Catch Up Post: A Little Of This, A Little Of That

Six weeks of peace and quiet, surrounded by nature made that time feel like it flew by. Ronnie fished a little, we walked and biked to get in our exercise, got caught up on some motorhome maintenance all while spending time in familiar surroundings.  Cedar Point Campground in the Croatan National Forest was home for 14 days followed by 16 days in Charleston, SC and then back for 14 more days of peaceful, relaxing Croatan National Forest camping.  Here's a brief photo diary of some of the things we enjoyed during our time there.

Still waters surround the small boat launch area of the Cedar Point Campground

Calm waters with strewn shells: Emerald Isle Beach

Ronnie's 21" Red Drum caught (and released) from Beaufort Inlet

Ugh...Ronnie's caught (and released) octopus.

Quaint downtown Swansboro, NC.

One of the several views form the Swansboro waterfront.

The first portion of October's weather was unusually hot and humid for this region.  Unfortunately, our time in Charleston was spent trying to keep cool!  Time spent in the shade and near Charleston's waterfront offered a great cooling effect.
Of course we had to stop by and visit one of our favorite trees
Johns Island's Angel Oak Tree.  Estimated to be between 400-500 years old, this live oak with it's heavy, far reaching branches is truly amazing to me.  It has survived hurricanes, a war, modern development and the encroaching growth of Johns Island.  It's impressive size and girth makes you feel small and somewhat overwhelmed when you first walk up to the tree.  Walking around it, the maze of branches seem to reach down and touch your heart.  You cannot help but to know you are seeing something special.

Charleston is a wonderful place to visit and explore. However, Ronnie and I think strolling along it's old streets, admiring the majestic antebellum homes, is best done on cool, low humidity days.  We plan to come back another time and maybe schedule that visit for when it's more comfortable.

Charleston's cool and breezy Riley Waterfront Park.

The Charleston Saturday Farmer's Market was quite nice.  Located in Marion Square, it offers the usual collection of delicious farm-fresh grown vegetables, locally made foods and crafts and an assortment of food trucks with tasty treats.  The castle-like building in the background is now an Embassy Suites Hotel but was originally The Old Citadel Building. 

This pottery was exquisite.

We grilled some of these beauties on the grill later that evening..yummm

And we enjoyed some of these ripe red tomatoes on our salads and sandwiches.

Views of Citadel Square Baptist Church built in 1855-56. 

With daytime temperatures reaching in the upper 80's to low 90's and high humidity, touring this beautiful city was limited on this visit.  These were the only photographs I made of Charleston's splendid architecture.  Because it was so hot, we mostly auto-hiked in the air conditioning.  Hopefully we can experience the cooler side of Charleston another time.

More later from Wilmington, NC.