In my own backyard

Photo couresly coutureallure.blogspot.com

I have mentioned before how much I love the idea of vintage train travel.  My only train trip that I remember was a brief trip on the TGV from Paris to Lille in the north of France.  But, I can imagine lounging in the club car as the countryside goes speeding past.  I recently re-read Agatha Christi’s Murder on the Orient Express, and aside from the whole murder thing, it all seems so wonderful and glamorous.  These photos from Couture Allure perfectly illustrate my dream of what train travel should be.

I spend most days in my studio looking out on this sight:

photo courtesy greenvillesouth.com

This photo is a little old, but you can see the concrete piers that cross the river.  These are all that remain of the old “Swamp Rabbit” train trestles.  The railroad, built in 1888 only ran 15 miles because of insufficient funds to complete the route.  It was demolished in 1990, and the piers became an integral part of the Reedy River dam (they also make a nice place for the ducks to lay out in the sun!)

I am also often asked if I know what the Wyche Pavillion (the brick building in the photo) originally was.  It was build in 1904 as a carriage house paint shop, but in 1925 was turned into the first factory for the production of Duke’s Mayonnaise.  So, now you know!