselves for two and a half days walking back and forth through the showrooms. Our objective was to make sure that our visitors would have nothing but the best to sit on, lie on and party on when they visit.

There is little else to do in High Point but to look at furnishings however, we did manage to have a very nice evening at Noble's Restaurant near the hotel. The highlight was our waiter who confided in us that he is a competitive Elvis impersonator (the early years) and has competed all over, including Canada. We were spared any impromptu songs but thought that with his current girth he might want to move over to Elvis' later years.

We made it back to Wasington in time to join friends for dinner and dancing at the Country Club of Fairfax for our final New Year's Eve. We resigned as of December 31st due to the pending move and the fact that January and February in Washington are not conducive to golf.

Off to charleston early on the 1st - and was it ever cold! Well, cold for Charleston and we were not dressed for it. The Brazilian crew were there putting some final touches on the shakes and they opined that the weather was not to their liking.

The schedule was hectic as always: door hardware, landscaping, fencing, closet designs, paint colors, crown molding, swimming pool colors, sign-offs on granite, lighting, built-ins, final flooring approvals and more. We dedicated the three days to details and made decisions we never thought we would have to make. When you visit, we hope you will open the drawer to the bathroom cabinet and think "wow what a nice knob and by the way the colors in this bathroom match the granite - they must have been difficult to select, but just look at the lighting in this room - it is perfect" (memorize this if you want to be invited back!).

Things are moving quickly now and we will have to go back again fairly soon. They did a great job on the outdoor fireplace and are getting ready to put in the barbeque and outdoor kitchen. The next visit will see forms laid for the driveway, color on the walls most of the trim work completed. A few selections remain largely because we decided to await wall colors, and kitchen cabinets before making final choces.

Little was open for dinner on the 1st but we did manage one nice dinner at 39 Rue de Jean French Bistro on Thursday where we had a perfect (what else?) steak/frittes.

December 2007

2007-12-17T18:57:00.000-05:00

Donna was in Charleston on business in mid December and while David suffered in cold, wet Washington Donna contended with 80 degree weather and a round of golf with colleagues. However, once our builder heard that she was in the neighbourhood he took advantage of the opportunity to have her run errands and confirm a few more items related to the house before she left town.

The place is coming along and the work has moved indoors. The cabinets in the master bath are installed and apparently look very nice and the work on the outdoor fireplace has begun as you can see in the picture above. One big OOOPS is that the contractor has installed the wrong flooring which must be removed and replaced. Given the number of decisions we have made, I guess it is not surprising that there is at least one mistake. Anyway, we are assured that it will not slow us down. Other meetings included the pool contractor to select coping and tiles, the closet lady, and the decorator for preliminary color choices.

This picture of the house was actually taken in November before the foundation was painted, but at least it shows an unobstructed view of the house without dumpsters etc. More news in early January - stay tuned.

November visit

2007-11-10T19:38:00.000-05:00

The "Ryan Residence"

It was cold when we left Washington but the weather in Charleston was beautiful on Thursday Nov. 08 when we arrived for our latest visit. As you can see from the photos, the house is coming along and looking more and more like a house rather than a construction site. The shingles are up and the sheet rock has been installed on the ceilings; the staircase is in and the roof is almost there. We love the detail in the shingle design and are very happy with the roof.

As always we covered a lot of ground. First we met with Dennis, our project manager (see photo) at the house where we ran through the lay-out and reviewed a number of small issues. After a quick lunch we met with Laura Boyle our decorator who is helping us pull things together. We reviewed furniture, rugs and lighting selections and discussed paint colors. From there, back to the house to meet with the carpenter who will be building our "built-ins" on either side of the fireplace. This is a tricky decision as the ceilings there are 13 ft high, which is a lot of space to fill.

While admiring the shingles, David discovered that the siding crew were all Brazilian, so he had a good old chat, made some friends and was immediately enlisted as translator. Apparently the majority of the siding crews working on Daniel Island are Brazilians

Dinner at another local Charleston eatery "Coast Bar & Grill" where obviously seafood was the dominant choice. A casual restaurant with a very good menu and reasonable prices, we were not disappointed with the food or the bill. - A keeper.

7:30 Friday morning found us at the house with everyone invovled - Wayne, the architect and his assistant Marc, Bob, Dennis and the two of us. Decisions about a couple of design features caused this conflab - we scrutinized pillar sizes and discussed the addition of steps from the deck back down into he backyard.

