Day 145 - Beaufort, NC

We left Carolina Beach Tuesday morning heading for Beaufort, NC (pronounced Bo-fort) and had to pass through Camp LeJeune, a USMC base where Mike did advanced training after he finished basic school back in 1968.  Fortunately they weren't doing live fire exercises because it would have delayed us for hours.  The scenery along the route was really beautiful.  There was a swing bridge opening only on the hour and as we were approaching, we saw another boat waiting.  As we got closer we saw it was some nice people we had met at Harborwalk Marina in Myrtle Beach last week.  We agreed to meet up here at Beaufort and we enjoyed a great dinner with them on Tuesday night.

This is a neat little town that is quite old and very interesting to walk through.  The marina is right on the boardwalk with lots of activity.  The only issue we've had is the singer at the restaurant right outside our door.  He has been singing until midnight and it's been impossible to sleep.  Also, the neighboring island is Carrot Island and today we saw the wild horses near the shore.  We're leaving tomorrow morning heading for Oriental, NC which is only about 25 miles. 

Day 141 - Carolina Beach, N.C.

We arrived here in Carolina Beach yesterday and decided to stay over an extra day and rest up as well as ride bikes through the town.  Also, since it's Sunday, there will be more boats on the water.  This is definitely a beach community and reminded us a lot of Port Aransas, Texas.

We were on our way to this marina yesterday when Mike saw a guy on the dock waving at him.  He thought he was being friendly and waved back.  All of a sudden, he came over the radio with "this is a no wake zone!  Please slow down!".  Well, Mike immediately slowed down as he hadn't seen the sign and was getting ready to apologize via the radio when he came on again and said "trawler trash".  We were pretty shocked but it's been a joke that we're not trailer trash but trawler trash.  Oh well......

We plan to leave tomorrow and head about 50 miles north.

Day 139 - Georgetown, SC to Myrtle Beach

We left Charleston, SC on Wednesday morning heading for Georgetown and it was a rather long day.  We thought we had a muffler problem and ended up staying over 2 nights and fortunately everything ended up OK.  Georgetown is a really cute city with a historic district right by the waterfront and I rode my bike along Front Street checking out some of the little shops.  I discovered the Kudzu Bakery and got some great bread and dessert items.  Mike and I had dinner at the Rice Paddy Restaurant which was excellent.

We left this morning and after a 6/12 hour cruise arrived at a marina near Myrtle Beach ahead of a storm. It was an interesting journey today as we encountered several swing bridges which open on request and they have to stop all traffic on both sides.  Some of the scenery along the waterway was just beautiful and the closer we got the Myrtle Beach, the more activity we saw.  This is definitely a vacation town and we encountered numerous jet skis all around us.  We'll be leaving in the morning heading north.

Day 136 Charleston

Today is Tuesday, August 9th, and I returned from New York City Sunday night.  What a trip!   Sherrie and I came up with a word we used over and over again - overwhelming!  The city is a great place to visit but we were ready to leave after 5 days.  Lauren on the other hand loved each and every moment and is ready to move there.  She's actually considering attending FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) for her 4 years of college but it's a little early to make a decision like that.

Sherrie had rented a small (or should I say tiny) apartment on 14th St. which was a 3rd floor walkup and after climbing those stairs several times a day as well as all the subway stairs, we estimated that we had climbed about 1,000 steps in the 5 days.  We started to feel like regular New Yorkers.  .  I even got yelled at on the subway by a woman whose daughter I fell against while trying to sit down because the train lurched forward.  I was speechless.

While Lauren was in class, we toured the city by the on-off bus and got to see things we would have missed on foot.  The tour guide was great and gave us many tidbits of information.  We got off and toured the ground zero sight and saw the new building going up and then took the Staten Island Ferry around the Statue of Liberty and saw the beautiful New York skyline from the water.  Mike and I will be cruising through there next year.

Of course there was plenty of shopping and eating - our favorite place is Little Italy.  Once Lauren was out of class, it was off to the boutiques and sample sales she had heard about.  This grandmother was worn out! 

