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We haven’t had a lot of snow this year.
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Or last year or the year before that unfortunately … so when the pretty white fluffy stuff does fall and stick?
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I wake up early to photograph it in that lovely pinkish blue morning light.
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And while I do enjoy it…
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Our contractor who still has to replace the siding from the bedroom window replacement does not.
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Can’t say I blame him.
🥴
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After discovering the lighthouse we’d come to see was closed, we decided to walk the Hunting Island beach instead.
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Following the rubber highway across the dunes we hit the sand and were just about blown away.
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I packed for the south, where it’s supposed to be warm…. and I swear the week we spent in South Carolina was colder than Maine.
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The beach was lovely.
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But to be honest it was too cold and windy to enjoy.
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The husband was less than thrilled to be walking in arctic wind, but I persevered.
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For a little while anyway.
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You know it’s windy when the sea foam is bouncing down the sand.
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We left before frostbite set in and continued on.
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Past a shrimping fleet and towards Fripp Island which we were told was lovely.
It might have been, but we’ll never know because it’s a gated private island where we were told to turn around and leave in no uncertain terms.
Didn’t they realize the rental vehicle we were driving cost $100k? That should have counted for something.
I mean really… it had a dashboard star display.
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What more could they want?
🥴
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We’d heard quite a few locals mention Hunting Island lighthouse (which is the only lighthouse in South Carolina open to the public) and since we were in the area, we decided to check it out.
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Paying the unexpected entry fee at the gate, we drove down the twisting, turning road.
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It felt a bit like the forest primeval with dense vegetation and palms lining both sides.
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At the end there was a parking lot and our first glimpse of the lighthouse.
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The views of the Sea Islands were supposed to be great from the top and I was anxious to climb.
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We approached…
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Entered the gated area….
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Took the required wind blown selfie…
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And after climbing the entry steps to the door… read the sign saying it was closed.
Of course it was.
Thank you Mr. Gatekeeper for taking our money but not sharing that fact. Grr. 😡
Was it worth the $20? Sure.
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See there? That used to be the light keeper’s house.
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And my husband found a fascinating rail contraption used to move the lamp oil.
Totally worth it.
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🥴
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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.
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He was a wonderful chauffeur.
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And deserved his treat.
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After forcing my husband to endure hours of fabric selection, I offered him a reward for good behavior.
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And we headed northwest from Waterville to Bigelow Brewing in Skowhegan.
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Housed in a barn on the owner’s property ….
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The feel is down home rustic Maine.
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We’d never been here before, but as soon as I saw who was helping keep an eye on things….
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I felt right at home.
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We did an assorted flight…
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And my husband liked the Lying Bastard. Make of that what you will.
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The tasting room has live music on weekend nights…
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And table supports shaped like beer bottles.
The only food on offer is from a brick pizza oven out back.
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And while my crust was burnt, the garlicky chicken broccoli Alfredo pie was quite good.
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Upon leaving we noticed the Xmas decorations were still out.
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But the beer was good enough to bring home, so I’ll forgive them the transgression.
😉
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Living in Maine, we see our share of shorebirds. But one we don’t have up here in the north is the pelican.
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I don’t know why they fascinate us, but they do.
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So bear with me while I share our pelican watching at Botany Bay.
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The low country provides ideal habitat and fishing opportunities for these guys and they take full advantage of the bounty.
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Herons as well.
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Though they often show a flagrant disregard for the rules.
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I could honestly have stayed and watched them fish all day.
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But we had reservations for a tour in Beaufort and had to get back on the road.
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Not having nearly enough time to finish exploring, we vowed to return.
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And be careful of snakes.
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Saying goodbye to the glorious oaks…
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We made our way out.
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Down that marvelous canopied road.
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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.
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Where oaks gave way to palms.
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And pelicans…
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Next to the cypress wetlands was the Port Royal museum. We love small local museums run by resident volunteers and always try to support them when we can.
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This local didn’t share any history with us, but he was all about a good neck scratch.
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Not St. Augustine, Florida.
Nope. That’s a common misconception. The Spanish actually settled Port Royal first, but it was abandoned a few years later due to lack of funds.
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This museum was tiny but filled with interesting things.
