Flora, Fauna, Salt Marshes, Oh My!

Hilton Head Island

We arrived with a bit of daylight left...this was our view 

Skies were clear that evening 

Next day? Rainy early, then clearing

We decided to walk to the beach

 Local squirrel, being squirrelly

Spanish Moss, of course 

Gorgeous flowers

Delicate flowers

We especially liked these! 

And, hey, they had a beach! Coligny Beach, actually

 Clearing skies were most welcome

 A Coligny landmark, so to speak

Lovely flowers below our balcony

Bawdy, naughty flowers

 I especially loved all the turtles we saw!

This one went for a brief ramble 

And then there was this! 

A four-foot gator, right there in our lagoon

We also discovered a more remote beach
We had to walk a ways to get there

 We walked a sandy path through these dunes

 We found this Horseshoe Crab shell on the beach

It had lots of these in it...the Bug jumped when she flipped it over!

 These winged beasts soared overhead

Yep, definitely our kind of beach!

 We had the usual driving misadventures

 There were bridges (Bridge to Hilton Head)

 And more bridges

 High bridges (Savannah River Bridge)

And long bridges (view from Broad River Bridge)

We visited favorite places

There were squirrels in Savannah

And little lizards

We gazed upon sprawling salt marshes

 Pinckney Island oyster beds at low tide

And high tide

And walked a bit along this road on Pinckney Island 

 Moss overhead, of course, and songbirds!

 Moss everywhere!

 Smelly salt marches around Pinckney

And some beautiful, soaring pine trees!

Of Forts and Last Ports of Call

Day Trip to Savannah

Last time, we were too tired after Fort Polaski to tramp around 

Old Fort Jackson and Bonaventure Cemetery

Visitors' Center and puffy clouds!

http://www.chsgeorgia.org/home.cfm/page/OldFortJackson.htm

Old Fort Jackson in its Civil War era configuration

 I love this brave little bloom!

 War of 1812 cannon

 Rifle slits in the wall of the expanded Fort Jackson, moat

The US Flag as it appeared from 1795 to 1818
Fifteen stars, fifteen strips (original states plus VT and KY)

 Container ship headed upriver to Savannah's port facilities
The main channel runs right past the fort

 Movie prop Civil War era heavy gun

 Container ship...see? Wow

Me taking pictures of said container ship...thanks, Bug!

 Inner wall showing how rifle slits allow marksmen to pivot

 Our docent: a young woman dressed as a Confederate corporal

 The oldest (War of 1812) part of the fort

 The "new" (pre-Civil War) powder magazine

Solid masonry walls, iron roof!

 Outer wall, riverside...no need for rifle slits here

Danabug avoiding the artillery demonstration, lol!

Bonaventure

http://www.bonaventurehistorical.org/

Palmettos...silent sentries

Abundant Live Oaks

Spanish Moss hanging wraith-like from the trees

One of the more famous angels

Paying our respects to Johnny Mercer

My favorite lyricist!

Yes they do...

Little Gracie :-(

http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/savannahgaattractions/ss/bonaventure_2.htm

Somber monuments to fallen soldiers

Juxtaposed to this more "playful" one

A haunted, haunting space, even at mid-day

Boat on the Wilmington River, over which the spirits

Of Bonaventure keep watch

Savannah Fare, Savannah Fair

The Pirates House!

http://www.thepirateshouse.com/

Complete with pirates

And spirit-resistant blue shutters

Not the best food in Savannah, but far from the worst and very Southern

We really enjoyed the experience!

Fountain at Forsyth Park!

http://www.savannahga.gov/cityweb/p&tweb.nsf/0/1f4da52f3ef4d10685256c5a004a73c9?OpenDocument

Gorgeous

With loads of lovely flowering flora!

We left exhausted, but with spirits lifted