A Night of Wonder and Fun

OK Gang, we wanted to share some of the other aspects of the magnificent "Night of a Thousand Candles" we experienced at Brookgreen Gardens. One of the first photos on the last post was of the entrance gate to Brookgreen Gardens and it showed the powerful statue "Fighting Stallions" by Anna Huntington with the addition of the holiday lighting.  We showed photos of that statue in our earlier posts and I think you will agree it looks totally different in this perspective.  Well ... from that point on to the parking area the roads were all festooned with lights and candles and volunteers were present at every turn to make sure we didn't get lost in the dazzling display.  After checking in at the welcome area we looked briefly at some of the "inside" exhibits - including an exact replica of Archer's study as would have looked decorated for Christmas in the early 1900's.  In another area, toy displays showed items that were popular in past Christmases -

Dr. Seusse Tree and Decorations

including a train set that was exactly like one I received when I was a child.  I added a photo of it to our post yesterday.  There were also a large number of displays that contained items put together by the folks

Orchid Christmas Tree

in the botanical gardens.  They included Christmas trees made out of an amazing variety of plants and other substances. 
Can you imagine the skill and patience it took to create a Christmas tree using exclusively orchids???  Or how about one made from Poinsettias?  By the way, you did know that Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett for whom the plant is named was from South Carolina, right??  Yep, turns out that ol' Joel was quite a gentleman.  Born in 1779 and trained as a physician he also was a remarkable

Poinsettia Tree

statesman, serving in both the South Carolina legislature and the United States Congress.  His story is absolutely incredible and if you want to read about someone who got about as much out of life as you possibly can, please take the time to read his biography.  Oh - talk about 'serendipity'... remember the other day when we

Peacock Feather Tree

talked about "Geocaching?"  Recall the pictures of the grave of General Thomas Sumter?  Well, General Sumter resided in Stateburg in the Pee Dee area of the state  - and - Dr. Poinsett is buried at the Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg, not far from the resting place of General Sumter.  Of course we automatically have to be partial to Dr. Poinsett's namesake but the other Christmas trees created from plants, feathers and foliage were equally compelling and I found that the beautiful tree made from Bromiliads was one of the most remarkable. 

Bromiliad Tree

But then there were also the countless wreaths, window treatments and wall hangings that formed a breathtaking display as well.  Although Linda is an artist with a wonderful imagination, and Sherwood has a tremendous talent for decorating and style,

Feather Wreath

the folks who put all of this together are really something special and I am so thankful that we have them here with us in the Palmetto State.  I know that each of our home locations had equally skillful artisans and I suppose this is a great reminder of the debt we owe them for enriching our lives.  Please make sure to support the artists in your area - whether they are sculptors, painters, musicians, thespians - whatever - they add so much to our lives!!!  As we moved through the exhibit we were astonished at the artistry and creativity displayed in this one relatively small location.  The trees, organic sculptures and toys created by the marvelous craftsmen and women at

Butterfly Wreath

Brookgreen were nothing short of

Horse Sculpted With Succulents

miraculous.  I mean - who would have thought to create a spectacular sculpture of a horse using succulent plants? Amazing!!!!!!  And a family of deer from grape vines?  Genius!!!  And, believe it or not, these were just a tiny sampling of the spectacular treasures we encountered at virtually every turn throughout the gardens.  But - there was still a lot more to see, do, hear - and - taste!!!  We decided that before we embarked on our longer

Grape Vine Deer Sculpture

walking tour we needed some nourishment.  (Yeah, right!!!)   So we went into the pavillion near the Arboretum and found an absolutely remarkable feast.  We found seafood of every kind, barbecue, sandwiches, salads and just about anything else your taste buds could hope for.  Linda and I opted for "shrimp and grits"  (.... for those not familiar with one of our 'Southern delicacies', we'll come back later and talk menus...) and Sherwood chose the 'pulled pork barbecue.'  With a glass of a very good Merlot to go along with them, our meal choices were excellent!!  I hope we haven't worn you out yet - but - I'm sure we probably did enough to get you hungry!!  So, we'll take a short time-out to let you get a snack and rest up a bit and then we'll come back to continue our stroll through this wonderland of light, sound and art.  Be sure not to miss the next installment because I want to introduce you to two of our newest 'best friends' and share with you a little of their spectacular musical skill.  See ya.

