Day 10 - Port Wentworth, GA to Durham, NC

Sunday, April 11, 2010

We are heading north on I-95. Zelda has had a transformation both of us are pleased with....she now has a British accent! We have all become closer; we are more tolerant and allow her to be who she is; after all, she is a foreigner.

As we observed last year, there are many empty billboards along the highway and we talk about the economic down turn our country is experiencing......but, just then, we spot our first "South of the Border" sign...only 180 miles to Pedro Land. Although there are plenty of indications that Pedro has seen better days, the cars keep rolling off at that exit to check out what is left.

It is a chilly morning...fresh...with the leaves further along and the topography introducing low hills. Caroly is looking at the map and spots an interesting state park, Santee State Park, on Lake Marion in South Carolina. We decide that we would like one final adventure before our trip ends. We exit I-95 at Santee and, after a short drive, we are in the park. Here we find cypress trees growing out of the lake, rivers lined with deciduous trees, many buckeye chestnut. We walk a limestone trail, stop and photograph an alligator. We lose the trail, find our way back to the car and head out again. We notice a sign that points to Historic Elloree, SC. We decide to investigate.

Elloree is a train town, and the railroad, now defunct, once ran through the middle of it. Three freight cars are parked on a side spur. The old wooden train platforms and the the concrete slabs, once platforms for silos, sit next to the tracks partially covered by grass. For a couple of hours we walk and take photos. Main Street, called Cleveland Ave, is vacant. The only buildings open are tax offices (getting close to April 15th). Antique shops, real estate agencies, a drug store, and a museum seem to be the viable businesses in this small town but they are all closed

on this Sunday afternoon. A tiny church on a side street, Refuge Temple Church, plays a recording of bell chimes, as it lets out the highly colorful dressed attendees...about 20 people.

After exploring on foot, we drive the perimeter of town, discovering a vacant, and badly vandalized, elementary school. It was kind of eerie...having the look and feel of abandonment. There was broken glass everywhere and books and some furniture littered the hallways and classroom floors. A few of the classroom blackboards still showed schedules written in chalk. The signage in front of the building touted this elementary school as the "Little University". The whole scene made us feel uneasy. We split.

We drive out of Elloree and back toward I-95, stopping at the Lonestar Barbeque & Mercantile. As we enter the premises, we find a buffet of wonderful southern cooking; fried chicken, baked chicken, rice, corn on the cob, mac & cheese, sweet iced tea, etc.. We are hungry, so we engage. A large group of Harley Davidson bikers follows us in. We find a table and Caroly positions herself to draw...Mary indulges in all kinds of local delicacies.These buildings ( a total of 4 ) are filled with authentic merchandise. Among the collection of objects we find are cowboy memorabilia, old movie posters, newspaper headlines from significant historical events (both local and national), packaged clothing, shoes, kitchen items, sports equipment, name signs, etc.. We take a few more photographs, ask more questions and get answers and some fascinating stories from locals.

On our way to the car we meet a very nice couple from New Jersey. They overhear Caroly and I discussing how we can get a photo of the two of us without a tripod. They offer to take our photo and, of course, we reciprocate. The four of us discuss the mercantile store and the buildings that comprise this unique roadside cafe and museum. We wish them a safe journey and return to the road.

Wow! For the next 3 hours we are so engaged in conversation about what we had just experienced, that we didn't notice that the fuel tank indicator was on and that needle was hovering just above empty. OMG! Mary exits I-40 in Raleigh somewhere and we try to decide which direction will be our best bet for gas. After a couple of u-turns, we spot a gas station and fill up the tank. Whew!!

We make our last stop, to pick up our kitten/cat, Opie. He has been vacationing with our friend, Sarah. After Sarah fills us in on their week together, we gather Opie and his gear and head home.
What a wonderful trip. We recognize how lucky we are to have been able to plot a course for adventure and take you along with us for the fun. Although this is our first attempt at travel blogging, you can be sure that it won't be our last. We are already planning our next adventure.

Bye for now!
Caroly and Mary


PS: At the request of a special friend who really wanted us to try to retrieve the "alien" spaceship we had encountered on day 1 of our trip, we returned to the exact spot only to find a scorched patch of earth where it had been sitting and, cut into the nearby grassy area, several crop circles depicting the pyramids of Giza and a giant bull. Whoa!
Mystery# 3 - What happened to the spaceship? Did it take off and return to space? Are the crop circles a message?

