Walk Downtown
downtown
Downtown Saturday
Downtown
We decided today we needed to get out, to take the kids and the dog and go into the world. Our first stop: a new mural downtown.
It took a month to pain this eight-story mural, and it’s been in the news a few times.
Afterward, we went for a walk in the ever-growing park downtown, followed by a light dinner.
It was almost like normal times except for the masks, which we left off most of the time as there were hardly any people about.
Sunday Downtown
I stayed home to get caught up and prepared for tomorrow. The rest of the folks went downtown. Then gave the girls the Fuji x100…
Downtown
The first time L saw fireworks, she was terrified. At least that’s what K told her as we were walking down Main Street this evening on our way to watch Greenville’s surprisingly modest fireworks display. It’s been a while since we’ve seen fireworks. For a while, the Girl was terrified of them. Then the Boy came along, and it was just not a good idea, we thought (though I saw some awfully small babies out tonight). And one year, K was sick. Or perhaps we were in Poland. Or maybe all three.
Tonight, though, we were determined to head downtown to watch the fireworks. We made it with time to spare, found a surprisingly quiet spot to sit and wait, and did just that.
The Boy sat calmly through the short show, the Girl was thrilled, and I was just happy we got in and out of such a crowd so relatively easily.
Downtown
The Girl and I decided to go downtown this afternoon and explore. After a visit to the library, we wound up at Springwood Cemetery in downtown Greenville. It was there; we were there — why not?
I couldn’t remember if the Girl had ever been in a cemetery before. I recalled a visit to a cemetery in Rock Hill, but she stayed in the car.
“But I’ve been in a cemetery in Poland,” she assured me.
We quickly learned this cemetery was different, really a cemetery worth visiting. It wasn’t one of those modern graveyards with flat grave markers to make mowing easier. This cemetery had worn stones and wrought iron fences.
And a number of plots for unknown Confederate soldiers.
The past is truly never too far away when you’re in the South. Those of us from the South face a lot of stereotypes as a result, not all of them completely unearned. I’ve never had much of an accent at all, let alone a southern accent, but I still felt somewhat out of place during my two years in Boston. As we walked around, words from that modern, proud redneck band, Drive-by Truckers, came to mind:
You think I’m dumb, maybe not too bright
You wonder how I sleep at night
Proud of the glory, stare down the shame
Duality of the southern thing
I can’t say I’ve ever been proud of the glory, but I’ve done my share of staring down the shame.
Perhaps that’s the modern southern thing?
Whatever the case, I didn’t have long to settle on those thoughts: we were soon walking down Main Street (literally), weaving in and out of fellow Greenville-ites also out to enjoy the warm Saturday, snapping pictures here and there. The Girl has begun requesting pictures — and posing — so I willingly complied.
I wanted to walk all the way down to Falls Park, but with K and the Boy back home, we decided to head back.
A Walk Downtown
A cloudy day. We’d been in the house all weekend, with the sole exception being a trip to the church on Christmas day. So after L woke up, we headed downtown.
Cloudy days are good for photographing moving water: slow shutter speeds.
One step over-exposure combined with a closed down lens meant I was able to get the shutter speeds I’d always wanted.
But L wasn’t interested in shutter speeds or f-stop values: we’d promised her chocolate milk once we got downtown, and that was her only interest.
Latte for K and me; hot chocolate for Babcia; and fruit juice for the Girl (unfortunately, no chocolate milk to be found) — we were ready for a walk down main street.
There were a few of us out for a walk. Most everyone else seemed to be huddled in the bars and restaurants that line Main Street. I guess with the bowl games and the southern love affair with football it’s logical.
Still, there were a few families out. A grandmother and granddaughter posed for pictures against a backdrop of traffic as we crossed the street to head back to our car. Just a few blocks down the street the view is much more striking, with the waterfall and bridge and lights. As we walked by, I idly wondered about their choice of location.
Being downtown always makes me a little frustrated that we don’t head there more often.
The winter answer to that question is obvious. After a couple of shots in front of the large city Christmas tree, we headed back to the car.
We parked within view of some of the most expensive condos in the area. Location, location, location. Their owners probably don’t complain about not going downtown often enough.