Beaufort, South Carolina

Leaving Savannah, GA...

No more pelicans, no more manatees, but still seeing dolphins and seagulls, of course.

Also still seeing Palm trees and Palmetto,but no Mangroves growing along the water.

Now we are in the Low Country, with big tide variations (7-9 feet), lot of marsh grass, muddy bottoms and No See Ums (horrible little bugs that are blood suckers) & mosquitoes!  So we keep our bug repellant handy.

Homes along the waterway in South Carolina - Hilton Head Island

                                       Sunset in Battery Creek, where we anchored for a night.

Our marina here at Port Royal Landing for the week.

Met a guy here who's a retired local TV personality.  Name was DeYoung (DeJong) originally from South Chicago.  Knew my mother's family.  Lives on an ocean going sailboat built in the Netherlands when he's not visiting  family.  Also, shared tidbits about the brethern in the Chicago garbage collection business. (Know in some circles as the Dutch Mafia).

   

One day we rode our bikes to Beaufort(about 3 miles) and checked out the Historic homes, as well as the town.  There is so much history here - wish we could remember it all.

Beaufort has a dozen or more restored antebellum mansions.  Several were used as hospitals and command posts during the Civil War by the Union occupation troops. Thankfully General Sherman choose not destory Beaufort and Sanannah as he had done with Atlanta and other cities during his March to the Sea.  Remember the scene from Gone With The Wind.  

The trees are historic too - some over 400 years old!(See if you can find Don)

Just think, some of these trees were already growing when Columbus discovered the Americas.   Kind of puts our puny little lives in perspective.

We ended the week at the 9th annual Soft Shell Crab Festival - car show, music, vendors, crab races and seafood!
No I don't know who the lady in th pink top is.  She just happened to be sitting in front of the town sign.  

When you're on a boat you eat lots of seafood.  I'm starting to grow gills.  Makes me hungry for a good Iowa pork chop.

As we are spending a whole week in one place, I was able to do some maintentence items like polish the boat and varnish some trim.  I must say, she looks pretty good for an old girl.  If you want a boat to look good and not give you problems it requires a lot of attention.  That's why boats are referred too as being female. (With that remark I'll probably be sleeping on the dock tonight).

We plan to leave here on Monday and head for Charleston.  That will be a lot more history.  Looking forward to meeting our daughter, Jana and her husband, Brian, there. db