Day 9 - Indian Harbour Beach to Port Wentworth, Ga

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Today is a driving day. We say our good byes to Bea and Vicki and head north, avoiding I-95 as we follow the Old Dixie Highway, thoroughly enjoying our ride. We make stop in Palm Coast, FL for a short visit with Mary's oldest sister, Anne and her husband Dick. We eat a pizza lunch with them and share in some pleasant conversation.

We are back on the road at 2:00pm and head for St Augustine. We walk some of the back streets in St Augustine and visit a gallery where we are entertained by a lively Newark, NJ transplant, who having owned the gallery and lived in St Augustine for the last 7 years, admits that it is time for her to move on. It seems the "Pirate Paraphernalia" shop next door is having far more success selling pop guns! The artwork, mostly scenic, is by local artists. We peruse the gallery walls as the owner carefully packages a fern Caroly found on the street.


We're traveling north, again, we begin to encounter heavy traffic and soon we are crawling along. We exit I-95 and take our favorite side road, US 17. We drive into Brunswick, GA, the surrounding wetlands beautiful and seemingly pristine...the gateway a spectacular suspension bridge. We travel on US 17 for quite a stretch, the scenery revealing mobile homes or a cabin, here and there, being slowly overrun and reclaimed by the low country jungle. We stop, just past Savannah, in Port Wentworth, GA, having just enough energy to eat some local seafood and get some much needed sleep.






St Augustine, FL

Day 8 - Indian Harbour Beach

Friday, April 9, 2010

Blogging - a published written document.

We begin to share interesting aspects with one another. On our way to Sebastian Inlet, Vicki and Bea, our hosts, share their stories. Bea has known Mary for 39 years. They are more like sisters than friends..a comfortable closeness. Vicki is a gentile southerner, a native Floridian, with family originating in the Florida Panhandle area, and also Georgia. Vicki's great grandfather, in fact, was a state senator from the panhandle, Senator Land. We learn that Vicki also has an ancestor who served as a lieutenant in the Confederate Army and was stationed in North Carolina. We note how amazing it is that after years of knowing each other we learn new facts about our lives each time we spend time together.

As we arrive at Sebastian Inlet State Park, the weather is overcast and windy but the air temperature is just right. First, we are treated to flocks of pelicans, at close view, just hanging out on the inlet bank, and then, of all things, a high school surfing competition.

We crossed over to the other side of the inlet where we have a better view of the coastal waterways, mangroves.

We happen upon a fisherman cleaning his catch. We observe how the Pelicans are waiting in line for handouts (natures panhandlers). They lunge for the large scraps, all perched in an orderly lineup. When a tiny lump of guts is tossed to them, they all stand back and allow a crow to swoop in and collect that food. Then, the pelicans realign themselves. This scene repeats itself until the fisherman has finished cleaning his fish. Caroly is able to sketch the entire episode.

We walk to the other side of the island and spot a pair of dolphins playing and swimming in the lagoon. Caroly finds and sketches a mature strangler fig weaving itself around a palm tree. As a few raindrops began to fall, we finish up with our photography and sketching and visit a small museum nearby,,,The Museum of Fishing". Notable among its artifacts is a beautifully rendered mural on the back wall... of undersea fish and landscape.

After we arrive back at Bea and Vicki's, Caroly goes out to investigate the Club House. Having never really considered it, Caroly begins to experiment with the pool table accoutrement...discovering an interesting and challenging way to experience the peacefulness of a Friday afternoon. Caroly rounds up Mary, and soon a game starts. Bea and Vicky soon join the fun and before we know it, we are engaged in a full out competition. It turns out that Mary is a pool shark; sharply smacking balls away into oblivion. This only serves to motivate Caroly to play again and again; working at her geometric attempts and physical form, now and then tasting success.

As dinnertime approaches, Vicki slips out and, again, dons her chefs hat. This time she puts together a succulent seafood and spaghetti meal. We devour the meal and share a lively discussion.

As the evening winds down, Caroly continues to work more on her sketches and paintings.

