From the Buckle of the Bible Belt

Movin' on up....

2006-12-31T15:48:00.000-05:00

Can we go home now?

2006-12-30T08:47:00.000-05:00

He's dead. He can no longer threaten America with his non-existent weapons of mass destruction. He can no longer try to kill "my daddy." Now that Saddam is dead and Iraq is back to it's old civil war can our troops come home? Can our country stop spending 2 billion dollars a month on an un-winnable war? Is W sitting in the White House movie room watching Saddam's hanging over and over and giggling? Will his administration decide to pull out of Iraq and send all of our troops to Afghanistan to find Osama? Most likely not, W's friends are making too much money outsourcing their services to support our military in Iraq.

What a way to end this crappy year.

Good riddance 2006. Good riddance Saddam. Good riddance to all the GOP movers and shakers leaving public office and now becoming K Street lobbyists. Good riddance to Mitt Romney. Good riddance to gay marriage. Good riddance to trusting electronic voting. Good riddance to John Graham Altman. Bye bye Polar Bears. Farewell public discourse.

WTF?

2006-12-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

Why isn't DREAMGIRLS playing in Charleston? I thought it was released nationwide on the 25th. Is this some kind of plot? I feel deprived. Side note: When I was living in NYC I worked selling books and original cast recordings in the lobby of the show. I always had to make a mad dash into the lobby after watching Jennifer Holiday bring down the house every performance.
and
Why did THE DEPARTED leave town so quickly? We have two multiplexes in Mt. P. showing the same movies. Why don't we get more film diversity?

God Rest Ye Merry Godfather of Soul

2006-12-25T09:12:00.000-05:00

On a brighter note: LINK

a wise man once said:

2006-12-24T23:35:00.000-05:00

" How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts!
O! 'tis easier to keep the holidays than the commandments."
~ Benjamin Franklin

tidings of comfort and joy

2006-12-24T09:02:00.000-05:00

First up this incredible photo from National Geographic News
I did it. I added over 1000 litghts to our topiary holly bush. Yes, I did fry a breaker, but what the heck it's Christmas. I'll be better prepared for next year by adding more outdoor outlets and breakers. I still have many more lights just sitting in the attic waiting to light up the neighborhood and I found shrimp net to make another tree next year.
Bush o' 1000 Lights
Bruschetta forced into a Holiday portrait.and remember...

long time, no blog

2006-12-23T07:08:00.000-05:00

Nothing much to say.

Blew out some electric with the addition of 1000 x-mas lights outside (pics to come.)

Going to visit Mr. Simmons today with shrimp bisque and 12 minutes of his documentary ~ note to self: wear light clothes - his house is like a forge it's so damn hot! He's not seen the footage we've put together to date. It'll be fun.

More demo work on the guest bath today.

Finish and send x-mas cards.

Clean up tomorrow.

Finish clipping he dogs.

Listen to IDA ONE's x-mas card and A John Water Christmas cds.

Listen to the birds wake up.

Try to get blog switched over to beta blog, but I may just take my old, G_d only knows when I last updated it, web site and move the blog there. ~ I think this blog's url freaks some folks out.

7:17am time to go to Lowes. Hey maybe Target has some of those cool led icicles on sale.

This pic is from a car in the downtown parade a few years ago. Prince E. took it. I've always thought that the composition, expression on the kids face, the hand painted Holiday on the window captured the essence of this time of year.

So how much could be raised in taxes?

2006-12-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

Marijuana top U.S. cash crop, policy analyst says

By David Alexander Tue Dec 19, 8:44 AM ET

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters Life!) - U.S. growers produce nearly $35 billion worth of marijuana annually, making the illegal drug the country's largest cash crop, bigger than corn and wheat combined Holy Moley!, an advocate of medical marijuana use said in a study released on Monday.

The report, conducted by Jon Gettman, a public policy analyst and former head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, also concluded that five U.S. states produce more than $1 billion worth of marijuana apiece: California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii and Washington.

California's production alone was about $13.8 billion, according to Gettman, who waged an unsuccessful six-year legal battle to force the government to remove marijuana from a list of drugs deemed to have no medical value.

Tom Riley, a spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, said he could not confirm the report's conclusions on the size of the country's marijuana crop. But he said the government estimated overall U.S. illegal drug use at $200 billion annually.

Gettman's figures were based on several government reports between 2002 and 2005 estimating the United States produced more than 10,000 metric tons of marijuana annually.

