FRIENDS

Usually my blog is a little bit of a travelogue.  In this post, I digress.

Having just turned 68, yes, I found myself a little melancholy, thinking about my life before and my life after my birthday.  One does that when they get to be my age.

Having recently spent a weekend with two best friends, who came to Edisto Beach State Park to celebrate my birthday with me, I thought a lot about friendship and how especially important and meaningful it is.  

"Friends are hard to find.  In a lifetime you only find a few.  And when you find them, you always know them by sight and heart alone, you always grow a little taller in your soul, and you know you have been blessed just to know them"........Ashley Rice

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same".......Elbert Hubbard

A local pastor, Shawn Wood, in a recent message, said that in our lifetimes, most of us find it hard to name five CLOSE friends.  Sad to say, most 40 year old men cannot name one REAL friend.  Are we too busy?  Are we too removed?  Has Facebook and texting taken the real meaning of true friendship out of our lives and made most of our friends relationships that we only talk to electronically?

"I value the friend who for me, finds time on his/her calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his/her calendar".........Robert Brault

Pastor Wood went on to say that if we get our friends right, our lives will be richer.  Show me your friends and I will show you your future.  You are the average of your five friends, should you be lucky to have them.  

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same".....Elbert Hubbard

I would like to introduce you to six of my dear friends, the real kind.

Here in South Carolina, I met Vicki and Patricia through Seacoast Church.  We have become the closest and best of friends in the last ten years.  We have been through good times and bad, sickness and health, the death of close relatives, family sicknesses and all of those times that you truly need friends.  And we have had many, many, many good times and have shared lot of laughter. No matter what we do, we have fun, and laughter is great medicine.  Each of us is only a phone call away.  We would do just about anything for one another.  These are the gals who came here to celebrate my birthday with me.

 Making a birthday dinner!

Bible Study on the back porch

We rented a cabin here at the state park and had a really nice time that included an educational boat ride with the Department of Natural Resources, taking in a Shrimp Festival, sitting on the beach, enjoying good food and just enjoying each other's company.  I truly love these gals.  

Friends # 3 and 4 live in Pennsylvania, where I moved from 10 years ago.  But our friendship did not end there.  We met as coworkers at County National Bank in Clearfield, PA.  In fact, Lois was my boss! We had a really close friendship for about 15 years, and still do.  I was blessed to be able to meet up with them this past August following Tom's family reunion.  We had not actually seen each other in years, but felt like we could pick up right where we left off.  That is true friendship, you can feel so comfortable with them even if you can't be together as often as you would like.

Linda, Lois and myself along with another great friend, Dan.

I cherish these gals and have so many joyful memories of times we have had together.  We visited Dan on several occasions when he lived in Palm Springs, CA.  He was also a County National Bank employee. I love these friends despite the distance...distance does not diminish real friendship.

And finally, I cherish Ann and Anita.  Ann and I met when we were both 12.  Do the math.  OK...it't really big numbers, I will do it for you.  It is 56 years since we met.  Could that be?  We were neighbors and schoolmates in Pennsylvania.  Closer than peas in a pod until we graduated high school and went our separate ways.  After 20 years we rekindled the friendship at a class reunion and have become close again, doing a lot of traveling together both with and without our husbands.  The unique thing about our friendship is that we are total opposites, in so many ways.  But we put friendship beyond personal differences and I would do anything for her and I believe she would do the same for me. Not to mention the fact that she lives in Arizona and I live in South Carolina. She is a special woman and I have treasured her friendship over all the years.

Anita is my newest dear friend.  I met Anita when I moved to Del Webb Charleston and we became immediate friends.  Our common love of books and God immediately sparked a close friendship. Anita is a tiny little ball of endless energy and she has been blessed with a tremendous gift of encouragement.  We love to get together and talk about books and our families.

Well, I have rambled on enough.  I could go on and on about all the wonderful people that God has brought into my life, but this post would go on forever.  You know who you are and I am so grateful for your friendship.  With friends like you to grow old with, I have no fear.  God is so good and I thank Him for you.  If I am an average of all of these friends, I am truly blessed.

