Hunting Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina

Last week we headed south so this week we headed north to South Carolina. I woke Don at the wee hour of 5 a.m. and we were out of the house by 5:30 and headed to Hunting Island, South Carolina. There is a historic lighthouse there and it is celebrating 150 years this year! I love to photograph wildlife and scenery. Lately I have a thing for lighthouse and it gave me an excuse to go for a nice long ride. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, not so hot temperatures and a clear blue sky. Just as the sun was coming up we were just south of the Broad River bridge when I noticed a group of Wood storks, I made one of my signature U-turns and went back to photograph them.

Then we continued onto Hunting Island State park. There is a $4.00 fee per person to enter the park. But in my opinion it is worth every penny. All the roads going through the park are one way and are canopied with oaks, palms and pines. It is picturesque as the roads wind throughout the park. We went straight to the lighthouse. As I said this lighthouse is celebrating a 150 years in October. It stands 132ft high and has 167 steps going up. Trust on this I know. There is a $2.00 fee for climbing the lighthouse. (Now I have to pay for exercise), (just kidding), it was well worth it. Don's idea of climbing the lighthouse, I think it was his way of getting even for waking him up at 5:00 am. Anyway the view is amazing from the top and the cool breezes were will worth it. Here is a shot of the lighthouse and Don at the top of it. There is a lot of history here and I'm not going to give a history lesson, because I will probably misquote something and I don't want to do that.

After climbing back down the lighthouse we headed out to beach, which is less than 400 ft from the lighthouse. The lighthouse has been moved in the past and I think this will be in its future eventually also. South Carolina has the same beach erosion problems as my beloved Jekyll Island, but I think South Carolina is eroding faster, they have much more wave action than we do. Here is a shot of the waves coming up onto beach near the trees and driftwood. The other is a black&white I took of the nesting dunes for the sea turtles. Loggerhead sea turtles also nest here.

After leaving the lighthouse portion of the park we discovered they also have a lagoon which is perfect for kayaking and fishing. You can also rent cabins at the park. There is also a wildlife viewing area where we spotted an osprey and a marsh board walk which I think you could see alot of wildlife is you hit the tide just right. I was there during high tide and didn't see too much. But, there was a greeter at the parking lot. This adorable young buck still in velvet was standing right at the entrance way. I just had to stop and take a picture. Unfortunately the moron behind me wasn't as enthused with the wildlife and kept blowing his horn. It didn't really bother me or the young buck, we both ignored him until we were through. Here is his picture.

Isn't he cute. Just down from the park there is a nature center fishing pier. There is also a usage fee for this but I am not sure how much. But it definitely seems to be a hot spot there were lots of people there.

After that I drug my hubby to Hilton Head Island, as I said I have a thing for lighthouses and I want to photograph the one at Harbour Town. After paying another $5.00 entrance fee onto Sea Pines and parking a good distance away I finally saw the lighthouse. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Just wasn't what I expected. Here is the photo I took.

And enough said on that topic. We then stopped by to say Hello to my brother in law, Russell, whom lives real close to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge, another of my favorite places. So after our visit Don said we could take a quick ride through the Refuge. It was getting late and I think everyone retired early...I saw a few Anhingas, Moorhens, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, only three gators, and this Great Egret. But it was still worth the trip.

This was a very enjoyable day! All said and done we racked up another 300 plus miles on my tired old Chevrolet Pickup and we were quite worn out ourselves by the time we got home. Hunting Island has become another one of my favorite places and is a wonderful example of The Beauty that Surrounds Us.

Florida A1A

This week has been a week of ups and downs. Beginning of the week hubby had to have surgery on his jaw and by the end of the week I was making a midnight run to the ER for a gall bladder attack. Well I am happy to report that by Saturday we were both doing much better.

