Days 35-38 - Bluffton, SC

Visiting Roger & Wendy - 2/21/2015 - 2/24/2015

Friday morning, my last day on Jekyll Island, GA, I woke up and saw the temperature was at 25° and immediately knew.....there would be no water.  Sure enough.  Because the outside water hose froze, I had to turn on my water pump and draw from the fresh water tank which did not freeze.  The veteran campers, of course, knowing there would be a freeze, kept their tap running with a trickle all night and with the grey water valve open, the cold presented no problems for them.  My fresh water tank, at full capacity, holds 31 gallons.  I'm 1/3 full, so there's about 10 gallons left which will be mainly used for flushing.  Washing dishes and me can wait.  I purposely keep the water level low for fuel efficiency.  You may remember from your physics days that a gallon of water weighs 8½ pounds, so carrying an extra 260+ pounds isn't really needed when everywhere I travel provides fresh water.  But....in emergencies (?) like frozen water lines, it comes in handy.  I will replenish that supply before I leave, thus contradicting what I just wrote.  My next concern was the expanding water against pipes and tanks.  As it turned out, the freeze was not a prolonged one.  It rose to 31° by 10 a.m. and water flowed at 11:45 a.m. so I lucked out on that score.

I could not leave Jekyll Island Saturday morning without a stop along the main road to capture the beautiful shoreline that certainly looks like all the shorelines of our beautiful Atlantic seasboard.  I hope to have a campsite view like this in either Myrtle or Virginia Beach in the coming days, assuming the snow has melted.  We shall see.

The 2 hour drive from Jekyll Island, GA was a good one. Normal flow of traffic with one stop for fuel and I arrived to meet Roger and Wendy in just under two hours.  I followed them to the location where Winnie would sit parked in a designated area while I enjoyed the comforts of home for the next two days.  The Okatie Creek Golf Club's clubhouse was located nearby and we had a most delicious lunch.  As usual, R&A are the best host and hostess at making their guests feel at home.  As in the past, I always made it a point to stop and visit on my way down or back from my month-long stay in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.  Between our mutual friends, our retirement, our teaching days together in Blue Mountain Middle School, the adventures, progress, and pride that we have in our children and grandchildren, we have plenty of topics to talk about as we catch up and brag.

Wendy & Roger

Three cheese stuffed mushrooms
and beer battered coconut shrimp.
In addition, not shown, was a hot
cup of potato soup with
bits of bacon.

Sunday's lunch was Jameson's Charhouse at the Hidden Cypress Golf Club's clubhouse.  Afterwards, R&W left for Hilton Head Island for the show, "The Ring of Fire," the story of Johnny Cash.  Tickets were purchased well before my arrival.

Relaxing in the serene tranquility
of a most natural setting.

That gave me the entire afternoon to lounge on their screened in porch and wallow in the wonders of nature that abound right in their backyard.   I observed wading shore birds including herons, egrets and a stork.  Flitting around in the trees or skimming over the mirror-like lagoon were Kingfishers, crows, cardinals  and a couple of song birds. Unfortunately, I could only capture photos of those shown below.

A Snowy Egret

...reached our side of the shore to
continue feeding and displaying
a not so pretty face.

Across the lagoon, a Wood Stork
waded the perimeter and
eventually...

Spooked, the stork said good-bye......

.....as did the egret

After 35 days living in Winnie, it was nice
to sit down to a home-cooked meal and the
usual elegant setting so typical of Wendy.

Spinach salad with pear, crumbled goat
cheese, and crushed walnuts.

Baked chicken Florentine with spinach and
sauteed spinach in garlic and olive oil.

Tiramisu with a scoop (or two) of
vanilla ice cream for dessert....a perfect ending
to a delicious meal.  Thank you.

Although I've never had a bad night's sleep

in Winnie's queen sized bed, I have to admit, 

it was a real treat sleeping in a real bed.

And so, as Day 36 ends, I look forward to the next.  There's a couple of days of rain in the forecast but it doesn't matter when there are so many other things to look forward to. As you know, all you need is good wine, good food, and good friends to make any day or situation so much better.  I've always been fortunate to have all three.