Morning beach walk

Sea creatures left behind by high tides create curiosity to area visitors

Hilton Head, South Carolina

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Before the crowds morning beach walks give you the freedom to swim in your “jammies” and hope for a glimpse of sea creatures before they hide away for the day.

Sea Turtle Nests

After a rough night, some make and some don’t

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Big enough to nibble on your toes

Seagulls and ravens

Sand fun

The coastline is a beautiful place.  The salt air and the sounds of the breaking waves naturally calms the mind.

Folly Field Beach is a beautiful place to visit and stay awhile.

Winters are mild and short….Mid November – mid February

Bee Happy 🐝

Alice

Jo’s Monday walk

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Titanic Museum

The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge TN , something to put on the bucket list

Pigeon Forge, TN

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This past week’s unplanned, no agenda, road trip landed us in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. Famously known for “Dollywood” and tucked away in the beautiful Smokey Mountains.

My fascination with the Titanic and the impressive detail of the architecture of the museum made it my first choice of tourist sites for the day.

Upon purchasing our “boarding pass” we were identified as a passenger.  Photography was not allowed in the museum until just before exiting.  We were given headphones to listen to crew members tell the stories of the areas of the ship, artifacts, passengers, and crew.  They were very easy to use and self- controlled to select what you listen to.  Visitors are admitted in small groups which allowed  space to feel the emotion of the tragedy.

The over 12 years of age ticket cost is $26.  I will say it was every penny worth it.  Different group and family tickets are also available.

Some of my favorite parts of the tour:

Reading  letters that passengers mailed home in the first days on the ship

Looking at actual photos taken onboard

Looking at the architectural drawings of the ship

Seeing real artifacts that have been recovered

The recreation of the grand staircase only used by first class passengers

Putting my hand in the 28◦ water to really understand what the survivors felt

Reading the story and viewing the photographs of the musicians that played to the end

I would also rate it as family friendly, definitely more for older children and adults but they had some areas interactive for young children.  I would plan at least two hours once you enter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bee Happy 🐝

Alice

pidgeon

Hop off the Interstates, there’s so much to see 🙂

 

Frogmore Stew

A low country boil recipe from South Carolina

A low country boil

Surprise your casual picnic guests with a traditional southern dish.

I have mixed things up by:

Using gold potatoes instead of red

Added a seasoning pouch that can be removed from the pot

Adding a cluster of crablegs along with the shrimp

Using Keilbasa in place of smoked sausage

Using chicken broth in place of water and beer

Using frozen shrimp if fresh is not available ( seafood goes in at the very end, or it will overcook)

Enjoy more time with your guests with this easy one pot and one dish meal. Rolls of paper towels on the table will be needed because hands are used to peel the shrimp and crack the crab

Bee Happy 🐝

Alice

 

 

 

 

Rollcall

Saturday the 14th

Saturday the 14th….Who’s with us?

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This little flower had a stroke of “good luck” on Friday the 13th, with a few sprinkles of rain. I could not get him to hold still or give us a handsome pose as he wiggled with heat relief.

We made it through the day without any mishaps 🙂

Gatlinburg, TN

Bee Happy 🐝

Alice

Cees flower of the day

Firefly Village

Anakeesta-Smokey Mountains-Gatlinburg TN-

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In an effort to escape the heat wave of Coastal Georgia, a trip to the mountains seemed to be a good idea.  It didn’t exactly work out that way because the high temperatures extended inland, but we kept looking up, hoping to catch a breeze.

We started our day on a chairlift that took us up to an elevation of 1290 feet.  As the chair  slowly moved along the cable above the rooftops of the homes below, my legs began to tingle.  I held onto the lowered bar and decided to just look straight ahead for the remainder of the trip. There was absolutely no way off  at this point.

The resort offers a small colorful village and a walkway showing off the sensational view of the Smokey Mountains.  There is a “blue mist” that hovers over the peaks and valleys that is formed from a vapor given off by the millions of trees and vegetation and the blue light of the sky.

Zip lining was a definite “no” for me

The Tree Canopy walk with 16 hanging bridges 40 feet above the forest was a “yes”

To sum it up, after tingling toes, walking on the edge, persons flying over my head, I do admit the bouncing of the bridges completely turned me around and I soon found myself not knowing which way I was going.

Anakeesta is a Cherokee word referring to high ground, literally meaning “the place of balsams”

As a mother of five I would rate this as “big kid” friendly , not much for the little tots.  I would also suggest the enclosed gondola cabin for transport up and down the mountain,

Bee Happy 🐝

Alice

Cee’s which way challenge