Our last two days in Myrtle Beach

Yesterday was a sunny and somewhat warmer day than it has been in the last few weeks.  We went to Barefoot Landing to walk around, and enjoy the good weather.  First though, we stopped at a local diner to have southern fried chicken.  It was delicious.  Crispy seasoned chicken, corn bread, and rice and gravy.  Not low cal by any means, and the portions were huge, but as a 'once in a blue moon' treat, it was great.  And, after eating all of that, I definitely needed to walk off all the calories!

Barefoot Landing was rather deserted at this time of year, but I did get a few pictures of the local residents.

 The cormorants were sunning themselves in the parking lot.  Even though we parked next to them, and could walk right up to take their photo, they weren't interested in moving.

 

 Some of the other inhabitants of Barefoot Landing.

 

 Seems everyone was out enjoying themselves.  There were several colonies of turtles on the water's edge, all basking in the sun.

 

 I would have thought it's obvious that alligators might bite.  I guess not, because I've seen other signs that read "Do Not Feed the Alligators". 

 

After walking around, Walter treated me to ice cream.  Even an ice cream cone here is bigger.  The smallest size was a very generous double scoop.  I had butter pecan, and Walter had orange sherbet.  Both yummy! On top of the fried chicken at lunch, though, it meant that supper was delayed until we were both hungry. 

 

Today it was supposed to rain, but never did.  In fact the sun came out, and the temperature climbed to 18C.   We played our final game of golf at Tupelo Bay Golf Course.  We've played it three times while we were here.  I managed to stay out of most of the sand traps, and only had one ball go in the water.  Walter, being the chivalrous fellow that he is, retrieved it for me. 

 

While we waiting to tee off on one of the holes, we saw a swan in one of the water hazards.  Just happened to have my camera with me.

 

 

We finished the day off by having supper at the Bonefish Grill.  Tomorrow, we'll be heading for home.  We've had a great time, and like all good things, it must come to an end.  It will be nice to get back to our own house.  





 

 

Birding in Huntington Beach State Park

Today, we went to Huntington Beach State Park.  It is very near Brookgreen Gardens, on the other side of the highway.  What a treat.  We stayed about three hours, walking one of the various trails near the marshes and beach.  If you're into birding, and we've just started that, it's a great place to see birds, especially water fowl, in their natural habitat.  We saw bald eagles, cranes, herons, egrets, grebes, gulls, terns, ducks, and pelicans.  Didn't get pictures of all of them, unfortunately. There are also alligators, but we didn't see any. Below are some of my favourite pictures

 Walter at one of the lookouts over the marsh. On the other side of the marsh are sand dunes and the ocean.

 

 Cormorant enjoying the sunshine.

 

 The marsh from one of the lookouts.  The steps up to the lookout were steeper than I thought, and I stumbled on them.  Didn't get hurt, just got sand all over my jeans.  The climb was worth it though. Beyond the trees in the distance is Huntington Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 Birds in the marsh.  Not sure what they are.  I'll have to look them up in Birds of North America when I get home.

 

 One of the ever present gulls.

 

 I don't remember what Walter said, but whatever it was, it made me laugh. 

 

 Another part of the marsh, with the sand dunes and ocean in the background.  Walter got a great shot.

 Duck nest in the marsh.  Right beside it was......

 

 an egret.  Beautiful bird!

 

There are other parts of the park that we didn't get a chance to explore. The beach is huge, and wide.  It was a bit cool when we walked around (we're wearing jackets) near the ocean.  Definitely a place worth visiting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Conway and Georgetown

Yesterday, we decided to explore a bit of South Carolina and headed to Conway and Georgetown.  To me, both these towns epitomized what I thought the small southern town would be.  There is a certain charm in them that is hard to describe in words.

Conway, on the Waccamaw River, is a beautiful little town.  It was founded in the 1730s, and was originally called Kingston.  The river area is quite beautiful, although as it was breezy yesterday, also a bit cool.  Still, it is worth a walk around the historic area. 

 Conway, it seems, is also a mail depot for Santa Claus.  I didn't have time to write him a letter, but I though of Adrien, Lennox and Sydney (my grandchildren) when I saw this.

 

 This is the Presbyterian Church.  Although this building dates from the latter part of the 1800s, there has been a church on this site since the late 1700s.  The cemetary, on the side, had some confederate graves, and I took a picture or two.

 

 One of the Confederate graves.  It was nice to see that the grave was cleaned up and honoured.  I've seen a few other Confederate graves in my travels, and some of them were quite neglected.  No matter what you might think of the Civil War, it's nice to see that folks still honour their dead.

 

 Looking up the street from the river.  Imagine what this would have been like in horse and buggy days.  The houses on the left are from the 1800s. It would have been quite an imposing site, riding up the church, which is at the top of a very gentle hill.

