Sept 28 - 29 2016 - Florida


Wednesday the 28th.
We left St Helena - Dataw Island SC and drove to Brandon FL.  With one stop for fuel and lunch it took 8 hrs.  We are staying at the Brandon Elks Lodge.  They have a very nice RV camping area with electric and water hookups.  

              
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We went to Whiskey Joe's to meet up with the Keane-Curcio group. 

The beautiful Curcio family!



Tom & Susan





Alysssa & Kory


The Groom & Bride:
        Justin & Meagan







It was so good to see everyone from New London!  Miss those folks so much!  Also met some of Meagan's family and friends.  Enjoyed the evening!


Love & miss you all very much!








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Thursday Sept 29

The morning was nice and sunny so we went out for our morning walk.  This was a day of leisure and relaxing.  Went to the Elks Lodge for dinner, Bingo and line dancing.

       Really tasty burgers.  

       No luck at Bingo.

      Line dancing was fun.  But the dances were         nothing like we do in CT.
     

Thursday - Sept 22 2016

(Note: this is a re-post. Previous one is missing - got deleted somehow)


The 6 of us went for our morning walk.

After the walk we drove into Beaufort. 
Had lunch at Plum's.

Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston.  Also, Beaufort has served as the backdrop for films such as Forrest Gump, The Great Santini, The Big Chill, GI Jane, Platoon. Prince of Tides and Forces of Nature – to name just a few!

We took a horse-drawn carriage ride through the historic part of the city.  Learned about Beaufort's civil war history, saw Antebellum and Victorian architecture as well as some Hollywood movie sites.

waiting to board the carriage

Cisco Kid, the horse

After the nice carriage ride, we walked through town and did some shopping - stopped for some chocolates, and the guys found a cigar shop.


Mike w/ Ellen & Peter

 

<--- Peter and Connie




Here we are on the back porch drinking and puffing!


  

  

<--- Ellen and Jimmy

Sunday Sept 25 2016

(I goofed.  Posted Tuesday's activities before Sunday & Monday.  Can't keep track of the days.  Every day is Saturday to me!)


Golf at Sanctuary Golf Course on Cat Island SC

Had a good time out on the course.  We had a 2:30 tee time; nobody out on the course!  Like playing on our own private course!
















I went on-line to make the tee time.  Guess what!!  It only cost $16.00 per player for golf and cart!!  

Disappointed not to see any gators in the water.

After golf we went out to dinner to La Nopalera Restaurant - delicious food, great margaritas and great prices.  

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Monday Sept 26 2016 - day trip to Charleston SC

Mike and I spent the day taking in the sights.  Very beautiful city.  Charleston, the South Carolina port city founded in 1670, is defined by its cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel antebellum houses, particularly in the elegant French Quarter and Battery districts. 
We took a horse-drawn carriage tour and also a cruise of the harbor.  Had lunch at the Crab House.  The blue soft-shell crab sandwich is to die for!!!  Walked through the open market place and bought some dried Okra chips.  Great time in Charleston!

                                          

  

Tuesday Sept 28 2016 - Last day in SC.  Wrappin' it up

Here's the scoop on all the fun we had at Elaine & Tim's beautiful home:

Had a great time with Peter & Connie.  Party every day at Connie's sister & husband's place (Elaine & Tim) - gorgeous vacation home in Dataw Island SC.  Gated community - House has 4 bdrms 4 baths; 2 golf courses, pool, tennis courts, gym, marina and restaurant,

Ellen (Mike's sister) and Jimmy were able to join us for a few days!  We all had a great time!!

                                                                                Bunch of wildlife all around.  Saw deer, blue herons, egrets, rabbits and gators. Mike and I walked, golfed, dined, drank.  What more can you ask for?!?!  Yes, Mike and I played 18 holes at Sanctuary GC on Cat Island.                                                                                                       The guys stopped at a cigar shop in Beaufort. --> So we all had a puff or two!                                                                                                              Spent today packing up; catching up on emails and sending out some past due Blogs before heading down to Tampa.  Justin and Meagan's wedding is this Friday the 30th!!!

"THANK YOU" TO CONNIE, PETER, ELAINE & TIM!!  WE HAD A GRAND TIME IN S.C.

Saturday Sept 24 2016

Very busy day - the 4 of us drove down to Savannah GA!  Savannah is only an hour away from the house.  Had a great time sight-seeing through the historical parts of this beautiful city.



We took the Savannah Hop-on Hop-off Trolley Tour.  This is the easiest way to get around town. You can hop-on and off at any of the 15 stops as often as you like. The stops are conveniently located close to all popular attractions, shops and restaurants.

Rode through the town's stately mansions and hanging Spanish moss.  Heard how British General James Edward Oglethorpe established Georgia's First City atop a natural bluff on the Savannah River.  Saw Davenport House, Forsyth Park, the world-famous River Street, City Market, Colonial Park Cemetery, Mercer House, Broughton Street, Andrew Low House and Juliette Gordon Low's Birthplace and saw the first Girl Scout headquarters in U.S.

Lunch at Fiddler's Crab House - food was OK, both the clam strip sandwich and fried oyster sandwich were pretty skimpy.

The Talmadge Memorial Bridge is a bridge in the United States that spans the Savannah River between downtown Savannah, Georgia, and Hutchinson Island. It carries US 17/SR.

