Winter Escape! Day #8: History Revisited

Today Peggy and I returned to the small town of Beaufort, South Carolina, USA (pronounced Bew-fort, not  Bow-fort, the natives will tell you).  The Historical horse-drawn Carriage Tour was our first treat.  Debbie, our tour guide, was positively brimming with excitement and knowledge about the area and people who were important in its development.

Debbie, our tour guide, driving the horse in the front, down a street with low hanging trees and moss.

Fact #1:  Beaufort, now, and even since pre-Revolutionary War times, has the second deepest harbor on the U.S. east coast.  It was of immense strategic value in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.  Early in the Civil War, the Union forces (North) captured Beaufort and used it as their base to fight against the South.  Later in the Civil War, Beaufort was used as a hospital for the 10,000 Union troops stationed there.

Fact #2:  In the period just before the Civil War, South Carolina had more millionaires than any other state in the country.

The old homes and churches were architecturally beautiful and interesting; many were hidden behind a curtain of palm trees and moss.  Debbie told us many tales passed down through the years such as, "One man asked a beautiful woman to be his wife.  She said she would marry the man who built her the biggest house.  So he did.  And she married him.  Then she told him she wanted a garden.  He built one.  But she wanted a larger garden.  He built her a very large garden.  She told him the house was too far away.  Then he built her a house nearer to the garden. . ."

In one mansion, the wife didn't want the husband and his friends to drink whiskey.  She went away to England for a while and he was supposed to buy the furniture and finish the walls of the new house.  He bought the furniture and built hidden cabinets in the walls for his whiskey.  It was not found until the house was restored 30 years ago! (true story by Debbie).

Some of the ante-bellum (pre-Civil War) mansions.  Most are single-family homes.  Some are open as bed-and-breakfasts.  Several are open for tours.

It's quite amazing how some of the oldest trees have grown long roots above ground.

This is the Baptist Church where Robert Small, first African-American U.S. Senator worshiped.  He served six terms; his first term was PRE-Civil War.  Senator Small introduced public education into the country by legislation.

Some cities have cows, some have horses (Lexington, KY), Beaufort has Mermaids here and there posted around the city.

After the tour, Peggy and I ate at Plum's restaurant.  This is the view of the Beaufort River from the restaurant.  

The large and impressive St. Helena Anglican Church, begun in 1712.  It seemed as though every square inch of yard was devoted to graves.

The interior, altar area of St. Helena's church.

The pews in St. Helena's were built 6 to 8 inches above the floor.  The guide told us that when it was built, "There was no heating.  Families would bring boxes of hot coals in the winters and put them on the floor where they sat.  The elevated pews enabled the carbon monoxide gas, which was heavier than air, from the burning coals, to sink to the floor and be drawn out the back door which was cracked open slightly."

After St. Helena's, Peggy and I drove over to the "Chocolate Tree," a candy store.  We were given a free chocolate sea star and chose some fudge and chocolate candy.  I found a pretty green alligator (stuffed!) to add to my collection of small sea animals (stuffed!). Note: I'll try not to be fixated on alligators during the rest of this Winter Escape!

We hurried in time for the last tour of the John Mark Verdier House Museum on Bay Street.  The family was instrumental in the commerce and politics of Beaufort and South Carolina.  The house was solidly built, ornately ornamented, and served as a family home and also as places of business.

Displayed in the Verdier House, the was the last official Confederate Flag chosen several months before surrender to the Union.  The red section on the right was added because "when the previous flag draped, all you could see was the white and it looked like surrender."

Peggy and I had promised to meet her Michigan friend, Joyce, and Joyce's daughter, Sheila, at Hilton Head Island's Jazz Corner restaurant for dinner and live music.  We got back in town after the drive of one hour just in time to get ready and go!  We were treated to an evening of outstanding food, heartwarming Jazz/Blues music and friendly conversation.  We sat directly in front of the stage.  A lovely end to a busy day!  We four agreed to meet soon on the beach.  I showed them the photo of the colorful kite on the beach we saw yesterday, and Sheila showed us her photo of the very large Alligator she saw while golfing earlier today. (Now I promise not to be fixated on alligators!)

New Friends: in front, Left: Sheila, Right, Joyce.  In back, Left, Peggy, Right, Jan.

Winter Escape! Day #7: The Moss Cathedral

This morning it is nearly 70 degrees warm, intermittently raining then just misty.  I biked around the trails for 55 minutes. Yes, it rained and I didn't melt!  There were plenty of others on the trails, also oblivious to the short downpour.

At the same marsh where the three turtles were lined up in a row yesterday, there were two. No egret, no alligators!

Familiar turtles on a log, Hilton Head Island marsh.

It is good to observe that many jungle areas are 'protected' by the city of Hilton Head.  The tall palm trees and undergrowth are very dense.  Yet around the shopping areas and churches there are the tall trees but just extremelhy well landscaped areas underneath.  I thought the whole place looked like a Moss Cathedral, very tall and stately, quiet in the midst of a busy city.

