December 26, 2017 Congaree National Park/ Columbia, South Carolina

64 degrees and sunny.

Congaree National Park is the largest intact tract of old-growth bottomland forest in North America. It is characterized by giant hardwoods and towering pines and comprised one of the highest canopies in the world and some of the tallest trees in the eastern United States. Only 4% of the old growth bottom lands are left. The rest were logged, these were only saved by a group of environmentalist in the area.   We arrived at the right time, when the mosquito meter was at 1-all clear.  Looks like it goes all the way up to 6-war zone. There is a 2.4 mile boardwalk that goes over the wetlands. About 10 times a year the river floods this whole area. It was pretty low today.

Giant bald cypress with their knees sticking out  the water. 

Cedar creek runs through the middle of this. We are going to paddle the canoe trail tomorrow. Huge mushrooms on a log, The hairy root running up the tree is a poison ivy root. They say these are more poisonous than the leaves, fungus and lichen. 

Nice fall colors in places. More tree fungus, switch cane by the big truck, it is like bamboo, but not as big. The square thing is the remnants of an iron still from prohibition.And a big mushroom thing that is weeping. John told some kids that one like this was a tree brain. 

After our 7 and a half mile walk through the woods we stopped at River Rat Brewery. John having a a double IPA. Today we paddled the canoe trail on Cedar Creek in Congaree. The guide says Traveling by kayak is a great way to enjoy the primeval wilderness while floating past some of the tallest trees east of the Mississippi. It was sunny and 75. Very pleasant. John on the creek.

We had some fall colors and big trees.

John in a 'gut'- or tributary entering the creek. we got to weave our way through huge cypress trees. John took this one of me enjoying the primeval wilderness. 

After a five mile paddle we had dinner at the Twisted Spur brewing. John with his Twisted IPA. This log house was one of the first houses in Columbia. It was dismantled log by log and rebuilt in the State park we are camped in. 

Flowers my loving husband John gave me for Christmas. We went downtown to sightsee in Columbia. We stated at the State house or state capital. It was closed for Boxing day. 

The gothic style Trinity Episcopal Church was built in 1846. It is one on the few buildings that was not destroyed when Sherman came through in the Civil War. Many famous people are buried here. Many of the graves are above ground.

Busted Plug- the sculpture of the fire hydrant is supposed to look like it was hit by a big truck. It used to be a fountain, spurting water where it would have been broken, but the pumps gave out so they turned them off. Fortunately the breweries were not closed for Boxing day. We tasted at the Columbia Craft and the Conquest breweries. John with his IPA's. At the Conquest they bar was really high, so you could sit with your beer at eye level. 

December 16-21, 2017 Myrtle Beach-Loris-Columbia , South Carolina

Spent half of last night and most of today editing photos from our adventures yesterday.

I got out late in the day for a walk. Looks like the Humanists and Free thinkers adopted this beach. I found this sign warning about copperheads on the trails and in the campground. They hide in the leaves. For your safety wear closed toe shoes and use a flashlight at night. Copperheads only strike when threatened which is why it is important to not step on them. It has photos showing that if you wear closed toe shoes they strike and get the shoe, but if you wear flip flops they bite your foot. Flipflops and copperheads do not mix. . . Fortunately for us it is winter and it is too cold out for cold blooded reptiles. There were some light clouds tonight, so we got sunset colors. I love the color the sunset turns the ocean.  

Sunset looking south. Today we are parked at the Cummins shop plugged in. Tomorrow we will get maintenance done on the generator. It needs the normal stuff but it has been having trouble starting sometimes, so they will check that too. We are parked next to a garbage truck!

Across the street at Floyd's consignment are all these animals. The town of Loris is so small it is listed as one the things to see and do in town. Will have to check it out tomorrow.  I finished my basket. It is `11 x 1 3/4 inches. It has a piece of glass in the center that I made with aspens and a deer behind the aspens. 

Floyd's was a wash. The best stuff were the animals up front. Mostly used furniture, china figures and junk. But it kept me busy for awhile looking around. The people working on the bus are southern, they talk and move very slowly. We may be here for awhile. They unbolted and took the generator out of the bus. They had to use a fork lift because it is so big and heavy.  They need to work on the back and this is the only way they can get to it. Newer coaches have it in a sliding shelf so it can just be pulled out. I found this shell on the beach on the outer banks. I am going to make some kind of basket with it. 

We had clouds, but this was it for sunset. Most of the day was cloudy and in the 60's. The parts ordering system is down at the Cummins, so they can't order the part they need to fix the generator. We are here for another night. This bus pulled in today. It says Miles For Smiles and Little River Medical Center. I think it may be a mobile dental clinic, the kids on the side have toothbrushes. 