Night of a Thousand Candles

As you know, gang, we've written posts from beautiful Litchfield Beach on Pawley's Island during every season of the year. (And just about every month!!!)  While each season has its own unique appeal, there is something about being on the South Carolina coast during wintertime that is especially nice.  (Yeah, I know, I'm pushing things by about three weeks!!!)  Of course the temperature is a "bit" cooler than it is in July or August (although this week has had days in the mid to high seventies and even into the mid-eighties), I suppose it is a combination of the cool weather, the absence of the throngs of folks and the presence of the Christmas decorations all over the place that makes a December visit such a treat. But this time, we got to experience one of those events that really gets you into the "Christmas Spirit" - the "Night of A Thousand Candles" at Brookgreen Gardens.  Now, those of you who have been traveling with us for a while have joined us on our excursions to that extraordinary creation of Archer and Anna Huntington and you know how remarkable the sculpture, the gardens and the animals are.  If you have not been with us on those trips, please do yourself a favor and go back to look at some of those posts.  It's certainly not my descriptions that I'm plugging here - it is the photographs of the exquisite statuary that we have seen.  Well - on this visit we got to see the gardens in a completely "different light."  (Pun definitely intended.)  We will split this outing into multiple posts to try to avoid overloading you on the photos.  As we get started let me cover some statistics for you.  They are mind-boggling!!!!  The sculpture garden is rather large and we have described the acreage in the past so I won't repeat those descriptions.  There are numerous lakes and intimate garden areas with the sculptures blended into the environment in extraordinary ways.  To create the holiday celebration we saw, over the nine days the "Night of A Thousand Candles" will be conducted, 30,000 votive candles, 1,500 pillar candles and 4,500 tea-lights will be used.  Each night more than forty staff members and volunteers will light over 4,000 candles with more than 500 of them floating in the ponds, lakes and fountains.  The total number of staff members and volunteers it takes to put the event on is about 150.  In addition to the candles, there are also 500,000 mini lights and 100,000 LED lights used in the display requiring more than three and one half miles of extension cord!!  The effect is simply stunning.  It is truly like walking through a magical forest created by beings from another planet.  The combination of beautiful weather and wonderful friends made the experience incredibly moving.  As we entered the main section of the sculpture garden - marked by two sculptures of lions by Anna Huntington we realized how remarkably different everything appeared.  The picture to the right shows one of the two lions that bracket the entrance to this area and who keep a close eye on the visitors to their domain.  Their stately and regal appearance reminds us of the dignity with which this entire facility has been developed and we are humbled by the opportunity to be a part of the night.  But - actually, things just get better and better.  We will come back to talk more about the lights and sculptures but we will also share some of the entertainment we were privileged to enjoy - and - we will talk about the wonderful food available at the event.  As if that were not enough ... we will also show you some of the extraordinary Christmas trees, wreaths, toys, topiary and other decorations that were on display.  But - I've got to collect my thoughts so I can try to do justice to all the things we saw.  We'll be back shortly so rest up for the walk and we'll see ya soon.

