Hilton Head Island Coastal Discovery Museum

Maybe I should have named this "Butterfly's".

Paula and I have been to several "butterfly gardens" but we have never seen so many. This place had them everywhere and so many kinds that we must have taken 50 pictures. We of course saw dozens of White Egrets, Herons, etc but we have hundreds of pictures of them!























Of course Paula got one to land on here arm!
























































We did have this Cardinal sit still long enough to get a few pictures of him.

This picture is special, the horses are Marsh Tacky horses. They live wild on several of the islands and are descended from horses left here by the Spanish explorers in the 1500's. There are thought to be less than 300 left. There are three distinct breeds originating with the Spanish horses, including Banker Horses in North Carolina and Florida Cracker Horses.

Paula walked up to fence, talked to the horses and spent time petting one, of course.  Later we were told that they are not friendly and will bite!

Savannah Ships of the Sea Museum

We had a rental car for the weekend so we could range a little further than when we are walking. We took a trip to downtown Savannah to the Ships of the Sea Museum. What a treat!

Here are just a few of the scrimshaw items that were on display.












Of course you can't have a Ships of the Sea Museum without a display of the Titanic. The detail is awesome on all the ships. The Titanic even has the band members playing on the deck as she started to sink!










This is another sample of dozens of models on display. Most of the models are 3/8" scale (3/8" equals 1 foot). Each depicts a real boat with information on the history of the boat as well as the specs.

This is an example of some of the detail you will see on these models! I can't even imagine how much time even one of the models represents, let alone the dozens that are on display!

Parris Island USMCRD (by Jim)

Entering South Carolina.

USMCRD. United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

I haven't been here since 1966.  I didn't recognize anything until we got to the base. Which makes sense, in 1966 I got there in the dark and I left in the dark!

They have a really great museum.  Since it is an "open base" anyone can come and just go to the museum. Recommend not doing it on a Thursday or Friday since those are graduation days and the base is packed by 6 a.m.  You will need picture ID for everyone in the car and registration and proof of insurance to get on to the base.

Tybee Island (by Jim)

We found this really cool old tree outside Fort Pulaski National Monument and couldn't pass up an opportunity to get some pictures!

A demonstration of musket fire at Fort Pulaski. Since we are in the South they of course are wearing grey uniforms.

An outside view of Fort Pulaski. It is really in good condition.

Tybee Island Light House. The light house and grounds are really well kept and it is just a short walk to the old coastal fortifications last used during WWII. There is a really well done museum there. Both are well worth the trip.

Beaufort, South Carolina (by Jim)

There is a huge flock of Canada Geese that live at a park here in Savannah.  Paula got several good shots of them.

This is, as Paula calls it, a "string art" bridge that crosses the Savannah River from Georgia to South Carolina.

We spotted these two restored antebellum houses on our walk around Beaufort. Another old town with some really beautifully restored homes.

Wormsloe Plantation (by Jim)

Wormsloe Historic Site is on Isle of Hope.

These pictures are of Wormsloe Plantation's entry road. The road is over 1.5 miles long and is totally covered by these beautiful old oak trees. There is virtually nothing of the original house left except a couple of walls, but they are the oldest structure in Savannah. You can't really see much, but some of the original family still live on a part of the land that was not donated as a historical site. The original house was built around 1740. Savannah was founded in 1733.

Bonaventure Cemetery

Bonaventure Cemetery is famous if for no other reason than several parts of the book, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" take place there.

The top two pictures are from Johnny Mercer's grave. He is a famous composer if you look closely at the bench you can see several of his creations.

Paula and I have visited a lot of old cemetery's but nothing like this. The statuary here is unbelievable! Not only the quality of the statuary but the sheer size. Some of these are at least 30ft tall. Be sure to click on them so you can see them full size!

Garden of Good and Evil (by Jim)

If you have read the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", this is the statue on the front of the book. She is called the "Bird Girl". She used to be in Bonaventure Cemetery but she was removed because of all the notoriety. The book is a (mostly) true story and took place in Savannah.

These are some of the old houses in downtown Savannah. The architecture is amazing.

Fancy wood work in Brunswick

We have done a lot of walking since we arrived here. Yesterday we walked almost 6 miles with perfect weather to encourage us! We have discovered a great area to walk here in Brunswick. Union Street is a residential divided street that has nice shady sidewalks. The houses are beautiful with all kinds of designs and specialty wood work. Most houses are wood, a few brick thrown in and sometimes a newer CB home. Most are really well cared for with wide shady porches and well kept yards.

Here are a few samples of wood decorative trim:

St Augustine music (by Jim)

We found this guy in St. Augustine and really enjoyed his talent. We had never seen someone really "play" water music! Turn on your speakers and enjoy!!

These chimes are at Flagler College. A nice change from just bells. Enjoy!

Fort Pierce art (by Jim)

There are quite a few sculptures around Fort Pierce. We spotted the diving man and the bird and snake at the city hall. They are both really pretty cool.

The Diving Man is at least 30 ft tall, There is what looks like an Osprey nest in the "V" of the tree. Not sure what kind of flowers they are supposed to be but they are really pretty neat looking. I think it is made from cast bronze.

Fort Pierce City Hall Art. Bird and snake.  It looks like it is made from sheets of stainless steel welded together.



Title:  Blind Date

Launch of newest rocket (by Jim)

Well, we hadn't been back in Titusville for a week yet when Paula nabbed a picture of the new SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was launched! The launch was by a private company owned by one of the founders of PayPal.