Chilly Night-Warm Hearts

South Carolina is full of "Historical" Towns. There is a lot of pride in their history and traditions, many of which are still practiced. MJ and Willie enjoyed a night of "Family Fun" in one such town, Fountain Inn.  

 



This is the scene of the great date

 

CEO and president of the Chamber of Commerce was the ambassador of the Family Night. He knew he had MJ in his pocket from the very beginning

 

MJ recognized these folks right away! She remembers seeing them on the Steve Wilkos show in November 2013! I sure hope they reconcile with Granny one day.

 

MJ is sitting pretty on Mr. Squarepants' nose

MJ is cool as a cucumber riding on Larry the
Cucumber.

 

Pooh literally had MJ in the palm of his hand.

 

I think there is some kind of rule in South Carolina that you MUST have funnel cakes at every fair and function

OK, so what are the Oreo's for?

Ever hear of fried Oreo cookies?

Nothing like a romantic horse and buggy ride...sigh!

 Or the excitement of a carousel ride...giddy-up! (turn down sound...very loud!)

Just because it takes a teacher to appreciate a teacher :-)

I don't know...because he is so beautiful I guess! lol

Set next to the outdoor activities is this center.

 

MJ had to get a little closer to that gingerbread man to make sure he wasn't another dessert
 

A tribute to the original inhabitants in this area

Many Cherokees lived in the "upstate" area of South Carolina  



This display memorialized one of the first store owners in Fountain Inn...he owned a "meat shop" and lots of land when it was extremely cheap

 

Peg Leg Bates was known all over the world for tap dancing with just one leg!  He hailed from Fountain Inn.



Peg Leg Bates never let losing his leg stop him from dancing! Here, is his first wooden leg he used .

 

These are real cotton balls just as they grow in the field

Tools and other items from history

Is that a tiny gift
Santa is holding with care?

 

Awww it is MJ!

MJ's bio said she loved Christmas and knows in her heart that Santa is REAL! Oh well, I guess there is no argument here!

 

Taking a little time getting to know one another better.

 



PEACE!

Click on pictures for a larger view

 

 

 

 

The Front Porch Part III

I know you have been wondering what happened to The Front Porch III. I was trying to hold off until I could get back to Greenville and get a picture of the creator of those wonderful dollhouses and roomboxes.
Well, between my schedule and his we just could not get it together.

So, I am going to tell you a little about the man behind the dream dollhouses and roomboxes. The Front Porch has been in operation for over fifty years. At one time, the owner, Tom Henry had the largest dollhouse business in the South East United States. His work has included miniature duplicates of local mansions. Many years ago, before many of us were even involved with miniatures, Tom was in his local newspaper for his lovely houses.  The "well to do" sought him to make duplicates of their own  homes, orginal dollhouses and supplies or to have their dollhouses repaired. Here are some of his other works of art:

Thank you so much Tom and Karen for indulging me and allowing me to get these great photos.





One of the many houses in Tom's photo album



The Front Porch "a step back in time"

Tom makes the news. Click to see the date in 1977

Click on picture for a larger view

The Front Porch Part I

I have found that when you let someone know about your passion they usually can't help getting a little caught up in it too. My son happened across a man who happened to be a dollhouse icon. Forty years ago he was busy building dollhouses and roomboxes from scratch lumber. The kinds of houses we dream of today. More about this man later [after I get pics of him :-)]. First, lets look at his magnificent work. While you look, notice the sturdiness of the walls and floors. The Front Porch is an unassuming store that defies definition. In it you will find a fine collection of dollhouses, buy some vintage clothing or housewares or just a nice juicy peach to eat.

I will have to break this into several posts for you to be able to appreciate this treasure.

For the last fifteen years I have passed this store several times when in Greenville, South Carolina never noticing it or knowing of the  treasures within.

When you pass these on the shelf on the actual front porch you get the feeling there may just be a mini lover within.

This is the view as soon as you walk into the store and look to your right.

This is one of the first houses in my view

I walked behind it to see this set up. Miniature train and all!

Karen, a mini-lover for over 40 years,was happy to explain the history of the houses. This house was first built for a customer in 1981 who returned it recently to have it refurbished for her granddaughter.

Look at all of those rooms to decorate!

View #1 of the front of the largest house in the house.

 EVERYTHING in this house was HANDCRAFTED! The furniture was hand made by a craftsman from Africa.

Can you imagine the work that went into paneling those walls? These kind of details are evident in all of his work.

View #2 the other end. I love that little door!


Keep looking for parts two and three. I think I can squeeze it all within three posts.