White Point Gardens

A late afternoon with the sun setting at White Point Gardens at Charleston's historic Battery is the perfect place to wile away some time, enjoying the good vibes of visitors and residents alike experiencing all the attractions of this beautiful park on  Charleston's harbor.    Last Sunday was such a day.  

I love the way the shadows linger among the majestic live oaks in this park.   It was a cool afternoon, I was bundled up enough, and it just felt good to be alive.  I wanted to ramble about and think and daydream a bit more than I had time for, but the sun was not tarrying and it was soon time for supper.

There  is nothing quite so fine and majestic in Nature than an ancient live oak tree with it's spreading, shade-giving branches.  I grew up around live oaks and they are my favorite tree.  I have photographed so many of them here.  I have certain ones I take pictures of time and again in all seasons to remind me of the beautiful places where they are located.

The forest

The woods at the wildlife refuge are still bare and shadow-filled this February.    This section is one of my favorite areas of the maritime forst, filled with live oaks and an ancient magnolia.  

Portals

It's mysterious to me how steps seem to lead to nowhere at certain places in the gardens I frequently visit.  Intriguing.  I love to imagine these steps leading me somewhere, somewhere magical, beyond this present reality.

Magnolia Gardens in late January

Two of my favorite scenes at Magnolia Gardens include an open, grassy area of statues bordered with plantings, and a stone-paved path to the main house that is lined with magnificent live oaks through which the sunlight filters on late afternoons.