Walking Back Through Time

Sheldon, South Carolina– This was another day for sightseeing, starting with the ruins of the Church of Prince William Parish, also known as Old Sheldon Church, 17 miles outside of Beaufort. It was built sometime between 1745 and 1755 and burned by British troops in 1779. Rebuilt in 1826, it was burned by Gen. Sherman during his March to the Sea in 1865. Today, the grounds are used for special ceremonies.

Old Sheldon Church.

A walking tour of Beaufort’s historic district followed, ending with a very sobering visit to the Beaufort National Cemetery. More than 18,500 veterans, their wives and children are buried there … veterans from every major U.S. war back to the Spanish-American War. The first interred there were soldiers who died at a nearby Union hospital in 1861. President Lincoln declared it a national cemetery in 1863.

Just a small portion of the National Cemetery at Beaufort. No camera image can capture the magnitude of a place like this.

Among notable graves are 19 members of the Massachusetts 54^th, the all-black regiment which spearheaded the assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston and was the focus of the movie “Glory.” Also buried there is Col. Donald Conroy, the Marine pilot who called himself “The Great Santini” and was the inspiration for the book of the same name (and later movie) written by his son Pat.

All gave some. Some gave all. Some, like this marine Captain, just gave and gave and gave.

This likely is the last posting for this trip (unless something really exciting happens). We head for home tomorrow, probably with a one-night stay at the halfway point. Can’t wait for the next road trip … whenever that is.

The shrimping fleet at the dock. St. Helena Island, SC.

Where Are the Frogs?

Hunting Island SP, Beaufort SC — That’s Byoo-fit, South Carolina. Not to be confused with Beaufort (Boh-fort), North Carolina. Nice campground. A state park on South Carolina’s Sea Islands. (In North Carolina, they’re called Outer Banks.) Wide sites. Nicely shaded. Steps from the beach. The only drawback is the sand fleas, or no-see-ums. But, not as bad as at Fort McAllister SP near Savannah last year. If you’ve ever been to the Marine Recruit Training Depot at nearby Parris Island, you know what sand fleas are: They’re the D.I.s’ personal pets and you’re not allowed to swat at them, lest you injure or kill them. And, you’re not allowed to scratch when they bite.

Something we’re not quite used to here: the noise level. There’s a family with two screechy pre-schoolers in a tent in the next site. It was compounded yesterday when the Dad freaked out a bit. Seems a raccoon took it upon itself to go in the rear door of their car while they were making camp. Dad shooed it out, but was unnerved by it. Luckily, the kids aren’t nocturnal. When the sun sets, they become silent. Well, you have to hand it to their parents to even attempt going tent camping with two boys that young.

The other side of that coin is the absence of night-time noise. We got very used to the frog symphony every night for the past couple of months. Here, there’s nothing. PJ said she heard a couple of raccoons squabbling sometime during the night, but that’s it. Just the sounds of silence. If there were more frogs, they’d probablly eat the sand fleas.

Took an 11-mile bicycle ride this morning to the lighthouse, fishing pier, marsh boardwalk and nature center (it was closed). Didn’t see any wildlife except a few birds. Nice ride anyway.

Spent the afternoon at Penn Center on St., Helena’s Island. It’s a 50-acre historic site dedicated to serving and preserving the history of the Gullah and Geechee cultures. They’re the West Africans who were brought here and enslaved. The Penn School was the first school for African-Americans in the South. It was started by two women — a Philadelphian and a Canadian — who were underwritten by the Quakers in 1862, a year after Union troops occupied the island.

Penn Center School.

Until 1948, it was a normal school, trade school and agricultural school as well as a social and cultural center for black island residents. In 1948, the Beaufort School system adopted its tenets and methodology and took over the vocational-technical aspects of the Penn School. At that point, the Penn Center focused more on economic, cultural and social elements. During the Civil rights Movement of the Sixties, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited and stayed at Penn Center several times because “it was one of the few places in the South where bi-racial groups could meet.”

It’s still functioning.

Church of Ease. St. Helena's Island. Built 1740. Burned down 1838.

All Creatures Great and Small

Brevard Zoo, Melbourne FL — Because we just can’t seem to get enough of animals, we spent the day at Brevard Zoo.  What a tremendous local effort.  More than 16,000 volunteers built it from spring 1992 until March 1994 when it opened.

It’s not just a zoo, but a family oriented spot.  Besides the large variety of animals, exhibited in natural habitat settings connected by boardwalks, there are a lot of educational aspects that allow kids (and adults) to pet and feed certain animals.  There’s a zip line through the zoo over animal exhibits, a treetop wood and rope suspension bridge, a tram that circles the zoo, a kiddie pool and sandy beach area, and a kayak trail through the habitats.

So, we’re sharing the experience by posting a bunch of pictures:

Everything but Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh My!

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville FL–  According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brochure, this “is a place like no other.”  It truly is.  140,000 acres of wetlands and forest that shares its boundary with the Kennedy Space Center.

A stork, collection of spoonbills and an ibis sharing a treetop.

We’re actually camped at Manatee Hammock,  across Indian River from the space center and the island.  From our campground we can see some of the rocket and shuttle maintenance buildings at Cape Canaveral.  Thanks, Jim and Deb, for telling us about this place.  It’s another county campground (in Brevard County) that’s worth the trip.

