Thursday, April 09, 2026

Bobservations

Carlos came to the breakfast table the other morning and said:

“I have made an Executive Decision—”

“You cannot do that.”

“Why?”

“All Executive Decision are made by me, though you have the ability to make an Executive Suggestion and submit it through proper channels.”

“And then what happens?”

“I ignore it and make an Executive Decision.”

He seemed shocked and awed by my logic and I don’t know why, though I did make an Executive Decision not to have this conversation again.

This Tale of Tuxedo comes from March 2009:

A Sunday Tuxedo—clockwise from top let—raises his eyes toward Heaven and prays to the cat gods that there will be fish for dinner. And when he realizes it'll be a dish of dry stuff like every day, he pouts, and then does his best Camille impression. And lastly he poses as Tuxedo of the Jungle....or Bond, Tuxedo Bond. 

Camden is growing, though maintaining it's small-town appeal, and one of the bigger projects will be the King Haigler Hotel, a 51-room boutique hotel,  taking over the space where the old opera house and clock tower, built in 1886, stand.

That’s Broad Street up there looking south towards the Opera House and clock tower in 1951.

And here’s a view from Rutledge Street side of the building and the clock tower, also in the 1950s.

And here’s the building with just the tower standing and the hotel construction beginning around it.

I was glad they saved the clock tower and made it the focal point of new construction and cannot wait for the hotel to open.

Take note of the silence of the pro-life folks when their president threatened genocide, to kill innocent, civilian, men, women, and children and destroy an entire civilization.

The cult is real … stupid.

And then here we have a mural downtown that features the Kershaw-Cornwallis House, a Georgian mansion that dominates the grounds of Historic Camden and the Revolutionary War Park. Once the home of local businessman and patriot Joseph Kershaw who arrived in the colonies before 1748 and worked for a merchant in Charleston before moving to this settlement—then called Pine Tree Hill. The proximity to the Great Wagon Road and the Wateree River made for easy distribution of goods traveling between coastal Charleston and the backcountry frontier.

Kershaw established a store called Kershaw and Company and, in time, built flour and grist mills, indigo works, a tobacco warehouse, a distillery, and a brewery. His efforts helped turn the town into a commercial hub and he was instrumental in creating a plan of streets and lots in Pine Hill, which became the village of Camden, now the Oldest Inland City in South Carolina.

I was going through my phone and found that picture of the dear departed MaxGoldberg and Tuxedo napping in “their” chair in the sunroom so peacefully.

And then I found that picture of Max with his crooked mouth—after he’d had a couple of teeth removed—looking quizzically at me. Oh I miss the mug on that cat!

Garrett Swan is a 57-year-old actor and art director, known for Fashion House, Unusually Thicke, and Sex, Lies, and Sugar, all of which beg the question: Would You Hit It?

24 comments:

  1. The hotel has been bookmarked for a road trip sometime in the next couple of years.

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    1. I cannot wait to see how it turns out; hopefully it retains some Camden charm.

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  2. Anonymous10:16 AM

    the dog's mother
    (Carlos) (all kitties)
    xoxo :-)

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  3. We know that the "pro life" people aren't interested in babies, children and adults who might need care and support. They are only interested in unborn foetuses. I am reading a book about Opus Dei (the author has just met with the pope to discuss the problems associated with the cult) and Opus Dei were heavily involved with the overturn of Roe v Wade!

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    1. Pro-life means nothing to the right.

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  4. Poor Carlos! Love all the cat photographs. 🐈‍⬛🐈
    Camden looks a lovely place to live.

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    1. Those two cats were The Boys in our house, buddies from the moment they joined our family until the moment they left.
      Camden is a nice town.

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  5. So sorry, but after Garret all my brain cells kinda stopped working. And of course I would, you silly goose.

    Love the idea for that hotel. Such a pretty town!

    XOXO

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    1. Camden really has prospered, though of course it helps that it's a horse town and people from the North board their horses down here in the winter.
      Old money runs deep here!
      xoxo

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  6. LOL, poor Carlos. There's no working around your logic.

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  7. That is an impressive mural!

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  8. I'm all for making Trump is angry as possible so let's keep doing that.

    And I love but you're down Dead with the old opera house what an excellent repurpose and that wall murals absolutely stunning. Some people don't like me Earls but I think if done correctly like this when they're spectacular.

    And yes I would tap it!!!!!

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    1. I like his mini-tantrums and full-blown ignorant rants.
      That mural is about forty years old and it's nice knowing it's never been defaced.

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  9. SG hates when I interrupt him mid-idea just so I can show how clever I am. It doesn’t mean I don’t do it.

    Yes, how great that they’ve kept the clock tower. Wonderful old architecture around town. Thanks for the Camden history. Beautiful mural.

    Garret Swan is a yes.

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    1. Camden does have a nice sense of history to it, and our city government tries to keep the small-town feel while bringing business and events to the town.
      It's just funny now seeing basically just the tower standing, though it will be a new building soon, and rebuilt with the old bricks from the former structure.

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  10. I admire Carlos' patience to put up with you when so many others would have wielded a frying pan to your head by now!

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    1. He has the patience of a saint, who is not allowed to make Executive Decisions!

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  11. That mural is stunning!

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    1. I've driven past several times but this was the first time walking by it and it really is pretty.

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  12. That exchange with Carlos about Executive Decisions is pure gold—I think every household has a similar 'proper channel' for suggestions that lead nowhere! Loved seeing the photos of Max and Tuxedo, too. Glad to see Camden is keeping that clock tower as the focal point; old architecture like that is irreplaceable.

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    1. Carlos is so fun to torture, and he loves it and I love it so, you know, win win.
      Camden is very mindful of its history and has clear guidelines of what can and cannot happen in the city limits. Starbucks? Nope.
      I like that.

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  13. It seems like you have become a proud Camdenite Bob. Will you be putting yourself forward for mayor? By the way, the Kershaw family, long associated with Camden, had their origins here in Yorkshire.

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