Thanks so much for dropping by each day for the last week to pick up your SC DOG Postcards. Splash is dying to tell you a few Stories, so I will be turning the blogging duties over to her for awhile. See ya soon.
The logo for South Carolina's state parks say "Come Out & Play". That's a great invitation and one that I like to accept as often as I can. The prices are hard to beat, the locations offer a lot for those seeking recreation and local attractions, and the campgrounds rank high on my list. Seven campsites sit on the shore of Lake Juniper and ten more are scattered under the tall pines. Our site #11 was wide, flat, graveled, and perched high on a timbered platform. The view of the lake was outstanding and it provided the perfect place for cooking, eating, and gathering. The park has a really cool playground that kids of all ages can enjoy, 2 nice picnic shelters, a community building, a sandy beach with kayak rentals, and a large picnic area. If you need a great park to go out and play in this year, I highly recommend Cheraw State Park in Cheraw, South Carolina!
Thanks so much for dropping by each day for the last week to pick up your SC DOG Postcards. Splash is dying to tell you a few Stories, so I will be turning the blogging duties over to her for awhile. See ya soon. The Chefs visited downtown Cheraw both Thursday and Friday morning. Every single one of us was impressed with the clean city streets, the modernized storefronts, attractive landscaping, and friendly folks we encountered in the shops and restaurant. The only sad note to all this, was that 50% of the stores were sitting empty. We visited each and every consignment/thrift store we happened upon, ended up eating at The River's Edge Restaurant & Bakery both days, enjoyed touring the little Lyceum Museum, and did a brief driving tour of the Antebellum and Victorian areas of town. Come take a tour with me! When Europeans settlers began to explore this region, the Cheraw and Pee Dee Indians were the inhabitants. A few settlers began moving here in the 1730's. Most of Cheraw's earliest residents were English, Scots, French, and Irish. By 1740, a trading center and water mill were established and by 1750 there was a village with a growing river trade.
Prosperity began to return by 1900 and many fine Victorian and Revival buildings are still in evidence there. If I ever go back to Cheraw, I want to explore Market Street and the surrounding streets to get an up close look at the 45 pre-1860 buildings and the 30-some 19th and 20th-century buildings.
Thanks so much for joining me today for a short story of the long history of Cheraw, SC. Have a great day and I'll see you back here tomorrow!
Saturday afternoon found our Chefs back at work firing up coals, mixing up dishes, and cooking in CDOs once again. While most folks cooked at their own campsites, we gathered 'round at our place to share another meal together. Even though the clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped, we still enjoyed the food and camaraderie. Some folks like to hang around the campground and do a whole lot of nothing. That's actually the way I like to spend my afternoons. But I always look forward to a morning exploration of the local history and culture. On Friday morning after breakfast, a whole bunch of us loaded up and headed over towards the Pee Dee River to Old St. David's Church. We first stopped at the Chamber of Commerce so Rich could pick up the key that would let us go inside the church. This last parish to be established under King George III was named for David, patron saint of Wales. The building was to be located on the southwest side of the Pee Dee River on land granted for that purpose by Ely Kershaw, who owned most of the present downtown area of Cheraw. The church was in use by 1772, but not actually completed until 1774.
The central section of the church appears much as it did in 1774 when the church was finally finished. The box pews have been reconstructed. The high pulpit of polished black walnut was reconstructed following research. The stair handrail is the original. There was probably no lighting and no heat. The stairs leading up to the slave gallery were moved to the new vestibule in 1826 and the interior blinds were installed in 1856. In the surrounding graveyard lie soldiers from almost all of America's wars. The first Confederate Monument (1867) ever built is here, as well as the graves of famed steamboat commander Moses Rogers and Alexander Gregg. If you find yourself in Cheraw, SC, make sure you stop by Old St. David's Church for a visit. It has sheltered soldiers of four armies, survived war, lightning, tornadoes, and has kept watch on the people of the Pee Dee River.
Friday afternoon and evening was full of March Madness. Not the basketball variety, the camp Dutch oven kind. Our monthly challenge for March was to cook an appetizer in our CDOs. Chefs whipped up jambalaya, pull-apart pizza bread, meatballs, cabbage rolls, bacon wrapped pork, and much much more. The Prep... What happens during cooking... Then the fun begins…SUPPERTIME!! Delicious Dutch oven dishes, supper by the lake, conversation with friends, a new patch for an apron, and crazy CDO Chefs… PRICELESS FUN!!
