A Wonderful, Wild, Discovery!

If you've been following this blog, you know how diligently I have searched for alligators in the wild all during the month of February in South Carolina and Florida.  Then, my brother, Don, told me, from his home in Port St. Lucie, in southern Florida, USA, that "alligators don't become active until the temperature is at least 85 degrees."  Well, yesterday, it was around 70 degrees when Rosemary and Peggy went biking and I went walking on the beach.  And they actually saw a live alligator!  I am so jealous!  But they took a photo for me; it was approximately two-and-a-half feet long, Rosemary reports. Peggy added, "It was between the sidewalk and the road!"

Alligator in Hilton Head Island, 3/29/14.

Sunlight peeping into the courtyard outside Peggy's condo in Hilton Head this morning, 3/30/14.

Sunrise over Hilton Head beach, taken by Rosemary & Pedro, 3/30/14.

Peggy, Rosemary and I attended Holy Family Catholic Church for Mass this morning.  This is a scene of the Holy Family in the Church yard.  Father gave an inspiring sermon about Jesus healing the blind man.

Large crucifix behind the main altar at Holy Family Church, Hilton Head Island.

After Mass, the three of us decided to go for lunch at the Salty Dog Cafe on South Beach.  Look what I spotted along the side of the road in the shade: a BIG ALLIGATOR!!  I was so thrilled I asked Peggy to turn the car around so I could snap this photo.  It must have been six or seven feet long!  Fortunately, it was on the other side of a water-filled ditch.

BIG!!!

Then we noticed seven small alligators in the water in the ditch, approximately 12 to 18 inches long.  They were not very active and all had yellow stripes.

We took a few steps back to where "Mama" alligator was and noticed at least six more small alligators to the left, in the shade!  All were motionless.

At last, I had seen not only one alligator, but many!  I returned back to Peggy's car, extremely thrilled!

Once at the Salty Dog Cafe, we had a long wait but enjoyed strolling around the harbor and window shopping in the stores.

The tide was going out of the harbor and much shore was revealed.

The live entertainment was most enjoyable, as was the sunshine and breezes.

From left, Rosemary, Peggy, and me, Jan, at the Salty Dog Cafe after our very tasty fish & chips.

Colorful blue and gold parrots - large! - in the shopping area courtyard.

After shopping, we went home to Peggy's condo to watch our beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats win another game in the NCAA tournament!!!  We were almost hoarse from cheering!  There was still time for watching an old movie and then - bed!  - we were tired from a busy day.

The Hazy, Lazy Day in BeachTown

Rain and gloom was predicted as the weather in Hilton Head Island today but it didn't happen.  Peggy, Rosemary, and I were up and out to the beach early today.

Peggy will bike and meet us on the beach.

Pedro and Rosemary are ready to walk.

Our first view of the beach and ocean, 3/29/14.

The Atlantic Ocean waves are much taller than they were in February.

From far away, we thought this was a beached animal, perhaps a dolphin or manatee.  Turned out to be a piece of driftwood!

What's new on the beach? Life guards!  There are lots more people here, some actually in the ocean.  Note Sea-Doo in the background, ready for rescue.

We find our familiar swing area and enjoy swinging for quite some time.  Pedro enjoyed it, too.

It is so pleasant to watch the swaying moss in the trees.

The spouting fountains await hot children!

Rosemary, Peggy, and I have lunch on the patio at Steamers restaurant.

There are interesting statues such as this one scattered around the city.

There are so many gnarled Live Oak trees along the roads!  Rosemary and Pedro climbed up into this one for a photo.

To get back to Peggy's condo, we walk along the beach again.  Three kites like this are flying majestically.

What a lovely sight: dozens of young ladies in colorful long prom gowns and young gentlemen in black jackets!  They were very friendly, told us they were from a nearby South Carolina college and having a fraternity party.  They were impressed that our Pedro has his own Facebook page.

We three friends plan to enjoy a quiet evening 'at home,' perhaps watch a movie on TV.

p.s.:  Last night we were thrilled that our own University of Kentucky Wildcats squeaked out another winning game and advances in the NCAA tournament! Tomorrow the Cats play Michigan.

p.s.s.: I forgot to include this fabulous photo of my car's odometer turning over yesterday.