Day 7 - West Palm Beach to Indian Harbour Beach

Thursday, April 8, 2010

We pack the Tribute, fill our water bottles and take some group photos with Diane and Gabrielle and say our farewells.

Mary, Gabrielle, Caroly, Diane

We embark on the next leg of our journey.

We enter the Florida Turnpike, carefully regarding the "SunPass" signs; we want to avoid our previous experience and not get on without a pass! We exit the turnpike, Zelda having contributed her expert advice most of the way.

As we arrive in Indian Harbour Beach, Bea and Vicki,our hosts, are waiting for us. Vicki, a native Floridian with stories of old Florida, and Bea, a transplant from Huntington Long Island, a friend of Mary's for 39 years. Bea also happens to be the reigning checkers champion at the "501 Cafe" in Old Melbourne.

We are whisked off to a small beach cafe called "Sun on a Beach"... fabulous food and ambiance. After lunch, Bea walks with us on the beach, dabbling our toes in the Atlantic ocean.


Mary takes time to photograph the ocean, some interesting looking rocks and an unusual blue jellyfish with fins. (Still to be identified!) Caroly sketches ocean front scenes. Dramatic clouds sail overhead. A warm wind and moist air envelops us on our excursion.















Dunes slope to the shoreline while dune grass delicately holds them in place. We return to our friends' abode, a Spanish style hacienda and find chef Vicki creating a special dinner. We talk and share news while Caroly delves into her paintings, and Mary feverishly works on the blog. Mary and Caroly toil until the wee hours of the morning on the blog and finally publish...

Day 6 - West Palm Beach

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Today, we are on our own. Our hosts are off to play in a golf tournament. We spend the morning taking care of a number of important chores…the blog, tidying the car, organizing our belongings which are now beginning to spread throughout the house. The tent rain fly, still wet from our swamp adventure, is unpacked, unrolled, and set out to dry on the patio. We decide that is time to go out and explore more.

We set off for Grassy Waters, a section of the Everglades that is now part of a park. We enter a trail head...very primitive. After about 1/4 mile, we find the trail flooded. Not having the proper gear and not wanting to be confronted by an alligator, we decide to try our luck at another trail head. This time , we find a weathered boardwalk that leads us to various environments in the park. We do encounter an alligator, but from a safe vantage point. We also spot a Snail Kite and a large brown unidentified bird.The jungle is quite primeval. Mary quietly photographs the landscape while Caroly sketches. The visual aspects of this walk include many shades of green, brown, and ochre; tea colored water, dry palm fronds, sun bleached tree trunks, verdant green undergrowth, tiny bright green needles of the cypress foliage, and the constantly changing reflective color of the water as the sun moved in and out of the clouds. There were very sharp and pointy leaf shapes, many perpendicular lines of the trunks of trees, grasses ranging from dark brown to light straw color, islands called hammocks, and the Chi Chi shelters, designed using the Seminole Indian architecture. Under one of these shelters we rested in 2 large, hardwood rocking chairs. Looking out, our eyes followed a canoe trail winding through the jungle and disappearing into the foliage. The rustling of heavy palm fronds, a delicate swooshing of pine, and a percussion of tiny animals and birds in hidden alcoves synchronize with the rhythm of our own heartbeats.

It is a primordial experience.

We head back, our friends are already at home. Caroly is enticed by the clubhouse pool and has to swim. Mary rests. At 5:15PM we all scramble to ready ourselves to join friends for dinner. Tonight Barbara and Meredith will introduce us to two new friends, Connie and Ruth. Originally from Brooklyn, they are are now active community members here in West Palm Beach. We soon learn that these two women are iconic, courageous, fearless, passionate women in full bloom. Conversation was not enough to even begin to cover the many shades of human experiences we shared.

Mary, Ruth, Connie, Caroly

The eight of us at this dinner table would inspire an artist to paint with vivid colors and bold strokes on a large canvas, many nuances of shade, angularities of shape, minute details a past a present and as we all expressed by the end of the evening, a moment in the future we could look forward to meeting again to deepen our connection.

Stories of friendship, awakenings, the juggling of responsibilities, histories, selfishness, selflessness, families and communities, love and passion, warmth, humor, caring, and political activism filled the evening. Clarity, however, was the guiding force behind each woman's amazing journey and the fuel that inspired a lifetime of commitment to the vision of an equal and just world encouraging individual self expression and choice on all fronts.

