Anne Springs Close Greenway.

That's a long name huh.


As I've mentioned before, we live in a small South Carolina town called Fort Mill - 20 mins South of big ol' Charlotte. I think from now on when people ask me where I live I'll just reply: Carolina. We spend half our time in South and half our time in North, so, ya know.

This town is truly something else. And I mean that in the best way possible. Friendly people, rich in history, lots to do, and they have a GREENWAY.

Now if you're anything like Steph Circa June 2013, you're probably wondering;
What the hell is a 'Greenway'?

Basically, it's a giant nature preserve. Acres and acres of untouched land reserved strictly for getting humans back in touch with nature. I freakin' love the way these people think.

The Greenway offers everything from kayaking, hiking, fishing, GEOCACHING (have you ever done that? so fun. Google it.) mountain biking, horse back riding, and for people like me--ample photo opportunities.



Speaking of which, allow me to take you on a photo tour of this wonderland:

Welcome.

So there's this picturesque red barn that you can rent out for weddings & private parties...I'm kind of obsessed with it. They have a big, rustic fire pit in the field to the right of it. I can only imagine how gorgeous a wedding reception here could be.

Beyond the barn there's lots of biking trails, a small pond for catching tadpoles and screaming like a 5 year old when they wiggle in your hand  some fishing, and fields of flowers for as far as the eye can see...............

Dreamy right?
If you follow me on Facebook I just posted a status about Honeysuckle. When I was a little girl living in Southern Indiana, overalls and pigtails included, my grandpa who was like a father to me once showed me how to eat the sweet nectar out of a honeysuckle flower. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I spent a lot of my Indiana Summer days eating that sweet goodness.

I moved up North for my school years and sadly, there's no honeysuckle up in that cold area of the country.
So this Spring was my first in South Carolina. I've begun to notice how sweet the air is starting to smell...a very familiar smell. Crazy how our senses are so strongly tied to memory.
So when I was on this photo adventure at the Greenway this weekend, I noticed the smell was really strong. Sure enough there they were; honeysuckle galore!!

So of course you know what I did next.

To get the tiny but oh-so-sweet drop of nectar out of the flower, simply pluck the flower from it's stem then pinch the little green nub at the end. Very gently pull the 'string' and a drop of nectar will start to drip out. Best thing you'll ever taste.



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The Greenway has a lot of classic Southern views. White fences, horses grazing, a windmill. It's fantastic. I still can't believe this is my backyard......

Can't wait to see that thing spinnin' from a bad thunderstorm!

Isn't that a cool historic cabin?

Speaking of history, there's a lot at this Greenway. For example, they have a mile marker from The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road! If you look closely you can see 'C 15' engraved in the stone...

So this is where I live, my beautiful Southern home....feel free to stop by anytime - it's right off Dairy Barn Lane here in Fort Mill.

I wish.

This is actually a very historic home on the Greenway. I believe it is now used as office space for the Greenway staff. A local once told us that this is where Bill Clinton stays when he's in town. Oh and for all you Southern ghost lovers...the front porch ceiling is Haint Blue ;)


And then there's a lake!

It's called Lake Haigler. I nicknamed it Turtle Pond since every time I go I see at least 824 turtles.

It's one of our favorite hikes as well. The Haigler Loop!

This trail walks you along the lake, by a waterfall, over some cool bridges, through the woods. To grandmothers house we go. The whole nine yards. Excellent way to escape the blues of a bad day & burn some cals.

Hope you enjoyed the photo tour!





It's Taco Tuesday in La Casa de Albro so, I'm off to mash up my famous Guacamole!



Adios, Amigos.