Surprise Trip Back to the Island!

Now, how could I refuse an offer to visit Peggy at Hilton Head Island again with our mutual friend, Rosemary accompanied by my BFF, Pedro!  We leave Lexington, Kentucky, USA, at 7:15 this morning.

There are hardly any signs of spring in Kentucky, still the drab gray of winter along Interstate-75 south.  But soon we are back in Tennessee, with a little bit of color here and there.

Rosemary with Pedro, 3/28/14.

Me, Jan, with my Facebook Friend, Pedro.

Today the weather was partially rainy and totally overcast but we didn't care!  We started to catch up on all our families and jobs and travels.  Pedro was just the silent partner.

Once over the Tennessee State line, we pass the Titan rocket on the right in front of the fireworks store.  Today, I also notice that they have other things, a model elephant and a model giraffe.  A few miles down the road is the tall green dinosaur.  Gotta love the familiar!

Rosemary at the Welcome Center.

Beautiful North Carolina flowers!

Serious mountains in North Carolina.

The mountains are green-tinged with the budding trees.  Today, I notice something I never saw before: the mountains are mostly rock without much dirt - rock everywhere, not just where the highways cut through.  (A person driving through these mountains really needs to watch the road!)

The green on the trees are almost like shadows - spring has started!

In my mind, nothing compares to the wide, flat marshes leading to the islands and ocean!  It is especially beautiful now, in the spring, in full bloom!

Open water between Pinckney Island and Hilton Head Island!

This evening we enjoy a nice dinner & live music at Topside,

The lighthouse at Harbor Town.

Our only task tonight is cheering our favorite University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, playing the University of Louisville Cardinals, in the NCAA tournament!

Going Home is Quicker!

Thursday, March 27, 2014:  I'm leaving the motel in Counce, Tennessee, for the trip home after a wildly successful relative hunting trip!  First I pass by the Pickwick Landing State Resort Park, just down the road.  It has a huge hotel on the lake formed by the Pickwick Dam over the Tennessee River.  The dam was the major TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) project of the 1930s, to put people to work after the Depression. The dam has transformed this area, both with the massive electric power generated by the dam and the tourist trade from the beautiful lake.

View of the Pickwick Dam, 3/27/14.

Part of the road going over the Pickwick Dam.  Note the electric lines in the background.

Entrance to the Dam power building.  I wish I had time to tour this!  I've never been inside a dam.

The huge Pickwick Landing hotel.

The Tennessee River/Lake, not much boat traffic today - but it's March!

I don't know when or even 'if' I'll be able to visit this area again, but I sure have enjoyed the entire visit!  Driving north on highway Kentucky 69-North, I pass through the town of Parsons, and pass the sign to Savannah, Milledgeville, and Saltillo, which I have just visited, and where my relatives lived. 

Just before I enter Parsons a giant log truck passes, going the other way - and it is empty!  That's the first time I've seen and empty log truck here.  Now I know why: it has just come from the sawmill. There were at least a half dozen sawmills in the area, none of which had names displayed.  Three more log trucks pass - all full, all going south.  Hardin County and surrounding area must be the telephone pole capital of the United States!

Next I'm driving on highway Interstate-40 north; a sign calls this the "Music Highway," near Nashville.  I like that! Through the heart of Nashville, my car's odometer turn over to 100,000 miles!  I bought the 2007 Toyota Camry new in May, 2006.  It is a great car - maintenance only, and made in nearby Georgetown, Kentucky, USA.  I plan and hope to have it until it has at least 600,000 miles on it!  (That's what a guy who also had service in the Toyota dealership has on his Toyota.)

At noon: "Welcome to Kentucky!"  Home soon! It is always exciting.  Hmmmm: Exit 2 says, "Kenny Perry's Country Creek" - that's new.  I turn off Interstate-65 north to the Bluegrass Parkway.  It is comforting to see names of cities I've known since I was a child: Bardstown, Springfield, Harrodsburg.

When I pass the Castle at Versailles, I know I'm almost home!  And there's the Fayette County sign.  I've done lots of research on my Daddy's people this trip, next I'm going to work on my mother's side of the family.  Praise you, Lord, this has been fun!