Shops and restaurants along River Street

Cathedral of St John the Baptist

The organ in the Cathedral.  Wish we could have heard the choir and organ music.





the Alter - spacious, stunning.
Cathedral of St John the Baptist is beautiful.  The stain glass windows awesome.

Friday Sept 23 2016

This morning Jimmy & Ellen left for Florida.  So sad to see them take off.

We went on our morning walk with Peter & Connie.  After lunch we ventured out to see more of St Helena Island.  

Penn Center

Our first stop was to Penn Center.  Northern missionaries and Abolitionists LauraTowne and Ellen Murray founded Penn School in 1862 as the first school in America for former slaves. The school offered both academic and job technical training.

The center isn't an exciting place to see but the importance and history is worth learning about.

Fort Fremont

Then we went to Fort Fremont.  Located at the southwestern tip of St. Helena Island in Beaufort County, Fort Fremont was constructed in 1899 to defend Port Royal Sound.

Photo, bottom left:  Facing Port Royal Sound (to the right of this photograph), Battery Fornance was armed with two 4.7-inch cannons. The guns were mounted on an elevating platform which would raise the cannons to fire at enemy ships, then lower them behind the protection of the sand and concrete ramparts.
(Note:  don't go there!  It was Mosquito Hell.  Lynn went back to the car.  Connie made it to the top of the steps and came back to the car.  Afterwards Mike & Peter came running back to the car to escape those damn pests!)

Friday night dinner at Athenian Gardens.  Stephanos was extremely welcoming.  We enjoyed delicious Greek food: Moussaka, Pastitsio, Roast Pork Special and Gyro

Stay tuned for next post!

Tuesday - Sept 20

Went for our morning walk.  Disappointed not to see any gators this time.  We all had errands to run afterwards.  Mike went and bought a new battery for my car (I screwed up and had the key in the wrong position as we drove down to SC which drained the battery).  Peter and Connie went to the library and the dump.  I stayed home and did a load of laundry while waiting for the UPS truck to delivery my new VISA card (card was compromised, had to get new card).

After lunch Mike and I went to the driving range to hit some golf balls.  Real nice facility.  Big fans to keep you cool and to keep the bugs away!  Hope to go out for another round this weekend.

Mike's sister, Ellen and her husband Jimmy arrived about 3pm.  Now this is the real test: Will Jimmy and I be able to put up with the Manolakis witticisms for the next couple of days?
                         

out on our walk - stopped for a selfie!

Wed morning - another beautiful start in SC.  Had breakfast on the back veranda (bacon, eggs, zucchini bread, toast and coffee).  Thanks, Connie!

one of the larger gators in the area

Went out for our morning walk. Still trying to master the selfie-stick!  Saw a couple of gators!

After lunch we piled into the car to show Ellen & Jimmy Hunting Beach.  It was high tide so we couldn't walk the beach like we did the other day.  

Mike, Peter, Connie and Ellen played a game of boccie.

Ellen, Mike & Peter.  Jimmy under umbrella

Wed dinner at Dockside Restaurant.  Great food!
Oh gotta go - - they're calling me for after dinner drinks on the veranda!!  Bye.

Monday Sept 19 - 10 Mile Bike Ride and Parris Island Museum

Bike ride with Mike, Connie and Peter.  We started bike ride around the complex and then through the golf courses.  Rode by the Clubhouse, pool, tennis courts and the ruins (old plantation buildings and cemetery).  What a nice 3 mile ride.

riding on cart path thru golf course

Then somebody had a crazy idea to bike out to Oak Island ("Oh it;s not too far").  Well, after 3+ miles down the rode we find the cutoff to the island. Have to admit the ride was worth it . . .  It was a beautiful sight!

Rode the bikes out on the long pier to the marsh waters.  What a good workout.  Oh but wait - now we have to ride back!!  So our bike ride ended up to be 10+ miles long!!  We are all feeling pretty sore in the butt and legs!

The good thing is - after that long ride we still like each other and are having a blast on our retirement retreat!!

on pier on Oak Island

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Parris Island, SC - Marine Corps Recruit Depot





The Parris Island Museum is housed in the War Memorial Building.  This historic structure is a monument to Marines of the past and a source of inspiration for the future.

Learned a lot from this visit.

RV Adventure Update

Thurs Sept 15th - Moving from Bellevue Place after 32 yrs.  Will miss our O'Neill Family and our dear, dear neighbors.  Hasta la vista, baby - we will be back!

4 hrs into the trip the RV got a blowout in the right front tire.  We were in the worst possible location:  the New Jersey Turnpike! Our Angels were watching over us.  No one hurt and no damage to the RV.  A State trooper pulled up w/in 15 minutes and then a tow truck arrived.  It took some doing to get the RV hitched to the tow truck. But soon the RV was towed off the turnpike and straight to a tire shop that catered to trucks.  Got a new tire and we were back on the road in 4 hrs.

Friday Sept 16th - arrived to Dataw Island at 1pm.  Staying with Peter and Connie at the Flynn's vacation home!  What time is it?  It's 5 o'clock somewhere!!  Cheers!

Saturday, the 17th - went to Hunting Beach to see the lighthouse and beach.  Good weather, good time.

Sunday Sept 18 - went golfing at Cotton Dike Course - private course here on Dataw Island. Beautiful course.  Met and golfed with a nice couple, Bob & Barbara Alton.