Holy Family Statue at the church; trees with moss.

Beautiful areas of dense Spanish Moss dripping from the trees.

The Spanish Moss is so attractive, so enclosing, almost comforting, that I'll certainly miss it at home in Kentucky.  I teased Peggy that I'm going to find some artificial moss and drape it all over the maple trees in my back yard at home!

After lunch, the sky cleared and it was even warmer.  Peggy and I enjoyed a long walk on the beach.  I brought from home a most useful book, "Field Guide to the Water's Edge," (National Geographic, 2012).  I want to learn more about tides, waves, sea birds, sea plants, and sea shells.

There were plenty of seagulls, as usual, seemingly more active than I've seen them this week. The dolphins have gone elsewhere.  I saw a lone sandpiper (bird)!  It is as tall as the seagulls but not as chubby.  I tried to snap a photo but it flew away.

Swishing, splashing, breaking waves, Hilton Head Island, 2/5/14.

 

Sea oats in front of a wind break. I like this photo so much, I may print out a large copy and frame it (after cropping out the buildings and trash can!)

The beach's sand dunes, covered with different sea grasses.

Several shells caught my eye, including this bivalve clam shell, an "Ark" shell.  I've never found one with the two sections still attached (no clam inside!)

The beach was alive with plenty of people, many in shorts, some barefoot in the ocean, children digging in the sand, some biking, some playing with their dogs, some getting tan in their chairs and a lot walking, enjoying the sunshine.

A group of four worked with this multi-colored spinning kite and kept it aloft for a long time.

After our long walk, we enjoyed swinging before heading home.

On the way home, Peggy and I noticed that the extensive sections of green bamboo had sprouted leaves today.

 

Peggy in front of the newly lush green bamboo plants on the edge of her condo complex.

 

 

 These are the fan-shaped Palmetto Palms, the State tree of South Carolina.  After you leave the mountains, they are found wild and cultivated everywhere, in every size.  These are young ones.

After such an active day, Peggy and I plan an evening of fixing taco salad for dinner, watching "Las Vegas" (Red Box movie) and more episodes of our latest Roku series, "Land Girls."

Winter Escape! Day #6: Green Gloom

Today, Tuesday, the weather is overcast, 52 degrees (I know, my northern friends have no pity for me!), and a bit gloomy.  What better thing for Peggy and me to do today: SHOP!  We went to several beautiful shopping centers and a lot of stores.  The businesses are not allowed to display gaudy, large signs with neon.  It was fun to go here and there, checking out what is new, and what was old.  The green palm tree jungle settings for all the shopping centers adds such a pleasant background.

We spent a lot of time in a Kitchen store and bought several small items.  Especially eye-catching were the table settings.  Peggy and I love dishes and linens but already have too much of each.  We went to a Florist with antiques, hand-crafted items and artwork.  We admired the hand-knit baby sweaters and would like to knit something similar for our grandchildren.

Then there were the needlework stores!  The large quilt store tempted us sorely.  The were sample quilts of every size and color.  Peggy resisted but I came out with a pattern that looked simple for quilted pot holders called "Pot Pinchers."  Guess what I'm making for next Christmas' presents!

The yarn and needlepoint store also tempted us with beautiful patterns.  Here we were strong and bought not a thing!  We agreed we both have so many unfinished projects, we must finish them first before we think of buying anything new.

I'm looking for a (ahem, pardon me) toilet seat to replace one that cracked and wore out several years ago.  It was made from wood that resembled cherry wood (I don't think it was really cherry wood).  But it matched my bathroom cabinet and I haven't been able to find one.  We thought that Lowe's was associated with Wal-mart so we went to the Wal-mart store.  No such luck!  No Lowe's.  I'll have to keep looking.  I hate my plastic-looking seat.

Generally I make friends and relatives keep me away from bookstores but today Peggy and I didn't even consider our common tendency to over-buy at our favorite store: we went inside the doors of Barnes-and-Noble!  We stayed for a long, long time.  When we finished browsing, we were quite familiar with the store layout.

After check-out, I came away with a cookbook, a relationship book, a book to knit scarves, a book of South Carolina lighthouses, and a book I can't describe because then the person will know for whom it was bought.  I told the clerk, "You ought to put wheels on these bags."  It was heavy!

As we drove home, I searched the ditches and lakes for alligators.  None today!

At home for the rest of this afternoon, we both knitted on our projects, Peggy on the red pullover sweater she's knitting for one of her sons, and me on my blue, "100% Peruvian Highland Wool" Ruana (wrap) I'm knitting for myself.  We plan to watch more episodes of "London Hospital" on TV tonight. If we watch many more of these episodes, we decided, they should pay us old nurses for working a shift!