A Day of Remembrance

We've got a lot to share from this trip to beautiful Litchfield Beach but we wanted to take a take a brief time out to recognize a very somber and special event in our history - December 7th, 1941.  A number of years ago I was one of the leaders of Boy Scout Troop 388 in Columbia, S. C.  We tried to take the boys camping once a month and one long-ago December we arranged for the troop to camp out on the USS Yorktown, CV-10, a WWII era aircraft carrier permanently located at Patriot's Point on Mount Pleasant near Charleston, S.C.  It turned out that the camping trip took place on the week-end that included December 7th.  Consequently, we were there when the Pearl Harbor Day ceremonies were held honoring those who died on the "Day of Infamy."  It was an excruciatingly poignant event and even our youngest scout realized he was seeing something of enormous importance.  Fast forward to just this week.  The other day I read in the newspaper that only twenty senators (20%) and 89 representatives (20.5%) are military veterans.  The article discussed the impact of military service on how our representatives see a wide range of things.  As I see it, there is one thing that is certain - those who have never served have a more difficult time understanding how our service men and women fit into our society.  Regardless of the innumerable points of view there are on that issue, the reality is that, throughout our history, there have been men and women who valiantly stepped forward to give their lives, if necessary, to guarantee the freedoms and privileges we enjoy in this country.  I think that is worth taking a moment out of our daily routines to simply say - "Thank You" to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us.  Whether or not you are a religious person, I hope you will find the time to remember the people who have given their all so that you - we - could enjoy our lives in a way that would have been vastly different without their courage and commitment. See ya.

We're Baaaaaaaaacccckkk!!!

Hey Gang,
It's been a while since we've gotten together but we're back on the road for a short trip and wanted to make sure you were with us! We are back down at beautiful Litchfield Beach for a brief respite as the holidays begin to crank up and one thing we have planned should be fun for all of us. We will be heading back to Brookgreen Gardens for the "Night of A Thousand Candles." It's going to be a lot of fun - so be sure to be here for that!

First, though, we wanted to share a couple of new things with you. Let's talk "Geocaching." I don't know if you have heard of this activity or not - but - if you haven't, check it out. Geocaching is not new - in fact it's been around for a good while now. It is sort of a "latter-day offspring" of an activity called "Orienteering." In geocaching, however, rather than trying to accurately follow someone's instructions to navigate a particular route, you are given the coordinates for a specific spot and are expected to locate a hidden "treasure" at that site. When you find the hidden item (treasure) you will usually find a log to be signed, items to be retrieved or even things waiting to be transported to another location. No, there is no compelling social, scientific or educational reason to go geocaching ... it's just fun. And - the main thing is that it offers a different and enjoyable way to learn about your country - your state - your local community.  Anyway, we decided to see if there were any geocaches located near Pawley's Island and of course there were scores of them. I won't bore you with all the details but we located several on this trip and we'll mention some of them.  The first one we found was called "Wild Indigo".  It was fairly easy to find but was in a unique location and quite cleverly hidden.  I can't give many of the details because I don't want to spoil the adventure for others but - the search allowed us to meet some new friends at a really cool book store. The picture on the right above shows Linda and Sherwood signing the log and looking through the "treasures" the cache contained.  Quite cool!!  We went on to explore more of the island and found other interesting caches.  Each one is different and some can even be quite small and highly personalized.  In the one on the left above Linda shows a tiny cache that contains little more than the log to be signed - but - it also has a great picture of the folks for whom the cache was named.  We had a great time looking for the caches (notwithstanding a few disagreements about map-reading!!!) and eventually wound up in another of those "serendipity" situations that the SCTravelersX3 often find ourselves in.  Our final cache of the day was one that led us to one of the oldest churchyards in South Carolina, All Saints, Waccamaw, established in the early 1700s.  The object of the search led us to the grave of a young lady who had an ill-fated romance during the early colonial period.  The young lady went against her family's wishes in her choice of beaux, leading to a serious conflict between brother and sister.  Unfortunately, she died of malaria before resolution of the disagreement leaving her family saddened and remorseful.  Now her ghost is said to occasionally visit the area and sightings have continued into recent times.  Interestingly, while we were visiting the site Linda found the graves of one of my uncles and his wife.  He spent many years on Pawley's Island, moving to Charleston after the death of his wife.  During our visit to Charleston last year we mentioned his home on Queen Street in that beautiful city and included a picture of the charming house..
The history of South Carolina is replete with fascinating legends and characters and some of the figures from our past would have been worthy characters in a novel by John Jakes or James Michener but they were quite real.  Although Brigadier General Francis Marion has gained current popularity due to the successful movie "The Patriot", another equally compelling figure from the same time was General Thomas Sumter, the "Fighting Gamecock" for whom the mascot of my Alma Mater is named. (Oh, by the way, in that movie the character Benjamin Martin was based on General Sumter.)  Born in 1734 in Virginia, Sumter grew up in the frontier province and served in the Virginia militia at the end of the French and Indian war.  He relocated to South Carolina in the early 1760s and became a key figure in the struggle for American Independence.  Sumter also served South Carolina as a state legislator, a representative to the U. S. House of Representatives and the U. S. Senate.  The city of Sumter, a pretty, bustling city in the midlands of the state, is named for the general as is one of the largest National Forests in the state.  His memorial was another of the sites our geocaching led us to as we made our way back from beatiful Litchfield Beach.  Although it is located in a rather remote part of the South Carolina "Pee Dee" area, I hope you will take the opportunity to visit the memorial if you get up this way.  I think you will find it interesting.  I've added some pictures of the monument dedicated to Sumter by the S. C. General Assembly in 1917. Interestingly, the biggest monument in the cemetery is one erected by Thomas Sumter, Jr. to his wife and it can be seen in the background, to the right of Sumter's monument.  In another view you can see the monument with the graves of Sumter (center), his wife (left) and his son (right) in the foreground.  Whoa!!! I didn't realize I would get so long-winded about our geocaching experiences but - hey, what can I say, I really get carried away when I start talking about the fascinating stuff we have around here!!!  Anyway, I'll give you a rest for now and let you catch your breath.  We've got lots more to see, though, so come on back soon and we'll share some more of the adventures we had on this trip with you.  See ya.