 

Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina.  It's an Winyah Bay, where three rivers, including the Waccamaw, meet.  It's been known for shipping rice (in fact, it has a rice museum), and logging.  The residential streets have beautiful live oaks, that reach over the street, creating a canopy of green, and some georgeous houses.  

 

 This is the Morgan House.  Mr. Morgan was the mayor in the early 1900s, and was instrumental in bringing water and sewer systems, electric lights, paved roads and sidewalks to the city, among other things. The side streets have several houses like this.  Beautiful!

 

 The most interesting residents of Georgetown that we met were these three.  I first I thought they were decoys, but they are the real thing.  The ducks were comfortably enjoying a bit of sunshine on the sidewalk, and would not move for any pedestrians, thereby forcing us to walk around them, while being scolded by one of the drakes for being too close to his mate.

 

 Isn't he a handsome fellow?  He seemed to enjoy posing for pictures, turning his head to get the best profile.

 

One of the stores we went into in Georgetown had Tilley Hats. The store had been carrying them for about a year, and the saleslady told us they were selling quite well.  I thought that was amusing - seeing a Canadian product in an American store, especially since the Tilley flagship store in Toronto is only a 30 minute drive from home.

 

Heading home, we decided to stop in at one of our favourite restaurants, the Bonefish Grill, for a bit to eat.  Some of our favourite dishes, Bang Bang Shrimp and Tuna Sushi.  Delicious, and a nice ending to a good day.



 

 

USS North Carolina

Today, we went to Wilmington, in North Carolina, about 56 miles from Myrtle Beach, to see the Battleship USS North Carolina.  It was well worth the visit.  The North Carolina was active for only seven years.  In that time, it had nine captains, all of whom made the rank of Admiral.  All of them but one were promoted on leaving the North Carolina.  One wasn't but was made admiral later.  The North Carolina has been in Wilmington for over 50 years, and is still owned by the United States Navy. 

Going aboard the ship is like going back in time.  You get a really good sense of what it would have been like, with a full crew of 2300.  We climbed from the bridge to the engine room and back again.  Walter was really interested in the engine room, but I found it hard to take.  Even after all this time, and with air conditioning aboard some areas of the ship, the engine room still smelled of oil or fuel (I'm not sure which), and I started to get a bad headache after only a few minutes there.  Still, I'm glad I did it.

What really, for me, set this ship apart as a museum, were the crew's memories.  These are posted in various places throughout the ship, and certainly brought a personal point of view to life aboard the ship.  The crew were not allowed to keep diaries ( I suppose it was a security breach if they fell into the wrong hands), but they did, and developed some ingenious ways of hiding them.  Another interesting little bit that we learned, the Master at Arms (the ship's police force) stored the beer for the crew in the brig.  It was a great way of keeping discipline among the crew, because if anyone did anything to require spending time in the brig, the Master at Arms had to throw the beer overboard to make room in the brig for the miscreant.  And since no one wanted to lose his beer, it was quite the incentive for everyone to behave! 

Afterwards, we had lunch at the Front Street Brewery, a great little bar restaurant.  Of course, Walter had a beer, which he enjoyed.

 Walter on the bridge.  Full steam ahead!

 

 One of the ovens for making muffins.  Each oven in the stack of six could make 30 muffins at a time. 

 

 One of the officer's quarters.  I forget which function the occupant was responsible for, but whatever it was, he didn't leave this room much. His bunk was above his desk. 

 

 The ship's big guns had a range of 23 miles. 

 

 On the deck - cold and windy.  I can't imagine what it would have been like on the open ocean.  Those decks behind me are teak, and had to be swabbed on a regular basis.  That and painting (the job that never ends) kept the crew busy when they weren't engaged in any other activities.

  

 

 Relaxing on shore with a glass of beer. 

Tidewater Plantation and more golf

Yesterday, being a sunny cool day, we decided to walk around Tidewater Plantation, where we are staying.  The plantation, or residential development, is much larger than I had thought.  We walked for two hours, and still hadn't seen it all.  Besides the condos bordering the golf course (like the one we rented), there are large bungalows, and several Cape Cod-style homes along the inland waterway. Through it all, runs Tidewater Plantation Golf Course.  A beautifully manicured course, with gorgeous views.  Below are a few photos of the area.  We plan to do another walk around, to see the parts we haven't visited yet.

 View from one of the docks on the inland waterway, looking across.

 

 Outside the gym on the plantation.  As guests, we had access, and I've made use of it several times while  here.

 

 View from one of the holes on Tidewater Plantation Golf Course.  There were not many people playing, and we walked the cart path for a bit.  The course is beautiful, but expensive.  Visitors (including renters) pay almost three times what owners pay.  So we opted to play some of the other courses in the area.  As seniors, we get discounts at over 50 courses.  Lots to choose from.

 

 Walter at one of the holes.  We walked through the woods to the cart path.  No one in sight.  It was as if we had the course to ourselves.  As you can see, Walter is buttoned up.  I don't think the temperature reached more than 11 C.

