Columbia, SC

My day trip to the state capital -

They have a lovely Main Street area, but the fascinating sight for me as I drove around the downtown area, was the number of beautiful Gothic style churches.  Definitely in the Bible Belt .... there is a church on every street.

Another interesting thing I discovered while driving around was that at all the major intersections there is a plaque explaining the origin of the street name, how long it has existed and its significance.  I thought that was kind of cool.



South Carolina State Museum - Located in a historic renovated textile mill, this four-story facility includes exhibits on art, cultural and natural history, science, and technology.

Woodrow Wilson Family Home- Built in 1871, the family moved here when Woodrow Wilson was 14 years old.

I would have loved to have taken the State House tour but there was some sort of assembly ( I don't know if it was peaceful or political) on the front "lawn" area and I didn't know how strict the security would be. There was quite a bit of police presence.  Also, I managed to tweak my back and I can hardly walk ....


I am actually falling apart.  My back has been hurting since I left California (I can hardly walk and have muscle spasms - I'll have to find another Chiropractor soon); I got a tooth ache, which passed, but I don't know what that was about; I am having the worst full-blown allergy episode ever and I can hardly breathe .... holy moley.

Oh, and my excitement about the Jicima was short-lived .... it was really bad.  It was spoiled.

Augusta, GA

A really beautiful day!  It reached 80 degrees with a nice breeze from the Savannah river.

The funny thing about the weather here .... it gets into the 80s during the day, but drops down to the 30s at night.  I'm use to that swing in the desert, but didn't expect it here.

The city of Augusta is divided by the Savannah river, forming the "Augusta, GA" that we all recognize, but there is a North Augusta on the South Carolina side as well.  Something I didn't know ....








The Riverwalk along the Savannah river is very pleasant.  There are two levels and lots of sitting areas, playgrounds, and picnic tables.  There are even some "porch" swings that looked very inviting.  These pictures were taken from the upper level.

After this walk I had lunch at the Boll Weevil Bakery.  The grilled steak on my salad was excellent and I tried a piece of Key Lime Pie with whipped cream and raspberry sauce.  It was good .... very rich and way too big a piece.  All I really wanted was a bite .... where was my son when I needed him?  ha.




Some of the sights I saw before lunch ....

 
The Confederate Monument -  soars 76 feet tall. It has a granite base topped by a shaft of pure Italian marble. The monument was commissioned by the Ladies Memorial Association of Augusta in 1875 at the cost of $17,331.35, a princely sum at that time.
Around the base of the monument are the life-size statues of four Southern generals in the War Between the States: Thomas R. R. Cobb, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and William Henry Talbot. A Confederate private is depicted at the top of the shaft. The model for this statue was Private Berry Benson of Augusta. An inscription at the base reads, "In honor of the men of Richmond County who died in the cause of the Confederate States." A crowd of 10,000 people turned out for the dedication of the monument on Oct. 32, 1878.

The James Brown statue - The Godfather of Soul called Augusta home until his death in 2006.

I also drove by the Sibley MIll & Confederate Powder Works - built at the beginning of the Civil War because Confederate armies had a really hard time getting their hands on gunpowder supplies. Beginning in 1862, the powder works stretched for two miles and continued operations until 1865, producing nearly 3 million pounds of gunpowder.


  
There was a very interesting tour of the Boyhood Home of Woodrow Wilson. It turned out to be a private tour, as I was the only one taking it at the time.  I enjoy these lesser tours of the libraries and homes as I find out interesting things about famous people .... Woodrow Wilson's first name was actually Thomas.  He dropped it when he went away to school (the "school" is now Princeton, of which he was president) because his mother didn't think Thomas or Tommy was mature enough of a name.  Woodrow was actually her maiden name.  His father was minister of the First Presbyterian Church, which was used as a field hospital during the Civil War.  The house is across the street from the church, so starting at about age 4, Woodrow Wilson watched from the upstairs window the wounded solders laying in the yard of the church and hearing their screams.  Can you imagine?  It was the reason he was so reluctant to enter the US into the World War when he became president.

