Organic, Natural or . . . ?

Everyone has heard that organic food is better, safer. . . and more expensive. Unfortunately, (in my opinion), it has also become a big business, and the bigger it gets, the further it is from the original meaning. One reason it costs more is because it is difficult and expensive for a producer to get the original certification, and then there is a substantial yearly fee to maintain it. This puts it out of reach of the average small family farmer.

Another term that has become popular is "Naturally Grown". This designation is rapidly accumulating the same baggage as "Organic" - legislation defining who can use it, ongoing costs, etc. Just as with the "Organic" label, when large agribusinesses adopt these terms, they also find loopholes to allow them to very narrowly apply the labels. For example, it is legal to describe eggs as "free range" if there is one small door that opens to the outside of the building, even if no chicken knows it is there or uses it.


The picture at the left shows what it really means for chickens to be "free range". They have total freedom to run around, eat grass, catch bugs and just live as nature meant them to live.

What I am interested in is how the food was raised. I don't care about labels, I just don't want any added chemicals or antibiotics, and I want the animals raised humanely, not in crates or feedlots. Cows, goats, sheep and pigs should have access to pasture and chickens need to be able to scratch, eat bugs and grass, and move around freely. I like meat and eat it regularly, but hate the thought that the animal that provided it lived a miserable life. What I want is to meet the farmer and even visit the farm. One term for this concept is "Transparent". Most farmers will welcome your visit, but remember that they are busy people. Always contact them and set up a time when it is convenient for you to come.

Have you ever hugged a goat?

The food from happy, healthy animals, be it milk, eggs or meat, is far superior in both taste and nutrition. Check out http://www.eatwild.com/ and click on "Benefits for your health" on the left hand side. That same website has lots of other interesting information, also.

The first and easiest step in becoming a "localvore" is to look for locally grown and produced items at your supermarket or restaurant. If you don't see anything marked "locally produced", ask the manager to carry it and mark it clearly.

We are fortunate here in Charleston in that there is a very active movement advocating that we all try to buy at least 10% of our purchases at locally owned stores. Go to http://www.lowcountrylocalfirst.com/ to learn more about it, and to find the local businesses.

Don't forget to enter the contest for free tickets to visit the Yorktown! See "contest rules" on the sidebar to see what you need to do.

Snow in Charleston SC

What!! Snow in Charleston SC, this is something you hardly ever hear of. I think the last really good snow fall that stuck was right after Hurricane Hugo in 1989! This beautiful white blanket swept over the Charleston area Friday, Feb. 12th around 7pm and snowed till the wee hours of the night. The snow left faster than it came but for a few hours it was an awesome experience for me and my family. We had snowball fights and the kids made a snow man with Grandma. Leave a comment and let us know of of your experience with the snow. That also enters you in our contest to win tickets to visit the Yorktown. (See previous post for more information.)

Click play on the Blogger bar below to see video.

Come Aboard the USS Yorktown!

As we head into our third featured attraction we have already discovered that Charleston has a lot of hidden jewels. This month's featured attraction is for all you history buffs. This is the well known USS Yorktown docked at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant.

If you’re like me, you have driven past this a million times without stopping, but this may motivate you to visit. This attraction called for the whole family to test it out to see if it was blog worthy for all our faithful readers. So, with my husband and two little boys in hand we set off to see what the big deal was. The day did not start off as planned it was rainy and cold but the boys had been talking about seeing the big ship and airplanes all day! Come rain or shine, this experience turned out to be a fun filled adventure.
The ship is huge and has all sorts of different tours you can take. Be prepared to spend at least two to three hours. Don't worry, though, there is a food stand in there in case you need fuel. There is a Congressional Medal of Honors where you can go and listen to different stories of the people who went above and beyond for our country, you can stand before actual WWII fighter & bomber aircraft, take a ride on a flight simulator, go down below deck and explore the ship and feel like one of the crew members, and much more.

Out of it all, though, Gabriel & Devin’s favorite was the “stage” - yes, you heard right. See picture below:

The end result was an awesome experience and I was able to have a peaceful car ride home!

Facts about the USS Yorktown:
The USS Yorktown (CV-10) was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy. Under construction as Bon Homme Richard, this new Essex-class carrier was renamed "Yorktown" in honor of Yorktown (CV-5), sunk at the epic Battle of Midway (June 1942). Built in an amazing 16 ½ months at Newport News, Virginia, Yorktown was commissioned on April 15, 1943. Yorktown participated significantly in the Pacific Offensive that began in late 1943 and ended with the defeat of Japan in 1945. Yorktown received the Presidential Unit Citation and earned 11 battle stars for service in World War II. Much of the Academy Award-winning (1944)documentary "The Fighting Lady" was filmed aboard. In the 1950’s, Yorktown was modified with the addition of an angled deck to better operate jet aircraft in her role as an attack carrier (CVA). In 1958, Yorktown was designated an anti-submarine aircraft carrier (CVS), and would later earn 5 battle stars for service off Vietnam (1965-1968). The ship also recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts and capsule (December 1968). Yorktown was decommissioned in 1970 and placed in reserve. In 1975, Yorktown was towed from Bayonne, NJ to Charleston to become the centerpiece of Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. Another fun fact is you can actually camp out on the Yorktown! Come experience the patriotism, honor and character of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.

Thanks for Exploring Charleston with Hobson Group Realty. Remember, all you have to do is just leave a comment and you are automatically entered to win two tickets to explore the USS Yorktown for yourself.