Mission Accomplished!!

The morning sunrise at 7 a.m., local time, over the hills behind our motel in Tennessee.

Kathleen & Don, bright and ready to start the day, at breakfast.

First stop in Savannah, Tennessee is the Hardin County courthouse, at the Property Valuation office.  I cannot pay enough compliments to these fine people!  They left no stone unturned in trying to locate my Grandmother Hetty's home before she died - in 1967!  Perhaps she was living with one of her sisters or brothers; nothing was found under her name.  But we were given maps and wonderful directions to the cemeteries with our folks' graves.

Hardin County Courthouse, 3/26/14.

Are you a History Buff?  Do you wonder for whom your county of residence was named?  I love historical markers!

Next door to the Courthouse is the Tennessee River Museum.  The displays are very well done and offers the history of the area for the LAST 70 MILLION YEARS!  When I finished the walking tour, I told the clerk at the counter: "You have a treasure here!"  She was pleased and replied, "We have had quite a few comments like that."  I bought a "Southern Dessert Cookbook" and "History of Hardin County" book.  Since the river was only two blocks away, it was the next stop.

The Tennessee River at Savannah with tall bridge.

Towns display what is important to them at the entrance.  There are jets, tanks, horse statues (Lexington, Kentucky) and here in Savannah are two Civil War cannons with a neat stack of cannonballs and a sign "General Grant's Headquarters," during the Civil War.

Next Goal: The Russell's Chapel Cemetery out Clifton Road.  On the way, photos are snapped at two places overlooking the beautiful Tennessee River.

One of the many landings on the Tennessee River, 3/26/14.

Russels Chapel Church, where the Russell's Chapel Cemetery is on the grounds.

I was so thrilled to find this, if I had been a little girl, you would have seen me jumping up and down!  The cemetery is small and it didn't take long to find the monuments of our Aunt Mildred and Uncle Jess.  Aunt Mildred raised our father, Reuben, from the time he was two years old, Dad said, along with his father, Reuben, nicknamed "Papa" or "Bud."  We hadn't seen Aunt Mildred since approximately 1956 or so, although she and I corresponded until her death.

Marker of our beloved Aunt Mildred and Uncle Jess' graves.

A Tragedy Discovered!

From our dad, we knew that Mildred and Jess had one son, Hollis.  He was a career Air Force man and they were so proud of him!  What I found to the left of their graves made me sad: they had three other children who died young: 1) Ida Marie, 1915 - 1917, 2 years old!, 2) Mary Grace, 1917 - 1922, only 5 years old! Next, a son, Hollis was born in 1920, a son, Wallace was born in 1922, and 3) Sammie, a son, lived 1926 - 1928, another 2 year old at death!  An additional tragedy was the realization that Mildred was pregnant with Mary Grace when Ida Marie died!  Poor Mildred and Jess!  Mildred couldn't have been taller than 4'10".  Wallace's grave was to the right of Mildred and Jess; Wallace was also in the military during World War II.

 The three children's graves with little lambs on the top!  All three bear the words, "Darling, we miss thee!"

Going south on Clifton Road again, I spot a new sign for the New Harmony Baptist Church Cemetery.  Perhaps this visit will reveal Granddaddy's grave!  Along the way is the remnant of the town where my daddy was born, Cerro Gordo.  It was destroyed by a tornado many years ago, except for this school, in a valley.

This marker bore our family name, which is not common, with the name Willie Bell ---, wife, 1880 - 1906.  Another mystery I'll have to research!  Is she part of our family?

Grandmother's Grave, At Last!

Grandmother Hetty is buried in the Memorial Gardens Cemetery which was larger than the others. Fortunately, the kind folks told us the section where she lies, in the Christ's Garden section.

May you rest in peace, dear Grandmother!

Jesus Christ Statue in the Memorial Garden.

This was a 100% gratifying trip!  We found most of what we sought, found out many mysteries to explore, but came to appreciate the 'flavor' of where our folks lived.  I am so proud of Hardin County, Tennessee!  The people are among the best I've ever met!  The area is spacious and scenic!

Tomorrow, it's back to Lexington, Kentucky, for me and to Port St. Lucie, Florida for Kathleen and Don, Home, Sweet, Home!