A Night of A Thousand Candles - Friday - December 10, 2010

Our good friends, Bill and Chris, purchased 4 tickets for “A Night of A Thousand Candles”, the Christmas light display at Brookgreen Gardens.

Statue at the entrance to Brookgreen Gardens

They were kind enough to invite us to go with them on Friday night. Brookgreen Gardens contains the largest outdoor display of sculptures in the world. Yes – in the WORLD and we have it right here in Murrells Inlet!!

The temperature was in the low 40’s, but there was no wind, so it was comfortable enough if you dressed warmly.

We did just that.

First we stopped to pick up Bill and Chris.  Their home is decorated for Christmas and it looked beautiful.

The Stockings were HUNG!!

Waiting for SANTA!!

Next stop, a small restaurant named Salad Creations where we had our dinner. From there it was off to Brookgreen Gardens. It was just magical with all the lights, candles and statues reflecting in the pools throughout the gardens.

Reflections.....lights, candles and statue

In addition, there were indoor Christmas displays and also live entertainment.

Carousel Horse and Poinsettia Tree

We watched a string trio, a bell choir and a gospel singer.

String Trio......trying to stay warm and still play!

The evening stroll gave Nancy an opportunity to use her new camera and experiment with the night settings on the camera. She took a lot of pictures, some good and some not so good…. Here are some of the better ones.

Snowflakes lighting the entryway

Lights in the reflecting pond

Huge Live Oak Tree draped in lights!

Statue at the entrance to the Children's Garden

Colorful Fort in the Children's Garden

Lollipop Walkway in the Children's Garden

Christmas Cactus Tree

Succulent Christmas Tree

Gingerbread House

Christmas Morning Display

Bagpiper

Bill and Chris making a NEW friend!!

Nancy here…
Taking picture of lights at night is very difficult. You have to hold the camera VERY steady as the exposure time is very slow. This picture shows you what happens when you do not hold the camera steady.

Interesting affect !?!?!?

It was a beautiful night and really got us in the holiday spirit!!

Thanks Bill and Chris for treating us to such a nice event.

We have had an interesting week. I only have a few weeks until my job will end. As of January 1st, I will be retired. This will obviously reduce our income significantly. I actually heard back from Social Security and my former company about my benefits this week. Both SS and my pension, will start in January. However, we need to get the house sold to get rid of the expenses that go with home ownership. But we are moving closer to going full-time!!

On Saturday, Nancy and I drove to Fort Moultrie on Sullivans Island, SC to buy my America The Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass for $10.00.

What a terrific deal that is—if you’re 62 or older, a pass for all the National Parks can be purchased and it's good forever!! For anyone who travels the US and enjoys our National Park System, this pass is a must. Of course, we also purchased a National Parks Passport which allows you to get it “stamped” whenever you go to a National Park.

I was excited to get my first stamp!!

We are beginning to experience a lot of changes in our life. This coming week will be interesting as well. I hope to purchase a laptop with help from our son-in-law, Steve. Steve is a real hi-tech guru. He’ll have his hands full trying to explain to me what we need. Once we get the computer…we will have to get our wireless Internet setup as well. Should be tons of fun. 4G – 3G – MIFI – Tethering – Satellite – etc., etc., etc.  I’ll let you know how we make out.