Don’t forget - YOU will need to check back March 1st to claim your prize. You will have 15 days to claim your prize at info@hobsongrouprealty.com We don't have your contact information, so it will be up to you to contact us to let us know who you are.

IMAX Winners!!

Congratulations Kacey Huff!!! You are the winner of our monthly contest. Kacey just won two free tickets to the awesome IMAX Theatre and a family special at the concession stand which includes a large popcorn and two large drinks. Way to go!!

Devin is our 22 month old son who drew the name! This picture is taken from our next featured event. Can you figure it out? Check back on February 5th for our next contest. You will not want to miss this!

See the world's tallest mule

On Sunday, January 31st, Palmetto Carriage Works is holding their annual Free Carriage Tour Day and Shorty, the world's tallest mule, will be on display for that one day only. Shorty stands 19.2 hands (6 feet 6 inches) where an average mule is 15hands (5 feet).

Palmetto Carriage Works offers free tours and parking on this day for all residents of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties (they will be checking ID). Staff will bring out animals for petting and answer questions about their care fron 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

We will be checking them out and will blog later with pictures and a report on our experiences.

For more information on Shorty, see the article in today's Post & Courier.

Building Communities

Hi, my name is Mary Pendley and I am part of the team here at Hobson Group Realty. My passion is encouraging people of any age and from all walks of life to come together as a community.

First, a little background about me. I grew up as one of eight children on a small farm in Wyoming. As a child, I milked cows (by hand), slopped hogs, gathered eggs and plucked chickens. Nearly all the food we ate was grown on the farm - meat, milk, egg, vegetables.

When I married, I left the farm and have never again had the opportunity to live on a farm, although I have had a vegetable garden whenever possible. I have six children (all grown) and a whole passel of grandchildren. I have lived a lot of places including Germany and Mexico, and have been here in Charleston since 2002.

About three years ago, my daughter loaned me a book called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver, and it literally changed my life. Barbara Kingsolver is a well-known author of novels, and this is the true story of her family's commitment to grow as much of their own food as possible and buy only things that were produced locally for one year. It is a very entertaining book, and if you read it, you will never look at supermarket food the same again. I decided to make an effort to seek out local sources of food whenever possible. I found that the most difficult part was finding the producers. I frequented farmer's markets, bought a share in a CSA, and found where I could buy meat and eggs directly from the farmer. I've made some friends and eaten some truly delicious food in the process.

How does this relate to building communities? Locally produced and direct from the farm products can sometimes be more expensive than the chain stores, although often they are not. However, your dollars support your neighbors, and that in turn allows them to do the same. Your immediate reward is healthy food that is truly fresh and delicious, and you may also make some new friends in the process.

I will be blogging periodically about where to go and how to find these direct connections, as well as on related topics. There are many different producers to be found, but I will be talking primarily about those that I have personal experiences with. If you know of good sources, please leave a comment with that information. Any comments you leave will also enter you in the current contest - it's IMAX tickets this month!

Charleston IMAX

Hello everyone and thanks for continuing to Explore the Charleston area with us. Each month we are going to be featuring different attractions in the Charleston area. All you have to do to win is just leave a comment and it will automatically enter you to win. There are no obligations just free tickets! Our featured attraction this month is the new Citadel Mall Stadium 16 with IMAX. The contest prize is a package of two tickets to the IMAX (including 3-D) and a family special order at the concession stand (large popcorn and two large drinks with unlimited refills).

My husband and I just went to the new IMax in West Ashley and had an incredible experience. This was my first 3D movie and let me tell you this is not your mom and pop’s movie theater. This was an in your face, breathtaking, nail biting event. We saw the movie "Avatar" and were absolutely blown away by how you felt like you were right in the movie. Between the enormous screen and the sound system you could not help but feel that way. I highly recommend the 3D effect when watching your next movie. “Avatar” is currently playing at the IMAX, and will be there until March. However, if you prefer a different movie, the tickets are good for any movie at any of the 16 theaters.

One common misconception is that the IMAX is simply a larger screen. However, it is much more. An IMAX theater is designed to meet very specific physical criteria. It is designed to make the viewer feel a part of the movie, not just a viewer. It provides an intense viewing experience partly because it has twice as many projectors (two instead of one) which make the picture much sharper and the colors brighter. The huge screen is perforated with thousands of tiny holes to allow sound to past through it, and it is coated with a proprietary high-gain silver coating to maximize picture brightness. Every morning before the theater opens, the screen is calibrated so that the light intensity is just right. Three-D technology comes into its own at the IMAX – the images not only appear to pop off the screen but truly seem to reach out and touch you. To give you an idea of just how large the screen is, see the picture below (that's me standing there - look close!).

Sound is just as important as the picture in an IMAX presentation. It is laser-aligned to envelope each audience member, making the smallest sound audible and allowing the listener to know which direction it is coming from. Before a new IMAX theater opens, a team of technicians check each individual seat to ensure that the sound is perfectly balanced. The sound track of each movie is specifically designed for the unique IMAX sound system.

To see what movies are playing, click here. http://www.southeastcinemas.com/charleston-imax.htm

Of course, no movie experience would be complete without refreshments. The picture above is of the theater's spacious lobby and concession stand.

Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win this contest (you will need to have a google account to comment - if you have trouble, let us know and we'll help you through it)