He calculated the producer price per pound of marijuana at $1,606 based on national survey data showing retail prices of between $2,400 and $3,000 between 2001 and 2005.

The total value of 10,000 metric tons of marijuana at $1,606 per pound would be $35.8 billion.

By comparison, the United States produced an average of nearly $23.3 billion worth of corn annually from 2003 to 2005, $17.6 billion worth of soybeans, $12.2 billion worth of hay, nearly $11.1 billion worth of vegetables and $7.4 billion worth of wheat, the report said.

Gettman said the 10-fold increase in U.S. marijuana production, from 1,000 metric tons in 1981 to 10,000 metric tons in 2006, showed the country was failing to control marijuana by making its cultivation and use illegal.

"Marijuana has become a pervasive and ineradicable part of the economy of the United States," he said. "The contribution of this market to the nation's gross domestic product is overlooked in the debate over effective control."

"Like all profitable agricultural crops marijuana adds resources and value to the economy," he added. "The focus of public policy should be how to effectively control this market through regulation and taxation in order to achieve immediate and realistic goals, such as reducing teenage access."

Riley said illegal drug use was a "serious part of the economy," but he rejected the notion of an economic argument for legalizing marijuana.

He said marijuana use was an "inherently harmful activity" with serious physical and mental health consequences. He said more American teens were in treatment centers for marijuana dependency than for all other drugs combined.

SURVIVOR 13

2006-12-18T12:14:00.000-05:00

Ozzie was ripped off!
'Nuf said.

Saturday

2006-12-16T18:45:00.000-05:00

Stared today by going to a meeting of the Philip Simmons Artist Blacksmith Guild of South Carolina's bi-monthly meeting at the Ole Charleston Forge on Morris Drive. Mr. S. was in fine form.

He even picked up a hammer and showed us some old school blacksmithing.

Next up Bruschetta after a partial grooming ~ it takes three days to complete.

Pablo is pi$$ed, as usual, about being shaved ~ but he'd never show it. All smiles.

Our outdoor Christmas ~ as of this point.

Our Christmas tree this year is on the front porch. A 6' cast net with lights and plastic ornaments, from Targay - $4.99, last year the shrimp net was on our livingroom ceiling spread out in it's full glory with over 200 ornaments. Due to re-doing the inside of the house I thought it best to put the display outside.

Dilemma ~ should I take all of the Christmas lights we have and fill the front yard from now until Christmas?Above: Photoshop fun with our newest glowing ball.

Great I'm a frickin' Snowflake

2006-12-15T07:48:00.000-05:00

You Are a Snowflake

You live for the winter - blizzards, cold nights, snowball fights! The holidays are just a bonus!
I'm melting right now.
I have to put the AC on
in December!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

Christmas Meme

2006-12-14T07:20:00.000-05:00

1. Hot Chocolate or Apple Cider? Cider with cinnamon stick and rum.

2. Turkey or Ham? Lasagna.

3. Real or fake tree? Real. EXCEPT: When I had cats who used to like to climb the tree and now that our dog likes peeing on one. So, I follow the rule from Cyr's House of Cheer: One can never, ever have too many Christmas lights. Instead of buying and killing a real tree just but more lights.

4. Decorations outside your house? Yes, as many lights as I can; but with a damp year, like this one, it gets tricky.

5. Snowball fights or sledding? Sledding. I am a damn Yankee. I've also been hit by too many iceballs ~ snowballs with ice in the center ~ ouch!

6. Do you enjoy going down town Christmas shopping? I no longer buy gift's. Diane Sawyer has a great idea: give Christmas gifts to those you love though out the year as a surprise.

7. Favorite Christmas Song? Alligator Records Blues Christmas CD & the John Water's Christmas Collection dad got us last year.

8. How Do You Feel About Christmas Movies? I can't wait to see Dreamgirls! oh, like real Christmas movies... there's only one: It's a Wonderful Life.

9. When is it to early to listen to Christmas music? Easter.

10. Stockings before or after presents? If the stockings go up they usually are holding any presents. Last year we found office supplies like paper clips, tape and chocolate.

11. Do you enjoy carolers? I don't like strangers coming to my door. Reminder: I am a damn Yankee.

12. Do you go to someone else's house or do they come to you? Home on the 24th ~ off to Litchfield on the 25th.

13. Do you read the Christmas story? Which one? Secular: A Christmas Carol.

14. What do you do after presents and dinner? Nap.

15. What's your favorite holiday smell? Ginger bread baking.

16. Ice skating or walking around the mall? Ice skating; again damn Yankee thing.

17. Favorite Christmas Memory. Wow, hard one to pick.... umm... it's yet to come.

18. Open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas day? see #6.

19. Favorite part about winter. The recent trend over the years to take longer and longer Christmas breaks/days off in the business world. It seems as if every one stops really working for about 3 weeks.

