Savannah, Georgia one of the Jewels of the South

Columbia City Square in front of Davenport House

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Savannah, Georgia is one of the jewels of the South with a historic district that is rich with historic homes and parks. Savannah has a similar ambiance as that found in Charleston, South Carolina with its horse drawn carriage tours, cobblestone streets, historic buildings and homes with a history rich with southern pride and eccentric characters. Savannah is also the setting for the famous non-fiction book titled, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". The novel alludes the Savannah you see as a tourist only skims the surface of the Savannah that the people who live and work there know and love. Savannah also gives its residents daily reminders to take time to smell the roses with its 22 small city square parks that are scattered through out the city. These city squares provide an oasis that is easy to walk to where one can take a break from the stresses of the day. As with so many things in life, it is the little things that amount to something more when put together as a whole. Savannah definitely is full of the little things that when put together make it a city worth visiting and perhaps live in for a period of time in order to see the depth of it's beauty that exists between the tourist carraiges and shops.

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Statue of John Wesley founder of Methodismfound in one of the city squares

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Example of some iron work that is found throughout the city.This is in front of the Savannah Cotton Exchange Building. ~
Savannah River walk that is full of shops, pubs and restaurants

Dome of the Savannah's City Hall Building

Historic Davenport House

Horse drawn carriages caught in a rain storm at the City Market where there are shops, art galleries, restaurants and a hub of tourist activies.

Washington, DC

Our visit to Washington, DC was short but we managed to see a lot of sights. There are far too many great photos to post here so at the end of this write up, there is a link to all the photos that were taken while we were in Washington, DC. I would recommend everyone come and visit Washington, DC. The museums and most of the sights are free which make family visits very affordable as well as educational. Our tour tickets for the Capital Building were obtained by contacting our congresswomen via email and we received free tickets for our tour as well as tickets to sit in on sessions being held in the House of Representatives and the Senate. We will definitely come back again for there were so many sights we didn't get a chance to see!

Union Station

National Museum of Natural History

Famous painting in the National Musuem of Art

Undergournd moving sidewalk that links 2 art museums

Sculpture in National Museum of Art

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument

Supreme Court Building

Library of Congress

Front of the Capital Building

Back of the Captial Building

Chandelier in the Capital Building

Fresco painted in the dome of the Captial Building

Sculpture of Ronald Reagan in the Captial Building.

There are many sculptures inside the Capital Biulding.

Flower in the Botanical Garden across the street from the Capital Building.

Capital Building before a rain storm. The House of Representatives and the Senate House are on either side of the Captial Building. Lady Freedom is at the top of the dome.

For more photos of DC go here: http://montychandler.smugmug.com/Americas/US-East-Coast/Washington-DC/12795438_eV7WM#922431971_3jzry

Hunting Island, South Carolina

Small islands off the coast of South Carolina are linked by simple causeways over marshlands populated by a variety of bird, aquatic and terrain life. Our 6 day stay at the Hunting Island State Park was ideal with shaded campsites provided by lush palmetto palm trees and a walk on the beach just 2 minutes from our door. The terrain along the shores of the beach is drastically different from that found on the Outerbanks of North Carolina. Forests of pine and palmetto trees along with expansive marshlands make Hunting Island a haven for wildlife. White tail deer were seen daily due to campers feeding them, there were rumers of alligators which we thankfully did not see, flocks of pelicans flying in a single line along the shore, Bluejays and Cardinals, Ospreys and cranes were just some of the wildlife we got to see daily. Hunting for seashells and shark teeth while walking the dogs on the beach was a enjoyable activity which yielded 4 sharks teeth, a couple of sand dollars and other shells we liked. Shore fishing provided us with a number of small sand sharks and a 3-foot black tipped reef shark (caught by me!) and the shallow 80 degree temperature waters were wonderful. All sea life caught were returned to the sea. Hunting Island shores are also a loggerhead turtle nesting ground as well as a migratory stop for a variety of birds. There are small bug like crabs in large quantities in the marshes which I named roach crabs because they scramble to their holes like roaches! EWWWW! Be sure to see the picture below! Hunting Island's abundant wildlife will hopefully endure the over a million visitors per year that come here. We will definitely return to Hunting Island in the future and get lost in its timeless surroundings.

Hunting Island lighthouse painted uniquely as were the Outerbanks lighthouses

Jungle like forests provided shade

Tides came up to the tree line along the shores of Hunting Island

White Tail Doe

3-Foot Grouper caught by a shoreline fisherman

Marsh crabs that I named Roach Crabs ! EWWWWWWW!

Time stands still on Hunting Island shores

The Wright Brothers Museum

Another site to see and visit is the Wright Brother's Musuem. It is located in Kill Devil Hills, NC. Here are some pictures of what we saw there.

The keeper of the Currituck lighthouse is a Big Rooster!

Remember you saw it here first! We were suprised to find a rooster guarding the Curritcuk lighthouse. The Currituck lighhouse is not as tall as the Cape Hatteras lighthouse and it is the only lighthouse that is unpainted which reveals the warm colors of it's bricks.

The Bodie Island lighthouse is under renovation and was not open for visiters. This lighthouse is painted with a stripe pattern. The 5th lighthouse which is Cape Lookout lighthouse in Beaufort, NC, we passed already and will not get to take a picture of it. It's painted with a diamond pattern. We will definitely get a picture of it on our next trip out to the Atlantic Beach area in the future.

Tallest Light House in the USA

The Cape Hatteras lighthouse is the tallest light house in the USA. For a fee of $7 you can climb to the top and experience a wonderful view of the Outer Banks. Equavalent to 12 stories tall with 257 steps on a spiraling staircase, the climb to the top was well worth it. There are small landings where one can rest and catch one's breath throughout the climb which make it possible for people as young as children and the elderly to climb to the top. There are 5 lighthouses that reside on the outer banks. Each lighthouse has it's unique outside paint pattern as well as their own unique light pattern. Therefore, sailers night and day, as far as 20 miles off shore can immediately know where they are in regards to this large sand bar known as the Outer Banks.

The Ocracoke lighthouse is near the ferry landing in Ocracoke. The smallest and oldest lighthouse is still a working lighthouse and is a welcoming sight as you enter the ferry landing.

Home Away From Home

We love our trailer with its air conditioner given the 90+ degree temperatures that are going to be with us this whole week. We admit we are spoiled now and can't ever see going back to tent camping. A trailer frees us from extreme weather conditions. We used to plan our camping around whether it was going to be too hot or if there was rain in the forecast. A trailer gives us all the comforts of home with the freedom to set up camp anywhere you can travel to by car. We can also take our two dogs with us which eliminates expensive boarding costs and allows us to lengthen our time away. We are living our dream of traveling around the U.S. and experiencing the diverse beauty and lifestyles that exists in this country at a pace that allows us to discover and savor what makes each place unique and special.