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Megalodon teeth… that you can apparently scavenge for on local beaches. Sign me up!
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15 million year old clam? That too.
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The docent had absolutely no idea what this was, but I’m there for it as well.
We’d had a busy day, and since I had one more waterfront walk on the schedule for the late afternoon I tried to hurry the husband along.
I think you can guess how that went.
Just when I almost had him out the door, the lovely lady who runs the museum suggested he might want to look at some military photo albums donated by a resident.
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Yes, they were interesting.
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Filled with heart warming pics…
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As well as the horrors of war.
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Most were taken during WWII and Korea. And while I appreciated her sharing them with us, I wasn’t as thrilled with the hour long conversation that followed.
Vacation time is limited!
Schedules must be kept.
As the sun was going down, I finally dragged him out of the building and we headed for the boardwalk.
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Tiptoeing through the seagulls we made our way forward.
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It’s a popular fishing spot next to the marshes and offers a long stretch of easy walking with a viewing tower.
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Of course it was getting dark and the wind had ratcheted up to a howl which made it less than comfortable.
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We only climbed to the first level of the three level tower…
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The higher you went… the stronger and colder the winds. One quick picture and I called it good.
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The sun was setting and we needed to get back on the road.
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As you can see, our giant rental beast dwarfed all the other vehicles in the parking area.
🥴
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Good bye Port Royal…. it was swell.
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After our trip to Parris Island we were hungry and headed for a delightful little town called Port Royal.
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It’s quintessentially southern with brightly colored cottages…
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And marvelous moss draped live oaks.
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It also has a seriously good waterfront restaurant called Fishshack on 11th Street.
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The views were lovely…
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And though we had planned to eat inside,
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When we saw there was an outdoor bar we changed our minds.
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A freshly muddled pineapple mojito served in a pineapple shaped glass?
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Don’t mind if I do.
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Jalapeño hushpuppies? Yes please.
Husband opted for tomato basil bisque. At this point the live music started and damn it, they were playing my song.
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Since we were in the south…
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Chicken and waffles for the husband,
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And an absolutely scrumptious shrimp burger for moi.
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In Maine a shrimp burger is just fried shrimp on a roll, this was more like a crab cake and I swear I could eat one every day.
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Any place that allows cuties like this to join you for lunch is alright with me.
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After our meal we took a walk on the pier.
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Hoping our travels would bring us back this way for another nice meal.
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😊
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Our home base for the anniversary trip was a two bedroom condo at Wyndham Ocean Ridge on Edisto ( Ed-iss-toe) Beach. Mid way between Charleston and Hilton Head…
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It’s a quiet, laid back mostly residential beach community without all the tacky water parks and touristy crap cluttering most southern coasts. It’s the undiscovered country and that’s just how we like it.
When we arrived at the resort and checked in, we were given a unit on the golf course. We travel through our timeshare so sometimes it’s a crap shoot where we’re placed. But seeing that my husband has the gift of gab and makes friends easily, we were quickly reassigned to one of the deluxe units in the best area. (Me dropping the 40th wedding anniversary bomb may have had something to do with it as well. 😉 )
If it hadn’t been January, in the height of the off season this wouldn’t have happened. The Bay Point association is the primo spot of the entire resort and people book them two years in advance.
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The peninsula itself is Edisto Beach with private homes all around. The areas in green are the resort and it was a crazy set up. One second you’re on the resort, the next you’re on a private road. As you can see by my arrow we were right at the tip on the water.
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Our condo was in the middle on the top floor, which in reality is only the second but you have to climb 4 flights of stairs to get there.
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It was clean and spacious.
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With a decided seaside decor.
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It was newly remodeled with carpet that looked like waves.
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And had a pretty sweet view from the bed.
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And speaking of views…
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One look out the balcony and I was a happy camper.
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Off season with an entire beach to ourselves. It doesn’t get much better than that.
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Second bedroom. No, we don’t use it… but if you book a two bedroom unit you get two baths and that my friends is the key to a long and happy marriage.
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Master bath. This was mine in case you were wondering.
😉
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We settled in and unpacked.
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Very pleased with our South Carolina home for the week.
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❤️
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River's world..... 