Retired and Lovin' It: SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM

Richie, this was in the South Carolina State Museum. Can you figure out how old this tree was?

This is the explanation they gave in the display: each year the stem of the tree adds two rings called the annual rings. The light colored ring forms in the spring and the darker and narrower ring is the summer's slower growth because it is dryer. The width of the ring varies according to climate conditions when it grows. Narrow rings represent years of drought or other stress, such as fire or disease. Have fun counting! You know that you can enlarge this picture to look at it by double clicking on it, then click on the "X" in the upper corner to go back to the main Blog screen. Hello from Barnyard RV Resort in Lexington, SC.

as we see it from our door.

We did get the Jeep transmission replaced as was the purpose for moving south so quickly. And it is running much smoother. If all goes well, the trip we hope to make home soon should be safe. But we will move the motorhome farther south before leaving it, so hopefully it will not be in any freezing weather before we get back to it.

To show how small a world it is and how God works in our lives, I have to tell about a lady named Sandy who we met in the Jeep dealership waiting room. She was crocheting so I started a conversation about a common interests. We found we had a lot in common including being from Ohio! She moved here from Akron with her Carolinian husband about 25 years ago. Before we left with our jeep problem confirmed and a date for the repair, she invited us to visit her church. So we surprised her and parked the motorhome and toad in a plaza lot across the street from the church and was early enough to get in on Sunday School! It was the first we have attended SS since leaving Ohio. And when we walked in she was surprised! You know - -, invite someone to church but they seldom take you up on it!!

We were not able to check in to Barnyard RV Resort in Lexington, SC until that Sunday afternoon so we were not in any hurry and stopped at the church first. We met many at church including Sandy's husband, Mike, and Pastor Mark who is younger than our youngest son. The pastor called us the following week, the first call we have had from any church we have attended since leaving home! And we have been in several for at least four weeks. So we were impressed and felt at home. We have since attended their Fall Fest and another Sunday.

On Monday after checking in to Barnyard Sunday, we found they did not have open spaces in the front of the campground because of their weekend transients. So they had us move out to the "back forty" where their permanents and seasonals live, since we were staying for a month. And this is the view from our front windshield

. I believe he is a permanent and it is amazing how many live in here year around. There are two on our left side who are here permanent and one on our right is here from Atlanta for a job for a few months. He will be finished soon and moving on. But you can't see any of this from the front when you first come in to the campground. So we do not see any of the Rt 1 traffic or the large Flea Market out front by the highway. But we do hear the traffic and airplanes at night, and a lot of sirens.

The conditions here at Barnyard are good (office, meeting room, restrooms, and laundries). In fact, one of the restroom and showers is deluxe. I really prefer it over my own! Much more space, and new.

Last Friday we spent our 44th anniversary at home as it poured rain ALL day and night. I made broccoli-cheese soup and we planned to go out later. Later was Sunday when we went to Red Lobster, which is my favorite!

Then this week we spent Tuesday going through the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia

. It was very interesting and we were glad that the tour began on the fourth floor and worked back down. We were ready for a rest when finished! They have samples of many things from by gone eras which are usual in museums. And there is a Leonardo da Vinci display in another part of the building which we put off for another day.

The museum had a lot of history of the state including displays of battle weapons, uniforms, and military officers history, as well as government officials. Slave life was depicted in many different ways including this floral chintz quilt appliqued in 1850 by slaves

and backed and quilted in 1870. The Baptismal gown was purchased in NY in 1879 to be worn by a male child in Spartansburg County that same year.

This dress

was made by an Abbeville native in 1920 for her sister. And in 1953 she began running a dress making business and ran it for 30 years in Cayce, SC marketing the dresses in NY, Charlotte, and Atlanta.

This toy pedal car

was made in 1910 in Greenville, SC.

The progression of industry changes in the south was depicted in the display of the cotton gin

and the scales

used to weigh the 400 pound cotton bales, to the machines

that later combed the seeds out of the cotton. The looms which began being introduced in this country in 1878, both small

and large

as used in the textile mills

, improved over time from a weaver handling 2 or 3 at a one time to the ability to tend 5 or 6 at a time while they ran twice as fast. This Dobby Loom was manufactured in 1940 and was used at Bath Mills in Aiken, SC.

In addition to the cotton and rice industry, the south is also known for the peanut industry. This is a dryer used for peanuts

There were many other displays of things from dinosaur replicas

, to a canoe

found in 1977 covered with mud and water in an old rice field levee preserved because it stayed wet. The canoe was being carved from one tree trunk and may have been abandoned because of a crack in it.

This is a replica of the Parr nuclear plant

, the first in the southeast United States. There were displays of lasers. This Fitz Telescope

made in 1847 was in South Carolina's first observatory and was one of the first three largest in the country at that time. This Alvin Clark refractor telescope

was made in 1926 and Clark's telescopes are being used to this day.