Charleston

Here I am stuck in the rain here in Charleston. The weather should clear and I'll be out of here tomorrow. I've had to take Tux to the vet during our visit here, because he chewed the fur off his tail. The doctor gave him a shot to relieve the itching and I've doubled up on his benedryl. Both dogs were tested for heart worm due to the threat here in the South, and I'm now dosing them once a month as a precaution. The vet gave me the name of a good restaurant that's just around the corner from the rv park. Gilligan's has hush puppies to die for! Also told me how to get to the plantations and where Walmart is. Very necessary info.

On Thursday I went to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. This involved a lot of walking in the heat and fighting off persistant bugs.

I couldn't resist the butterfly and the geico. He was about to change colors, so I had to act fast.

On Friday, I went to Fort Sumter by boat and took pictures of the USS Yorktown. The suspension bridge out to Mt. Pleasant is the longest in the world. It's  new, so I guess they're proud. It's beautiful to look at and the cables, if that's what you call them, are hugh.

These are the flags out at Fort Sumter. The one with the blue background is the South Carolina state flag. I really liked the design and got some t-shirts with it on them.

On Sunday, I took a carriage ride through historic Charleston. The houses were beautiful. I didn't get a picture of the house where Notebook was filmed. I thought I'd come back after I ate lunch, but couldn't find it. These people had probably just gotten out of church. People in the South believe in dressing even when the temperature is sweltering.

The Episcopal priest and his wife almost looked like movie actors to me.

This is where I had shrimp and grits for lunch. When I went back to the parking lot to get my car, I realized I only had $2 and they only took cash. After walking four blocks to a grocery store and realizing I didn't have a pin number to get cash back, and calling the credit card company to find out what I should do: they told me. Don't be so stupid woman! I went back to Bubba's and bought an iced tea to go and they gave me back the tip in cash so I could get my car. Way too much adventure! We'll see what kind of trouble I can get into in Williamsburg.



Savannah

When I checked in at the Savannah Oaks Resort, they gave me a lot of brochures for sightseeing. I signed up for the trolley tour for the next day. This is my site under the nice shady tree.

I didn't get to take a lot of pictures on the trolley, because it was so hot, the trees were in the way, and I was getting motion sick. Yuck! This is a marker for Juliet Low's house, the founder of the Girl Scouts.

The tour people recommended that you ride the whole circuit just to see where you want to stop. There were 15 stops and I made it to 12 which was the river front. I ate lunch at the Shrimp Factory. Excellent! Then I walked around to all the vendors and got a picture of a really interesting war memorial "A World Apart."

River Boat

For the next two days it rained, and I thought we were going to float away. Did a lot of reading during that time. The Savannah-Ogeechee Canal was adjacent to the rv park, so one afternoon, I took a self-guided tour down a scary path for a half mile. The scenery was beautiful. So  naturally I took pictures.

On Sunday my newest best friends Donna and Joe Delaney from Illinois moved out to Tybee Island and the River's End RV Park where they planned to stay for a week. They invited me for hamburgers, so after I toured the island I bought some wine and headed to their spot. The island is very touristy and fun. This is a picture of a surfer, but he had to be frustrated, because there wasn't much wave action.

Well, I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't get a picture of Donna and Joe and there really cool banner. We have a date to meet in AZ in January.

Brunswick, GA

This stop is my experience with the Georgia coast. The rv park is about 16 miles Jykell Island and St. Simons Island. Jykell Island is really a state park with very well-kept buildings and grounds. The first day I explored on my own, and became very frustrated. The island was the summer home of all the rich millionaires in the late 1800's and early 1900's. They called their homes cottages.

After I wore myself out walking around in the heat, I headed to the Wharf and the Rah Bar for lunch. I had grilled shrimp and a salad with citrus dressing. The dressing was so good, but I can't find it in the store. A guy named Bob was celebrating his 80th birthday and all of his family was there with these orange t-shirts. I got to meet him, and he was definitely a very well-preserved 80.

This is the bridge that you go across to go into downtown Brunswick. I tried to find the historic section, but found out later, it's mostly a rundown section of town with the most big old house I've ever seen. The Lover's Oak is one of the landmarks.