Day 5 - West Palm Beach

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Cereal, hot tea, walking around in pajamas…this morning we are recuperating. Gabrielle, however, is the first one out, she wants to remove the bug debris from our car with a “magic formula”. However, half an hour later, she is using a spatula to scoop the masses of bug remains from the bumper, wind shield and air foil. Caroly gets some footage as Gabrielle courageously digs in, still in her pajamas. Now Diane is assisting in this ominous task!

For several hours we all sit together, exchanging stories and philosophies. This is recoup time…and time to gather new energy for the day ahead and our trip to Butterfly World.

We begin with a stop at the Eggstotic Café. Here Caroly finds excellent sketching as Mary, Gabrielle and Diane sip coffee, debate points of view, laugh and share. After our charming Cuban host excuses us from our table, we head on to Coconut Creek.

We arrive at Butterfly World. Here, the sprawling compound, housing flowers of every variety, land and air, envelops us. For several hours we carefully stalk every color and shape of nature’s air born masterpieces with our cameras. Some, particularly the Lorikeets, come to perch on Mary and Caroly’s adventure vests.

We boldly forge ahead into the insect pavilion where Caroly interviews the site naturalist extensively about the nature and origins of bedbugs. Soon, a crowd has accumulated around a display case that houses 20 or so related species, some the size of small mice, most quite poisonous, dissolving the flesh they sucked from their victims. This leads to a discussion about chiggers. In all, the Insect Pavilion houses an extensive array of shapes, sizes, colors, personalities of butterflies and insects one can only get to know over many visits. A seasoned visitor from New York informs us that Butterfly World contains the most extensive collection of living butterflies in the country, perhaps the world!

Some Macaw feathers.

We drive home, relax a bit, and then the 4 of us head out to meet up with Anne, Barbara and Meredith, all seasoned world travelers and adventurers. For the next couple of hours we share stories. Travel stories entertain and amaze us…there is not enough time to hear, and ask, and share but plenty of inspiration for us to want to do it again. Arrangements are made!


What an amazing Day! A stop at Dairy Queen puts the finishing touches on a memorable day.

Day 4 - Tampa to West Palm Beach

Monday, April 5, 2010

We slept long. Mary had worked late on the blog while Caroly had managed to set out her sketchbooks, pencils, and by a magnetic pull ended up horizontal for the next 9 hours.



We got on our way, headed out to the The Florida Aquarium located at Channelside in downtown Tampa. We arrive and join hundreds of children (mostly elementary school children on field trips) and some adults as we wind our way through corridors of fish tank lined alleys. Darkened, with a distinct underwater diving theme. We studied the movement, form and personalities of multitudes of sea creatures. Caroly focused, intently, on the sea horses, sea dragons, and moray eels. Mary was impressed by the big turtles, swimming freely.Observation was key to experiencing the individual characteristics of this amazing collection of sea life.

We escaped the teaming crowds and took off for Ybor City, a bustling, cigar manufacturing district in the old part of Tampa. This very historic area flourished from the late 1800's to 1946. We had lunch at an outdoor cafe called "Gaspar's Grotto". Lunch included boiled peanuts (Cajun style), conch fritters, fresh fish and chips and delicious guacamole. Caroly made some sketches.

After lunch we explored the old city on foot, stopping to talk to a cigar maker, via a translator, finding out that cigars are held together with potato starch. We watch this craftswoman rolling her creations as she sits in the front window of her sidewalk shop as she has done for the last 25 years. We step into a large humidor to examine many different types of cigars, beautifully boxed and displayed. They smell fragrant, fresh, and enticing. The cigar parlor, itself, is beautifully decorated and appointed with antique tables and chairs, a long mahogany bar, original tin ceiling tiles, and a rich display of art work by local artists.

