Heading Down The Road Again

Monday July 30th we packed up and left the Goldsboro area, I swear I cried half the morning that I had to leave and would not see our sweet Renee another day...it was hard to say good-bye . She's very special to us.

We arrived to Shawboro North Carolina, our last stop in North Carolina. Dan and I found it real interesting that every town ended in "Ville" or "boro" on our journey.

North River was a beautiful park surrounding a 5 acre lake. Plush grass, every site had a great view of the lake. All motorhomes faced the lake and the 5th wheels and trailers backed into the sites. Many 5th wheels have the huge windows in the back so they also got a great view.

We went to North River so we could be close to The Outer Banks before we left North Carolina.

Happy Birthday Kathy!

Sunday 29th Dan, Renee, Gladis "Grandma" & I went over to Renee's Aunt Kathy's to celebrate her birthday with her. She cooked a 5 star meal that fed no less than 20 people. Kathy said that's normal around her house and Renee chimed in that it was true!! Woody her husband cooked up a huge batch of fried chicken with Kathy's secret Bar-B-Q sauce. Had a huge spinach & strawberry salad, loaded mashed potato's, fresh green beans.....it was SO GOOD!!!!
Birthday cake and Peach cobbler for dessert. Woody took Dan over to the hog barn that he had and Dan was shocked to see he had over 650 hogs!! Dan and I were both impressed to see the collection room in the old part of the house. Kathy had a collection of Madam Alexander dolls, Woody had old pioneer things and other collections but what got my attention was the Tiaras and trophies in a glass case. Kathy's two daughters were beauty pageant winners. The oldest girl is Harley and we just thought she was just the sweetest girl we had ever met, she was a real chatterbox but we loved talking to her and listening to her Southern accent delighted us!

Critters and Kids

  Kathy & Woody had a menagerie of critters at their house, the horses were beautiful and I ALMOST brought home a kitten but I didn't. I swore I was not going to bring another cat into the RV.  Renee kept teasing me but I knew Kathy liked the one I kept holding so I left it with Kathy.

The kids were having a ball keeping cool in the swimming pool and we all got soaked splashing water back and forth at each other.  A great day with Renee's family celebrating her aunt's Birthday.

  We had lots of fun going over to Renee's house.  I did not like seeing the Banana spiders at Grandma's house and Aunt Kathy's- they are poisonous!! Renee has a beautiful home that she shares with her 3 cats and Grandma lives next door.

Jill & Beth live not far away in Goldsboro, it was really great getting a chance to see them although it was not long enough! Sweet gals and true blue friends of Renee's

Time with my very Special Borrowed Daughter

  Some people come into your lives to teach us certain lessons in life. I believe Renee was meant to be in my life to show me how much a family can show love.  She has been a God send to my life, a true Angel full of wisdom and love and I love her so much!!!

Thank-You Connie for sharing your wonderful daughter with me, it means alot!!

Renee took the time every day to come see us after work and spend precious time with us.  She introduced me to her co-workers at Toyota where she works, even introduced me to people she knew in Walmart when I had to stop and pick up some things from the store! On Sunday she took me to church so we could pray together and meet her pastor.  We got to meet her great friends Jill, Beth & Kelly. We had a great time with her parents Connie, John & Danny who are a hoot. We spent time with the rest of the family and they made us feel like we have known them for years!!  What a great bunch of people, talk about true Southern Hospitality!!!  I cried when we had to leave, I did not want to keep going on! We felt so much love and acceptance we were overwhelmed!!  This family is wonderful and having Renee in Our life has been wonderful , thank you God for placing them in our lives..

She may not be my birth daughter but she is my heaven sent daughter.  She always makes me laugh, keeps in touch and always there for me .  I am truly blessed to have her in my life! Thank-You God!!

Daly's Riverside Campground July 23-29th 2012

  We finally arrived safe and sound to Daly's Riverside Campground in Seven Springs North Carolina on July 23rd to visit with Renee Kennedy and her family & friends. A new park that was basically in Mr. Daly's yard.  We found out the whole family of Daly's had acres and acres of land around us. So many generations have lived here.