On Merritt Island, there’s a combination of walking and driving loops that get you up close and personal with a wide variety of wildlife.

Vultures waiting for something to die.

Again, according to the brochure: 350 species of birds, 31 species of mammals, 117 species of fish, 68 species of amphibians and reptiles.  They forgot to mention insects, like the bee that flew in the truck and decided to attack PJ’s arm.  She felt better about it after pulling out the stinger and finding out that it died after its act of aggession.

Manatee.

We’ll be here until Sunday and then head to South Carolina’s barrier islands.  We left Savannas Rec Area (sadly) yesterday.  We found out before we left that sometime this past week, they caught and either relocated or killed two aggressive alligators.  It really ticked off the people in the office.  The reason the gators became aggressive is that people had been feeding them …. which explains the sudden appearance of all of the “Do Not Feed the Alligators” signs.  Sometimes people are just incredibly stupid.

Wood ducks.

Bluegill.

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

South Hutchinson Island, St. Lucie Co., FL–  Not just any cowboys.  Saltwater cowboys.  Today we had a chance  to be wannabe cowboys, with an hour-long horseback ride on the beach on South Hutchinson Island.

PJ on Diamond. Bob on Beau.

It’s a concession that has rides every Saturday and Sunday for the St. Lucie County Parks and Rec Department.  And it’s something that’s been on PJ’s ”bucket list.”  Guess that leaves only 4,536,000 things left.  Maybe more.  She doesn’t really have a list.  She just makes things up as we go along.

People with better bodies and horses than ours.

PJ giving her tortoise friend a backscratch. Notice the dreamy-eyed look on its face.

 

Beach replenishment on South Hutchinson Island. Nothing stops the kiteboarders.

Talking Points

Savannas Rec Area, Fort Pierce — PJ hit a milestone in her tortoise talks. She coaxed him (her? it?) far enough out of the burrow to actually stroke its shell.  There are no pictures.  She was by herself and said it was difficult to get a photo while petting “Buddy.”

She started by inching closer and closer to the burrow; then, moving her hand slowly in the sand in front of the opening.  Then, she got a piece of grass and held it out.  The tortoise came out and sniffed at it, but didn’t eat.  But did let her touch it until it tired of the attention and turned sideways … it’s usual pose when its had enough.  She said it was close enough that she could hear it breathing:  a deep, slow, snuffling sound. Maybe she can do it again when Bob’s around to hold the camera.

PJ had another conversation, but on a more serious note.  She stopped and had a long talk with Ray.  He’s been here every day since we arrived.  He pulls up in a late ‘90s Camry and spends the entire day in one of the little covered patios along the canal, takes his large black cat out of its cage and puts it on a leash.  Ray  always has food, probably fast food, and has a couple of meals while staring silently at the water and the wildlife.  His car is piled full of personal possessions.

Around dusk … before the gate to the county park closes for the evening … he leaves.  He told PJ he usually goes to the Walmart parking lot, where he said a lot of others like him gather each night.

According to Ray, he’s been living in his car for three years.  He said he’d worked for RCA in Texas and then in a space-related industry in Florida before getting laid off.  He collects Social Security but can’t afford the rent around here.  He told PJ he’s thinking of going back to the Titusville area, where rent is less expensive.  He also said he has a daughter and a couple of grandkids in Boca Raton  who he does visit occasionally.  PJ said he doesn’t appear deranged or depressed, but seems to enjoy just having someone to talk with.

Another sign of the times:  We went into Fort Pierce this morning for the weekly farmers market and craft fair.  There was a knot people, with one woman holding a hand-lettered sign taller than she that excoriated Corporate America.  According to the sign, they represented Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Fort Pierce and Occupy Vero Beach.  No one seemed to pay any attention to them.  We … and apparently many other people, as well … have a hard time figuring out exactly what the Occupy movement is really all about, or what it wants.

Age of Aquarius

Jupiter FL– Since the planet Jupiter has been very visible in the night sky lately, we decided to take a ride south to the town of Jupiter.  We were going to go to the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, but a heavy downpour and the fact that we had trouble finding it convinced us to get some lunch while waiting out the storm, because eating is what we do best.

Jupiter Lighthouse

When the storm passed, it was too late to visit the sanctuary but we did have enough time to go to Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.  The 108-foot red and black tower sits on a 48-foot Native American shell mound.  Lit for the first time in 1860, the light remains a functioning beacon.  We’ll have to save the wildlife sanctuary for another time.

Jupiter Inlet.

On the way home, we decided to ride along Jupiter Island to see how the “other half” lives.  They live pretty well.  Gated compound after gated compound, most with separate “service entrances” for deliveries and the hired help.  Yeah, but are they happy?

One of Jupiter's numerous drawbridges, which always seem to be open.

Before our jaunt, we rode the bicycles around the campground a couple of times and PJ stopped to talk with her personal tortoise.  This time she nearly crawled in the burrow with the tortoise.

PJ being sucked in.

It was enough to coax the critter out to the entrance.

In the war of will, PJ wins and "Buddy" comes way out .... this time anyway.

PJ says she thinks she’s being played.  She’s been spending her time trying to coax the tortoise out, but thinks the tortoise has been spending the same time trying to coax PJ in.