We then met Catherine at 9:00 to begin foraging for granite. Having made preliminary selections during our last visit we intended to confirm these choices - not so easy- what we liked before was no longer available. So off we went again to various wholesalers and found some replacements, with just the kitchen remaining to be selected. On the way to one of the more remote granite places, Catherine introduced us to the "My Thai" Restaurant which turned out to be surprisingly authentic and tasty lunch.

One final stop at the house to meet with Dennis before heading for the Club for a glass of wine, then the airport and home.

About turn!

2007-09-20T14:20:00.000-05:00

We were back in Charleston on Sept 18th to take a look at the color samples first-hand. As we mentioned last time, the ARB was pushing us in a direction that we were not comfortable with and which we thought would make the house too dark. After a few tries and the exchange of some photos by email, we decided that we needed to see for ourselves. Bob had prepared another sample of shingle and trim colors at our request and we decided that we liked them much better. So now we go back to the ARB again. A photo is attached.

Obviously we went through the house again with Dennis ,the foreman, to confirm decisions and see what progress has been made. Wire has been pulled and plumbing roughed in. The pool is also coming along, awaiting inspection before going to the next step. We also stopped in to the cabinet store to squeeze a little more out of the price without changing the design.

The weather was nigh on perfect and the golf course was busy - but all that did was make us jealous as we rushed around to look at lighting again. We hit four different lighting distributors before heading for the airport for a smooth on-time flight home.

Oh yes, we did have a very nice lunch at The Mustard Seed.

These pictures are for Noelle, who wanted to see what all of the talk about the views from the outdoor living room were about. Above is the eighteenth hole and the back of the clubhouse. The picuture below is of the eighteenth fairway. As you can see we have extensive marsh between us and the fairway and will not have to worry about errant golf balls.

Our Visit August 20/21

2007-08-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

This time we decided to drive down to Charleston and treat ourselves a little while we were down there. We left early on Saturday morning to avoid any heavy traffic and soon learned that that is what everyone else decided to do. The drive was stop and go most of the way and easily 90 minutes longer than normal.

No matter, we arrived in Wild Dunes a resort about 15 miles north of Charleston in the late afternoon and immediately went to the beach for a long walk and a swim. The sand was hard packed and perfect for beach tennis while the water was warm and inviting. Sunday, we crammed with energetic “stuff”; beginning with golf at 8:30, followed by a swim in the ocean, lunch and then roller-blading around Wild Dunes, after which we rented bikes and rode up and down the beach before taking another swim.

Dinner that night was at Magnolia Restaurant in downtown Charleston where we probably exceeded our quota of cholesterol. The restaurant was very nice, food was good, but not the best we have eaten in the area.

Having relaxed on Sunday, we hit the pavement on Monday morning with a 7:30 appointment at the property and didn’t stop until we left on Tuesday afternoon. This was a key visit as we needed to go through the house and confirm placements of plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets and lighting. Other decisions included such things as how high the shower head would be, whether we wanted to control the swimming pool lights from the bedroom, whether the future placement of paintings needed to be illuminated from ceiling lights and so on. The list was endless but the decisions important.

Other visits around town at the suppliers included finalizing our cabinet selections, looking at granite for counter tops, stone and tile for the bathrooms, flooring, balusters and rails for the stairs, light fixtures and ceiling fans. Wow - brain numbing! Go ahead, ask us any question on granite or marble; or does Tigerwood darken like Brazilian Cherry? - We have the answers and we probably have the samples too. Fortunately we did not have to navigatethis on our own. Catherine (Bob, our builder's wife) accompanied us on our trip to the granite factory and tile shop. She has an excellent sense of style and has helped us narrow the selections and stay within our budget.

The house is coming along as you can see from the photo. The windows are in and the insulating paper (dark color material) has been attached to the walls and roof. From this view you can see the lower and upper porches as well.

We do have one battle going on with the Architectural Review Board on trim color for the house. The ARB is determined that the houses on our street be dark because of their proximity to the clubhouse and the river. We had selected a light trim since the shingle exterior was going to be dark. So far we cannot agree and left it to Bob to twist their arm. In fact we stopped for a brief chat with our neighbors across the street and they confessed to a similar saga in their battle for color “independence".

Monday night, Bob and Catherine took us out to dinner at our favorite restaurant in Charleston, High Cotton. It reminded us of why it is our favorite. Food and service were excellent.
Perhaps the most memorable images we have of this trip are the fantastic views we have from the porch off the master bedroom. Can't wait to get back!

