We're here on Hilton Head Island, after an interminable drive (albeit through some very gorgeous mountainous landscapes). The condo we're staying in is lovely--a 2 bedroom affair with massive windows and a deck overlooking a bayou that seems to be filled with graceful white herons and, uh...alligators. The Boy and I have been discussing whether we're awful people for watching the ducks and wondering if they're going to be summarily consumed by an alligator from below.
Hilton Head is a weird place in some ways. It's just lovely, filled with beautiful beaches and great restaurants...but every shrub, every oleander, every blade of grass is cultivated and sculptured. We were joking earlier that a pelican couldn't poop here without a landscaper rushing over and rearranging it into something attractive.
So far we've been incredibly lazy, and have eaten a lot of good seafood. Eventually we'll do things like dolphin watching tours and a day cruise to Savannah to poke around look at the fun southern gothic architecture and Civil War era graveyards.
Today at the beach I was slightly startled to see a pod of dolphins lazily cresting just off shore. The Boy managed to get within 20 feet of one. After bobbing around until we were absolutely prune-like, we wandered up the beach, dripping, and got ice cream. The taste of ice cream at the same time as smelling the ocean gave me a flashback to the days when our family would travel to the Jersey shore during the summer back when I was in first grade. The ocean has a wonderful, fresh, salty smell.
There's a dead tree on the other side of the bayou that becomes lacy with huge white herons right before the sun sets. They're all jostling each other and flapping about right now.
Yesterday we went to Savannah to pick up a friend who's joined us, and we all ended up wandering down into the historical district along the waterfront and trundling down the cobblestone streets until we found a place that served killer cajun food. We headed home full of shrimp, cornbread, and beignets. *sigh* So lovely.
1 comment:
that sounds excellent. all but the gators, anyways.
we stayed at a place in mexico that was completely manicured like that. it was funny because...we were in mexico. I think the country's motto is "we don't need no stinkin landscapers."
I love the ocean. I can't imagine moving somewhere where I couldn't drive to a beach. I'm glad you guys had a good time.
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