On Saturday morning we decided to take a ride to Florida. I wanted to photograph the Amelia Island Lighthouse and take a leisurely drive down highway A1A. First stop was Fort Clinch State Park a $6.00 fee is required at the gate. They have a nice overlook where the lighthouse can be viewed across Egan's Creek. The park of course has the Fort which I have visited previously but not this time. I continued on down toward the beach and the incredibly long fishing pier. At this entrance you can access the beach or the pier. Please be careful on the beach not to disturb the sea turtle nests, I saw at least five nests that were marked. This area is also home to alot of different birds, be sure not to disturb the nesting and/or resting shore birds. Here are a few pictures of the pier and the lighthouse.

As we were leaving the pier I noticed this mockingbird preening himself. He was so engrossed at the task in hand he could have cared less about me.

After leaving Fort Clinch I was determined to find the Lighthouse and get a better photo. Let me tell you that was a chore. When we finally did locate the lighthouse it was posted Private Property. The Lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard and is only open for tours the first Monday and Wednesday of the month. Lucky for the grounds keeping crew was there and they were nice enough to let me in and photograph this adorable 67ft tall Lighthouse. Thank You Gentlemen, I really do appreciate it. Here is one of the photos I took.

We then got back onto A1A and headed South to Big Talbot Island. The parking fee here is $3.00. The park offers a higher bluff over the water and a short walk through the woods for beach access. The beach is picturesquely littered with fallen trees and driftwood much like my beloved Jekyll Island. Saturday was the perfect picture taking day! The sky was a brillant blue with big white puffy clouds. Here are just a few photos.

We walked down the trail and encountered a lot of these spiders, Golden Orb Weavers. and anyone who knows me knows how I feel about spiders....Not exactly my favorite creature on earth, but as long as they leave me alone...I'll leave them alone. Anyway just before accessing the beach there is another scenic overlook, it sure was a beautiful day!

After leaving Big Talbot Island and heading south again on A1A we crossed over a small area of marsh called Simpson Creek and I noticed a few Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets, sorry I didn't get a photo of the Snowy Egret, they were a little camera shy.

Then we continued on down to Little Talbot Island, there is a $5.00 entrance fee. This park offers 5 miles of beach and picnic areas. I did not go on the beach or take any photos on this day. The place was so crowded. Maybe next time. Further South just a few mile is Huguenot State Park which has an entrance fee of $3.00 and you can drive on the beach. We did not stop here either because my poor, little, tired, truck would probably get stuck in the sand and it also was very crowded maybe another day.

At this point we turned around and headed back North on A1A, when I noticed a sign for B.E.A.K.S. Wildlife Sanctuary so we turned down the dirt road and enjoy the coolness under the shady trees and took a slow ride. The actual B.E.A.K.S. (Bird Emergency and Kare Sanctuary) Facility was closed but we enjoyed the ride through the woods and encountered this Gopher Tortoise.

After that we grabbed a bite to eat and headed home. I enjoyed our short jaunt down A1A and Florida is certainly another example of the Beauty that Surrounds Us and has a lot to offer for outdoor and nature enthusiasts. But it can tally up...I think I'm going to invest in the yearly park pass.

Toombs and Appling County

Wow! I know it has been forever and a day since I posted. I will try to do better. Life gets a little crazy sometimes. This past weekend Hubby and I hopped in my truck and rode up to Toombs county. Why Toombs county you may ask...well first of all it is my husbands birth place and second of all why not. Well actually the Altamaha River runs through both counties and is full of beautiful farm country and I was looking for a place to take some photos. I was beginning to think I had forgotten how to use my camera. We headed to Grays Landing which is right next to Benton Lee's Steakhouse. The food smelled delicious. I was really surprised at how low the water was, needless to say there weren't too many boats being launched, here are a few pics.

Then I found a boat ramp off US 1 under the Lanes Bridge I believe it is called bordering Appling and Toombs County also crossing the Altamaha River, but here I found a few other surprises. Lots of Butterflies many Viceroys, Question Marks, Common Buckeyes ans Sulphurs. Here are few more pics.

While walking the road I also happened across this guy and he was nice enough to pose for me. A black snake.

Unfortunately we couldn't stay here long the HEAVY rains were quickly approaching. It just proves that every place has something to offer and we should always take notice to the Beauty that Surrounds Us.