June Visit to Charleston

2007-06-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

On June 20th we made another quick visit to Charleston to walk through the now framed house and to continue the selections process. This trip was highlighted with trim, lighting, appliances, and finalizing the cabinetry.

We arrived somewhat late on Wednesday evening and it was drizzling. I gather it had rained a lot the past few days as the house was wet and water dripping everywhere. We went straight to the job site and walked through it to get a sense of sizes and a feel for the views. That is David standing on the front porch looking at the view of the marsh and river in front (see below).

We had been warned that the house would feel smaller at this stage since it is dark inside and there isn't any furniture or other items to give us proportions. This certainly was the case with the kitchen, which seemed smaller than we had envisioned. However we were not disappointed in the great room and the dining room which will be a good nice size.

The views from the back of the house look out over the marsh and the eighteenth fairway. We wanted this to be a focal point of the Great Room and envisioned windows with a view. As you can see from the photos the windows are spectacular - intentionally large (compared to Donna standing in front) to highlight the views. A view below.

Since it was late, we decided to dine at the Clubhouse where the food was wonderful as usual. The picture below is a view of the clubhouse from the end of our street.

Thursday June 21st

On Thursday morning we started out at the offices of our builder where we met with Dennis our project manager and Wayne, the trim carpenter/trim expert. The morning assignment was to decide on trim for windows and doorways, as well as crown molding, chair rail, and panelling for the dinning room and den. Wayne Windham our architect joined us for the discussions which lasted until noon (We now know more than we ever imagined about trim!). After lunch at an Irish pub (fish and chips for David) we met with Chuck from Integrated Technologies to go over all the electronics and controls for the house. This required us to envision how we planned to live in the house as he conducted a detailed walk through of the plans; for example, do we want to turn the lights on and off by the pool from upstairs; do we plan to listen to music in the shower; where will the alarm key pads go etc. Of course there will be a price ticket attached to all the switching equipment, amplifiers and processors behind the scenes. We are now waiting to see if Chuck can "really" sharpen his pencil to come up with a relatively modest audio system.

Dinner Thursday night was at the Oak Stakehouse which was hopping with activity. Fortunately, we sat on the second floor which was a little quieter. As always in Charleston, the food was good and since Donna fell in love with their basil & rosemary bread, I had to finish her steak as well as mine.

Friday June 22nd

Friday was a day of revisiting and finalizing decisions made on previous trips and a final visit to our new home site. We started with the cabinet designer (kitchen, bath,etc) and we are just about ready to sign off on this major decision. Our second stop was a review of lighting fixtures where we added to our catalogs collection. The afternoon stops included the appliance store where we reconfirmed our choices, and our final stop of the day to the tile store. This caused a complete brain overload and after a brief discussion with "Devanna" we decided enough was enough and we headed to the airport. Until next time.....

2007-05-31T10:41:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since our last posting but things are moving right along down in Charleston as the pictures show. Our next visit to the construction site will not be until later in June at which time the framing will be complete and we can see first hand, the sizes of the rooms, ceiling heights and make decisions about placement of electrical fixtures, lay-out of the kitchen island etc. The pictures alongside show progress on the main house, but the garage and FROG (Family Room Over the Garage for those who don't know) are being framed next week and will be to the left.

In addition to work at the site, we have made some decisions. We have selected the swimming pool contractor and he is scheduled to begin work in August. We have received bids for an integrated electronic control system that will tie in the lights, security, audio visual and central vacuum throughout the house. Pending issues include selection of a ventilation system over the cook top (not a big deal except that some of them are pretty expensive) and final selection of cabinet colors for the kitchen.

On a related matter, we have sold our Arlington home! It only took 8 days and we are happy with the price, so now we have to move. We have found a brand new 2 BR condo a couple of miles away and taken out a lease that will hopefully keep us with a roof over our heads until the Charleston house is finished. Movers come in early July so we now have to do the packing thing. Anyone want any junk? We are trying to get rid of some. Thank goodness for Craig's List! Address changes will be sent out soon.

April 11-13 Trip

2007-04-19T19:33:00.000-05:00

April 11th arrived cool and rainy in the south, but this did not deter us as we had assignments to tackle. After securing a hardy breakfast for Dave at the local"Waffle House" (destined to be our last visit to this chain) we headed to Daniel Island to check out the progress on our home. Dennis, our project manager met us at the site along with a pool builder to discuss ideas for size and placement. As the photo indicates we are still a long way from moving in, however it was exciting to see the start of the foundation and position of the house on the lot.

