Brookgreen Gardens - South Carolina

We met for lunch today with Ric on left and Harold on right, brothers that I went to high school with in Hawaii (Radford) and have not seen either of them since 1961.  Strangely, Ric lived in West Hollywood only 50 miles from us and we never knew that all those years.  Harold & I played on the basketball team for the Pearl Harbor Youth Center & Ric and I worked at the local bowling alley setting pins by hand for 10 cents a line.  We had a great time talking over those days and it was a completly enjoyable visit.  When we come back thru here next year we will connect again and get some local touring in.  We met a Brookgreen Gardens, an outdoor museum with majestic oaks and world-renowned sculptures.  It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Well we pulled in yesterday after driving 7hrs on what was advertised as a 5hr trip.  We are in the KOA in downtown MB.  Very nice campground, large with a lot of permanent type mobil homes.  Went down to the beach today and then realizing that this is spring break in this area, the beach resembled Waikiki in the summer and the drive down Ocean Blvd reminds one of Vegas without casinos, hotel after hotel.  There are 2 state parks in this immediate area that we may consider next year if we head this way again.  Looking forward to getting back to Maine.  Long range plans after Maine are to join 2 other couples and Ronnie, the campground manager, at Morgantown, VA at an RV show to help promote the Jekyll Campground.  We are also going to stop in Ashville, NC and take in the Biltmore Estate.

Harris Neck - US Wild Bird Refuge

We finally made our way to Harris Neck National Wildlife Reserve about 40 miles north of here.  Harris Neck is one of 7 refuges adminstered as part of the Savannah Costal Refuges Complex.  It consists of 2,284 acres that was formerly managed by the Federal Aviation Agency as a WWII Army airfield.  Since its designation as a wildlife refuge in 1962, Harris Neck has served as a premier nesting, foraging and wintering habitat for many species of wildlife.  Signature species include endangered wood storks and the colorful painted bunting, which favors the refuge's martime scrub areas.  The refuge encompasses six man-made freshwater ponds, as well as salt marsh, open fields, forested wetland and mixed hardwood/pine forest.

Wood Storks at Jekyll Island Rookery

We are most fortunate here to have a full blown rookery in the middle of the island.  Hundreds of birds return here in the everning for rest and many including the endangered Wood Stork actually build there nests in the trees.  I hope you will enjoy these pictures of these most beautiful birds.

Winding Down

Well all good things must come to an end and we are in the last 2 weeks here.  The past week and the week to come have been the most magnificant weather you could ask for, averaging 75 a day with warm light winds and terrific walks on the beach.  We leave here April 1 and will make a month long stop in Myrtle Beach, SC and May 1 will start the trek for Maine.  Looking forward very much to seeing old friends and enjoying the Maine summer and fall.  Long range plans are to meet with the campground driector here & 2 other couples in Morgantown, WV on Oct 11,12,13 and help staff a booth at an RV show promoting Jekyll Island's campground.  We are profoundly gratelful to my best bud, Kathy Beaulieu, who has offered up her house to put the rig on, and live in her house, oh yeah I have to mow the lawn too.  Looking forward very much to that.  Also we will having lunch with brothers Harold & Ric Ross, whom I went to high school with in Hawaii and have not seen since 1962.  They both live in the Charleston, SC area.  Will blog along the way back, see you all soon.

Hollybourne Cottage - Jekyll Island

Hollybourne Cottage was completed in 1890, built by Charles Maurice, a very weathly bridge builder from Athens, PA.  It is the last cottage on the island to be restored and is rumored to be haunted by 2 of the daughters of Charles.  The house was built under a steel support system with 19 brick piers in the basement.  You can see in the above picture the bridge building influence in the shape of the pier.  There was also a system of trusses used to distribute weight.  In the second picture you see a truss that extends clear to the basement that allowed the ceilings to be suspended.  Another picture shows what would be our modern electrical panel.  The  picture of the two rooms is what the family would see decending from the family living quarters on the 2nd flool, down a large staircase to the dinning room, then the parlor beyond.  You will notice in outside picture to the right what looks like might have been a swimming pool, but was in fact surrounded by heavy shrubs and the servants would come out of the house and do the family laundry and then hang them up.  The purpose was so that their "unmentionables" could not be seen.  In 1943 the federal gov't ordered the island vacated as they were afraid due to the extremely weathly and powerful people who lived here, the germans would come ashore and kill them, so they ordered everyone off.  They had to leave by boat so they could only take what they could carry and virtually left massive fortunes in homes and contents to just sit.  They were allowed to come back in 1948 but by then most of the island was in disrepair.  The State of Georgia offered a mere pittance for their properties.  The 3 daughters of Charles never came back to the house.  There still today exists some hard feeling from the decendants of these families about what happened.  Of this cottage in particular, one of the great grand-daughters lives near Atlanta and has been to the house and they say she seems grateful that it is being restored.  It is estimated that it will take several more years and close to several million dollars to bring it back to what it was.

The Alligators square off but life goes on at the pond...

Like the beach you never quite know what you are going to see or find when you go to the mid-island pond.  We try to go about an hour before sunset as that is the time when most of the birds start returning to roost.  Today was a special day with wonderful light which produced the above pictures.

  #1.  Shows the pathway leading to the pond.
  #2.  First glimse of the pond.
  #3.  Shows four turtles sunning themselves on the log.
  #4.  Shows an unknown bird with a very long pink bill.  I need to learn my southeast birds!
  #5. " Big Al" swimming towards the south end of the pond.  Notice the ducks are giving him the right of way and they are heading in the opposite direction.
  #6.  South end alligator letting "Al" know he is at the wrong end of the pond and to keep moving.

It was a great day and we are so lucky to be here.