We were so thankful for Jill, Renee's friend who helped us find the park so we would be close to Renee & Jill.
It was hot and muggy while we were there and one night the power went out but that did not faze our fun with Renee and her wonderful family and friends.

Myrtle Beach South Carolina with High School Friend Marilyn Michaud

  We stayed at the Moose Lodge which was less than 2 miles from Marilyn. Only $10 a night and had 50 AMP power & water so we were happy Campers. Lodge had 4 hookups and not far from the beach area so it was a good place to stay.
Marilyn took us down to the beach so we could walk the famous boardwalk and showed us around Myrtle Beach. Nice area but the humidity was horrible!!!
First night we arrived we stayed put to cool down the RV but  went out to Bob Evens Restaurant to eat, too hot to cook because it took so long to cool down after the long drive.  I made dinner the next night and Marilyn came over for dinner. Sunday we explored all day with Marilyn.  Had a great time, Marilyn hadn't aged at all and loved her apartment and her kitty.

Yemassee South Carolina

 This was a very quiet campground, not very many people here.  It did give us a chance to really explore Savannah, Beaufort, Mount Pleasant, Hilton Head Island, Yemassee and Charleston.  We had a great time!!

  This old Plantation was next to our campground and now a Museum/ visitor's center.  The Live Oak in front of the house is over 250 yrs old.

Charleston South Carolina

WOW what can I say , Charleston is the most beautiful Southern City I have ever seen!!  It is known as the city of charm, Charleston has survived great fires,earthquakes, Indian and pirate attacks, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War!!

The older homes were built with beautiful piazzas and verandas that were enjoyed by all throughout the year. The heat and humidity of Charleston made it necessary to open windows and doors so breezes could flow through the house. Covered areas like piazzas and verandas allowed doors and windows to remain open while protecting the home's interior from blowing rain and beating sun.  Open windows located on opposite walls promoted cross ventilation back in the days of no air-conditioning.

The city is breathtaking with it's old churches, homes, gardens a beautiful place to stroll or take a carriage ride.  We truly loved it there!!!

Bubba Gumps!

  We FINALLY got to go eat at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co Restaurant in Charleston South Carolina.  We had seen it before in California but did not get a chance to eat there.
Dan had the Shrimp & Grits, he said it was pretty good.  I had the shrimp cooked 5 different ways with dipping sauces-YUM!!!

Was interesting seeing lots of things on the walls from the Movie that was filmed in South Carolina., loved all the decor on the walls.

  Touring the town by carriage, it was interesting that it was a hot day and the horses were having their temperatures taken to make sure they were not too hot and after a ride. They hosed them down with water, gave them water to drink and stood them next to a fan to cool them down before going out again.

Boone Hall Plantation

  Boone Hall is America's most photographed Plantation.  With more than 730 acres of naturally preserved wet lands and over 300 years of history to celebrate, it's no wonder Boone Hall Plantation is one of the nation's most popular historic areas.

It is famous for the 3/4 mile rows of live Oak trees that grace the entrance leading to Boone Hall making it the most breathtaking view in the country. In 1743 Captain Thomas Boone , the son of Major John Boone planted the Live Oak trees in two evenly spaced rows.  This spectacular approach to his home symbolizes Southern heritage and will  take root in your memory for many years to come.  It took two centuries for the moss draped branches to meet overhead, forming a natural corridor and a scene that will overflow your camera before you even get started!!
The current plantation house was built in 1936 by Canadian Ambassador  Thomas A. Stone.  It sits on the original mansions site.
Spanning four centuries, it is America's oldest working Plantation.  They still continue to growing and producing crops that are sold today. First it was Rice but that did not go well so they switched to Cotton and Pecans.  The last hurricane took out alot of the Pecan trees.  We noticed that a large area of Peach trees are being grown now. U-pick fields are open in season to pick strawberries, blueberries, grapes, tomatoes, pumpkins, melons, corn and other edible things.