We drive on to Lake Wales and find our way to Bok Tower and Gardens. On our approach we find ourselves winding through orange groves...bearing fruit, some in full bloom. The fragrance is sweet and intoxicating. As we make our way through the visitor's center onto the small patio outside, we become immediately enchanted with the stone embedded walkway, ceramic ceiling tile, and surrounding architecture at the welcome center. We fortify ourselves with some pistachio gelato from the snack bar and then head out on a path that leads us through a beautifully landscaped, park like setting. We follow the path that takes us to the Carillon Tower. a soaring structure of pink and gray marble and coquina rock. Admiring the huge live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and the embellishment of beautifully crafted architectural art, we stand upon the highest point of the peninsular Florida landscape; 296 feet above sea level. Our outlook is a vista of the natural plains/landscape...Florida at its most beautiful. We quickly admit that there is indeed beauty to behold in Florida. The view is reminiscent of wine country.

We continue on, having only about 30 minutes before closing time. We want to record as much as we can about this place. We find the original dwelling of Edward Bok, a beautiful home with lovingly designed pathways, arches, woodwork, vista points and plantings. We hike back along a clay road. Caroly sees some white specks in the loose sand and collects 3 white shell fossils. Mary photographs a squirrel munching a corn cob in the parking area. On our way out of the sanctuary, Caroly can't resist the temptation of grabbing an orange from the grove as we drove through. She peels it...we eat it. A little tough but edible. Probably juice oranges, we conclude.

Bok Tower Gardens, a must see for all who doubt Florida's natural beauty.

We head south on US 27 toward Lake Okeechobee. The sun is getting low in the sky and as we reach the Clewiston area, darkness caresses us. The sound of bugs hitting the car and windshield is unsettling and we can't keep the windshield clear for more than a few moments at a time but the washer fluid is no match for these, glue filled, bugs. Occasionally, large gelatinous masses spread upward with the turbulence of the oncoming wind. For stretches it becomes quiet, with less frequent bug storms. We remember that Florida has been described as one big swamp.

At 9:13pm, as Zelda had promised, we arrive in West Palm Beach at the home of our friends, Gabrielle and Diane. Gabrielle, bright, humorous, gregarious and sweet, and Diane, golf champion, photographer, and team lead. Hellos and hugs, then everyone carries luggage into the house. After some delicious scrambled eggs and tea, we settle in for the night.

Day 3 - Old Town to Tampa

Sunday, April 4, 2010

We pack..head out, and scrounge more biscuits, milk, hot water, and coffee. We follow a nice road...low drooping oaks with spanish moss...more cattle....more pine...very flat...eventually, sandy road side and then we begin to see water. Soon many shell encrusted small islands, and palms, boats, for rent signs.

We cross the narrow peninsula and arrive on the Cedar Key waterfront dock. We park the car and wander around, watching, more than tame pelicans socialize on the dock. Mary is amazed to be able to approach these beautiful waterbirds and photograph them at her leisure. Local lore tells of a man they called "Pelican Man", who befriended these wild birds and tended to injured and sick birds brought to him by the pelicans themselves. He has passed on now but the birds still wait for him.

We walk the back streets of Cedar Key, very reminiscent of Key West about 40 years ago. Caroly sketches, Mary takes photos. The weather is perfect. The water in the Gulf is tea brown..the sky a milky blue. The architecture is truly "Old Florida" with house colors like whitewashed blue, orange, green, and lime. Taking in as much as we are able, we return to the car and head back to the mainland, and turn south on US 19 toward Homasassa Springs.

Arriving at the Ellie Shreiber Homasassa Springs State Park, we soon find ourselves seated on a pontoon boat along with about 50 other people of all ages. We are slowly ferried along a jungle enveloped waterway. Our guide points out a pair of Osprey who had recently returned to the park to set up housekeeping. Everyone does their best to get a photograph for their scrapbook.
We disembark and walk a path that leads us through various, cleverly enclosed, outdoor arrival enclosures. Our first treat is to see a crystal clear, large spring area where we can view limestone that drops off into an abyss.

We find a viewing area below ground and get a closeup look at some great fish and marine life. We walk the park and observe manatees being fed where Mary takes a great closeup photo of the snout (whiskers and all) of this giant and gentle marine mammal.

As we walk on we spot motor boats, pontoons, jet skis and more beyond a fenced zone of restricted entry. The state of Florida feels that these boats and the gasoline and oil that they deposit, pose no threat to the chemistry of this crystal clear spring. The rangers assure Caroly that 50 million gallons of spring water are pumped from the aquifer each day and that this volume alone is sufficient to mitigate any pollutants as the water moves out into the Gulf. We ponder this rationalization. Mary doesn't buy it.