Winter Escape! Day #5: Wildlife

Today, Monday, at Hilton Head Island, the high was 66 degrees, the humidity was 97%, pure fog in the morning, misty the rest of the day.  Peggy chatted with her son back in Lexington, Kentucky: there was a layer of ice covered by 3 inches of snow with temperature in the twenties. (Boo Hoo!) 

In the morning, I borrowed Peggy's bike and had an invigorating ride on the trails.  Everywhere are signs, as below.

Who, in their right mind, would attempt this!!

There are bridges over the marshes on the trails.

While biking, I saw an egret, for the first time, in the wild.  It stood still long enough for me to snap a photo.

It isn't visible in this photo, but the egret has very long black legs - perfect for marsh walking.

Not far down the trail from the lone egret was this trio of turtles with their heads poking up, motionless, on a log.

In the afternoon, Peggy and I took a long walk on the beach.  Four or five dolphins were playing and jumping close to the shore.  I tried to snatch a photo of the dolphins, but they were too quick.  On the sand was an actual, live Sand Dollar.  It was light brown, soft.  I wondered what to do with it and Peggy counseled, "It looks live. Toss it back into the water."  So I did. Four pelicans were flying close to the water for a very long time.  Pelicans are everywhere near the water on this island.

These are the pelicans that were entertaining us.  The waves again were very slow and low today.

To the left of this seagull is a trio of sanderlings.  They are very, very quick!  It was the first time I had seen sanderlings.  Their long skinny beaks resemble the probiscus of the mosquito.

We walked until we reached the swings area, off the beach.  The old-fashioned porch swings were all occupied but we decided to avail ourselves of the rocking chairs and wait till someone left a swing vacant.  Some folks were just sitting in the swings and reading.  We felt we would like to put signs on the swings, "You Swing or You Leave!"  Finally, we sharked out a swing and enjoyed ourselves - swinging!  By the time we reached home, we felt the need to sit a spell!

Tonight, we're planning a quiet night of pizza and watching a rented video, "Captain Phillips."

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."

Winter Escape! Day #3 Ocean & Beach!

How delightful it was to wake up this morning in Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA!  Peggy and I spent a leisurely morning with breakfast and planning our day. We headed out to nearby Shelter Cove to the "Arts  Center of Coastal Carolina."  First, we had to gas up Peggy's car: $3.08 per gallon!  I haven't seen a price    for gasoline as low for several years!  The sky was gray, the weather ever so slightly drizzling rain, but we

  didn't care!  Driving through Hilton Head is like being on the road in the middle of a jungle; palm trees and     lush vegetation abound. I saw a creek running beside the road and wondered, "Are we going to see a baby   alligator in the creek like we did last year?"

Peggy with Gullah Art, Hilton Head Island, 2/1/14.

Me, Jan, entering the Gullah Celebration, 2/1/14. Can you tell what basketball team Peggy and I like?

We went to the Art Center to experience the "Gullah Celebration."  The Gullahs were a people of African-Americans who came from the plantations, from nearby Caribbean Islands, and settled on Hilton Head Island many years ago.  Modern descendants wanted to keep their culture alive.  We were treated to Ms. Louise Cohen recounting some of their stories and songs.  Peggy and I enjoyed their creative paintings and sculpture. The lunches we bought were especially tasty.

Ms. Louise Cohen, Master Story Teller, Wonderful Singer, 2/1/14.

Next we dropped the car at Peggy's condo and walked a block to the beach - Atlantic Ocean!  The waves were very gentle, almost sleepy.  There were three large pelicans gliding very close to the wave.  We actually saw a dolphin, so close to the shore we could hardly believe what we were seeing.  The gulls seemed hypnotized, just standing in one place.  We walked along, spent time swinging, then left the beach area and went back to the condo.

Very large tree with an abundance of hanging moss, swaying so gently in the breeze.

My first Ocean View this year.  I had to snap a photo to remember it!  I never seem to tire of the ocean and beaches!

The Lone Sea Gull admiring his reflection in the water.

A Sand Dune with wild sea oats.  The beaches are perfectly clean on Hilton Head Island.

This handsome Sea Gull was almost as large as a chicken!

After a short conference at home, Peggy and I decide to go to Holy Family Church, several blocks away, for Confession and the Weekend Mass.  I remembered the exterior of the church but not the interior and grounds.  For a diocese population of only 4% Catholics, this church has done well.  The pastor and musicians are very inspiring.  Then we ventured home to turkey sandwiches and a green salad.

Holy Family Catholic Church, Hilton Head Island, 2/1/14.

Mosaic of the Holy Family, Jesus with Mary and Joseph, in Holy Family Church's yard.

Large Crucifix of Jesus, above the Main Altar, Holy Family Church, Hilton Head Island, 2/1/14.

For the second evening, we are watching old episodes of "London Hospital," which takes place in the early 20th century in London, England.  Being nurses, we appreciate how far the profession has come in a century.  We also very much value the many medical advances.  In the 1900's, average life expectancy was 45.  Polio was untreatable.  There were no antibiotics.  Praise you, Lord, we live Now!