Between Charleston and Savannah

We took a meandering coastal route from Charleston to Savannah. I wanted to see Hilton Head and Beaufort on the way. I love shops like this one. They had some free samples. I only bought a bottle of blackberry cider.

Beaufort was supposed to be an artsy little beach town. It was pretty crowded and the "artsy" downtown area was small and packed. We ended up not getting out into any of the shops. But we did see a cool looking old church and graveyard and stopped to look.

There are lots of civil war veterans buried here and in other cemeteries we ended up visiting. They are very proud of these people. It makes me feel a little confused and uncomfortable. The veteran graves in this cemetery all had little American or confederate flags on them. After what had happened in Charleston, I was even more uncomfortable. I have ancestors who owned slaves. Not really during the civil war era, but more distant. And ancestors who fought on both sides. It is what it is, but the symbols are uncomfortable these days.

 Some old style mausoleums.  We were to see a lot of these over the next several days.

They trees and moss add a lot of atmosphere. There was a docent in the church, who came out and got us so he could give us a tour. A nice guy. This is one of the oldest churches in the country. It's Church of England. It was quite lovely inside.

 During the revolutionary war, the British had control of the area. The British sailors carved this wooden piece for the altar area of the church as a gift.

 I loved the old key and lock. We cruised around the neighborhoods a little and saw some beautiful old homes.

 Again, the beach areas seemed to be more marsh grass with open water being pretty far out. It was hot and muggy.

 We drove on out towards Hilton head. We drove through a wildlife refuge. These white Ibis were the only animals we saw.

 We stopped at the Coastal Discovery Center. There was a nice little museum area, inside with air conditioning! There was a skeleton of a loggerhead turtle. I really wanted to see them. They come ashore to these islands during the summer and lay their eggs.  These hermit crabs were all we saw.

Tiffany spent more time outside looking at some of the displays. I couldn't stand the humidity any longer. We drove out to Hilton Head area. It was packed with people, built up, very fancy. You couldn't even see the beach area. It wasn't my idea of a beach town.

As a consolation prize, I bought myself some turtle salt and pepper shakers. And then left my camera at the Coastal discovery center. I had to come back the next day and rescue it.

Charleston: part II

The day after the horrible shooting, we took a bus tour of downtown Charleston. There were still some roads blocked off and lots of media. It was an unsettled and upsetting atmosphere.

I was excited to be able to get a sweetgrass basket. Handmade.

A high rise boat garage in Charleston.

Lots of quick photos out the window of the bus of some of the houses. The side porches, one room wide single house style that is considered unique to Charleston.

This is not a single house.

Media

 The Citadel is in Charleston. It's a state university that while not associated with the military, has a military bent. We got to drive through campus. It was interesting to see a site featured in so many books and movies.

 This giant class ring is apparently an annual tradition. A new one is unveiled every year.

 Chapel

Cadets

Lots of military vehicles around the parade ground that represent all the different eras of military endeavors.

The quad inside was checkerboard painted, I just couldn't quite get that in my photo.

The old prison and orphanage were by each other. Our guide said that in the old days, the orphans were sent out to do things to help support themselves. One of the things they did was busk, and dance. They invented a dance that became popular and that's how you got the Charleston.

Horse drawn tours were all over, but it was so stinking hot and humid, we elected for air conditioning.