Making Time

We've been out of internet range so we haven't posted in a while.

We walked to a grocery story in Beaufort on a Sunday morning and left there around 2 p.m., immediately going under a notoriously cantankerous swinging bridge.

 

 

We motored long way, along the way seeing this shrimp boat coming in.   

We planned to go out the North Edisto River inlet to the Atlantic the next day to sail the 21 miles up to Charleston.    It was past dark when we arrived at an anchorage handy to the mouth of the river.   We had some exciting time, using our chart plotter to take us over the mouth of the small river where we anchored and then to anchor in the complete dark, successfully!

We did get out on the ocean, and we did sail, sometimes as fast as 7.8 knots (motoring we often go slower, according to whether the currents are with us our not.)   Neither of us got sea sick, but neither of us wanted anything to eat, but cold bagels and iced tea.   The winds started out mildly, but by the time we arrived at the Charleston entrance, they were up to 18, a little higher than we're comfortable with out there, with the waves swelling around us.   We had a hard time taking down the sails and hav vowed not to sail outside 'til we get more practice on inland waters.

We were happy to see this big red buoy with a loud bell, telling us we were on the way in.   It's a major shipping channel so we had to steer clear of any bigger boats, such as those below.

We didn't stop in Charleston because we'd driven down the week before and seen a bit of it and because we are anxious to get farther north, both to find a stopping place for a while and maybe cooler air (or a dock with AC for a while.)

As we headed up the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) again, people behind us were just floating along behind a boat.

After finding a simple quiet anchorage for the night, we left early so we could stop at Capers Island Natural Center for an  hour or two.  We needed the walking break and we needed to kill a little time so we could arrive at a very shallow part of the ICW at high tide that afternoon.   We anchored and dinghied over to a dock to walk the nature trail over to the beach.  Along the way, we think we saw at least one alligator, but he didn't pay much attention to us.

 

Tom made us some snacks because we expected to get in late.

 

 

We did get over the treacherous part, with no mishap and anchored again, 12 miles south of Georgetown.

Along the way, we saw hardly any evidence of humans on land or on the waterway.   It is very unspoiled for a long stretch through here.

 

We swam in the lovely cool water.   We were so far away from the ocean at that point that the water didn't taste salty - it was mostly fresh.  (It's been hot and humid.  Without out our little DC fans we would not be cool enough to sleep at night.) 

When I discovered how peaceful and cool it felt to sit on the front deck of the boat, we decided to have dinner out there.  It was wonderful.  See the sunset.

Today, we traveled the 12 miles in to Georgetown, stopped at a marina for fuel, water and to dump waste.  Then we walked up and down the main street, looking at restaurants, finally selecting a "Georgetown Bistro" where we got beautiful salads with fresh local ingredients topped with a meat and then split a desert.    The place inspired us to start keeping salad ingredients and meats on board so we could have a "composed" salad of the day for dinner.  (We're having such trouble thinking of something good to eat from the few ingredients we keep on the boat. And we sure don't feel like cooking much when it's warm.)

Anyway, back to Georgetown.   A very fun little town, not too touristy, but full of people and bustling.   We'd like to spend more time there another time.

To land or sea?

Yesterday, we were going very slow on the boat, and commenting how nice it was to not have to be anywhere, just hang out.

Then about 11 a.m. an official-looking boat came up to us and handed us a white flyer and told us that we either had to leave the boat and dingy to shore or move the boat to a different location and stay on it, by 1 p.m.     Our boat was in the direct path of the airshow pilots for that afternoon and they didn't want any humans below them in case they went down, sort of thing.

Out past us behind an imaginary line, boats and boats were anchoring up, but only a few of them were sailboats, so we opted to load our  beach chairs, some refreshments and binoculars and go into the town park to find a shady spot to watch the show.  

 

 

 

Before the show, we walked through a shrimp boat on display.    You can see the boats are made basically for keeping the people alive while catching and bringing back the shrimp.

Later in the day, we walked around town and saw that many people had come to sit under lovely large live-oaks  that lined the street along the residential area beside the water.    We paused under a couple of them to look back out at the water.

Today, the plan is to get groceries and get back on the boat and maybe start a ways north to anchor out tonight.    We hope to sail "out" (in the Atlantic) the 20 miles north to Charleston, a good little test run for us tomorrow or the next day - whenever we get to the Edisto River inlet where we can safely go out.

A new beautiful spot to explore

After anchoring overnight at Skull Creek (no, not the one in Fayetteville), we had an easy morning ride north to Beaufort (BEW Ferd), South Carolina.   We chose a spot among the boats near the downtown park and ramp.   

 

Above is the view from our boat over to land.



 

And these are views back from the city waterfront park and marina back toward the boats.  Very pretty.  

 

Beauford is a town of about 12,000 that dates back to the 1500's.   When plantation owners made lots of money from rice, cotton and indigo, they built very big homes in town where the breezes from the water are so much cooler than farther inland.   Most of the homes are right here, right now, and very impressive.

 

 

 

Tom took a picture of me in the waterfront park and was kind enough to tell me I looked "fine" in it. 