Let's see .... I had a nice (private again :)) tour of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.  They even gave me a copy of their church cookbook and a couple of CDs of their choir.  Built in 1750, Saint Paul's Church has been the site of many historical moments. The church has housed refugees during the French and Indian War, was used as a hospital during the American Revolution, and it was used for public meetings when Augusta was Georgia's capital. The original church building was destroyed and the current building was created in 1919 with a Georgian Colonial facade.

And the Great Fire of 1916 -

Sacred Heart Catholic Church was really beautiful - inside and out .... The cornerstone was set in place on February 20, 1898 and the first service was held on December 2, 1900.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church outside

 They nicknamed Augusta the city of churches and the name fits.  There seems to be one on every corner and in every block downtown.














On my way back to Dreher State Park, on I-20, traveling about 78 mph .... I look over at the vehicle in the lane on my passenger side and the driver is holding a can of beer.  Well, Dorothy, I guess this isn't Kansas.  ha.

Catch - Up

Did you miss me?

As most of you know, my daughter passed away unexpectedly.  I left my coach at the campground in Florida and flew back to California for 8 days.

Thank you all again for your outpouring of condolences and affection regarding the passing of  Jessika, and for the prayers for my sister's back surgery. 

Jessika's husband, Efrem will be planning a memorial for her sometime in the next couple of months.  It is still very hard to grasp her passing; completly unexpected. She was 42 years old last October.

My sister Sandee is doing remarkably well and is getting around fine (without the back brace she is suppose to wear at all times!).  She did give us a little bit of a scare in the hospital when her blood pressure fell and they had to give her a couple pints of blood to bring it back up, but she appears to be fine now.

Thank you again to Tandi, for the ride to the airport and back and for offering to sit with me.  You are kind.

This was my first overnight stay outside of the coach since December, 2015.  I thought maybe I would notice that I missed the extra "room" in the hotel or the shower, or the bed .... but I didn't find my coach's accommodations lacking in any respect.  Even now that I'm back, the hotel wasn't better in any way.  I guess that means I don't need a vacation from my vacation.  ha.

I did have to hit the local Del Taco for a burrito my first day in town, however.  It was pretty darn tasty.  Other than that, there really wasn't anything that I missed, other than friends and family.  I did have the opportunity to get a haircut from my "regular" stylist, Rose Ann.  That was nice.

Now I am back in my coach and it is no worse for being left.

Since I got in last night, I was pretty tired this morning as I headed north on I-95 for the Georgia border.  I was surprised to see a clean windshield.  I suspect my neighbor who was watching my coach and Jeep cleaned it for me because no amount of rain ever removes all the bug residue on the windshield, no matter how hard it rains.  He took the time to wipe my tire covers after the grass was mowed as well.  Nice guy.  He was very excited with the Sees candy I brought him .... his sister lives in San Diego so he was familiar, and very happy with the candy.

The bridge at Jacksonville was very pretty and I was able to get a couple of pictures as I crossed...

I find I like bridges.  They are really works of art; even the simple ones.

It was a good thing I was not going south into Jacksonville on I-295, because it was solid cars both ways as far as you could see.

The entire time I was crossing Georgia it was raining hard, and the visibility was bad at times, but I still made decent time and mileage.  I was in South Carolina by lunchtime.  I stopped at a rest stop not far inside the border and while I was eating the rain stopped.  This was about the area I should have stayed in last week, but I'm sure the opportunity to see the Charleston/Savannah area will come again.

The last time I did the map update on my coach GPS I added rest stop and Flying J notification, which is pretty good (I wish it would give me a little more notice), but I have to chuckle every time it tells me a rest stop is coming up.  The screen reads "rest areas combined USA" but the voice reads it as rest areas combined you-sa.  It cracks me up.  No matter how many times I correct her, she still says you-sa.