 

 Our condo from the front.  We have the ground floor condo. 

 

 Walter uploading pictures on the computer. 

 

 

Today, another cool and sunny day, we played golf at Tupelo Bay, where we played earlier in the week.  Started off wearing my jacket, but quickly decided to remove it when hitting the ball, and only put it on when driving the cart.  By the time we were on the back nine, I had to take off the jacket completely.  I think I found every sand trap on the course.  Must be the golf gods telling me that I need to practice my sand game! Finished the game with two pars, though, so I felt happy.  We met two women on the back nine.  One lady was from Myrtle Beach, the other was from Whitby, Ontario -  small world, isn't it?

 



 At the first tee - cool and breezy, so the jacket was a necessity.

 

 

 Walter warming up while waiting to tee off.

 

 On the sixth tee.  We both lost balls in the water.  At least there were no alligators!  Just geese, ducks and cormorants.  Even with a penalty shot, Walter bogeyed the hole.  Good on him!

 

 

 

 

 

 



St. Patrick and golf

Our friend, Ralph Carter, has been visiting us for a week.  Yesterday, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Myrtle Beach.  We had lunch at a local institution, a restaurant called Mr. Fish.  Great fresh tuna sushi, and calamari fried to perfection.  We also had fried green tomatoes and shrimp - all washed down with beer for Walter and Ralph, and white wine for me.

After lunch, we went for a walk on the beach.  Although the weather was lovely, it was a little cool.  Still, great to be out along the shore.

 

 

Walter and Ralph were having a good time taking pictures of each other on the beach.

 

 

 

 

Today, we played golf at Tupelo Bay - a lovely course.  My first nine was terrible.  On the back nine, though, my game started to come together, and I actually got two pars and four bogeys.  That might not sound like much, but for me, it's great.   The animals on the course are varied and wonderful.  Lots of birds, water fowl, turtles, and squirrels.  The squirrels are called racoon squirrels, and are used to players feeding them.  Walter managed to get a photo of some of the wildlife in between shots.

 

  Mother squirrel. There were four babies with her.

 

 Mother duck and six of her eight ducklings.

 

We saw cranes, herons, cormorants, as well as hawks and vultures, but couldn't get any photos of them.  It was either play golf or take pictures, and we chose to chase little white dimpled balls around the course.  Lots of fun!.  Playing golf with Ralph and Walter is great.  Easy going, and everyone plays his or her own game.  Walter and I will play this course again while we're here.



 





 



Back to Brookgreen

Today, we went back to Brookgreen Gardens.  Our tickets were good for seven consecutive days, and we thought we'd take advantage of the sunny, warm weather to walk around and see more of the grounds.  Walked among the gardens and sculptures for 2 1/2 hours.  What a difference from last week.  Then, I was bundled up, and so cold, that I bought a jacket with a fleece lining to keep me warm.  Today, I was walking around in shirt sleeves.  It was a great opportunity to play with the settings on my camera.  I haven't mastered it yet, and some of my shots were pretty funny (that's a euphanism for just plain bad).  I had fun, though, and that's the main thing.  Here are a few pics - the ones I liked the best.

  This is a bit of a straw-like plant, very delicate, growing among the flowers.  I don't know what it is, but I liked the delicate curves swaying in the breeze.

 

  Loved this sculpture.  Mother bird and her babies.

 

 One of the many bronzes. 

 

 My favourite man. 

 

 I didn't even know I had caught this southern cousin of our northern cardinals until I played back my pictures.  I was trying to get a shot of a titmouse, and focussed on what I thought was the right tree.  Imagine my surprise when I realized I had missed entirely, and caught this little fellow by chance.  The big difference between this one and the ones farther north?  His beak is red - the ones at home have black beaks.

 

 Lots of bees buzzing around - busy collecting pollen.

 

 This was one of my favourite sculptures.  It's so life like, I expected the cats to move and growl.

 

 Gorgeous hyacinths - not many but what there were, were beautiful.

 

 

 Various types of daffodils were in bloom.  Beautiful large yellow ones, and delicate smaller paperwhites.  The tune 'the flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la, bring promise of merry sunshine' popped into my head. (All those years of listening to Gilbert and Sullivan - the music is stuck in my head.)

 

Captured my shadow.  Shades of Peter Pan!

 The sun dial with the cherub and the lamb - another favourite.

 

 An interesting fungus-type plant that grows on some of the palm trees.  I don't know what it is, but it has intricate leaves that remind me of spiralled wagon wheels.

 

We still haven't seen all of the gardens, and I don't know if we'll go back again while we're here.  If it hadn't been for watching an episode of the Antiques Roadshow (the US one), we wouldn't even have known it existed.  It was mentioned on an episode about a month ago, and we made a note to ourselves to check it out when we got here.  Definitely a hidden gem.