Long ago they also made bricks to use to make Fort Sumter and other Charleston landmarks. They made Indigo a blue dye from the Isatis tinctoria plant. We were shocked to learn that it was mixed with urine to make the dye so everyone on the plantation saved urine!! Phew!!!!
Many movies have been filmed there at the plantation, the famous live oaks were photographed and put on glass to be used in the Filming of Gone with the Wind- though the movie was not filmed there.
Alex Haley's "Queen" was there, The Notebook, North & South.  Re-enactments of the Civil War are done there and lots of other activities.

The gardens near the mansion have Roses that are over 100 years old, we saw a huge Wisteria  vine that covered a whole patio area making it a beautiful canopy

  During the 1700's the American Colonists in South Carolina & Georgia discovered that Rice would grow well in in the moist, semitropical  country bordering their coastline. But the American colonists had no experience with the cultivation  of rice and they needed African slaves who knew how to plant, harvest and process the difficult crop.  The white plantation owner's purchased slaves from various parts of Africa.  They preferred slaves from the rice coast or Windward Coast.  The plantation owners paid a higher price for these slaves.
The Gullah people are directly descended from the slaves who labored the plantations.
These photo's show the slave houses that were at the Boone Hall Plantation.  These homes of the slaves were the ones who mostly helped in the Plantation Home.  The field slave homes have since perished near the fields.  The Sweet grass baskets were expensive!

Hilton Head Island

  This was the playground of all the people wanting to play on the beach.  We could not believe how many people were there enjoying the shoreline.  Lots of shops to cater to all the beachcomers. If you were staying in one of the hotels overlooking the beach you could even reserve 2 chairs under a umbrella. Dan even found a cache here, we did not stay long as we really did not want to play in the Ocean and it was wall to wall parking.  We kept going and went to Savannah.

Beaufort South Carolina

We found the most charming beautiful town, a region that begs to be explored by foot, bike, boat or horse and carriage.

Rich in history, Old South charm and new world conveniences.  Located between Savannah and Charleston on South Carolina's  Atlantic Coast.

While Beaufort proper remains the area's queen belle, with antebellum mansions, sail-dotted bays and fashionable boutiques, the town's outlying parishes each offers a distinctive experience.
I enjoyed the carriage ride around the town  where my guide would tell me stories about the homes, local history and even celebrity gossip.
Several films have taken place in Beaufort, 1978 The Great Santini, 1983 The Big Chill, 1991 The Prince of Tides, 1994 Forrest Gump.  Tom Hanks was great in the town and many people remarked that he was so friendly.  Babara Streisand on the other hand did not like the fact that planes from the Marine Corp kept flying over during her filming and complained and wanted it stopped...hence why they flew lower to piss her off - so rumored  Ha-Ha.

Many of the beautiful old homes were for the Rich Cotton owners and they were their Summer homes.

  We found some really old graves in the grave yard next to the old St. Helena's Church.

Did you know there is a difference between a graveyard and a cemetery?

A grave yard is next to a church and a cemetery is by it's self.

Dan found a grave marker with his last name so he laid down next to it to take a nap while I wandered around the graveyard.

Beaufort South Carolina

We did not realize there was going to be a Water Festival when we drove over to Beaufort.  Quite a fun watersking show, vendors with all sorts of crafts, free ice cream, tours of a coast guard cutter and a Shrimp boat. Jenny decided to go on her very first carriage ride through the historical areas and view the old houses in Beaufort.  The rich people would build the beautiful Colonial homes for their Summer homes. Beautiful Town!!

Savannah Georgia

We sure had Georgia on our mind when we saw Beautiful Savannah Georgia!! Savannah  was Georgia's first city with it's reputation for southern charm and hospitality, owes it's greatness to the vision,planning and guidance of it's founders.  Today Savannah pays tribute to it's rich history by the preservation and restoration of it's fine old buildings and landmarks. 
General James Edward Oglethorpe established the colony of Georgia in 1733 at the age of 37 yrs old. The colony was placed under the board of 21 trustees.  The settlement was begun on Yamacraw bluff above the Savannah river, 15 miles from the Atlantic ocean. This excellent location resulted in Savannah's continued commercial growth as a port city, one of the largest in the Southeast.

  It was really fun exploring the different area's of this beautiful old city.  It really needs to be explored in more than one day to drink it all in especially all the history going clear back to 1733!!