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Creator Help Us

O Lord, Creator of the timeless tide of the universe and of the unfathomable mysteries of human emotion.  Extend your healing touch to the hearts and souls of those inhabitants of our planet who, daily, encounter the wrenching agony of loss due to cruelty.  Reach out, as well, to those whose damaged minds are unable to comprehend the power of love and the saving grace it offers.  Touch us that we may reverse the tide of man's inhumanity to man and imbue us with the clarity of vision that will return us to the path of peace.  These things we ask as members of the living entity of your creations.

Rushing Back To Reality... Oops ... new version

Well, we're at the end of another great beach trip and we really hate to see the week come to an end.  But - we've got some stuff to do back home so we're packed up and heading back to greater metropolitan Ridgeway.  We thought we'd go back and mention a couple of things abut the trip that were kinda special and close out the week with some reminders about the special places we got to know along the way.  Of course we told you about some of the wonderful young people we got to know on our fishing trip and about our traditional visit to Russell's - but - we also chalked up a new "favorite" in the restaurant category.  Creek Ratz is now waaayyy up on the list of fun places to dine and I can promise we'll be back there soon!!!  Also - and this is a new one, folks - we used an extraordinary "take-out" food service this time.  It's a place called "Get Carried Away" and they specialize in low-country Southern-cooked dishes. Get Carried Away is an extension of the cooking talents Sassy and Brian Henry developed during the early days of their "Sea View Inn."  In 2005 they started Get Carried Away after many of their faithful followers urged them to "package" the meals that were so popular at their Inn.  The idea was to prepare, package and freeze the dishes so customers could pick them up, take them home, pop them in the microwave or the oven and have a delicious low-country dish quickly.  Their menu was somewhat limited to begin with but they encouraged folks from the surrounding area who had exceptional recipes to consider offering them at their take-out location.  The rest, as they say, is history.  With the introduction of "Palmetto Cheese" (their own, unique, highly popular version of pimento cheese) in 2006, their business really took off and that product - along with a number of others - is marketed from Texas to Maine!!! One dish they offer under carefully controlled conditions is their "low-country boil."  Some folks may know the dish as "Beaufort Stew" or the even more iconic "Frogmore Stew" but, for the un-initiated, it is a spectacular concoction of shrimp, sausage, potatoes, onions, corn, garlic and a combination of secret spices.  When you order the dish you have to designate a time when you will pick it up because it is "made to order".  Now, let me tell you folks, ... that is a dish that will knock your socks off!!!!  The shrimp are enormous, the sausage cooked to perfection, the corn seasoned in an extraordinary way and the rest of the dish - Fabulous!!!  We are so fortunate to have the numerous wonderful food options available on Pawley's Island, Murrell's Inlet and all the areas surrounding our beach hang-out.  As we mentioned about Creek Ratz, one of the things that really appeals to us is that the costs at the places we have mentioned are not 'over the top'.  Believe me, they do not - in any way - take second place to even the most expensive dining venues on the South Carolina coast.  Well, we are at the end of another great visit to the coast and we appreciate the fact that you have been with us again - that means a lot!!!!  We'll check back in soon with an update on our upcoming plans.  They will include - to some degree - Raleigh, North Carolina, Houston, Texas and other points around the country.  Get rested up and be ready to join us as the SCTravelersX3 hit the road again.  Until then, see ya.

