Oh, I am in Dixie!

                            

Keeping with the program of stopping at new anchorages we heard about Marshside Mama's restaurant (as an experience)  on Daufuskie Island and thought 'never been there, sounds good' so what the heck...that became our stop for the night.  Another Georgia Island with a lot of history. There is a ferry from Hilton Head to the north end of the Island (the "resort" end) and the Island sports three golf courses, but Mama's is on the south end and this end is not a 'resort' destination but where the 'locals'  live and hang out. There is no bridge to Daufuskie, everything comes in by boat.

Here is a short history of Daufuskie....which was next to the county day dock which is right in front of the restaurant....

                               Just a little 'flavor' of what we saw of Daufuskie when we went for
                               a short walk before dinner.
                            


Here we go with our dining "experience"......

                                                                Marshside Mama's

                                              and what do we have here?    The Loo!

       The building sticking out to the right houses the 'convenience' store and the post office.
                                          Most islanders drive gold carts or ride bikes

The evening's Menu

which is passed from table to table starting with the first to sit down (that would be us)!  

Some of the "Clientele"

Actually this photo has a funny (or maybe not to some) story.  While we were waiting for the menu to materialize, a guy came in with his bulldog and went they went into the kitchen, I guess to say hi to the "cook"....anyway he came back out with the dog and shortly after 4 dogs came running out of the kitchen!!  The waitress was shaking her head and trying to shoo them back into the kitchen when a Weimeraner  came in the door with a guy and all hell broke loose.  The dogs were running around the tables and this Great Dane mix came up to us.  The cook then came to the kitchen door and said she was going to have to take the dogs home, and we were thinking "finish the menu board first"!  Yes, it was an interesting interlude.  Hilarious really but I'd say their health department rating might not be 99.  The action was so fast this was the only picture I got.  I was 'living in the moment'.

p.s.  the Weimeraner stayed and he was a little mooch!  Luckily we didn't take Bob...sometimes missing out is a good thing!

This turned out to be one of those great 'dives' we love, because when you've been there you are not only having dinner you are having an 'experience'!

I didn't mention that it was also the first 'bingo night' of the slow season, we were invited to join in but wanted to get back to the boat, we turn into pumpkins when it gets dark you know.

Then we had ANOTHER experience....dark-thirty, have to pull up the dink because we plan on Savannah and a marina tomorrow, when.....just guess!!!
                                   

                        Dink almost up when the davit ceases up, one of our nightmares realized.
                                               The cable jumped off the track and jammed.

 
                                        Thank God 'McGiver', is still channeling Gary's body

             

                     This is the tool that saved the day....a come-along or hand held winch

and this is the reason I am never again to ask "Why do we have to have that tool aboard" and "Why are you staring off into space"..... he is thinking up things that could 'go wrong' and what tool he needs to handle it!   Point taken.

The next morning we left dink in place and had an uneventful trip to Savannah.  Unfortunately our plan just didn't work and we left the next morning.  Our only exploration ended up being Bonaventure Cemetery which we could ride to on our bikes.

Here is  Bonaventure, and a few things on the waterway in Savannah.

that's a 'lotta waxing honey!

Savannah's new mansions

my all time favorite, Antebellum mansion at Isle of Hope south of Savannah

so we won't forget we are in DIXIE!



We are now anchored just north of Brunswick in the Frederica River

What A Life

My cousin, Lori, commented on my last blog "what a life"....and don't we know it.  I remind myself every single day how blessed we are in the journey we have chosen in life.  It may not always be easy, or as we were told "everyone would be doing it", there might be a bit of drama at times (of course I am referring to moi'), a lot of mutual frustration from living in such a small space, but are we better for it??   Yes, I believe so.

Case in point....this photo that I took last night as the sun did it's daily farewell.  Not doctored or anything (like I'd know how to do that anyway....photo shop....wouldn't know where to begin).... Just a perfect photo of an extraordinary part of our everyday life.  I think I should get a recording of 'Taps' so I can play it at sunset.  It brought tears to my eyes when the boater played his trumpet in Marathon at sunset.  One of those 'aaahh' moments of life.

Lordy....what's this?  The pack is starting to catch up with us.  All those cruisers heading south.  It will be interesting to see how many boats we end up with on October 31st anchored at Cumberland Island.  We have been in this Bull Creek anchorage just north of Savannah three times and this is the first time we haven't been alone! We know from Elaine and Lawrence on Elle and I that there is quite a large fleet on its way south, north of us.  We are in the first wave, I think, because November 1st seems to be the first Florida entry date with the 15th and the 30th of November bringing up the rear. 

                         

Another first....we actually sat down and did some planning!!  Computer, charts the whole shebang!  Of course we were only planning for tomorrow.  It seems like overkill for a day, we'll let you know if it worked.

                                      

And for my stock market tip of the month....by  Reynolds stock.  You may get rich while we go broke!!!  That's the way we roll.

The Lowcountry and the OOO's

Early morning sunrise, I thought this was going to show itself to be a beautiful. 

The way the other half lives.....Charleston Yachties

We are now in what is called "the Lowcountry" of South Carolina. Originally dependent of plantation agriculture, indigo, rice, cotton, tourism is now the big money making gun here.  It is a land of smells, salt air, pluff mud ( a unique smell which is at once pleasant and unpleasant and is totally a "low country thing" let's just say 'it grows on you' ), very friendly people and a slower southern pace.  

Coosaw, Ashepoo, Wapoo, and my favorite Toogoodoo are just a few of the creeks and rivers where you can anchor in South Carolina. I called them the OOO's.  

We are trying to kill some time so are holding to our trip plan of anchoring in different places, it has paid off.  We have seen so much more than rushing through and not exploring. 

