Time to Move On - Thursday - August 30, 2012

We love camping at Buck Hall Recreation Area in Awendaw, SC.  However, since Monday this has been our view and we are ready to find dry weather!!
 
We are very fortunate that Issac didn't come our way,
but it sure has sent the tropical weather to dampen things. 
 
Today, we hit the road and headed north to Myrtle Beach. 
When we crossed the bridge leaving Georgetown,
the rain stopped :o))
 
We had a dry drive all the way to Myrtle Beach State Park.
 
Our site, 313, is the same site we had last time we were here.
 
Since we arrived before the Labor Day Weekend,
the neighborhood is very quiet;o))
 
I'm sure that tomorrow evening
the scene will be very different....
 
Every site in the campground is booked for the weekend;o((
 
So today and tomorrow, we are going to get some errands done and then just let the tourists have the roads over the holiday.
 
After setting up and getting lunch, we headed to the produce stand, grocery store and stopped for haircuts on the way home.  It was dinnertime by the time we got back.  After dinner, we went for a walk..........
 
Yep, the fishing pier is still here...

Yep, the ocean is still here....

However, the ocean looked more like a lake!?!?

We watched a group of dolphins for a long  time!!
There had to be about 15 traveling together:o))
Unfortunately, we couldn't get a good photo;o((
 
 
Tomorrow, we need to run some errands for Nancy's mom and also stop at the DMV tax office to get some paperwork we need for the motorhome.  Once we finish our jobs, we plan to just chill and enjoy the beach until Tuesday when we move south to Huntington Beach State Park for a week or so!!!
 
Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Labor Day!!! 
 
 
 
 

A Trip to Charleston – Saturday – August 25, 2012

We had made arrangements for Nancy’s mom to spend Saturday and Sunday with us here at Buck Hall.  However, she changed here mind at the last minute sooooo....we had to change plans as well!!

We decided not to waste this beautiful day – let’s visit Charleston.  It’s been 20+ years since we lived on Isle of Palms just north of Charleston.  So today, we acted like true tourists:o))

Nancy had camera in hand.  No…make that two cameras in hand.  We took off just after 8am and crossed the Cooper River Bridge over Charleston Harbor towards downtown Charleston.

 
We could see The Citadel from the bridge!!
 

Our first stop was the visitors center
where we picked up a map of downtown.
 
 
We decided to leave our car at the visitors center and do a walking tour.  The best way to see Charleston is walking. Our tour was basically a loop heading down Meeting Street to East Bay to The Battery and returning on Kings Street.  It was early, not crowded yet and the weather was spectacular.

We walked through the Charleston City Market.
 
It is several blocks long and was recently renovated.

There are many vendors
who make and sell Sweet Grass Baskets.
 
We loved the tile mural depicting
Gullah women collecting the sweet grass!! 
 
You could buy almost anything you may want or need.
However, the only thing we found that might be RV friendly
were these collapsible baskets;o)) 
Cool, but we don't need any STUFF!!
 
As we left the market,
we were down along Charleston Harbor.
 
We passed the United States Custom House. 
At Nancy's request, I climbed the steps to
give some perspective to the size of this building;o))
 
Just a little further down East Bay Street,
we arrived at beautiful Waterfront Park.
 
What a spectacular Pineapple fountain...
the symbol of southern hospitality!! 

It was a great day for sailing in Charleston Harbor.
 
We left the park and headed up a cobblestone street.
It was a real step back in time:o))
 
The quaint street led us back to East Bay Street
where we were face to face with

Just a short walk further down East Bay St.,
we reached The Battery.
 
Everyone of the beautiful homes along this walkway
deserves its own picture... but we chose just one;o))
 
At the end of The Battery is White Point Park,
sometimes referred to as Battery Park.
 
History buffs could spend the day in this park
exploring the statues and artillery.
 
We strolled through and enjoyed
the beautiful Live Oaks:o))
 
 
At this point, we headed back towards the visitor center.
We walk the side streets to enjoy the beautiful
homes and gardens before hitting the shopping district
on Kings Street.
 


 
Walking is a great way to see this city.
 
However, another alternative would be
a Horse Drawn Carriage Tour:o))
 
We finally arrived at Kings Street,
the Charleston Shopping District. 
We did some window shopping and as the lunch crowd began to fill the sidewalks, we arrived at the visitor center.  All told, we managed to walk well over our daily 10,000 steps and spent a wonderful morning in Charleston.  We were ready to leave and stop at the Whole Foods store on our way back to the campground. We also stopped for lunch at The Bay Street Deli.  We rarely eat out and now we have eaten out two days in a row--Go Figure;o))
 
 
We spent the remainder of the afternoon and early evening
with our feet propped up in our Anti-Gravity Chairs!!
 
It is fun to watch the views of the Intercoastal.
 


 
At high tide you can see the waves on the ocean across the sea grass.

 Jet Ski Races!!
 




 
Dads and Sons returning from a fishing trip:o))

Big Tugboat and Barge heading north!
This last photo made us laugh:o))
We can't get over the different ways people haul their
Blueboys to the dump!!
 
If was another WONDERFUL day here at Buck Hall:o)))
 
 
 
 



Kayaking and Friends – Thursday & Friday – August 23 & 24, 2012

Thursday, August 23

Yesterday, Nancy scoped out the tides and the weather.  We had a window of about 3 hours starting around noon.  We could paddle south with the tide for an hour or so and then the tide should turn and we could return with the current:0)) Our timing was perfect or so it seemed...

We pumped up the Sea Eagle at our site and used our kayak cart to roll the kayak to the boat launch. 



We had a great paddle south on the Intercoastal Waterway and then turned right into Awendaw Cheek. 
 
Heading into the Intercoastal Waterway

We paddled past our camp site.

Headed south toward Awendaw Creek.
 
We saw a lot of sea gulls and shore birds. 


Turned right into Awendaw Creek...
 

 As we rounded a bend in the creek, we saw 2 dolphins playing!!  Nancy only managed to photo the tail end;0((  
 

 
We just drifted for awhile hoping they would resurface.  They never showed up again;0((  However, we did have an alligator swim across in front of us!!



The six mile paddle was wonderful…
at least the first 5 1/2 miles.
 
Racing the rain clouds;o((


THEN…the skies opened up!!! 
I’m not talking about a drizzle…
I’m talking about a DOWNPOUR!!! 
 
We were lucky though—no thunder and lightning. 
 
 So we got a little wet—no,
we got a lotta wet;0))
 
It was still a GREAT paddle:0))
 
Friday, August 24
Today, we had lunch with our former neighbors from Tega Cay, SC where we lived from 1982-1985.  Ron and Thelma have remained friends even though we only see each other every few years.


They live in Mt. Pleasant just outside of Charleston. 
We met them at Seewee Restaurant,
midway between the two of us.
 
 
After lunch, they followed us back to Buck Hall to see Baby and continue the great conversation. We always pick up like we still live next door to each other:0)) What a great couple they are with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren spread all over the USA including Alaska!!  They do their travels via car and airplanes.  It was great to see them and now that we are retired, it won’t be 5 years before we see them again!!