20. Every been kissed under the mistletoe? Yep.

Feel free to just tag yourself!

Check List

2006-12-13T07:46:00.000-05:00

- Home foundation repair. DONE
- Paining and re-flooring due to foundation repair. NOT DONE
- Annual eye and rheumatologist check-ups. DONE
- Dentist. Tomorrow
- Annual physical. TODAY
- Christmas Lights. Partially up. (note to self: go ahead and use 'em all.)
- Christmas cards. Send out to those who send in. another words - still in progress.
- Simmons Documentation Benefit. DONE. Success. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Check and see where Ronnie is with "Music Gate."
- Shopping with Friends collateral design. DONE
- World AIDS Day Ceremony. DONE
- Darkness to Light's Circle of Light Gala. DONE
- Christmas Day plans. DONE
- Switching Blog to Beta. IN PROCESS.
- Call Dr. Ben about new company website. NOT DONE!
- Buying 2007 Calendar. NOT DONE
- Raking leaves in front yard. NOT DONE
- Building a wall between myself and politics. ALMOST COMPLETE
- Vacation. PLANNING
- Flowers to Ma and Grandma. TO BE ORDERED
- Groom pups. NOT EVEN CLOSE
- Congratulate Gene for her clean bill of health! DONE (Note to self; follow-up with a phone call and lunch.)
- Buy a black suit. SOON
- Buy gas cards for nephews x-mas gifts. TO DO
- Rip out all Kitchen cabinets, tile floor, install new sink, paint, buy metal shelfs from Lowes. YEA RIGHT
- Rip out guest bathroom; repaint, re-tile, re-caulk, install new sink and lighting. SOON
- Tile hallway. SOON
- Shower and shave. NOW

It's Poinsettia Day!

2006-12-12T08:42:00.000-05:00

Since there is a direct connection to South Carolina in this plant's history I thought we should all celebrate by buying one today.

History & Lore of the Poinsettia

• The Aztecs called poinsettias "Cuetlaxochitl." During the 14th - 16th century the sap was used to control fevers and the bracts (modified leaves) were used to make a reddish dye.

• Montezuma, the last of the Aztec kings, would have poinsettias brought into what now is Mexico City by caravans because poinsettias could not be grown in the high altitude.

• In the 17th century, Juan Balme, a botanist, noted the poinsettia plant in his writings.

• The botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima, was assigned to the poinsettia by the German botanist, Wilenow. The plant grew through a crack in his greenhouse. Dazzled by its color, he gave it the botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima meaning "very beautiful."

• Joel Roberts Poinsett was the first United States Ambassador to Mexico being appointed by President Andrew Jackson in the 1820's. At the time of his appointment, Mexico was involved in a civil war. Because of his interest in botany he introduced the American elm into Mexico. During his stay in Mexico he wandered the countryside looking for new plant species. In 1828 he found a beautiful shrub with large red flowers growing next to a road. He took cuttings from the plant and brought them back to his greenhouse in South Carolina. Even though Poinsett had an outstanding career as a United States Congressman and as an ambassador he will always be remembered for introducing the poinsettia into the United States.

• William Prescott, a historian and horticulturist, was asked to give Euphorbia pulcherrima a new name as it became more popular. At that time Mr. Prescott had just published a book called the ‘Conquest of Mexico’ in which he detailed Joel Poinsett’s discovery of the plant. Prescott named the plant the poinsettia in honor of Joel Poinsett’s discovery.

ok the Christmas bug has bit...

2006-12-11T09:30:00.000-05:00

... I started hanging the lights in the front of the house. I have this urge to pull out every Christmas light and cover the front yard. Pictures to come.

Today:
Cute Baby Colton does his 1st Christmas.
I'm not sure Satanic Sandy was to into playing reindeer.

Bits & Pieces

2006-12-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

Today is: BAD HAIR DAY
(thank you Mary for your stunning example)Tonight starts Shopping with Friends 2006 with a Free Gala kick-off at Saks.
Click on image the image for information.
Basically at over 125 stores, Red Ribbon Retailers, will donate 10% of each dollar spent in their stores tomorrow to Lowcountry AIDS Services.
Guilt Free Shopping For A Great Cause!