Ashepoo Creek where we dinghied to B&B Seafood and got some fresh shrimp for $8.00 a pound. They had a small "convenience store" section and we asked if they had milk....after a few minutes she came back with "yes we do, but it's frozen"! We politely declined, but the shrimp was great!!  I made shrimp scampi with half of it and froze the rest for another 'treat'.

                                                  Late afternoon on Ashepoo Creek

                             B&B Seafood in Green Pond South Carolina. The  population  of 1200 (must                                               be inland because all we saw were a very few modest homes )

                          A happy fisherman who we watched reel in a nice sized Spot Tail
                                off the dock at B&B Seafood, he was ........Happy!!

And the very happy shrimp cleaners....they were having such a great time together laughing while doing what must be a monotonous job. They were cleaning about 500 pounds of shrimp that had come in on the boats late the night before.  So we were getting it "hot off the presses".

My favorite anchorage was Toogoodoo.  It was BEAUTIFUL....right up there with Leadenham in Maryland.  Of course it didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous fall day.  Just a little breeze, 75 degrees and a sky that was so blue it hurt your eyes!!  We saw more birds here than anywhere else this trip. A Great Blue Heron and quite a few Great White Herons, a Green Heron, and not one but THREE Bald Eagles!  The Live Oaks were dripping with Spanish Moss,

                                Beautiful creek for vegetation, the live oaks were spectacular.

                 I did some research (love the internet) on Toogoodoo Creek and what a history.  The surrounding land was settled in the 1600's because of its deep water and high land in the low country of South Carolina.  It is about 30 minutes from Charleston or 'Charles Towne' as it was originally called in the 1600's.  There were many large plantations in the lands surrounding Charleston.  We stopped at a dock and talked to a man to find out a little about the area.  This house was a plantation that once owned thousands of acres  of surrounding land.  

This is a log cabin that is over 200 years old and it is part of 'Toogoodoo Bluff' (this is the south and they name their property here) this is what I found on the internet about it:                         http://www.vrbo.com/175121 .

This wood barge was the find of the day.  I have been trying to find out about it but nothing specific comes up except the fact that this creek was part of a huge plantation and wood barges were used by plantations to move goods and people.  Wish we would have seen this before we talked to our "informant", we might have found out some of it's history.

                                                                   Eagle and nest

                                                                 Great Blue Heron

                                                         Eagle #2 after #3 flew the coop      

                                                      Monet clouds reflected in the water

 
                                Headed to our floating  home after our excellent 'creek crawl'

The end of another day on the water.  Bob & I settled in for the sunset :-)

Missed Opportunity

We are anchored tonight in Capers Inlet a few miles (an hour at least for us) from Charleston Harbor. We have anchored here before and it is a beautiful spot.  Just a hop off the ICW to the Ocean and a beautiful beach although when we leave tomorrow on a rising tide it may be a little skinny, we'll see.

My regret is I really dropped the ball this time....I decided not to take my camera.  BIG mistake.  I missed some awesome photo opportunities.  I keep hounding the Captain to remind me, I must take the camera, but obviously he can't remember any more than I can.  I thought "been there taken pictures of that" but of  we decided to go to the beach on the northern side of the inlet and it was "I wish I had my camera", about 100 times!!! My daughter, Dorian, says "enjoy the moment, forget the camera" but I think it is a missed opportunity not to record it if you can, I just love pushing that little button.

Capers Island has the only primitive beachfront camping area in the state of South Carolina.  There were 9 students from an outdoors explorers group from a university near Charlotte camping when we got there.  They had paddled a "cata-canoe", picture the "Kon Tiki",  but two canoes with a net in between to hold their supplies and a sail, up the ICW from Isle of Palms . This was primitive camping, bare bones....the outhouse was an 'out-tent'.  Didn't get into specifics on that.

One of the what was I thinking when I decided not to bring the camera!!

This will have to do....

“Bone-yard Beach”      http://nature-tours.com/capers-island

One of the most fascinating features of Capers Island is its front beach known as the “bone-yard”. Its name is due to the old tree skeletons and stumps left as a result of erosion and bleached out by the sun. Capers has been eroding an average of 15 feet per year since 1875. Visitors can stroll in and out of this sculpture garden of weathered trees which goes on for about 3 miles. Walking the front beach of Capers gives visitors a feel for what our barrier islands looked like before beachfront houses and condos arrived. Capers “bone-yard beach” is a favorite place for photographers, beach combers, or someone looking to experience a truly amazing natural creation.

It was like a movie set.  You could see how the shoreline had eroded and left tree stumps over 100 ' from the tree line in the surf. Giant trees made into works of art...not driftwood because they had not drifted, just died in the wake of the ocean. If the weather wasn't going to turn "snotty" tomorrow I would go back and take pictures.  Now I have to add on to my "bucket list", it was truly that beautiful. 

All was not lost though because I did get a nice "bounty from the sea", four perfect Whelk Shells and a piece of purple sea grass that were left on the beach by the tide.

Things we have seen in the last 3 days........


Extraordinary displays of Pampas Grass in Myrtle Beach

A painter's dream scape.....

Feral Pigs along the ICW in the Marsh

Pretty Maids All In A Row.......

 
The marsh is now changing into fall colors...instead of vivid green it is taking on a golden hue....



Late tomorrow the weather goes downhill.  The cold front marching across the US will reach us and that means wind and rain.  Our plan is to get across Charleston Harbor early and anchor in one of the many protected creeks south where we can sit it out.  BUT,  that is Plan A....and we all know how that goes :-}

I do have something to keep me busy....

I started a new basket....... thanks Colleen, you always are an inspiration and instigator!