"A friend loves at all times".....Proverbs 17:17

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down".........Oprah Winfrey

PS.....Although I have highlighted the women in my life, I would certainly not want to neglect to mention my five best male friends .....my sons Terry, Jeff, Todd and Jason...and hubby Tom

DEAD SNAKE-AT LEAST WE THOUGHT SO

There are so many wonderful things about camping.....getting close to nature, getting to see the country, meeting so many wonderful people, having new experiences, the list goes on and on.  However, there are just a few drawbacks.  Like not having a bathtub, or a good oven.  The one big drawback that we have found is .....snakes.  We have been on the road for a year and have, up to this point, not encountered any snakes.  We don't dislike all snakes, just the bad ones.  Well, I did have one encounter.  One night, while riding my bike at the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, I saw something ahead in the road that looked like a piece of tire on the edge of the road.  It was quite large.  So I just steered around it with my bike, passing about a foot from it.  Since it was under a street light, I glanced over at it and got quite a shock.  It was a VERY large water moccasin....coiled up on the street.  I put pedal to the metal and headed home at record speed and told Tom that I had seen a VERY bad snake.  When we went back in the car to see it..it was gone.  Not good news, that meant it was alive.  Sighting #1.
Earlier this week Tom was walking Barklee late at night here at Edisto State Park.  We have been told that snakes are very rare here since they like fresh water, not salt.  He came home to tell me that he had seen a copperhead cross the road here in the campground.  Sighting #2.
Last night, Tom took Barklee for a walk around eleven.  He came back to the camper to tell me to get dressed and to come out, he had killed a copperhead.  Well, I was less than enthusiastic to go look at a dead copperhead and possibly run into one of his friends or family.  When he saw the snake, he immediatley put Barklee into the truck, then kicked sand into the snake's face to confuse it and then kicked it in the head and then stomped on it to kill it.  Dead snake.  When he got there for the photo shoot, the snake was gone.  Tom saw it slithering, confused and dazed, toward a tree.  He went back to the truck, got a piece of pipe and proceeded to beat it to death.  Mr. Snake definitely looked like he had a broken jaw as well as other mortal damage.  So Tom picked it up with a pole and brought it to the camper and hung it on our flagpole as proof of his amazing feat.  When he told me what he had done, I replied that no snake will be hanging from the camper in which I was sleeping and asked him to bag it in a kitchen garbage bag and TIE THE BAG.....you never know.  Deed done.  We went to sleep.  Tom will confer with the ranger on duty in the morning to see how to dispose of the remains.
So the snake is now "hanging around" in the bag over our picnic table. R.I.P.  Come early morning Tom goes outside to get his shoes on to walk Barklee.  He glanced over at the bag, and there, sticking his head out of a hole in the bag was the deceased...alive and well, doing his best to leave.  Needless to say, Tom was a little surprised.  He had killed it twice.
Well, the snake was then double bagged and given to the ranger, who was going to "relocate" the varmit.  It seems that they do not like to kill snakes in State Parks...that is probably why the snake was living here, he thought he was off limits.
From now on, no more walking the dog in the dark late at night.  And no victory dances after murdering a snake with multiple lives.
Below is the picture of the snake hanging on our camper....it was actually still alive when Tom hung it here.....not a good idea...

AN ISLAND BY THE SEA

Edisto Island, where we are situated now, is an island bordered on the East by the Atlantic Ocean.  One of the most visited places on the Island is Botany Bay.  The Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area is 4,687 acres and consists of two large plantations.  It grew Sea Island Cotton, the most valuable cotton available and made the owners of these plantations very wealthy.  The property was left to the State of South Carolina and is now managed by the Department of Natural Resources.  It has one of the most interesting beaches I have seen anywhere and we love to go there.  It is a photographer's Paradise, and I am going to share some pics from there. The beaches are totally natural and amazing.  There are more shells there than I have seen anywhere else, and they are to be left there.  The DNR volunteers will shake you down as you leave the beach, believe me!

 Pretty Maids all in a row

 Call me a romantic but I think it is shaped like a heart!

 Edisto Island native Grandpa with grandsons

 Tom looking for someone to talk to...

Yours Truly

LIVING ON ISLAND TIME

Greetings from Edisto Island, South Carolina, one of the most beautiful places in the country.  We arrived here on Sunday, September 1st and reported for duty as State Park Volunteers (aka workampers).  We will be here for two months.

Edisto is a barrier island located about 45 miles south of Charleston, so we are only an hour away from home (although it is rented), so we can still visit friends and do things back home when we want to,  However, once you drive over the bridge that takes you onto Edisto Island, the world changes.  You drive into a land of waterways, marshes and Spanish moss-draped oak trees bigger than any you will see elsewhere.  The island is the same as it has been for many, many years...no traffic lights, no hotels or motels, no drug stores, and NO WALMARTS OR STARBUCKS!  Can you imagine such a place?  It is quite and serene, no traffic jams or honking horns.  If you want drinkable water you drive into the fire station and fill up your empty milk jugs.  It really is Paradise.

