Happy Thanksgiving

I wasn't very good with the camera today, but we had a lovely day at Gigi's.  She spoiled us with a festive table and fabulous meal.  We had a wonderful time watching football, chatting with her friend Gay and enjoying our last day together.

Everything was delicious.  We had turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, cranberry sauce, carrots and apples and pumpkin bread.

We were very thankful for a truly wonderful vacation, great memories and lots of laughs with Gigi and time together as a family.  It was tough to say goodbye, but we hope Gigi will visit us soon and we look forward to getting back to South Carolina!

Biking for Miles

 

The South Carolina cold snap continued, but the skies cleared up and we couldn't wait any longer to rent bikes and tour the island some more.  We hadn't even seen the beach yet! We bundled up and within a few 100 feet from our condo, took a right at the first Beach Access sign.

 We biked down a short wooden path which opened up to this!  It was beautiful!

The beach was empty, the sand was smooth and the wind was to our backs so we biked for miles down the coast!

 One of many Horseshoe Crabs in the sand

 This is our favorite way to spend the day...exploring somewhere new, as a family and getting exercise as we do it!

 It was just perfect, COLD but perfect!

We biked all they way down to Coligny Circle and then got back on the paths to bike to Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

 I just loved that you could be on the ocean one minute and then in the forest the next!

 We locked up our bikes to hike in the preserve.

 There were scenic paths and bridges and leaves falling everywhere.

 The Spanish Moss on the trees is all over Hilton Head and is such a unique scenery we don't get at home.

Then we biked to The Crazy Crab for lunch in Harbour Point.  I think we probably clocked about 10-12 miles today!

 Once back at the condo, we all napped and cleaned up.  Gigi offered to take the girls to dinner and keep them overnight so Matt and I could have a date night.  The girls had so much fun going through Gigi's photo albums, looking at old photos of Matt and laughing at my many hairstyles over the years.

 Matt and I went to a LowCountry Boil at The Salty Dog Cafe.  We ordered Hush Puppies and then he got the boil with shrimp, crab, andouille sausage and corn on the cob.

I got grilled shrimp, shrimp and grits, vegetables and scalloped potatoes. It was all delicious!

Rainy Day on Hilton Head

 The weather forecast today was pretty crummy.  We had a lazy morning in the condo and then took a nice walk around Sea Pines before it started raining.

 There were ponds and swamplands all over the area so we kept our eyes peeled for more alligators, but I think it was too cold.

 Stunning homes line all of the streets and are surrounded by a beautiful landscape.  I'm sure they cost a pretty penny too!

 The bike trails go on for miles and in warmer weather, I'm sure we would have hardly needed the car.

We didn't see too much wildlife today, except for this Blue Heron and a few other small birds.

We met up with Gigi in the afternoon to shop at the Tanger Outlets.  The rain poured down, but we crossed a few items off of the Christmas list.

Savannah, Georgia

 Today, we took a short road trip to Savannah, GA.  Gigi thought the best way to see it was by trolley.

 I think she was right.  There were 15 stops throughout the city and we had a fantastic tour guide, Arthur.  He had Allison and Taylor as assistants and I think he had a little crush on Gigi ;).  

 After staying on the trolley for most of the tour, we stopped for lunch at The Lady and Sons...Paula Deen's famous restaurant.  

 While we waited for our table, we toured her gift shop

 and posed with Paula herself.

 We had worked up quite an appetite and decided to order the buffet lunch so we could try as much southern cookin' as we could.  They started us off with cheddar garlic biscuits and sweet Johnny cakes.  They were tasty, but a little to buttery for my liking.  

 Paula's sweet tea was the best we had all week.  It had fresh lemon and mint which made it extra yummy!

 We filled our bellies with fried chicken, yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, creamed corn, black-eyed peas and collard greens.  Some items were better than others...but a little disappointed being that it was Paula Deen's after all.

 However, the desserts made up for any disappointments in the lunch menu.  The banana pudding was unbelievable and the peach cobbler and Gooey Cake were pretty sweet and tasty too!

 With full bellies, we decided to walk off our lunch and tour on our own.  We stopped at the home of Juliet Lowe, the founder of Girl Scouts.

 Arthur had told us this was the park where Forrest Gump gave his famous talk "Life is like a box of chocolates".  There were several cute parks within the city like this one.

 We also learned that having these fish on your downspouts would bring good luck!

 St. John the Baptist Cathedral was absolutely beautiful!  

 The school's choir was practicing on the altar but we took a few minutes to awe in its beauty and architecture.  

 We spotted several historic homes along our walk and even stopped in for a little ice cream at Leopold's.  They say its in the Top 5 in the country...not so sure, but still pretty tasty!

 It was a little chilly along the waterfront, but we looked around some of the local shops

 and admired all of the cool stonework on the cobblestone streets and staircases.

 On our way home, we popped into the Westin for the annual gingerbread display.  

 I guess there is a contest every year and there was certainly so tough competition!

 This was a replica of the Leopold's ice cream shop we ate in just a few hours earlier.

First Day in Hilton Head

We arrived into Hilton Head in the dark last night so took a quick tour this morning.  We had this nice corner unit condo and we loved our Ford Explorer!

We stayed at the Spicebush Resort in Sea Pines.  The condo was a tri-level with this nice balcony off of the back.  It was a little too cold to enjoy the swing or the water behind us, but it was a very peaceful location.

Within our first hour of touring our surroundings, Allison spotted this alligator sunning along the shore.  We pulled over the car and took pics, without getting too close.

 We've never seen this sign at home!

The Harbour Town Lighthouse it the main attraction in Sea Pines.

 Its sits right on the marina and the views were stunning from the top.

 It was a crisp, windy day so we didn't last long outside, but I'm glad we made the trek up!

 I loved how the marina had this nice waterfront with red rocking chairs placed all over.

 We were back in the car to tour Lawton Stables, also in Sea Pines.

 Allison overcame her fear of deer and Matt got quite friendly with one.  This guy even hopped the fence to try to follow Matt out!

 Our last stop before Gigi's house was the Coastal Discovery Museum.

 The marshlands were so peaceful and the grounds surrounding the museum were nice to tour.

All of the paths were lined with shells instead of rocks.

 When we got to Gigi's house, she gave us a wonderful tour of her adorable home and the Del Webb community she lives in.  There is so much to do there and she seems so happy with her move!  Then she took us on a tour of Old Town Bluffton.  Everything was closed on Sunday, but it sure was cute!

We stopped at this amazing church, Church of the Cross.  It was in perfect condition and sat right on the water.

 The sunset couldn't have been prettier!

 On the way back to her house, we stopped at this very exclusive community called Palmetto Bluff.  The homes were gorgeous, the cars were expensive and everything seemed over-the-top beautiful!

We enjoyed a yummy pasta dinner at Gigi's before heading back to our condo.  We packed a lot in and love everything about this area...except for the cold weather!