I had thought that my tour of St. Simons would take longer, but not so. I found the trolley ride that takes you on a tour of the island. There was a lot of information about plantations and famous slaves and founding families. We spent a lot of time at Christ Church and its cemetery. Our tour guide was quite a character. Here's a picture of her in the cemetery.

There's a park and a pier at the end of the tourist trap section of town that is very popular with the locals. This is a dolphin sculpture that kids crawl all over. They have a swimming pool with lots of slides for kids.

I guess I just couldn't quit taking pictures of the lighthouse. That's the keeper's cottage in front.

Right now, I'm in Savannah. We've been having some t-showers, so it's curtailed my touring and picture-taking. Should be able to fix that soon.

Time Has A Way

Of getting away from you. This business of being retired and keeping busy is a hard job, but I applied and got it. So self, quit complaining.

While in Tallahassee, I drove to Wakulla Springs. A beautiful state park that was used to film the movie The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Airport 77. In the picture of people jumping off the platform, that's the deepest hole and maybe a fusilage or something down there. The Lodge has rooms, a museum, and snack bar. I had a hot dog and a soda for $4, unheard of in a tourist setting.

I got a picture of this flower, but the  bonus was a little green bug (middle top right). I don't think you can really see him.

I took a boat tour of the springs, similar to all the other ones you take in Florida. This time I saw something called a Snake Bird, because of its long neck. When it swims in the water looking for fish, it looks like a snake. It has no oil glands, so when it gets wet, it takes a while for its feathers to dry. Here he is wings spread in the "dryer mode".

The rest of the pictures were taken on the hiking trail. It was so hot and humid, so I didn't do my usual world-class jaunt. I was by myself, and when I saw the huge tree down across the path, I didn't want to venture off the trail. I waited until the German couple behind me came along, and then went up as far as the first bridge. It's dark and beautiful in the woods, but there's also snakes and alligators. Here's a picture of the crashed tree and a reflection pool that an alligator probably calls home.



Taking pictures of these signs helps me remember where I was or am as the case may be.

Too Much Fun Too Many Pictures

Having my Tracker has allowed me to double  my fun. Last Saturday, I drove over to Alabama and saw first hand the fire. Some campers had to leave, but they finally got it under control.

There were a lot of people enjoying the beach and perfect weather.

When I came back, I met some people from Virginia Beach, and we ended up taking pictures of the sunset. Here's my shark cloud.

These same people told me about the Sunset Grille just down the road. Karen and I had  lunch there on Tuesday: grouper Reubens. Excellent! There's an island not too far off, and I was able to get a picture of some pelicans. Actually, there were three nests, but not all the birds cooperated.

I can't help taking pictures of flowers, and this hibiscus called to me

While visiting Karen and Mike, Deb and her crew and I ate so much fish. Poor Karen did most of the cooking except when we went to Carrabas and Sam's for Poor Boys. We shared our lunches with Gene. Due to her kidney infection, we weren't able to take her out, but it didn't stop us from having fun. Relaxing on the lanai was great, and one lunch time Mike cooked hamburgs on the grill.

Karen and Mike have two dogs: a terrier and a poodle mix. Buddy, the terrier, reminds me of the Smith's Sadie who passed away this last year. Reese, the chocolate poodle mix, was just a cute fun dog. Jill and I threatened to kidnap him and take him home.

Karen is such a talented artists. I got to view a scrapbook that Autrey made of all the christening gowns that Karen has made for her grandchildren. Aside from designing and doing the interior decorating for her home, she has helped various members of her family. The most recent project was the nursery for Jill and Darren's new daughter Payton. Here she working on some beading.

On Thursday morning I left for Tallahassee. The trip was 200 miles of beautiful scenery, but I had to stop at rest areas twice, because I felt sleepy. Right after I pulled into the campground, a helacious thunderstorm erupted. I pulled into my site, but didn't set up because of the storm. When the rain lessened,  my neighbor came over and told me the Tracker had a flat tire.

The next day, a tire company came out and changed the tire and checked all the other tires. Cause of flat: a nail.

Where I walk the dogs, there are at least ten birdfeeders. The birds that I try to take pictures of are camera shy.

This was a picture that was begging to be taken. I want to  make a scrapbooking page from this picture.

I'll be touring Tallahassee for the next couple of days.