Edisto Getaway

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! This past weekend my husband and I got out of town in the camper for the hubs 54th birthday. We stuck close to home this trip since he had surgery 3 weeks ago and doesn't quiet have all his strength back. So we went to one of our favorite places, Edisto Beach.  We are truly blessed to live so close to not one but two of the most beautiful beaches on the East Coast.

 As much as I love the warm weather, I am definitely ready for it to cool down. It was almost 90 degrees on Friday and Saturday! Hardly Fall weather, but we were lucky it was such a nice weekend.

Saturday we took a 4 mile bike ride on a nature trail inside the state park. 

The photos aren't the best quality ,as I took them with the phone. My husband didn't want be to put the Nikon in the basket of my beach cruiser.....  jeez.. why not? :)

                                   The salt marsh in the early morning, we were riding over a little bridge.

                                         This is a large Oak Tree. The roots were salt water soaked and gives the                                                   appearance of driftwood.The detail in the wood was so pretty.

                                  The part of the trail we took was on an ancient shell mound, this mound of   
                                  Oyster shells  was  about 15 feet high.

                                                This is Store Creek along the nature trail path.

                              After a two hour ride and picture taking we went and grabbed some lunch.

              The other side of the Pavilion is a bar where this rather large crustacean was standing!

  

Then we hit the beach for a bit it was so pretty out. We couldn't get a spot on the beach side of the Campground this trip, we had to stay down the road at The Oaks . The campground was lovely, and so was the beach!

My husband loves to cook, and when we camp he does all the cooking.This is what I him  for his birthday. This my friends is the Camp Chef Explorer! It is a steel and cast iron two burner stove. I am so lucky to have a husband that cooks, and does it so well. This stove is great ! If you camp a lot it is super to have, and  there are several different models.

         The weekends seem to go so fast.. this was a lovely way to spend it. Have a great day!




       Linda

What I'm Loving Now

 Beach Season is officially approaching Memorial Day weekend, but it has been in full swing for a while now here in South Carolina. Here are my fave things right now

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Beach Bag by Sea Bags,  Beach Hut Beach Towel, by Hermes, Cover up Net a Porter.com

 Flip Flops { gypsy love}by Reef.  Batik Swim Suit by Talbots.



Have a fabulous Thursday!

Happy Weekend

 Happy Friday everyone!  It has been a busy week around here and it is going to be a busy weekend.   On my agenda this weekend. Tonight..

Since I lost my dad and some friends to Cancer  I try to support this wonderful event every year.

             Saturday... Some down home country music with a concert by Dierks Bentley!

                                           Sunday, I will be hitting the beach!

                   I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, whatever it is you are doing!

Just Saying

Instead of standing on the shore and proving to ourselves that the ocean cannot carry us, let us venture on its waters - just to see.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Images via Pinterest

 Have a wonderful day!

Botany Bay

I hope everyone had a great weekend,I know I did. We just returned from a lovely weekend camping at Edisto Beach. While we were there we visited Botany Bay Plantation. an ocean front plantation that is now a Heritage Preserve/ Wildlife Preserve. This once private paradise, is a diamond in the rough, that has been open to the public since 2008.We can all enjoy it's beauty..

Upon entering the plantation there are gorgeous Live Oaks strewn with Spanish moss that just seem envelope you. These trees are among the most photographed and recognizable in Edisto.

There is a driving tour that gives you the history of the plantation and the relics of a few of the buildings that stood during the rise and fall of the cotton growing industry in the south. Interesting, but our main reason for going to the plantations was to see the 2 miles of undeveloped marshland and beach.

 It is a 1/2 mile walk to the beach. While we were walking we saw several coastal birds feeding.

 Upon entering the  the beach there was this sign. Before reading it, I thought aww, what a cute name for an island.... I was unaware that a Hammock Island is an island less 1,000 acres and is a bit inland from  barrier islands. South Carolina has 3500  Hammock Islands.

                                                      This is the entrance to the beach.
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 Volunteers sit  at the entrance to the beach to answer questions and to  make sure NO ONE removes anything from the beach. Ok are you ready to see it?????

The "bone yard" as it is nick named is filled with.... thousands of these...

                    and these...

and these...

                
Visitors decorate standing or fallen trees with the shells, since they can't be removed. People will also bring anything unusual that they find to a volunteer, to put on display  for others to see.

Then there is this!

 A beautiful piece of huge driftwood

 
 

The abundance of beautiful sun bleached  driftwood  was unbelievable!

  We  had to get a few shots in this!

If you get out to Botany Bay Beach  at sunrise or sunset you might be able to capture a photo like this!

Via

I hope you enjoyed this post.  If you are ever in the area of the spectacular plantation, be sure to pack a lunch, bring your camera  and a bike and spend the day. It is a magical place! For more information on the plantation go here.http://www.scwildlife.com/pubs/septoct2009/edisto.html

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a joyous holiday season. I think 2011 just flew by! It is hard to believe it is 2012! I don't know, it seems  the older I  get the faster the years seem to pass..Does anyone else feel that way? I am so looking forward to a great 2012, with the birth of our grand daughter in March, and our other son getting married in April. I have also decided my resolution is NOT to have a resolution. I  have goals I want to achieve for the new year,I particularly want to concentrate heavily  on my Sea Chic Jewelry, and becoming more fit, among other things. I don't need to make a resolution to do these things. personally, I think New Year's resolutions are silly...  but that is just me.

 We rang in the new year  at the beach with our annual camping trip with friends. The temperatures were in the low 70's during the day  and in the 50's at night. Beautiful camping weather! I found some great driftwood, but his past year was not a great year for sea shells at our beach unfortunately. Here are a few photos my husband took during the weekend. I am already looking forward to our next trip very soon to Edisto where the shelling is great. Have a fabulous Wednesday!

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Christmas Island

Australia has always been on my list of places I  want to visit. What better week to feature this glorious unpretentious  Island than this week? I never really new much about  Island until I started reading about it for this post.
Christmas Island is a dot in the Indian Ocean, located 2600km north-west of Perth, Western Australia. Even though it is an Australian Territory, its closest neighbor is Java, 360km away.

The island is mostly comprised of a national forest and there is not much in the way of commercialism.. It is  known for it's  beautiful Red Crab.This particular species, is the only species in the  world and  exists  only on Christmas Island. It is a surfers dream come true to surf the waters here, and the bone fishing is fantastic.!Bird lover?, there are bird watching tours with so many beautiful birds to see in the forest. The island offers a little bit of something for everyone. From flat bottom boat tours to  snorkeling to hiking. To learn more about the island and the culture go toChristmas Island.

This will be my last post until after the new year, so I may enjoy this time with my family and friends. Until then, I am wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and and Happy New Year!

                                                                          Red Crab

                                                                   Lily Beach

                                                                     Frigate bird

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                                                             Hibiscus cottage