Jazz and Arts on the Satilla

On Sunday I set up my Wildlife Personalities and Scenery Booth at the Woodbine Riverwalk for the Jazz and Arts on the Satilla Festival which was sponsored by the Woodbine Woman's Club. Here is a picture of me and one of my faithful assistant and husband, Don.

We had absolutely beautiful weather. The sky was a clear bright blue, the azaleas were in full bloom with splashes of color everywhere.

My friend Lydia Thompson was also there display her wonderful artwork. She does etching and intaglio print making. Please stop by and check out her blog at www.coastalgeorgiabirding-lydia.blogspot.com/. Here is Lydia at her booth.

In all I thing there were between 20 and 30 artists such as painters, quilters, photographers, pottery and jewelry. Sunday was a chance for local artists to set up their displays along the Riverwalk between 2pm to about 6pm. There was recorded Jazz music playing all day. But at 5pm at the Gazebo the live music started. There was quite a crowd who showed up just to listen to the music and enjoy a very relaxing evening.

The Woodbine Woman's Club has had the City of Woodbine classed as a bird sanctuary. They are also working to get Woodbine a designation on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail. They had many birdhouses put up along the Riverwalk as well as feeding stations with the help of Lydia and Wild Birds Store on Jekyll Island.

All in all I had a very nice day. It was a great chance to meet and talk to people and network with fellow artists. The ladies of Woodbine did a wonderful job of coordinating this event and were more than helpful and polite. I like to give a special Thank You to Lori for feeding my husband and checking on us.

Woodbine is located on Highway 17 in Georgia, exit 14 off Interstate 95. It is also the Home of the Annual Crawfish Festival which is held the last weekend April. The Crawfish Festival is always an opportunity to enjoy entertainment, great food and plenty of Arts and Crafts Booths. Woodbine Georgia is an example of some of the small town Beauty that Surrounds Us.

Time to take to the Water

Well, the weatherman sure was wrong today!! It turned out to be a really nice day. My wonderful Husband, Don, decided to treat me to a day on the water. He loaded up the boat and we launched at Blythe Island Regional Park. The Brown Pelicans were lazily watching us. This is also my Captain and Hubby, Don.

I have been wanting to take some photos of the Shrimp fleet in Brunswick so we headed that way. I was rewarded with some really nice pictures, these are from the City Dock and a Private Dock.

Then we cruised on down to the concrete pilings where the Cormorandts, Pelicans, Gulls, Terns and even some Grackles were hanging out. They were all kind enough to let me snap a few shots. I also took a few pics of the old ship ways from when Brunswick played a large role in the Shipbuilding Industry.

Today I was suppose to be riding out to Bird Island as a volunteer to help remove all the vegetation from the Island. But, it was cancelled at the last minute. I'm looking forward to it being rescheduled. Anyway, if you are not aware of what Bird Island is....It is basically a large sandbar/small island that was made a few years ago in St. Simon's Sound. It is mostly to benefit nesting and resting birds such as Brown Pelicans, Oystercatchers, Black Skimmers and shore birds mostly. So we decided to check it out from a distance. The important thing top remember here is to NOT disturb the birds. People are not allowed on this ground and there are several signs posted around it. But, it sure is a treat to check out with your binoculars or a zoom lens. Today there were many Brown Pelicans, White Pelicans and Cormorandts. Check them out!!

And of course since we were in the area we had to cruise along the Coast of my favorite Island, Jekyll Island. This is a picture of the Fishing Pier at Clam Creek Picnic area and the other are from Driftwood Beach. As you can see there were lots of people enjoying the Beauty of Jekyll Island today.

We finished our little excursion skimming the coast of St. Simon's Island. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph the Lighthouse from the water. As you can see the St. Simon's Fishing Pier was packed also! Lots of people taking advantage of a beautiful day and enjoying all the wonderful and beautiful things that surrounds us.

We had a nice quiet ride back to the boat ramp enjoying the sun on our faces and wind blowing through our hair. And of course the welcoming committee of lazy Pelicans was still there. I hope everyone else had a chance to slow down and enjoy Beauty that Surrounds Us. Until next time, Be Safe!!