Winter Escape! Day #4: Sunshine & Islands!

The morning sun hides behind the closest tall palm tree in Peggy's courtyard. 2/1/14.

What a glorious Sunday morning it was today!  The mist lifted and I could see the full beauty of the immaculately landscaped courtyard of Peggy's condo. The next photos show this.

This is a large, beautiful courtyard!

We watched the swimming pool being skimmed this morning, but no one was anxious to jump in.

Door to Peggy's Patio.

This banner beckons to Peggy's visitors: one block away to the beach!

This morning we wanted to go to the town of Beaufort, South Carolina.  We had to leave the Island of Hilton Head and motor through Pinckney Island to the mainland, then to Beaufort Island, first discovered in 1520 by the Spanish.  At first we wandered the narrow streets and were enchanted by the very old residences, some of pre-Civil War vintage. At the end of the War, the town was spared the ravages of the Union Army because Beaufort was one of the first towns occupied by the Union troops which had set up headquarters there.

Stately old Beaufort home.  There is moss everywhere in Beaufort!

First time I've ever seen "Low Clearance (10 feet)" on a tree hanging across a road!  There are so many ancient oak trees in Beaufort.

What a lovely view of the bay this home enjoys.

Along Beaufort's waterfront.

The main street of Beaufort has many shops full of hand-crafted items, antiques, a few restaurants, and clothing - no chains!  We did mostly window-shopping because most of them were closed today.  But now we know where to go when we return.  Lunch was very good at the Marketplace News & Sandwich Cafe.

Next destination: Hunting Island Lighthouse.  We had to meander through Ladys Island, St. Helena Island, and Fripp Island to reach Hunting Island.

The palm tree forest is dark, cool, green, and gorgeous at Hunting Island State Park.

Hunting Island Lighthouse, in its stately magnificence!

Years ago, daughter #8, Jeannie, and I visited this lighthouse.  At the time, it was not open for tours. We enjoyed the park and the beach area. The park is much more developed now and was open for climbing!

Peggy and I had to climb the 167 steps to the catwalk!

View of the treetops, looking through a lighthouse window.

My favorite view from a window shows the shadow of the lighthouse.

Jan on Hunting Island Lighthouse's catwalk.  The expansive view gives the feeling of flying!

Peggy at the top!  We could see many miles in all directions.

The history of Hunting Island Lighthouse is quite interesting.  It was the second lighthouse built on the site, in 1873.  The lighthouse was built to be easily moved and reassembled, due to the changing nature of the shifting sands.  It was moved twice, due to erosion.  132 feet tall, three keepers took care of keeping the light burning.  Their families lived with them; there were no bridges to the islands at that time.  It was built not to warn sailors of a rocky coast but to warn them about submerged sandbars.

Taken by a kindly ticket clerk, this is proof we survived the climb - and came back down!

The beach in front of the Lighthouse is very wide.  

Back to Peggy's condo-home, we backtracked through the aforementioned islands.  We plan a quiet evening watching "Downton Abbey."