We stopped in Saint Augustine (pronounced as in langoustine), Florida and came across the delightful Dow Museum of Historic Houses which has been created by the simple conceit of enclosing an entire block of the town and opening its 'historic' houses to the public. If I sound a little snide about this it is because some of the houses in the museum were actually built after 1845, which is when our house dates from! But, the reason I am mentioning the museum is not the buildings but the grounds, which had been turned into a retreat of shady nooks and quiet courtyards filled with moss covered trees, fountains and statues...
Some of the houses are furnished ....
I loved this shadow box with its arrangement of wool flowers. I've been searching in vain for instructions to make flowers like this from wool.
We travelled on to the gracious city of Savannah with its squares and streets filled with huge live oaks draped in Spanish moss (it ain't Spanish and it ain't moss) .....
Beautiful buildings everywhere .....
Little bits of fun ....
And movie history ....
This is where Forrest Gump sat to say 'my momma always said life was like a box of chocolates'.
And then to glorious Charleston where every turn you make opens up another delightful view. Charleston single houses are narrow and deep with one end turned to the street. They are one room wide and have verandas running the length of the house to catch the breeze on hot summer days. The verandas are known as piazzas and, as well as providing outdoor living space, they shade the windows of the house from the afternoon sun. But, and here's the fun bit, many of the houses have front doors which open onto to the piazza, not the house itself.
From the front ...
... and from behind.
Some of the plots have been subdivided which leads to an interesting numbering of houses ....
So, as you can see, there was lots for me to see and explore while Northern Man played golf with the locals ......
Although I am American I have never been to Savannah or Charleston, both which I have always wanted to visit because of their wonderful architecture. Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos and the info!
ReplyDeleteLovely to see these places..lucky you escaping the long drawn out Winter here in the UK!
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