Last but not least:

Brent is the perfect brother-in-law; or would be if Amendment #1 and the Federal DOMA laws were repealed. I digress; Brent is a great father, a heck of a golf player, a very, very good husband, he has a great wife (hi ya Terri), good teenagers <--- we all suffer with him.... Brent is a friend, there in good times and bad, fortunately more of the good. Brent is funny. Brent can play a song he's heard ~ by ear! Brent keeps Allison, Splinkie's older sister, in line, for which the family will be forever grateful. I look forward to growing old with his crazy ass around. Happy belated birthday Brent! and many, many more.

Today: December 5th

2006-12-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

BIRTHDAYS!General Custer would be 167

Walt Disney would be 105

Strom Thurmond would be 104

Little Richard is 74

We're the tops!

The Charleston, South Carolina Year-Round Walk earned a slot among the Top Ten Walks in the USA, as voted by the clubs of the American Volkssport Association.

Derrick Davenport, of South Carolina, has been named Playgirl's Man of 2006!

It's National Bathtub Day.

Quote to live by:“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
St. Augustine

Bits & Pieces

2006-12-04T09:28:00.000-05:00

Ahh Monday.
Blogging dilemma in a small city: I have twice said or displayed items in my blog which have hurt or offended individuals. I am not mean spirited ~ just a Damn Yankee living in a place of protocol. So to the few who I have offended please except my humble apology, and the image above; titled "Stick a Fork In Me."

On a more harmless note: Headlines.
Is it me or are more and more headlines like reading a sci-fi novel?
Shops destroy Santas giving "Hitler salute"
Want to end your teen angst? Share your shame
Woman allegedly set boyfriend's groin on fire
Boy killed by holiday parade float
Dancing penguin beats up 007
Maine bans boozy Santa beer label
Police arrest pastor again
City won't pursue case of party in King Street parking space
School integration before Supreme Court

Ida, Ida, Ida

2006-12-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

IDA ONE ~ She's everywhere! It's her job! (lucky wench) LINK to her blog.

Ida and Uncle Z at the SPCA's Chili Cook-off.
I believe the Post & Courier's article on the"trash talk" was on spot... and something y'all have to witness live next year. Our Fire Chef is a frickin' scream, and Tanya, from 95sx's 2 Girls and a Guy, well let's just say the Chef had a solid contender when he took her on.

Catching up

2006-12-02T10:32:00.000-05:00

Above: The Family in the final shot for my Traditional Thanksgiving post; with the exception of Arlo, who was obviously out chasing birds.

The Simmons Documentation Project unveiling was a sucess ~ look for future updates. We have been receiving messages about Mr. Simmons ironwork everyday, some undocumented pieces some conformational ~ it's gonna be one hell of a follow-up. Shout out to Vera of Vera's Crafty Blog, it was great meeting your husband. PS: You were quite the hit, over by the bar area, sharing knitting tips with a whole bunch o' knitters ~ Mark's mom sez hi.

World AIDS Day.
• Thank you to Margaret, Theresa, Joanna, Mary Edna, Robin and most especially Badley & Christy for bring down the house as the 1st World AIDS Day Singers.
• Above is a picture of Uncle Z and his good friend Michael who passed away of Aids complications 10 years ago.

What blog would be complete without the cute baby pic of the week!
Note to Splinkie: I think you finally got his hair that splink look perfectly.

Philip Simmons

2006-11-30T01:01:00.000-05:00

ROCKS!

20 - 30 I'm still a damn Yankee

2006-11-25T08:09:00.000-05:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

40% General American English

30% Dixie

20% Yankee

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Tradition

2006-11-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

Our traditional family gathered for our traditional Thanksgiving: 15 adults, 2 teenagers, 2 children under 5, 1 baby and 5 dogs.

Our yearly family photo.... it takes a long time to get the gang in one place.

What post would be complete without at least one pic of Colton.

and you thought I'd stop

2006-11-22T05:19:00.000-05:00

To the left is a picture of Galileo's middle finger in it's display case. It lives in the Museum of Science in Florence, Italy. It was surprising to come across it as one of the museum's first displays.

Well this OpEd piece in USA Today caught my eye. Thank the Lord for Baptist ministers who get it.

When religion loses its credibility
Galileo was persecuted for revealing what we now know to be the truth regarding Earth’s place in our solar system. Today, the issue is homosexuality, and the persecution is not of one man but of millions. Will Christian leaders once again be on the wrong side of history?

