October 30,31, Nov 1-5.
Carolina Beach & Huntington Beach
Juxtaposition is one of my favorite words, as well as subjects. The clash between two completely different subnexts in the same view is difficult to find, even if one is lucky. I could never photograph the grand clash going on down here properly, so I won’t even try…. I will say, it is a wonderful and mysterious mixture of lost time and displays of grandeur. The ability to see 2700 sculptured artworks displayed in a place like Brookgreen Gardens, after biking by flocks of Spoonbills, Wood Storks, and trailers on stilts to get there, is my definition of juxtaposition. Aside from the opposing forces, beach walks can turn up nesting sea turtles, diving pelicans, friendly plover, jetty mink, and washed up shipwrecks with gold doubloons, on this wondrous coastline. Sadly we didn’t find any treasure this time, and shipwrecks, we are trying not to think about.
jetty mink wood stork Spoonbills
Favorite sculptures at Brookgreen Garden
We got to spend a little time with Stacey‘s boss, Nick, and his wife Jennifer, on this part of the trip. The main topic of conversation was grouper: how to set and hook it, find and fillet it, and mostly, ways to cook it😋. We had a lovely evening hanging out with them at their beautiful home and enjoyed a fantastic grouper dinner, grilled over oak coals. And don’t even mention the grits, yum! Bonus - next day, we got to go out fishing on Nick’s boat, (20+ miles out in the ocean, is all I’ll say about the where - can’t give away the secret spots!). The mastery, known as the Art of the Catch, was shown to us by Nick & Grayson, and put leviathans in the hold! Sea legs felt good, but arms bruised & sore from reeling in big fish. A grand fishing adventure that day!!! Thank You Nick & Grayson!
Having chatted with Jennifer on the evening of dinner at their house, she spilled that she had a lead on a secret spot to view some splendid carnivorous plants. We planned to meet Tuesday morning on our way out of town, (at a place I also won‘t tell where, sorry)… We walked, tip-toed actually, thru a wonderland of boggy biological insanity... Fly Trap heaven: Sundews, Pitcher Plants, Venus’s galore, and other fauna madness all about 😳. A grand bonus to our coastal exploration!
Our good sailing friend and CYC soulmate, Patty, introduced us to her brother and his wife while we were in Huntington Beach (SC, not the CA one). We had a very lovely and delicious dinner with them at one of their favorite restaurants, Perrone’s, and surprisingly the restaurant owner came over to say hello and buy us a round! I think Nate and Alicia might be regulars😋. It was wonderful to make new friends in SC, and we hope to see them again soon!
Next, we move south toward Charleston
- bet you can’t wait😘