I've A Whale Of A Tale To Tell You Lads...

Wow gang!!! I didn't realize an iPhone alarm could be so noisy!!! But it was, and it did the trick. We popped out of bed like a couple of pieces of toast in a toaster! It is September 5th and a real milestone for Linda. Not only is it the day of our fishing trip, it is also her birthday. So as we staggered out for a cup of coffee, we found that Sherwood was already 'up and at 'em' and had even prepared breakfast - complete with a "birthday muffin" sporting a candle.  We hustled around getting our stuff together and, soon, we were on the way to the "Crazy Sister Marina" to catch "The New Inlet Princess" for a morning on the water. We got there, checked in and joined our fellow fishermen to wait for the 'all aboard' call. The skies were a bit hazy but the weather was otherwise great so we had an enjoyable time looking at the area around the marina and getting to know our shipmates. Finally it was time to board and
we headed out of Murrells Inlet between the jettys that extend from the North end of Huntington Beach and the South end of Garden City Beach. The Inlet Princess is not a huge vessel but carries a maximum of seventy five passengers and a crew of about seven. Of course you would expect a
commercial enterprise to provide good service - after all, that's how you stay in business. But, I've got to say, the young folks we sailed with were 'a cut above.' They were bright, engaging and about as helpful as you could dream
of. They had our gear set up and ready to go and by the time we got to the fishing grounds bait buckets, baskets for fish and ice coolers were all waiting. We spent a little more than an hour en route to the spot Captain Robert had chosen for us to start with and it was refreshing and invigorating being on the
open sea with a bunch of great folks. We got to know three families from Lynchburg, VA who were staying in one of the large campgrounds in North Myrtle beach and we had fun sharing camping stories. We also got to know some of the crew members and were especially happy to get to know Jamie (who grew up not far from where Linda lived in Maryland) and Trey - from Hemingway, SC. They were a huge help to us throughout the day. Finally, we came to a halt and the Captain gave us the 'go ahead' to commence fishing. Almost immediately Linda pulled in the first catch of the day with Sherwood very quickly afterward hauling in a 'double catch'. The fishing - and catching - was steady throughout the morning with only infrequent stops to re-position the boat. As we had expected, the main catches were Black Sea Bass but we were delightedly surprised to also pull in "Ring Tail" and Drum as well. After a long, excellent morning of fishing it was all too soon time to 'reel 'em in' and head for shore. The ride back was remarkably smooth with lots of sea birds and occasional Porpoises spotted along the way. We arrived safely back at the marina and by the time we were ready to disembark the crew had the boat 'ship-shape with all gear properly stowed and our fish labelled and on stringers for our retrieval. Once ashore our new friend Trey cleaned and filleted our fish for us and placed them in plastic bags for our convenience. Before long we were packed up, back in the car and headed to Inlet Point for a cool shower and a long overdue lunch. It was a wonderful way to spend Linda's birthday and I really hope you will have the opportunity to go to sea with the hardy sailors of the Inlet Princess some day. I can pretty much guarantee you won't be disappointed. We'll be back soon with some more beach observations so, until then, see ya.


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