 

 

 

We came back to the boat from that original exploration where we walked and looked and ate frozen yoghurt ( a recently acquired habit).   Then we dinghyed back to the boat and swam.  The current is strong so I practiced swimming while not moving at all, secured in the floating ring tied to the boat.

 

Around 8 p.m. we went back into town where we attended a "river dance," where the music was not really danceable.    Very fun to sit in one of the several porch swings overlooking the river and watch the people go by.  

 

Today they say they are closing the river for an airshow and tomorrow a boat parade (Oh, I forgot earlier to say that these events are the finale for a two-week water festival that we just happened on to.)

 

We may stay another day or two, then head on north.    Tom is saying he'd like to find a place, maybe Oriental, North Carolina, where we can dock for a few weeks and be part of a place.  

 

 

 

 

Back to the boat and about to leave Savannah

 

When I left Arkansas, my brother Phil had been moved to a different hospital where the doctors specialize in his type of cancer.   They assured him they can help feel and get better and walk again.   That was much a much better prognosis than we'd heard before.  I spent a few days in Fayetteville but had a wisdom tooth pulled so I didn't get to see anyone much except my brother and his wife - I didn't feel like it. 

 

On Thursday, a week after I'd left, I came back to Savannah and to Tom and the boat.     Tom had rented a car and we decided to keep it for the week.   On Sunday, we drove on up to Charleston.   The picture above is of a street we walked as we drove toward the waterfront.

 

 

We walked along the waterfront.   There the water is wide and deep, deep enough for sailboat races on a Sunday.

 

 

After lunch at a "bistro," we started walking back to our car.   It started raining so we took refuge up on the wide front porch of a very grand Customs House.   Across from us was cruise line ship.  

 

 

Many of the building in Charleston are very old.  Some are not restored at all and make you feel really like you are back in time when all buildings really looked this way.

 

 

 

While we were gone, we had some cushions made to replace the old saggy ones on the boat.   Here they are.     And that is the bouquet Tom brought to me when he met me at the airport - the first he's given me.    We discovered we missed each other - we weren't quite sure we would when we parted.   But we seem to be happy now that we're back with each other and have someone to rattle on to about whatever we feel like talking about.

 

 

The boat yard finally installed our new rudder

and has now completed all the other things we wanted them to do.   We have the new upholstery and the repaired dinghy motor will be delivered tomorrow.   It's time we headed on up the waterway.

We've been here about 6 weeks.   We will probably leave tomorrow or the Thursday.  I almost am hesitant to leave, feeling like a little bird being pushed out of its nest to make it on its own.    Now we have to start studying charts and tides again so we can keep ourselves out of harm's way.     I do look forward to anchoring out in a natural place again.   We'll keep  you posted on how that goes. . .

At home

 

I'm staying in my van, plugged in behind my brother, Stuart's house.   Since I might have been here a while I wanted to let us both have our spaces and get together when we wanted to.  Each morning I walk through our farm (each of four of us owns part of this).    Whenever I come here, I feel so at peace - you can see why.

 

 

 

 

 

This is my spot behind Stuart and Beth's house.   They loaned my their older Prius to drive while here.   I am so used to hot steamy weather that it feels delightful here.   I use the A/C a little in the day, but don't need it at night to sleep.  Been using my van's "attic" fan.

My family's farm is in north central Arkansas, 60 miles north of Little Rock.   It's on rolling hills.  Some say it is in the foothills of the Ozarks.   We raised cattle here until about 1990.  Now it just sits and everyone in the family kinda treats it like a big park to walk through, four-wheel through, motorcycle through and hayride through.

I was able to make some of the pictures bigger, but couldn't get the rest of them to do it.  You can double-click to make bigger, I think.

Each of us manages (or doesn't, like me) our land differently.   Stuart keeps his bushhogged, but does it later in the year to allow the quail to hatch and grow.   You can hear them and bluebirds everywhere.

Nothing has been done to my land for years.  It's just growing up wild.   Guess that's okay because now it will support a variety of animals and plants that couldn't make it in managed land.

 

 

Phil has been working with the Forest Service and Extension Service to plant a variety of trees selected to provide food to wildlife.  He has just entered a program that will get rid of non-native grasses and plant native, long-rooted ones that will make it through drought. 

 

 

John, like me, doesn't manage his much (being an absentee owner like me).   He does allow someone to come make hay each year so his land looks more finished than many of ours.

 

On John's land is the old barn that my father designed and submitted an idea to a magazine for his great idea on how to unload and store hay.

 

 

 

Phil's house is on the south end of our property.   See what a lovely spot he has created for him and his wife Sue?

 

 

I visited my brother Phil on Friday and Stuart, Beth and I are going back again today.  He has been moved to a University of Arkansas Medical System facility.  Apparently they have "the best" treatment center in the south for Phil's type of cancer.    I'll learn more today and decide whether to stay here 'til the 27th or to go home to the boat earlier.

 

 

 

Yesterday, there wasn't much to do so I went to the nearest park on our nearby Corp of Engineer's lake, Greers Ferry, Cove Creek.  It was fun to take a nap, swim, do crossword puzzles - just drop out.