Our next appointment was at the appliance distributor, where we discussed our selections. We had a pretty good idea of what we were interested in and Dave came prepared with a list of the model numbers which made it very straight forward. The sales associate took the information and committed to get an estimate over to Dennis for our meeting the next day. Now for lunch!

We spent the early part of the afternoon with a decorator who will help us pull the whole place together and make sure we do not do anything "too" outlandish. As the weather was not conducive to outdoors activities we headed to the fitness center for a quick workout before dinner in Charleston. Our dinner reservation was at McCradys, a popular haunt that more than met our expectations with a delightful atmosphere.

Thursday we woke to a cool (70's) but sunny day, and after a quick breakfast we grabbed our Starbucks and headed to the lighting store where we met with "Crystal Lovelady", a lighting specialist. Crystal had done her homework and walked us through the house plans room by room. We made decisions about pocket lights and placement of the switches - who would have thought there were so many decisions to be made around light placements. This totally sapped my brain cells so we headed for the mall to pass some time and grab a quick lunch before our afternoon meeting wth Dennis.

Back at RobertMorgan Fine Homes, Dennis was waiting for us to run through the designs once more, and discuss changes since our last visit. He also had the estimates from the appliance distibutor - and what a surprise! We are suppose to get builder discounted prices, however the prices were higher than the retail prices David had off of the internet. Catherine, Bob's (the Robert part of RobertMorgan) wife, immediately called another distributor for a second quote that came in at a much better price point. Lesson learned - get more than one quote and do your homework.

Thursday night we headed into town to FIG (Food is Good), another restaurant on our list that we wanted to try. While it was an acceptable meal, it did not meet the same standard as many of the other restaurants we have come to know. Also, we were astonished at the high number of elderly folks (it looked like an early bird special night). This was a first for us, as most of the city restuarants seem to be full of a younger trendy set of patrons (much like ourselves!).

Friday - the cabinet day! Terry our kitchen designer, and a chef prior to getting into kitchen design, did an awesome job of taking the concept we discussed on our last visit, translating it into a kitchen. The cabinetry will be two colors - "espresso and late" (I really am a Starbucks fan!) with fairly straight lines. We still have to decide on counter tops but that can wait to another time. Once we had settled on the kitchen, which took a lot of negotiation (Donna and David), we moved on to the bathrooms. For the master bath, which will have a modern look with an open glass brick shower, we choose suspended cabinetry resting on glass bricks - a great concept that left our designer and Terry very excited. We chose a "Tommy Bahama" theme for the FROG (Room Over the Garage) with a touch of rattan. The other two bathrooms will have a more traditional look, one white and the other a wood shade.

Three hours later, completely sapped, we decided to head to the airport to see if we could catch an early flight home. Unfortunately we could - the reason for the unfortunate part is that we didn't have time to refuel the rental car, and let me tell you, rental car gas is VERY expensive. But it was good to get home for now, as we will return to Charleston in June once the house is framed. Stay tuned.

We Have Signage!

2007-03-19T19:14:00.000-05:00

We are official - and the neighbours now know our name!

The long site preparation process is finally over, and our construction crew is ready to start on the house. The picture on the right, of the prepared building site, is a view to the back of the lot. The trees line the edge of the marsh and beyond the marsh is the 18th fairway. On our next visit to Charleston in the middle of April, we will meet with the kitchen designer and the lighting experts to discuss options. More to come....

Our First Selections visit

2007-02-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

Taking advantage of the President's Day long weekend, we went down to Charleston for three days to make our first round of selections. This time we went through Dulles airport for some reason and it was not a happy experience. The flight was three hours late and we felt that we were lucky to get off the ground at all. In the future we will probably stick with National airport regardless of price.

The objective of the trip was to pick colors for the shingle siding and for the roof as well as window coloring, plumbing selections and a first run at cabinetry. We did it all and are still married!

Bob Lee, our builder, took us to Kiawah Island, 20 miles south of Charleston, to look at shingle houses to form an opinion on shades and colors. Kiawah has a large number of new shingle homes and is the best place to see a variety of types that are new or which have weathered a few years. We took pictures and obtained the actual color names from the architectural review board (ARB) later. Donna and I narrowed it down to two choices which Bob presented to the Daniel Island ARB the next day. It was tough choosing between the two but we settled on Spanish moss which is in the green/brown range and which will hold its color without any of the tanins bleeding through and little fading. (The actual color is a little darker and has more green in it than this sample from their web site) As a trim, we decided on Elephant tusk which is - you guessed it - an ivory color. Windows will be very close to the shingle color and the metal roof will follow suit. At this time we also selected the type and color of brick.

