Early Morning Parade
A friend of mine (David McCallum) got going early to meet me at Clifton and St. Charles to walk his street with me. It was good to catch up with him, and also hear a bit of history about many of the houses on his street. Personal stories always add more meaning and life to my walks. His family has lived on St. Charles for 30 years, and he even admitted to feeling like the young ones on the street when he moved there with his wife in the early 1990s.
As if on cue, we then ran into a couple from my church (Amelia and Ryan) that was also out for a morning walk with their daughter Olivia. Olivia is just starting Kindergarten this year, and I think David and I both saw a bit of our “20-year-ago” selves in this family. I snapped a selfie of the group (my selfie skills having improved over the last six months), and then we merged together to create an impromptu parade down the street.
As the conversations continued we came upon an unusual looking tree. Instead of foliage, it was covered with empty cobalt blue bottles. Ryan had heard from the homeowner that it was to ward off evil spirits. I was intrigued, so I did a bit of research.
According to a blog from “The Beaumont House” in SC, bottle trees have become intertwined with folk beliefs. According to legend, glass bottles have the power to attract and capture evil spirits at night. Blue bottles hold particular significance in the Southern bottle tree tradition. The color blue is believed to possess mystical qualities, deterring evil spirits more effectively. Spirits were believed to mistake blue bottles for water, compelling them to become trapped within the bottle tree.
As I finished up my walk I said goodbye to my parade companions. I will say St. Charles seems to have an incredibly friendly vibe, so maybe that bottle tree is really doing its job.
