The Angus drawn carriage tour of Beaufort continued…
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Past Spanish moss and charming antebellum homes.
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You might recognize this tree if you’re a movie buff.
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It’s the live oak Robert Duvall sat under during The Great Santini. They filmed it in Beaufort as the author Pat Conroy is a native son.
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Beautiful homes, beautiful gardens…
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And some of the most amazing Angel Oaks I’ve ever seen.
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The Angel is the variety of live oak that droops it’s branches to the ground….
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And in Beaufort?
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The town is so enamored of their spreading glory it’s illegal to cut one down or even trim.
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Thank you Beaufort.
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I wholeheartedly agree.
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Our guided tour was a little over an hour of immersive history and I loved every cold, wrapped in a blanket, minute of it.
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There’s a strict building code near The Point that says new construction must blend with the old. I’m not sure lime green was a popular Civil War era color, but they’re charming all the same.
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I wish we’d had time to explore this museum.
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But when we disembarked the carriage a certain someone had to strike up a conversation with the guide.
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Hint- it wasn’t me.
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Though I did enjoy a little quality time with Angus.
As we headed down the road for our tour of Beaufort ( say it with me now… Byoo-fert. Byoo as in beautiful, fert as in fertile. Byoo-fert. ) SC, the husband wanted a second breakfast and chose this quaint little place in Port Royal.
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Cozy, and small …
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The Old Schoolhouse didn’t take themselves too seriously.
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I’m not a big breakfast person, but since it looked like this might be lunch as well, I looked forward to some true southern biscuits and gravy. Finding that dish in Maine is a rare occurrence so I was fully prepared to splurge.
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To say I was disappointed with this (yellow… WTH?) measly batch of gravy with very little sausage (not to mention flavor) is an understatement. I was in the south…
Y’all are supposed to do this right!
Unsatisfying breakfast/lunch over, we made it to Beaufort. (Did you say Byoo-fert in your head? Good. Let’s continue. )
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Where we had tickets for a horse drawn carriage tour around the city. That white horse was in training…
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So we had Angus.
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My husband rolled his eyes when I said I wanted to do this, but after a few minutes into the historic tour? He was hooked.
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Our tour centered on The Point. The old section of Beaufort filled with beautiful Civil War era homes.
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And some quirky art.
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At the beginning of the war the savvy residents of Beaufort took part in what is now known as the Great Skedaddle.
In the panic of The Great Skedaddle of 1861—the hasty escape of white residents from Beaufort, South Carolina, six months after the start of the Civil War—anything that could not be buried or carried was abandoned. Enslaved people were left behind along with all the wealth accumulated from nearby cotton plantations: expensive furniture, horses, and clothing. When the Union Army arrived, there was only one white man left in town and he was dead drunk, or so the legend goes.
As history would have it, what drove white Beaufortonians from their homes was ultimately what saved the town they left behind. Unlike burned and battle-scarred Charleston, 50 miles to the north, the Union Army claimed Beaufort without a fight. Setting up operations in the town’s stately mansions rescued them from destruction. To this day, Beaufort has more surviving antebellum architecture than almost anywhere else in the South.
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It’s a lovely area, literally lost in time and lovingly preserved.
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That stone out front? A step for women to board carriages without displaying their ankles. Only shameless hussies flashed those.
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This wall is called pigeon hole brick and is completely original.
He didn’t believe me when I told him how hard it’s been to find fabric for the furniture he chose so I’m continuing to show him firsthand.
Seeing is believing after all.
In my search I’ve discovered that even though different stores sell the same brand, they’ll often have different fabric available and I’ve made it my mission to check them all.
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Hence our trip to Waterville to a small but 5th generation family run store.
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Their showroom is a two story barn from the 1800’s.
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And while they didn’t have the particular style set we wanted, they can order it…. at what turns out to be $600 less than their larger competitors. Free delivery included. I’m all about supporting small local businesses so this is where we’ll purchase it.
If we can ever decide on a fabric.
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Green is still nonexistent. And even the blues that I didn’t really want are muted. But I pulled and pulled hopeful something would catch my eye.
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This photo perfectly portrays how thrilled my husband was to be on the journey.
🤣
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I’d tentatively narrowed it down to these two with the husband bored out of his mind behind me.
Until…
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He discovered a huge computer loaded with the company’s app.
With it you pick your style…
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And punch in the fabric number for a peek at what it will look upholstered. He had fun with this for quite a while, laughing at how horrible some of the patterns were. But when I gave him the number for the fabric I was considering?
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I stopped laughing because he said the cushion had two eyes staring at him.
The ice was here to stay… so work on the bedroom windows was fraught with slippery hazards.
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After the two small windows were installed our contractor needed another set of hands to help him with the big picture window…. so out went my husband.
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The jerry rigged planking platform was less than ideal.
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And the supports were definitely not OSHA approved.
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Mind you, that’s all ice covered snow.
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*Gulp*
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They did it, so naturally I had to document the event.
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That thing was heavy, and awkward to maneuver.
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I was cringing the whole time… expecting a slip and a crash.
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But it exited without mishap.
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And a giant air conditioned hole was left.
The crazy part of the removal? When they took it out we found this on the sill.
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A handful of screws.
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The old window was sitting right on them. How crazy is that!
We woke up on day 3 of vacation with a lovely pink beach sunrise.
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I have to say it’s not a bad way to start the day.
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Our first adventure found us at Botany Bay Heritage Preserve. A 4,000 acre property, open everyday and free to the public. Originally two cotton and timber plantations, it’s now a haven for wildlife and a wonderful place to explore by car, on foot or horseback.
Upon entry, it’s all about the trees.
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A mile long dirt road of nothing but glorious live oaks dripping with Spanish moss.
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In spots they form a stunning canopy…
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And it feels like you’re stepping back in time.
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When I think of the south?
This is the image I see.
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They truly are magnificent things.
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Driving the loop trail through ruins and fields, we eventually found the water.
After a full day of furniture shopping my husband cried uncle.
Or more accurately, Sicilian Table in Falmouth.
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It’s the new sister restaurant to our favorite and we’ve been a few times. Remember the fabulous fish?
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We snagged a spot at the busy bar…
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And commenced cocktailing.
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Okay, maybe that was me.
First up? A rosemary lemondrop.
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Sheer herby perfection.
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Enough so that I had two, with a beautifully rich chicken Marsala.
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Moving on to the winter Cosmo I watched my husband devour the Devils Tower of beef.
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My name not theirs. It was a fabulous but ridiculously expensive filet mignon, no sides included. I don’t mind paying for a great meal, but geesh… don’t make me pay extra for potatoes and veg.
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I don’t care how full you are you can’t pass on their desserts.
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I took half home, but the hazelnut tiramisu was divine.
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And according to my fussy husband, their cheesecake is the best in the state. Caramel bourbon pear sauce…
How could it not delight?
😉
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 