Next was plumbing. Bob's wife, Catherine, took us to the plumbing supply depot where we discovered that toilets come in different sizes, colors, capacities and all sorts of unimportant stuff. All I remember is that we bought five of them. We also purchased sinks for the kitchen, the bar, the FROG (Family room over the Garage) the bathrooms, BBQ area etc. Donna got a little carried away on a sink for the powder room and wanted one worth $2000, but I was able to reel her in. (So as of now guests will have to wash their hands in the toilet) The bathtub we selected is cool and the fixtures are nice. Importantly, we stayed within the budget. With 90% of the decisions on plumbing now made, we headed to the kitchens & cabinets people. Donna and I had done some research beforehand and had a pretty good idea of what we wanted but were looking for advice on kitchen lay-out and design ideas. The kitchen designer turns out to be a former chef and he will be preparing the elevations for us in time for our next visit when we will see which of the custom manufacturers will be able to provide us with the right mix of style and features we are looking for. We will also be introducing our designer into the mix at this point so that we can ensure that the colors and decorating schemes hang together with the rest of the house. They will also make recommendations for bathroom cabinetry.

Finally we met with Dennis, Bob's point man on our project and Rich who is Wayne's point man to discuss small details such as whether we wanted the hearth elevated or flush with the floor; where to locate the folding stairs to the attic and so on.

But wait, there is more. We were there for three dinners and followed our plan to try a different restaurant every chance we get. The first night was at Tristan's which offers modern american cuisine and is a nice and enjoyable place. The best part was watching the dessert chef prepare her concoctions (I want that job!). Night two was a recommendation from Bob called the Post House at the Old Village in Mount Pleasant (just across the bridge from downtown Charleston) and it turned out to be a quaint Inn with very good food and pleasant ambiance. Finally, we went to 39 Rue de Jean, a French Bistro, loud and busy in a very old building with that decayed look that gives it authenticity. All were good choices.

Welcome

2007-02-12T20:36:00.000-05:00

Welcome to David and Donna's home building project in Charleston, S.C.

For those new to the latest Ryan project, a little background. Back in 2002 David and Donna took a road trip along the south eastern seaboard to look at properties for investment. Toward the end of the week we landed in Charleston, S.C, one of our all time favorite places, and fell in love with a new developing community called Daniel Island http://www.danielisland.com. After a fabulous dinner in Charleston and a glass of wine at one of the "hot music spots", it was a done deal - by 8:30 a.m. the next day we were the proud owners of 54 Watroo Point on Daniel Island. At the time we saw this as an investment, however, after many trips to Charleston in the intervening years to check on our "dirt" patch, and with retirement looming, last year we decided to build a custom home in this growing community. Daniel Island is 4000+ acres of land across from downtown historic Charleston that was owned by the Guggenheim family as a hunting preserve for many years. Its is bordered by the Cooper River on one side and the Wando River on the other. In addition to two beautiful golf courses (one by Tom Fazio and the other by Reese Jones) what appealed to us, was the fact that Daniel Island has many neighbourhoods as well as schools and other amenities while still being close to the city. Charleston meets all of our criteria, an airport, hospitals, superb restaurants, cultural activities, universities, charm and, of course, a warm climate. It is a place that people want to visit.

Once we decided to commit to the area, we embarked on selecting an architect. After interviewing several prospective candidates we hired Wayne Windham http://www.waynewindhamarchitect.com to design our Charleston home. Having lived in Asia, Europe, Latin America and various places in the US; in traditional, modern, big and small homes and apartments, we gave Wayne lots of room to be creative and he did not disappoint. Wayne designed a traditional shingle style home in the "Low Country" style that the Architectural Review Board demands. (We will provide a link to the design shortly.) After many iterations of the design in order to bring it down to our price range, we finalized the plans and set about hiring a custom builder.

Following the same process that was so successful in finding Wayne, we began researching Daniel Island builders, visiting their projects and interviewing the principals. In December we selected Robert Morgan Fine Homes, http://www.robertmorganfinehomes.com .

In January we secured our building permit and Phase II (the build) is now underway. As you can see from the first photo - we already have a bathroom - only the finest ammenities! We will add photos and links as we go so that family and friends can follow along with us on this adventure.