Once upon a time, Becky, the Schnauzer Herd, and I camped by ourselves. We stayed at some great campgrounds and had lots of fun adventures. For the last half dozen years, we have only camped with friends and the level of fun has increased more than we could ever imagine. With a little help from our friends, we have so much fun it ought to be illegal! After the big dance, we loaded up into cars and headed to the Bargain Box to find treasures. I scored a new, old belt to hang my buttons on and Sue hit the jackpot with glass and china for her yard art projects. We visited Old St. David's Church and Cemetery and it deserves its own Postcard one day next week, so stay tuned for that. There wasn't much discussion about our lunch destination...back to River's Edge with more of our friends. We had to introduce Lois, Deb, Bill, and Elaine to the tower of dessert choices! We visited the Lyceum Museum after lunch and explored the Historic District before heading home. I will send you a special Postcard about all that next week too. Back at the campground, we stopped at the office to get a couple bundles of firewood for this evening. I needed to get my official Cheraw State Park patch too. Becky, Rich and I had a lovely walk back around the lake to the campground. Rob and Trisha arrived and so did Colleen and David, so the gang is now all here. We had a bit of downtime before March Madness began. Around 4:00, the Dutch ovens came out, the chimney coals were fired up, and the cooking began. We set out dishes in a buffet line and proceeded to enjoy a fun supper of appetizers and finger good together. You'll have to wait a few days to see and hear about that, but I will show you our Chef's portrait. Check out our funky campfire hats compliments of Chef Lois! We rounded out our day circled around a roaring campfire telling tall tales and laughing about past adventures.
Because there is rain in the morning forecast, we have cancelled our outdoor breakfast and will be heading to Huddle House instead. After that, there will be more junkin' to be had. Thanks so much for letting me share my fun camping times with friends with you. Check back tomorrow evening to hear how we put our rainy day to good use. Nite nite from the lake! Evenin' everyone! We have had a full day on this SC DOG Thursday. We woke to a beautiful lakeside morning...you know, the kind that you dreamed about back in the winter! Coffee and breakfast tastes infinitely better with Lake Juniper as a backdrop. I even had a little visitor hoping for a crumb or two from me. I spent some time journaling, checking emails, snapping photos of the morning here in camp, and easing into my day. About 11 o'clock, we hopped in the car with Rich and Sue and headed downtown to see what we could see. That included some historic buildings, the Dizzy Gillespie statue, searching for bargains, and getting lunch at The River's Edge Restaurant & Bakery. Our afternoon was filled with kayaking, catching up with friends we haven't seen since the Coastal Caravan, more games, and even some kayaking. Rough life huh? Nope...camp life is a great life. Sorry you can't be here with us to join in the fun at Cheraw State Park, but I appreciate you joining me via Postcards. Tomorrow we will be cooking instead of eating out, so drop by to check out my March Madness Postcard featuring our talented Master Chefs!
Hooray...we are camping again! We are settled into Cheraw State Park with our Dutch oven cooking buddies for a long weekend. More than half our Chefs pulled in today and we are expecting the rest tomorrow and Friday. I always have a bit of the jitters and nerves on the first trip out each year. Today it was compounded by driving a new tow vehicle. It didn't take too many miles to realize that Splish and Splash made a great combo! We left home at 11:00 on the dot after getting air in everyone's tires. After a Mickey D's lunch in Wadesboro, we pulled into Cheraw State Park a little before 2. There is only one campground here in the park and just 17 sites. Site number 11 has been on my camping wish list for almost two years. When you see our view, you will know why I wanted to be here! I decided not to bring the Visor, so that's why you aren't seeing the cute little ball cap over Splash's door. Instead, I brought the big Cottonwood and with the stiff lake wind we were experiencing, it was all hands on deck to get it up and scotched down. I took my time getting set up and Becky helped as much as her shoulder would allow. She always brings along a pot of flowers and it makes for a sweet photo. About 5:30 Becky, Lois, and I piled into the car with Rich and Sue and headed off to Walmart. Every single one of us forgot something and a camping trip isn't complete without a trip to Wally World! We ordered five fish sandwiches at Bojangles before heading home to catch a nice sunset. I took care of all the nighttime chores while Becky, Rich, Sue, and Lois played a game Rummy Kube. It's so quiet here on the water and I predict a good night's sleep on the first of many camping nights this season.
Thanks so much for picking up your Postcard. If you drop by tomorrow evening, I promise to have another one for you. Nite nite from Cheraw State Park in South Carolina. |
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