April 13 and 14

April 13

We got into a traffic jam on the freeway down to Savannah with a bad semi truck roll over but finally made it to Skidaway Island State Park. Late in the afternoon we went into Savannah to do a little walking tour. The downtown was hopping with live music in the City Market area and lots of people walking around with beer and wine in plastic cups - no bottles please. Friday night in the city! We strolled along the lovely streets all laid out in blocks each with a park, statue and lovely old oaks. Before coming on my first visit I read “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” that takes place here in Savannah. John Berendt came down here in 1985 to write an account of the murder trial of the Savannah antique dealer Jim Williams who was accused of murdering his friend Danny Hansford. We walked by the lovely Mercer home where the murder took place. On a lighter note, we found the birthplace of Juliette Low along with her home as an adult. She had gone to live in England with her husband. He left her for another woman leaving her penniless. She returned to Savannah after a court battle to get a settlement. It was then, in 1912, that she founded the Girl Scouts. She had been impressed with the girl Guides in England. Being a Girl Scout I had visited these homes when I was here before. It’s big celebration time for the girls with the 100^th anniversary this year. Girl Scouts and Brownies were all over town. We walked along the waterfront before heading back to the Manor.

Mercer Home
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" 

Forsyth Fountain

Along the Savannah Waterfront

April 14

Beaufort was first on our list today. We drove back north on the dreaded Hwy 95, the scene of the big traffic jam yesterday, and got in another big slow down. I think we will try our best to avoid this road in the future! Beaufort is a picturesque port town with many pre-Revolutionary War and antebellum homes. With it’s founding date at 1711, it is the second oldest town in the state. The small charming downtown is lined with lovely shops. The waterfront park makes for a delightful walk or a nice place to just sit in a swing and enjoy the view. We walked and drove some of the streets with the beautiful old homes. I stopped to talk to a man doing a little yard work to ask if he knew which house was the Thomas Hepworth house, the oldest house in the city with a date of 1717. He was happy to say that I was there and the house was now his. Thomas was his great, great plus grandfather. The home had been out of the family for 250 years when it came up for sale. It is now his and back in the family. Cool story. The town was spared in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. During the Civil War many of the homes were used as hospitals for the Union Army. This is where the first black army regiment got its start. Suzanne and I had taken a horse drawn carriage ride through town hearing lots of history about the homes. Of course I can’t remember the details today! Many of the homes were in need of a little loving care. It must be quite a job to keep the old homes looking beautiful.

Oldest home in Beaufort dating back to 1717.

Waterfront Park in Beaufort

One of the lovely Beaufort homes.

We have been lucky so far with the car carrier in various underground parking lots.
This old oak goes clear across the road.

We drove farther out to the coast to Hunting Island State Park for a picnic. Chris and I walked up to the top of the lighthouse, all 167 steps. The lighthouse, like all the others we have seen, was set on fire by the Confederate forces as the Union Army was gaining control of the coastline. It was rebuilt right after the Civil War. This part of the coast is really subject to erosion. They built it back from the beach knowing that but they still had to move it a few years later. Luckily it had been built with that in mind and could be disassembled and reconstructed. What a job that must have been. Like the others, it took three men to man it in order to keep it lit all night. The home was a similar design as others we had seen with three family apartments. Quotes from some of the wives described it as a very lonely life. It would have been important to get along with the other two wives! This one was really remote and it was a three day trip once a month just to pick up supplies. When we walked down to the beach we could see the shore to the north eroding away. They had installed a large metal wall out into the water to slow down the erosion so people can enjoy the sandy beach and warm water. Judging from the size of the parking lot it must be packed in the summertime.

Hunting Island Lighthouse
The foundation is marked out where the 3 family home was located.

View from the top of the lighthouse. Can you see Norm?

The shore eroding away without the metal sea wall.
 I hope the wall is effective with all the storms that come this way.

The metal wall to try to keep erosion at bay is behind me.

We have seen so many scenes like this of the beautiful tidal march lands.

Christy and Norm had not been to Hilton Head so we thought it would make a good stop for dinner. I suggested driving to the southern end where the lighthouse is and find a place on the water. Hilton Head is one resort after another. Little did we know that it was the weekend of the big Sea Pines Golf Tournament. We finally found a place to park and walked down to the harbor only to find it packed with people. It was absolutely party central! My remark was, “What a kick to be here and see all this.” Christy’s comment was, “This is interesting, lets get out of here.” and Norm’s was simply, “Lets get out of here.” Music was playing, everyone had a drink and most were dressed far nicer that we were. Cute little sundresses were the choice for the evening. I was ready for a glass of wine and a little mingling with the partiers. Some of the boats were filled with party goers. Needless to say it wasn’t the dinner scene we had expected. We did have a great Italian meal away from the hub bub.

It's party time on Hilton Head with the Sea Pines Golf Tournament.