By Oliver "Buzz" Thomas

What if Christian leaders are wrong about homosexuality? I suppose, much as a newspaper maintains its credibility by setting the record straight, church leaders would need to do the same:

Correction: Despite what you might have read, heard or been taught throughout your churchgoing life, homosexuality is, in fact, determined at birth and is not to be condemned by God's followers.

Based on a few recent headlines, we won't be seeing that admission anytime soon.

Last week, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops took the position that homosexual attractions are "disordered" and that gays should live closeted lives of chastity. At the same time, North Carolina's Baptist State Convention was preparing to investigate churches that are too gay-friendly. Even the more liberal Presbyterian Church (USA) had been planning to put a minister on trial for conducting a marriage ceremony for two women before the charges were dismissed on a technicality. All this brings me back to the question: What if we're wrong?

Religion's only real commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as well close up shop.

It's happened to Christianity before, most famously when we dug in our heels over Galileo's challenge to the biblical view that the Earth, rather than the sun, was at the center of our solar system. You know the story. Galileo was persecuted for what turned out to be incontrovertibly true. For many, especially in the scientific community, Christianity never recovered.

This time, Christianity is in danger of squandering its moral authority by continuing its pattern of discrimination against gays and lesbians in the face of mounting scientific evidence that sexual orientation has little or nothing to do with choice. To the contrary, whether sexual orientation arises as a result of the mother's hormones or the child's brain structure or DNA, it is almost certainly an accident of birth. The point is this: Without choice, there can be no moral culpability.

Answer in Scriptures

So, why are so many church leaders (not to mention Orthodox Jewish and Muslim leaders) persisting in their view that homosexuality is wrong despite a growing stream of scientific evidence that is likely to become a torrent in the coming years? The answer is found in Leviticus 18. "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination."

As a former "the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" kind of guy, I am sympathetic with any Christian who accepts the Bible at face value. But here's the catch. Leviticus is filled with laws imposing the death penalty for everything from eating catfish to sassing your parents. If you accept one as the absolute, unequivocal word of God, you must accept them all.

For many of gay America's loudest critics, the results are unthinkable. First, no more football. At least not without gloves. Handling a pig skin is an abomination. Second, no more Saturday games even if you can get a new ball. Violating the Sabbath is a capital offense according to Leviticus. For the over-40 crowd, approaching the altar of God with a defect in your sight is taboo, but you'll have plenty of company because those menstruating or with disabilities are also barred.

The truth is that mainstream religion has moved beyond animal sacrifice, slavery and the host of primitive rituals described in Leviticus centuries ago. Selectively hanging onto these ancient proscriptions for gays and lesbians exclusively is unfair according to anybody's standard of ethics. We lawyers call it "selective enforcement," and in civil affairs it's illegal.

A better reading of Scripture starts with the book of Genesis and the grand pronouncement about the world God created and all those who dwelled in it. "And, the Lord saw that it was good." If God created us and if everything he created is good, how can a gay person be guilty of being anything more than what God created him or her to be?

Turning to the New Testament, the writings of the Apostle Paul at first lend credence to the notion that homosexuality is a sin, until you consider that Paul most likely is referring to the Roman practice of pederasty, a form of pedophilia common in the ancient world. Successful older men often took boys into their homes as concubines, lovers or sexual slaves. Today, such sexual exploitation of minors is no longer tolerated. The point is that the sort of long-term, committed, same-sex relationships that are being debated today are not addressed in the New Testament. It distorts the biblical witness to apply verses written in one historical context (i.e. sexual exploitation of children) to contemporary situations between two monogamous partners of the same sex. Sexual promiscuity is condemned by the Bible whether it's between gays or straights. Sexual fidelity is not.

What would Jesus do?

For those who have lingering doubts, dust off your Bibles and take a few hours to reacquaint yourself with the teachings of Jesus. You won't find a single reference to homosexuality. There are teachings on money, lust, revenge, divorce, fasting and a thousand other subjects, but there is nothing on homosexuality. Strange, don't you think, if being gay were such a moral threat?

On the other hand, Jesus spent a lot of time talking about how we should treat others. First, he made clear it is not our role to judge. It is God's. ("Judge not lest you be judged." Matthew 7:1) And, second, he commanded us to love other people as we love ourselves.

So, I ask you. Would you want to be discriminated against? Would you want to lose your job, housing or benefits because of something over which you had no control? Better yet, would you like it if society told you that you couldn't visit your lifelong partner in the hospital or file a claim on his behalf if he were murdered?