The day of our departure, Lauren went with a friend and her mom to the Museum of Modern Art to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit but unfortunately the line was 31/2 - 4 hours long and she wasn't able to see it.  He was a designer who committed suicide last year.  Mike just read that it was the most popular exhibit they have ever had.

Now it's back to reality and we're leaving Charleston tomorrow morning.  Our first stop will be Georgetown, SC about 65 miles north.

Day 125 - Charleston

Today is the 125th day since leaving Rockport, Texas and we're still in Charleston and will be for more than another week.  We returned here from Dallas on Sunday, July 24th and after unpacking and repacking, we rented a car and drove back to Dataw Island for their 3 day-2 night "Discover Dataw" package so we could explore the area more in depth as a possible place to retire.  We both still love it as it is such a beautiful spot as well as very friendly.  Unfortunately, this has presented itself at a very inopportune time for us so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Dallas was great as we got to spend time with our daughter Kelly, her husband Brian and our new granddog, Lucious - a miniature long haired dachsund who is precious!  They live at a high rise called AZURE on the 18th floor and even though I wouldn't like living that high up, it's pretty spectacular!

I'll be leaving Charleston again tomorrow morning for Washington, D.C. where I'm meeting my daughter Sherrie and granddaughter Lauren where we'll take the train to New York City and spend 5 days.  As I mentioned before, Lauren will be attending the Fashion Institute of Technology for a 4 day workshop.  Mike is batching it and hopes to catch up on a few repair items.  After I return from New York, we'll be heading north.

Days 100-117 - Charleston, S.C.

Sundeck with Mr. Pelican in background

We left Dataw Island and are currently in the Charleston City Marina and will be there until about August 9th or 10th.  We had the opportunity to see Fort Sumter which is where the first shot of the civil war occurred.  There is so much history in this part of the country and we hope to see more of it before leaving.

We left Charleston on July 8th for San Antonio as Mike had several business meetings and we scheduled all of our doctor and dentist appointments as well as hosting a dinner for all of our original wedding party.  We've been doing this every five years for the last 20 years and most are still around.  Unfortunately one of our good friends passed away this year.  It will be very interesting to see who is still here in 5 years which will be our 50th anniversary!

We left San Antonio yesterday, July 20th and flew to Dallas to visit our youngest daughter Kelly for several days and then it's back to Charleston.  I plan to fly to Washington, D.C. on the 30th to join my oldest daughter Sherrie and granddaughter Lauren on a trip to New York City.  Lauren is going to attend a 5 day workshop at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Sherrie and I will enjoy shopping and seeing the sights.

Finally after all of that, we plan to head north.  Stay tuned for details.  I've been told that I haven't been adding to the blog enough so I'll try to remedy that situation.

Days 94-99 Beaufort, S.C. to Charleston

                 HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO EVERYONE!

We ended up staying in Beaufort until Friday because of boat repairs but were able to get out and tour the city which is very picturesque as well as historic.  As I said before, we had lived there about 40 years ago and drove by the house where we lived and not much has changed.  We also did some bike riding and while trying to cross a busy road, I started to fall and came down hard on my left foot which did some damage to my knee.  This knee has been an ongoing problem for quite a while and I ended up going to the ER and fortunately only had contusions and lots of arthritis.  We're going back to San Antonio on July 8th for some business meetings and a dinner which we're hosting for our original wedding party and I will see an orthopedic doctor then.

We left Beaufort on Saturday morning and went over to Dataw Island which was a short cruise of about 2 hours.  Mike had arranged for us to have a tour of the island and the facilities as he's read much about it as a retirement place.  We fell in love with it as well as one of the homes we saw.  It's a little too early to make a decision like that but it's something to think about.

We spent the night at Dataw and left early Sunday morning for Charleston arriving about 2:00 and were both exhausted from the heat.  Today we spent cleaning the boat and plan to watch the fireworks tonight as they're going to be seen from Ft. Sumter as well as the Citadel.  Tomorrow and Wednesday we'll go sightseeing and then start getting ready to go to San Antonio.