We walk back to the park entrance, separate from the yelling, screaming, easter celebrating flocks of families we have been weaving through for the past several hours. On the trail we spot Pileated Woodpeckers..wild...free, chasing each other.

We set off for Tampa, Mary's camera filled with shots of panther, bobcat, bear, birds, fish, snakes...all creatures residing here in this park.

We listen to Audubon bird tapes as we drive; we have solved one of the mysteries of the camping evening. The raucous shouting match we experienced at dusk as we set up our camp, were Barred Owls discussing territory differences. WOW...how basic is that?!

Our trip today was straight, level, monotonous, punctuated by cabbage palm clumps, mobile home clusters.... very, very long. Our conversations together kept us alert, and sometimes let our thoughts just wander. Will call this stretch "Pondering Alley". Ah, yes we are heartened to see that Zelda is contributing now and then, giving us the feeling that we were actually moving forward...getting somewhere. Somewhere was Tampa, FL, as if , a crystal city looming up from the Gulf..both modern and historic, and generally white, sandy white architecture.

Now we are paying strict attention to finding our accomodations, having to make up sleep and recharge our batteries after a long day of travel and exploration.

Day 2 - Charleston to Old Town

Saturday, April 3, 2010

We're out on the road again. Zelda is with us this morning as we head south on US 17. Caroly is contemplating her first sketch of the day,..green, sienna, blue, yellow, and, of course, the haze of the morning...a splash of wash across the horizon. Mary points out the small side roads that seem to disappear into the woods, mysteriously.

Low, modest cinder block homes framed by oaks draped with spanish moss. The road cuts through open fields from time to time and Mary envisions dinosaurs, maybe even sabre tooth tigers roaming the landscapes. I can see them too in some of the cypress swamp interludes. And then, we see some beautiful horses and an occasional long horned steer.

Mary is quick to point out a rusted out 1963 Ford Falcon pickup, half embedded in the front lawn of a quaint shack...along with other remnants and numerous objects...iron oxide encroaching every exposed surface.

We are now driving across Florida on US 10. The landscape is monotonous. Every now and then we spot activity; a cattle ranch, a hitchhiker, a vast open field, an overpass, saw palmetto undergrowth, a sign for Osceola National Forest, pine trees, skinny, tall, and close together....a seemingly endless road and finally swamp...then back to saw palmetto, an old tower, etc., etc....
The sun has broken through the haze...blue skies...windy clouds! The sky has become the most interesting feature to us.

We have turned Zelda's voice back on. We want her to guide us through Lake City onto a smaller road, something that will take us to Old Town. She speaks...we get ready to exit onto Route 441.

Now we see homes, many mobile homes. Lake City, FL...a mobile home city dotted with old cabins, hidden by spanish moss, rooms for rent signs, gas stations and fix 'em up shops. The old part of town has a ghostly feeling.

Agricultural lands. We cross the Suwanee river for the first time. Countryside, old homesteads, partially abandoned towns, signs of Easter.

On to Old Town.

We reluctantly follow a sandy road, having turned into the Suwanee River Hideaway Campground. We arrive at the office, a "quaint" frontier style shack ( a converted double wide) with antique style lettered ads painted on it sets the mood...FRONTIER FLORIDA! We request that we see the primitive campsite that we reserved. The weathered old gentleman who greeted us is happy to oblige and gives us a map and sends us off in the general direction of the bath house and....he wasn't sure after that but he said he thought we would probably find it.(OMG!) After driving around for about 15 minutes, we take take a narrow sandy path, covered with tiny oak leaves and pinpoint where we think our sight is. We return to the office and pay, park gingerly on a diagonal to the site and walk. We explore the 1/4 mile boardwalk straight through the swamp, admiring tall, mature cypresses, beeches, gums, and river birches to the banks of the Suwanee River and a small dock overlooking the broad, sultry waterway. After some additional exploration of the grounds we return to our campsite and pitch the tent (strategically, to avoid an ant colony), build a fire, set up the lantern, and warm up some soup on the tiny stove we brought.

