We all had a great time yesterday at Alhambra Hall for the annual Blessing of the Fleet. I’ve never seen so many people there, something spurred on by the awesome weather I’m sure.

It was also cool to see some turtles – or were they tortoises? – and some slithery snake bracelets brought in by local animal lovers.

Unfortunately, all the money being spent here isn’t gonna be much help for Shem Creek’s shrimping boats if these gas prices stay so high and the amount of shrimp out there keeps dwindling.

Of course I took a bunch of pictures while I was there, click the clown to see a gallery of 27 of them.

Locals, and even those that have been here for 15 years or so, can remember times before the Mark Clark, before Park West, when McDonald’s was across the street from Burger King here on Coleman, Bee’s Knees, the old water slide, and so many other landmarks that made us happy to be here.

A’las, those good ol’ days are history now, but the same people that came rushing in on the construction boom are a lot of the same ones suffering through the nation’s mortgage crisis right now. Checkout this infograph the NYT’s did illustrating the nation’s foreclosure market.

No doubt it’s tough out there for many, and it looks to get worse over the next year at least going forward. There are good finds for those looking in the right spots though. Sure, it’s all about location, location, location, but Charleston real estate will always be a hot commodity.

Anyway, I think the lesson learned here is to not live outside your means, and always protect yourself financially against the worst of times. Those with safe, secure jobs, are fortunate and should do whatever necessary to make sure it stays that way, but helping out others in need along the way isn’t such a bad idea either – you’ll be glad you did. G/L out there.