Today the parts system came up and they ordered our parts which should be in tomorrow and they can put the generator together and back into the bus. It was in the 70's and sunny. I sat in my lawn chair and worked on my new masterpiece. We are here another night. The sunset was very dazzling tonight. The shell piece so far, not sure where it is going. 

The generator is done and back in the bus. They finished late in the day and it is raining hard so we are just staying another night rather than drive in the dark in the rain.  Three days and 4 nights at Cummins. At least the parking spot with power is free. 

We are now camped at Sesquicentennial State Park in Columbia, South Carolina. It is so nice to be out of that parking lot at Cummins. High 60's and sunny. We went for a little hike around Lake.

Huge oak trees and the outlet for the lake. The CCC built the dam and the park in the 30's. 

Fall colors.

Long leaf pine needles as far as the eye can see. Last light on a red oak tree in our campsite.  

Progress on the masterpiece.  On the way here we saw the sign for the Booty Bros Boots. Fall colors. Hanging seeds and the pine needles fall from the trees in the canopy onto the understory, they look like Xmas icicles we used to hang on our xmas tree. 

December 15, 2017 Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

Had a real busy day. Cloudy, high 50's. John had to go to a dentist and get a crown glued back on. We started by having lunch at a brewery, the toured Atalaya Castle at Huntington State park, then went to the Night of 1000 candles at Brookgreen gardens.

John at the Quigley's pint and plate with his brown ale. The entry way to Atalaya Castle. It was the winter home for the Huntington's. Anne was a famous sculptor and Archer her husband a scholar. They wanted the house to look like the Moorish architecture of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast. The house has an indoor and outdoor studio for Anna, and since she liked to work from live subjects there was a horse pen, dog pen and bear pen.

Atalaya  was built in 1931 and they lived there till 1960. It was leased to the state park service, but the castle was abandoned for 40 years. It was vandalized and started to fall apart. The state stabilised it, cleaned it, locked it up and had someone there all day who watches it and charges $2 to self tour it. Very amazing place.

Part of the decorative grill work Anna designed for the house, a door in one of the courtyards, a poster of Anna and some of her sculptures. Informative sign in the Oyster Room, and John in the bear pen. The castle was built on 4 old rice plantations they bought up.  So there is a park around it. Beach and tidal wetlands. These are oyster bars in the tidal area at low tide. The baby oysters adhere to the shells in bars, an inset of baby oysters on a shell. Above are racoon tracks and tiny snails in the tidal flat. 

In front of the castle is Brookgreen gardens that Archer built to showcase some of his wife's sculptures. There are now 1,200 sculptures, not all Anna's. A memorial that Anna built for themselves, among the emergency vehicles at the 1000 candles xmas event was this beach ambulance, a camellia bush with fallen petals under it and Caution no swimming or wading Warning alligators and snakes. Some of the sculptures.

More sculptures. A griffin with a bird on it's head, Don Quixote done by Anna. She bought a starving horse from a farmer and used it as the model, it had to beheld up with a sling while she worked. She then brought the horse back to good health and pastured it. I love the folds in the fabric on this marble reclining woman. Woman reaching really conveys motion.  Icarus as he is falling from the sky after his wings melted, and a spanish dancer, called vortex. It is lit from underneath very artistically. 

Alligator Bender reflected in a big fountain with more sculptures and lights behind it. We got there early and toured the whole garden, then we toured it again at twilight, had dinner (rice and grit, soup and hush puppies) and then walked around it numerous times in the dark. The Muses at twilight and after dark. 

In the Sculpture Court the pool has poinsettias and cranberries on the surface of the water. A sculpture of a man fighting a lion in front of light at twilight. Women in waders lighting the candles around Pegasus and a lettuce border on a pool with floating candles in it.

Japanese lanterns in the palmetto garden, volunteers lighting a candle Christmas tree, a tree with big white flowers and blue lights, A massive sundial in front of an enormous 60 feet tall Christmas tree. John behind a red maple tree with blue lights on it at twilight.

Lights. The middle is a miniature animated fairground decorated and lit up for Christmas in the model train exhibit. A lit oak limb over a pond with floating candles. 

 Lights draped over the limbs of massive oak trees with spanish moss hanging. A sculpture of a woman lit up with red lights, a sculpture of a small boy riding a fish in a fountain with reflected lights. Lights draping the oak grove reflected in a pond with candles in it.

 Another oak with lights on it's trunk and limbs reflected in a pond with candles in it and luminaries around it. The oak grove was amazing- a huge sea of lights. It is a popular place to propose I guess. There were three proposals we know of, we witnessed one from the edge of the crowd. 

Inside was a glass exhibit. Rondels on a green wall ,a garden lit up lights and glass balls in a row boat. Similar to a Chihuly but not him.