It was surprising to see fall color still in some of the trees along the highway.  Especially, as they have trees also in bloom for Spring with the early flowers, like daffodils already out in the beds.

The temps this week are supposed to be in the low 80s, so it will be nice to get some sightseeing done.  My first trip will be to Augusta, GA.  I am only here for a week before I head to Gaffney, SC for my freight-liner class.  Looking forward to it.

There was a moment of excitement in my day today ... while at the laundromat I went into the grocery store next door and they had Jicima!  I bought two.  I haven't seen Jicima since I left the west .... and I look for it.  A little thing, but .... those are the joys of life.

I'll tell you all about Augusta ..... lots to see there.

Some boring stuff ..... and a map

Today's plan was a drive to St. Augustine, but since all of the planned activities are outdoors and the weather predicted is thunderstorms throughout the middle of the day, I decided to stay home and dry.  Oh, and the humidity is 97% .... gotta love Florida.  I have been tricked before by the weather forecast, so I hope it does rain (and I'll be vindicated for reading my new book!).

We had a doozy of a storm last night ... man the thunder is loud when you live in a tin can!  ha.

Thanks to the Farmers' Market last weekend in Flagler Beach, I made scrambled eggs with red onion and fresh mushrooms, in a warm tortilla with fresh sliced avocado and chopped tomatoes and cheese for breakfast.  Yum.

Boring for you, I know, but this is what retirement is all about, right?  Now if I could just squelch the guilt for not taking care of the current "to do" list, I'd be all set.

Now the map I promised ....

This is where I have been in Florida the past 6 weeks .... Sunday that pink line on the coast will take I-95 up to Charlotte, South Carolina, but this is it so far.

The orange is 2016; the pink is 2017.

I will definitely have to come back.  I want to drive to the Keys again; see more of the coast (both) and check out the Panhandle.  My current projection is December, 2018.

I can say that about almost every state at this point .... that is there is much more to see on the next visit ... except I think this will be my last stay in South Carolina; Hawaii I probably won't do again; and I think I've seen most of Iowa.  Of course, I will be driving through these states and will see more then (except Hawaii, of course Ha), but probably won't plan too long of a stay in either.

 

Back to Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach

Daytona Beach

After I spent the morning in Daytona Beach and had lunch at the Ocean Deck (on the beach!) (with a stop at a used book store) .... such a lovely way to spend time ....

In Ormond Beach is the Casements, John D. Rockefeller's winter home,  beautifully restored to function as the Cultural Center for the City of Ormond Beach, Florida.  It got it's name because of the casement windows on both sides of the structure

The top picture is some of the windows; second picture is the second floor; original fireplace mantel, skylight.  Originally the skylight opened to allow airflow up the center of the house.

Rockefeller had two goals in life - to be the richest man in the world and to live to be 100 years old.  He achieved the first .... at one time he was 6 times richer than the next billionaire.  Unfortunately, he died 6 weeks before his 100th birthday.  He had a personal nurse with him, monitoring his health, his entire adult life and was so close ... kind of sad.

In his 40's he developed alopecia so he was completely hairless.  The pictures you see of him up until his death with the beautiful white hair were human-hair wigs - he had 3 in different lengths to simulate hair growth.

John D. and his wife had 4 children, 3 girls and then a boy.  They were so frugal, although they were "rich", that the boy had to wear his sister's hand me downs until he was 7 or 8 years old and needed pants.  Rather than buy each child a bike, they had to share one.  I guess that's how you become and stay rich!

Ormond Beach was known as the speed capital ... they were known for speed trials before the racing track history started in Daytona.  The cars would gather each year ... starting in Flagler Beach, they would drive down the beach, gathering speed until they hit a marker that signified the beginning of the mile they were recorded.  Cars reached speeds in excess of 200 mph!  They then had until Daytona Beach to slow down.  These were speed trials only; they did not race against another car.

