On to Jacksonville, FL

As sad as we were to see all the kids head back to their own homes, we were ready to head south and find some warmer weather.  We left Charleston and went about 20 miles south and anchored out for a night waiting for a weather window  to jump out into the Atlantic and knock back about 130 miles to the south.  We came in near the Georgia-Florida line into St. Simon's Sound and tucked in to catch up on sleep.  I have two brothers celebrating milestone birthdays 70 and 60 and my family is putting together a party back in Texas.  I really hate to miss family or a party so we made arrangements to leave the boat in an affordable marina in Jacksonville and used airline miles to book tickets.  I am so grateful all the million moving pieces came together.  Oh, it's 10 degrees warmer so the thermal underwear is packed away for now!

Currents are amazing things.  This one was running in our favor but it
doesn't always work out that well.  The hull was moving 6.6 knots but the
current moved us along at over 9.

Tides are quite variable too.  You can clearly see the water line on the
marsh grasses at one of our anchorages.  When we drop the anchor
we need to know the tide range so we don't end up on the bottom
 during low tide.

A sand beach seemingly out of nowhere along the waterside.

Coming into St. Simon's Sound we saw this overturned ocean going ship.
We remembered reading about the fair weather disaster back in September
but had forgotten all about it.

The ship was full of cars headed for a foreign market.  There must have been a
dramatic shift  in the load to make the vessel fall over on it's side.  At least
it wasn't in mid-ocean as it would have sunk with a total loss.

The boat was deemed too unstable to right so they are cutting it
up bit by bit and salvaging the metal.  I don't know if the  cars are still
in there or not.

We are finally back in Florida waters.  We still have several hundred miles
to go before we reach home but at least we're local again.  So far we
have logged just over 4,000 miles this trip out. Not bad for old folks.
Jacksonville is a very busy seaport with a large Navy presence as
tons of commercial traffic as well.  You do feel like  Lilliputian next
to these giant cargo vessels.

Constant dredging is required to keep the sea channel passable for all
the huge ships.

Odds and Ends of Cruising

We take a lot of pictures.  Not all of them come out but we try.  Some don't have a real relationship to others so here a few of those.

One of the colonnades of trees in a city park.

We learned that in-town planters houses had high walls not to keep
people out but house slaves in.

Old bridge supports provide perfect spots for gulls and pelicans
to fish from.  The smell let us know they had been making this
"their" spot for a long time.

The moss on this turtle's shell had him blend in with pilings.

Now that is a unique end-of-dock place to sit and watch the world go by.

Chinese Lantern Festival

While we didn't get to see all the displays lit up at night, they were all lovely to look at during the day.  I thought I would share some of the more spectacular pieces of art.

We always like the Shisha Lions from our time in Okinawa.  These were
gorgeously done.

The closeup allows you to see some of the intricate details.

And in brilliant red, a popular Chinese color.

These bridges were a them throughout the gardens of Magnolia Plantation.

Flights of butterfly fantasy on huge flowers.

Fairy tale creatures kept Miss Freya happy.

The entrance gate to the lantern displays.

These pandas looked so lifelike in their area.

These must have been quite lovely lit up at night.

Can't have gardens without ladybugs.

More fantasy flowers 

The Freya, Angela, Martha and Dylan Visit

We made it to Charleston in time to get the boat and us cleaned up and the water tanks filled before meeting our daughter Angela and her family.  They surprised us by letting us know, visually, that another grandchild is on the way!!!  A grandson will be added to our joy in March of 2020.  We had been looking forward to seeing them since it had been a long year since our last visit.  This was due to be extra special since we'd be with them on Freya's second birthday.  She is at that stage where she is definitely a cling-on to Mama's leg or Papa's shoulder but we got our cuddles and kisses in too.  She had decided that our names were Peepaw and Memaw.  She even corrected herself one time when she accidentally called David Grandpa.  I don't care what she calls us, just call!  It was a great visit despite the water being turned off to the marina for 3 days due to a city water main leak and weather turning stinky cold and wet.  We managed to make the most of the sun days and with full water tanks we could outlast the lack of shoreside facilities.  We did things that amused a 2 year old so we had a great time watching and hearing her precious OHS and OH NOs when she was pleased or surprised.  You have never seen a chicken until you see it from a two year old's perspective.  It was hard to see them off but look forward to the next visit when we have one more to love.  After they left we were joined by our youngest, Martha.  She is moving from Atlanta to the West Coast so this was a chance to see her before she heads out in December.  She only had a weekend but we made the most of it.  Fortunately at least one day was pleasant and we walked all over the old part of Charleston.  We consider ourselves tremendously blessed to have such great kids and now if we could just get Mary and her family up from Australia....