Tom and I got our work assignments here at Edisto Beach State Park the day after we arrived.  I will be working two five-hour days a week at the beautiful boat landing.  I am the gal in the gatehouse that shakes the boaters down for money before they load their boat into the bay.  I even have air-conditioning, which is great because it has really been hot.  The people that come through are so nice and I love my job.  Tom drives a little golf cart around the campgrounds and rakes up the campsites after people leave, may need to do some trimming of overgrowth and keeps the campsites looking neat.  He works three five hour days a week.  Oh, he also has a chance to talk to everyone he meets..imagine that! We are both off Thursdays and Fridays so we can do fun things in the area. The rangers are really nice and very flexible.  I think this is going to be a fun assignment.  Can't wait to go kayaking.  There are bike paths throughout the island and so much else to do.  Right down the road from us is Beaufort and then Hilton Head and then Savannah.  The South Carolina coast is so scenic.  Lots of picture opportunities.

Speaking of pictures, here are a few.

 Inside of Edisto Presbyterian Church founded in the 1600s

 Prayer Chapel outside of church

 Church cemetery

 Marsh behind campground

 Fishing dock

 Tom ready for a hard day of work...

 Tom and Barklee on the beach

Edisto sunset

ON THE WATER IN BEAUTIFUL CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA

During the last week of May we finally made it back into the wonderful state of South Carolina.  Of all of the states that we visited I have to say that our home state is the most beautiful.  And the Low Country (east of I-95) is the most scenic in the state. The coastal waters are dotted with barrier islands, wildlife and marshes that can take your breath away.

Since we basically had not done much at all in the way of visiting what our area has to offer, I planned a "date night" for us that included a trip on a boat with Barrier Island Eco tours.  It was a 2.5 hour cruise that took us out through the marshes, along with dolphins and summer breezes, to Capers Island. It was a gorgeous summer night and the trip was a little piece of Heaven.  

We had a crew of three.  Captain Jim, Courtney and Moses.  They were all great guides, but my very favorite was Moses.

Moses was waiting to greet us as we boarded the boat.

Moses said hi to each one of us once we got seated.

Moses stood at the front of the boat and watched for dolphins...he was a great spotter.

Moses led us down the island to Boneyard Beach.

Moses loved everyone and everyone loved Moses and Moses loved his job, we could tell.

Just so you can appreciate Moses, here are some pics....

 Meet Moses

Keeping a close watch for dolphins

 Marshlands

 He takes his job seriously

 The kids on the boat loved him

 He attracted girls

 Love the legs

 Which one of these is not like the others?

 Palm Tree Cemetery

 Boneyard Beach

Heading back to the boat

Seriously, if you live in the Low Country, I highly recommend Barrier Island Eco tours.  You will learn a lot and have loads of fun.  They leave from Isle of Palms Marina most days of the week and you will need reservations.  You can locate them at 

nature-tours.com

Nothing can be finer than to be in Carolina.....anytime!

SUNDAY MORNING WITH CHARLIE AND THE FAMILY

Since returning to South Carolina I have developed an interest in cold-blooded creatures.  No, not IRS employees......Prehistoric ones that still surround us here in the Lowcountry.
Since moving into the Naval Weapons Station here in Charleston eight weeks ago we found ourselves just a short jaunt down to the stream where alligators paddle by all the time. Especially in the evenings between 8-8:30.  I have named the larger gator "Big AL, since he is, shall we say....BIG.  However I have been told by many that have been around the base for years that I have not seen a big alligator until I have seen Charlie
Charlie lives here on the base in a fenced-in pond (thank goodness) and is cared for by the base.  He is somewhere around 50 years old give or take a few years and weighs over 800 pounds. He has become fat and lazy since he is frequently fed by handlers here, but apparently he can still attract the ladies.
Tom and I took a drive to see him this morning and at first we thought the trip was a dud, no sight of anything.  And THEN, we saw movement in the grass right in front of us near the water.  Lo and behold, it was about a half dozen baby alligators.

Well, once we spotted the little ones, which are adorable, we knew that mama must be nearby and sure enough she slid into the water once she heard us.  She stayed right near her babies and did not take her eyes off of us.  Not for a moment.
After some other people came and the noise level increased, she made a fierce "swooshing" movement in the water, making considerable noise.  Within moments, along comes Papa Charlie, from the far end of the pond....there to protect his sweetheart.

Well, let me tell you, he makes his presence known just by his size....you know when he his coming.  He traveled right up to the side of his woman and tried to stare us down.  He did not exactly look friendly.

I was impressed with the fact that once the mother signaled danger, Dad was right there, and he did not leave her side while we were there.

Fortunately they must have been proud of their little family, because they let us stay to take a few pics of the young 'uns.  They did not, however, pose for a family portrait.

We will miss our little friends as we prepare to leave the Navy base tomorrow, but will have photographic memories of our stay!
All photos taken by Tom Hynd.
See ya next time!