The night brings a chorus of creatures, most of them taking backstage to the Barred Owls. Can you say LOUD? At one point during the night we believed them to be right above our tentsite. A magnificent low, rumbling and unmistakable series of exchanges...and then deft fluttering...they would move on to another spot. A reptile of some sort runs past the tent, under the rain fly, into the nearby underbrush. What was it? Fast, noisy, night loving?

The night slowly transforms to predawn bringing heavy dew, cold temperatures and a setting moon. Caroly sleeps for 3 hours...Mary on and off all night. We pack up by 8:30am and head out for Cedar Key.

Mystery Moment #1: For about 2 minutes at dusk, loud cackling, barking, whooping, cheering, bellowing...then silence. A large rowdy group and raucous outburst? Woodstorks? Cranes? It was deafening and scary.
Mystery Moment #2: We stumble across an old graveyard...brush covered mounds but no markers but a very nice, fancy gate. Whose family?









This day also found us discovering small roadside stands that sold fresh pecans and cold homemade cider. Right across the road was an architecturally interesting Piggly Wiggly store. This store was set back off the road in a hammock of oaks next to 2 old silos (more alien clues?) Here's Caroly at both sites.

You have to look closely to see Caroly next to the silo.

On to Tampa!

Take Off

Friday, April 2, 2010

Red buds line the thruway in North Carolina. The sun is warm already...it is in the high 50's.
Mary is wearing her new khaki vest, notebook carefully placed in a front pocket.

Slowly, we leave behind the daily activities of our routines...facing forward (at 75 mph), new adventures...we are filled with optimism.

We've stopped for our first coffee break and an egg biscuit. The temperature is rising as quickly as the sun. The landscape now changing to low pine forests, dotted with South of the Border billboards. White dogwood trees dot the corridor of the two lane thruway. A Mexican family is picnicking along the side of the road...their car hood up as a trooper pulls up behind them. We speculate that the many South of the Border billboards depict American views of our neighbor to the south.

A large yellow hat floats in the sky.

We cross the border.

Mary's radar vision spots GRAFFITTI...we veer off the thruway and wind our way to a grass covered road..chained off. We maneuver around an alternate entrance and find several strips of abandoned, vandalized motel buildings next to the Silver Slippers Sweepstakes outlet. We are on the border of North/South Carolina. We take our first photographs.
Caroly finds and records this image of, what appears to be, an alien spacecraft hidden in the woods nearby. We are amazed! We ponder taking it home to North Carolina where a friend is looking for something similar for his front driveway, but we realize that we don't have the right bungee cords to secure it to the top of the car.
Not too far away, Mary has found further evidence of an alien presence. Now, we are creeped out. We leave.

Winter jasmine laces itself to the trees and boughs of wisteria cascade intermittently. The nubile leaves of the red maple are vibrant red.

We are having trouble with "Zelda", (our beloved GPS system). She has become irate with us. We have exited I-95 and are taking a less travelled route, US 52, to Charleston. Her insistent, "re-calculating", "take an immediate u-turn", etc. have driven us to temporarily mute her. It is obvious that she wants us to avoid a smaller highway. After twenty miles or so, Zelda realized we were going our own way and she finally rejoined us in our navigation to Charleston.

We were astonished at the number of churches we saw as we drove down US 52....some more affluent than others and car dealers, auto shops, and here and there some boiled peanut vendors. We saw one or two grand southern homesteads, and millions of miles of telephone wire crisscrossing the landscape.


Finally in Charleston! We head immediately for Fleet Landing and a long awaited lunch. This restaurant was recommended by friends of Mary's and we were not disappointed....the best coleslaw!! We had a table on the deck outside and were able to watch dolphins swimming and playing near the pier. Outside the restaurant, Mary gets some good shots of a Black-crowned Night- Heron....just hanging out in the marshy area at low tide.

After lunch we walked the streets (quite crowded), and took in some of the historic architecture, stopping here and there to talk with vendors at the open market. It was imediately evident to us that Charleston is a place we must visit often since there is so much to see and do.

What a great first day! Filled with the sights and sounds of this historic city, (and our close call with the aliens), we take off for our Inn...to eat,sleep and blog.

Here we are checking out the pool at the Inn.

At right you see some of the local flavor of Charleston. Caroly and I call it the "DNA Exchange" !

After a good nights sleep, we're off to Florida and camping!!