The suffering that gay and lesbian people have endured at the hands of religion is incalculable, but they can look expectantly to the future for vindication. Scientific facts, after all, are a stubborn thing. Even our religious beliefs must finally yield to them as the church in its battle with Galileo ultimately realized. But for religion, the future might be ominous. Watching the growing conflict between medical science and religion over homosexuality is like watching a train wreck from a distance. You can see it coming for miles and sense the inevitable conclusion, but you're powerless to stop it. The more church leaders dig in their heels, the worse it's likely to be.

Oliver "Buzz" Thomas is a Baptist minister and author of an upcoming book, 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can't Because He Needs the Job) <---Amen. I can not tell you how many times I heard Ministers and men of the cloth say they could not fight Amendment #1 in public, even when they believed it was wrong.

Giving Thanks

2006-11-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

A very humble shout out to Harriett and the Post & Courier. We've been getting phone calls all day from folks who want to know if they have a Simmons piece.

GOOD MORNING LOWCOUNTRY
Driving Mr. Simmons

Philip Simmons began his blacksmith apprenticeship at age 13 in Charleston. He started doing ornamental ironwork in 1938 when he was 26. The master ironworker has long been Charleston's most celebrated artist, and he is a national treasure.

His list of accolades includes a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a slew of state awards for lifetime achievement in the arts. The Smithsonian Institution named him a National Folk Treasure. The National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian owns his "Star and Fish Gate."

His birthday every June 9 is a Lowcountry celebration.

Simmons' career is chronicled in books, photographs and interviews; but a comprehensive documentation of his more than 500 pieces of decorative wrought iron - gates, fences, balconies, window grills, step and stair railings - throughout Charleston has been incomplete.

Until now.

For two years, Steve Lepre and Mark McKinney of Mount Pleasant-based Sunhead Projects, along with textile artist Mary Edna Fraser and a video crew, have been driving Simmons around Charleston in a van so he can point out and authenticate his work.

What started as a documentary on Simmons has turned into a comprehensive cataloging of his gates and other ironwork. Sunhead took the Philip Simmons Foundation's photo catalog of the work as its starting point.

"We lost 15 (of the documented sites)," Lepre said. "We'd go to a building, and the building wasn't there anymore."

"But we gained 20," he said, by going to the neighborhoods above the Crosstown where Simmons' work had not yet been identified. There, Simmons pointed out the gates and fences he'd made over the years.

"Mr. Simmons would say 'Make a left, make a right, OK, that's one of them, OK make a left, there's another one of them,' " Lepre said. "It's like 'Driving Miss Daisy': left, right, left, right, oh here it is, and here's the story behind it. He calls us 'the boys from Mount Pleasant.' "

At one stop near Hampton Park, the homeowner was painting the fence he'd commissioned from Simmons years ago, Lepre said. At another stop, they saw the "Tulip Gate." Simmons noted that wasn't the name he gave the work. He called it the "Bulldog Gate" for the bulldog that lived behind it.

"We have students from the College of Charleston and the School of the Building Arts going and taking digital pictures of them and putting them on a database," Lepre said. "We will get everything written down and certified. Then we're going to contact the owners and inform them they own a Philip Simmons piece and get them a certificate of ownership. A student will stamp it with the Philip Simmons stamp."

The Sunhead production crew is getting it all on film for a 58-minute documentary on Simmons' life and art and a 30-minute documentary on the making of an iron gate.

There also will be a CD database of still photos, a DVD with interactive "music videos" of the Simmons gates in each Charleston neighborhood, a 300-page coffee table book, and three Philip Simmons walking tours with iPod audio.

"It is a huge project," Lepre said. "If you're going to make history, or solidify it, you gotta do everything."

On Nov. 29, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Lepre and McKinney will unveil the project thus far at the Center for Photography at Alterman Studios, 654 King St.

Everybody's invited.

They'll show pieces of Simmons' work, still photos, framed drawings, a 15-minute clip of the documentary and the layout of the forthcoming book. They'll talk about the documentary, the music video tour, the walking tours and updated lesson plans for students.

The soiree also will serve as a fundraiser for the $350,000 needed to finish the project.

A limited edition of a classic Jack Alterman portrait of Simmons, signed by Simmons and by Alterman, will be offered at the event for a $1,000 donation.

"To have it signed by him is going to be a treasure I think," Alterman said. "Here's a living legend and legacy who has done something significant to our community with his art. Like Harlan (Greene) pointed out in our book ("Cornices of Charleston"), so few of the artisans who built the city are known because they're built into the facades or up high. But here are these Philip Simmons pieces. You could walk through them."