IT'S BEEN A WHILE!

It is so hard for me to believe that it has been two months since we left Texas!  It was a wonderful trip home and we arrived back in the Charleston area a little less than two weeks ago.  We took a nice train trip (needed a break from driving!) two weeks ago to visit my son and his family and Tom's sister and her family and had a great time.  While we were there we took a look at Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo where we will be working in November and December, and it is beautiful.  It will be a fun place to work and there are all sorts of new adventures awaiting us in the Keys, I am sure! 
We are currently camping at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station while our renters are in our home.  We will be back in the house around July 10th until we leave on Sept. 1 to be camp hosts at Edisto State Park, just south of Charleston.  That should be really nice since we are in a beautiful park but just one hour from home and still able to do things near home.
I have been contemplating our eight month journey recently and have had a number of people ask me about the trip.  Below is a list of my observations from our travels.

TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM LIVING IN AN RV

1.  There are nice people EVERYWHERE, and campers are a special breed of people.  When you camp, everyone is equal.  You may be camping next to a former CEO of a major corporation, a house wife, a retired military officer, a former policeman, who knows, we are all the same in a campground.  Everyone is friendly and willing to help.  Especially in military campgrounds.  Having a problem with your camper?  "Been there and done that" is the usual response from a neighbor most willing to help. Campers are kind people.
2.  God's people are everywhere.  We ran into so many people of faith and were able to share stories and encourage others along the way with stories of God's faithfulness.  In Texas we were able to attend Cowboy church together and shared many great times.
3.  Spending time in another culture is a wonderful learning experience.  We were in an area that was about 97% Hispanic and learned to love the people.  They are humble, very hard working, and VERY family oriented.  They love their families and get by with very little financially.  The children are beautiful and it was nice to make new Hispanic friends and learn a lot about the culture.
4.  We live in a BEAUTIFUL country.  Each time we traveled through a state we were amazed by its unique beauty.  Texas with so much diversity, Arkansas with so many beautiful lakes and dams, Tennessee with the mountains in bloom in the spring, Virginia with the rolling hills and natural beauty, Maryland and the Chesapeake area...North Carolina and of course, South Carolina. 
5.  You can live with a LOT less stuff than you think you need.  Downsizing from a house to a camper was a major task, but we found that we can live with so much less and be comfortable.  We have TOO MUCH STUFF!  America is one of the few countries that has storage units because we cannot fit everything in our house!  Who needs six bottles of shampoo, twenty pair of shoes, six spatulas, 16 coffee mugs and a garage that you cannot walk through?  Downsizing from a house to a camper was difficult but I did not miss a thing, except a bathtub.  If only I could have brought that!  But we do have a nice shower. I think that I will permanently live with less from now on.
6.  We are never too old to learn if we want to.  I  consider myself to me a lifelong learner and I hope to never stop.  In Texas I learned Spanish, how to clog and became a student of Texas history.  I tried to learn all that I could while I was there.  I just love to learn new things.  It is not as easy as it used to be, of course not, but nothing of value comes easy.
7.  Two people CAN live together for 8 months in a camper without one of them committing murder.  The secret is that one of them needs to keep busy doing things that get them out of the camper and that was me.  I kept very busy and active and that makes a big difference.  Cabin fever was not part of my game plan. 
8. Workamping is a lot of fun and you meet many really nice people.  Having to work for our space was not a problem and we made close friends with about 20-25 other workampers that were some of the nicest people I have ever met.  I think that we all shed tears when we parted and we still keep in contact via email.
9.  If you love nature as I do, RV-ing allows you not only to travel but to smell the roses along the way.  I absolutely love to be outdoors enjoying nature's sounds and smells.  I have always loved being outdoors enjoying the beauty that God has prepared for us.  In fact, I think that it may have something to do with the way I was raised.  Here are some of my childhood pictures:

OK, I am only kidding.  This child was actually raised in the wild by her French photographer parents.  Actually looks like fun, huh?
10.  God is good, ALL the time. The Bible says that His mercies are new every morning. He brought us safely home after almost 4,000 miles on the road, protected our health while away, and showed us so much of our country that we would never had seen any other way.
PS 1.......No matter how great the journey, I am always SO grateful to be back with family and close friends.  To see the kids and grandkids again was such joy, as well as being back with my dear friends.  There is nothing of greater value than family.
PS 2...I am so grateful that my husband is a military veteran.  It has allowed us to stay in many very nice military campgrounds where we have met so many wonderful active and retired military, allows us to shop in commisaries and provides our health insurance.  I am ever so grateful for that.
I plan to continue to blog, so don't tune out...stay tuned!!!!!!