For the fifth year running North Charleston celebrated Independence Day in grand style. A hot dog, a long chair, great music and the boom of aerial bombs vibrating your diaphragm.
Landesbank, Karlsruhe, Germany
Future Green Roofs, Navy Yard at Noisette
Green roofs have a waterproof membrane covered with soil and vegetation. Rooftop gardens and green space will be incorporated in the construction at the Navy Yard at Noisette. Green roofs deliver lots of benefits especially in an urban setting, for example:
Grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers
Reduce heating and cooling loads on a building
Increase roof life span
Reduce stormwater runoff
Filter pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air
Provide sound insulation for the building
Filter pollutants rainwater
Increase wildlife
Commandant's Headquarters original drawing
1908 Postcard of Commandant's Offices
Building Today
The Navy bought land here in 1901 and Building 1, the Commandant’s Headquarters was built by 1905. It stands on the site of the Turnbull House which burned before the Navy took over the property. It is an excellent example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture. It is a contributing structure in the Officers Housing Historic District that is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building was converted to duplex Officers housing in 1919 and designated Quarters H & I. Large porches were added to the original design. Today the building is an event space and backdrop for the popular Lifetime Television series, Army Wives.
The Palmetal Tree, full size palmetto made from the old Grace Bridge
Jim Shultz, Metal Genius
Jim Shultz is a resident genius at the Navy Yard at Noisette. Jim works from a studio/workshop that you have probably seen on the west side of Noisette Boulevard and south of the Noisette Creek Bridge. Jim is an artist and his medium if metal. He has made sculptures out of BMW car parts, and various creations from the old Cooper River Bridge. His largest and most amazing piece is a full size palmetto palm tree that is now located in the lobby of the Fire Engine Museum in North Charleston. I call it the “Palmetal Tree.” Go to Jim’s website, http://www.jimfshultz.com/
Andrew Sterett, Vanquisher of Pirates
The ships named Sterett were named after Lieutenant Andrew Sterett, born 27 January 1778 in Baltimore, Maryland. Andrew’s father was a successful shipping merchant who had served as a captain during the Revolutionary War. Andrew was the fourth of ten children and despite his sizable inheritance, entered the Navy as a Lieutenant on 25 March 1798 at the age of twenty. He served as Third Lieutenant aboard the newly commissioned frigate Constellation. He was in command of a gun battery during the undeclared war with France (who helped us in the Revolutionary War) in which the fledgling U. S. Navy scored its first victory on the high seas against the French frigate L’Insurgente.
By February 1800 Andrew Sterett had been promoted to First Lieutenant and participated in successful battles against French ships. Later that year he assumed his first command, the schooner Enterprise. This was the first US Navy ship to bear that name.
The Enterprise sailed to the Mediterranean with Commodore Richard Dale to quell the Barbary pirates. Andrew Sterett and the Enterprise went up against the pirate warship Tripoli in a furious engagement. He successfully fought off three attempts by the pirates to board his crippled ship. Enterprise beat back all attacks and defeated the pirates. He was presented with a sword by President Thomas Jefferson and his crew received an additional month’s pay for their heroism. Following several more dispatches to the coast of Tripoli, Sterett and the Enterprise witnessed the return of freedom of the seas in the Mediterranean for American ships. He returned home in March of 1803 and resigned from the Navy in 1805. He pursued a career in the merchant marine and died a premature death in Lima, Peru on 9 June 1807 at the age of thirty.
Andrew Sterett left the U.S. Navy with a rich tradition of determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. His bravery, gallantry and heroism live on in the ships and the building here that bear his name.
Park Circle 1957, courtesy of Mr. Jack Noble
Recent Park Circle
The untrained eye will have no difficulty seeing how the number of trees in Park Circle have been dimished by hurricanes. Folks tell me that a great number of pine trees were snapped like matchsticks by Hurricane Hugo.
You can help, Plant an oak tree.
State Bird
This fine example of a design that has lasted 30 million years is often called the State Bird. Once there is hard rain it takes about 10 days to see a new generation of mosquitoes from eggs that need a watery pond of any kind to grow to full size. The image is from http://dalesdesigns.net/buggers.htm I had always thought that mosquitoes used freshwater ponds and not saltwater, but there are several varieties that lay eggs in marshes and dredge material disposal sites such as Clouter Island across the Cooper River. One consolation is that when a big storm comes it will blow the mosquitoes over to Tennessee. Check out myparkcircle.com for article on the mosquito menace.
The Conference today Friday June 19, and Saturday June 20 is in full swing. Come on out, see
CLICK ON http://www.sustainabilityinstitutesc.org/atlanticgreen.shtml
Nancy St. Hillaire, on LEED for Homes
Franklin's Laboratory
In round numbers you are around one thousand times more likely to be stuck by lightning than to win the Powerball jackpot. Lightning tends to strike high things and metal objects. Lay low. It can strike miles in advance of an actual storm. It can travel through moist soils for dozens of feet. When storms threaten, best be in a sturdy building and away from windows and doors. For increased protection, avoid contact with electric appliances, metal plumbing, and wired telephones. In your car or truck you are relatively safe from lightning. Convertibles put you in danger because its a vehicle’s full metal shell that protects you, Not the Rubber Tires. To be safe, do not touch metal on the inside of the vehicle. Don’t be a conductor.
Street Foods has delicious fare
Street Food’s Summer Salad – Local Baby Lettuces, Roasted Patty Pan Squash,
Fresh Artichokes, and Heirloom Tomatoes, Served with Banyuls Vinaigrette, or Buttermilk Herb Dressing, $7.
With Citrus Marinated Chicken Add $2.
With White Wine Poached Salmon Add $3.
California Grilled Chicken Wrap with Apple wood Smoked Bacon, Avocado, Tomato, Romaine Lettuce, Sprouts and Meyer Lemon Mayo $6
Mint Citrus Couscous, with Shaved Fennel, Arugula, Tomatoes, and Grilled Local Shrimp $9.
Cool Summer Gazpacho Soup with Grilled Garlic Ciabatta $3.
Drop off catering available with a $50.00 minimum. Call 843-795-1061