The race "track"  where two or more cars competed against each other, began with an oval starting on Daytona Beach, up over A1A, and then back to the beach.

I think of all the cities/towns I've driven in since I arrived in Florida 6 weeks ago, I think I like Ormond Beach the best.  I can't really say why ... it's just a relaxed feeling I have there. 

I have had some beautiful weather these last weeks ....

Tuesday I'm going to walk over and have "Taco Tuesday" at the campground and meet some new friends.  They have a bar in the campground that opens at 7pm .... they serve beer and wine.  I've not experienced a bar in a campground before ..

I'm going to make one more trip to St. Augustine on Wednesday to see the fort and run a couple of errands in the area, and then head to South Carolina on Sunday. I have enjoyed this time "at the beach."  Peaceful .....

St. Augustine

 I had a wonderful day in St. Augustine with Tandi Kennison.  Thanks Tandi, for a great day.

At the Visitor's Information Center is a large, coquina stone ball.  This ball signifies the zero mile marker of the Old Spanish Trail.  There is a twin to the ball located in Balboa Park in San Diego.  The idea for the trail was conceived in 1915 and was the shortest trade route connecting both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  The road was completed nearly fifteen years later at a cost of over $80,000.

Henry Flagler was a self-made millionaire, best known for his partnership with John D. Rockefeller with whom he founded the Standard Oil Company.  Flagler had a vision for St. Augustine; to make it the south's playground for the rich and famous.  He envisioned grand hotels and old southern charm for its guests.

Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church was built by Flagler in 1889 as a memorial to his daughter, Jenny Louise Benedict.  He wanted the church to be ready for the first anniversary of his daughter's passing and hired 1,000 men that worked day and night to complete the church in 361 days.  Henry Flagler, his first wife, his daughter and granddaughter are all entombed in the west wing of the church.

 Prior to being the Lightner Museum, this building was the site of Henry Flagler's second hotel, the Alcazar.  In this lavish hotel, guests could experience luxuries such as Turkish baths, early motion picture sows, bowling alleys and the largest indoor swimming pool of its time.

Whetstone Chocolatiers factory tour allows you to taste freshly made chocolates and confections while you walk through the factory.  They introduce you to the history and making of chocolate and the Whetstone story.  By tasting you distinguish the characteristics of dark and milk chocolate.

The Fountain of Youth is a 15-acre park established to preserve Seloy, a Native American village that Ponce de Leon visited when he arrived in Florida in 1513. One of the primary reasons poor ol' Ponce traveled to the New World was to find the fabled fountain. Well, the park claims to have it. You can taste this sulfurous potion in the Spring House -- but no guarantees it'll work.

The Bridge of Lions ...

Castillo de San Marcos - The Spanish began construction of the fort in 1672 and took nearly 23 long years to complete.  This makes the fort the oldest masonry structure in the United States.  It is made entirely out of native coquina stone, a mix of shell fragments and quartz grains, that is soft and easy to cut, but hard when cured in the sun.  This unique material makes cannon balls sink into, rather than shatter, the walls of the fort.  The walls are ten feet wide at the bottom and taper down to four feet at the top.  The fort was originally painted white with red corners to reflect the Spanish battle flag that flew overhead.  This was done to warn passing ships that this was a military outpost occupied by Spain.

A massive steel cross was erected in 1965, celebrating the city's 400th anniversary, at the same place where Father Lopez conducted his first Mass.  It weights 70 tons and is is construction out of 200 steel panels.  It marks the spot where St. Augustine had its humble beginnings.

Chains like this were used to protect the harbor ...

 A 600 year old Live Oak .... The Old Senator

Magnolia Avenue - The most beautiful street in America

We had lunch at the Columbia Restaurant - a nice treat since I didn't get to eat at the one in Tampa.

And I bought a loaf of Cuban bread to bring home .... yum.