The 4 of us on Freya's birthday visit to an amazing place, Magnolia Plantation.

The three and one-half of them.

Freya was so fascinated with all the animals at the petting zoo.  Mama
picked the perfect spot to entertain her birthday girl.

Peepaw playing games.

This park had such fun toys.  The  bowl would turn in circles just by the
weight of the kid inside.  She was the perfect size to make it go.

The little girl with the  big laugh.  I made this dress for her cousin
Genevieve and now she fits it.  Made my heart happy to see her wear it.

Come here little chickie!

Waiting for the marina courtesy van.  

Magnolia Plantation had a fascinating display of lanterns.  Even in daylight
they were delightful bits of whimsy that she loved to look at.

Peepaw's arms area  perfect height to see something amazing.

Can't see enough smiles or hear enough laughs.

Maybe if I climb in there.....

This is a cover for a concrete barrier at the van parking area.  She
saw Peepaw hold it and she wanted to as well.  We were all amazed
that she could hold it so long.

Not so sure about something but oh baby, what blue eyes.

Papa watching his budding artist at work. The Children's Museum was
a perfect spot to spend a rainy day.

Mama and baby 2.

Dad and daughter getting creative in the kiddy room.

Love their smiles.

Party central on Blue Moon.  We had fun picking out all the
decorations back in Solomon's.  Some things she liked and some things terrified
her like the horns.  

And she's 2!.

Memaw had to get this tutu.  It just seemed perfect for her.

She was fascinated by all the birds around the marina and ran to
the sides when she saw them.

A fun but tiring day.  

Martha and her dad at the Pineapple Fountain.

Martha is a museum professional and we truly enjoyed touring some of the
old planter's homes in downtown Charleston.  I wish more of the pictures
had turned out but that's life!

Georgetown, SC

Our next spot to stop for a while was Georgetown, SC.  This was a "only a few days" stop but we ended up being there almost a week since we both really enjoyed everything about it.  The town is extremely welcoming to cruisers and make it easy for you to visit.  Good strategy since we did manage to spend money dining and shopping and touring and on and on.  The town had several events in our short time there and we enjoyed the seafood festival, the Halloween town party, and the music fest fund raiser.  They also have great museums and parks.  As with so many places we've visited, the town has a long and colorful history.  They were pivotal in both the American Revolution, War of 1812 and the Civil War (or the War Between the States in Southern parlance)  Many of the houses are from  the Colonial times and Civil War era.  Unlike other towns, we did not see a lot of decay in these old homes.  They were almost all private residences and lovingly maintained.  It was nice to see that the owners valued their part of history.  The people we met were all so friendly and welcoming and seemed genuinely happy to meet us.  We also visited our first cat cafe, the Purr and Pour.  It is a non-profit that sells you coffee and the opportunity to spend time with the kitties in hopes you'll adopt one.  The owner told us that they had placed over 24 during the summer alone.  Turns out they are a growing trend nationwide so we'll be on the lookout in the future.  No, we didn't adopt a boat cat.  We also met a few fellow sailors who made the adventure of cruising all the better.  Overall, one of our favorite stops with more than a few unexpected treasures.

They want you to know where you are and that you are welcome.

The town provided free of charge several places to tie up your dinghy or
your boat for the day.

This beautiful fountain was at the end of the boardwalk lining the river
through the downtown area.

One of the dinghy docks was next to a park where the festivals were set up.
It was also close to the excellent maritime museum, county museum and rice museum.
Georgetown was the place where rich planters came to gather.  First came Indigo then Rice then
ship building.  As economic realities changed so did the town.  Rare to see such long term
adaptive skills.  

This buildings were old but well maintained and the facades were colorfully decorated.

The Halloween Parade and trick or treating went from one end of town
to the other.

This house is the oldest one still standing in Georgetown, circa 1740.

I loved the colors, unique windows and uncommon gingerbread on this
Colonial Era house.  

Not to mention it had great plants too.

The streets for most of the town are well kept and shaded by large oaks.
It really did seem idyllic.

One of the streets lined with historic homes.

Cute guy walking the beach.

As always, we really on the trusty bikes to get us around.  Since Uber and cabs
weren't around we even went to the laundromat on the bikes carrying
our wash in backpacks.  Where there's a will there's a way.

This old steel mill was where we anchored.  The mill closed about 15 years
ago and is now a metals recycler.  Most of the property is deteriorating but
there are rumors of possible other uses.  The folks in this town will probably
figure out how to reinvent it too.