Island Hopping....Edisto and Hunting ......

We had fun adventure last year and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  I never got around to writing this one up.  Greg made reservations for one night at Live Oak Campground at Edisto State Park and the following two nights on the beach side.  Reservations at Edisto are very hard to come by and we have tried many times so we were thrilled to get these even with having to move.  Now when I say Beach side - I really mean beach!!  It was amazing!!!

Our site at Live Oak was cozy and we really enjoyed being there.  There were lots of places to walk and enjoy the nature all around the campground. We were a little sad to move until we saw our site on the beach side campground.  It was amazing and literally right on the other side of the dunes with a walkway just near our site.  It was site #13 but it appears that it doesn't exist now as we checked on reserving it again and it no longer shows on the map.  It was really one of the best sites we have ever had and our only regret was that we couldn't keep it longer.  We stalk the reservation site hoping to find one similar there again. 

One other awesome find was Botany Bay - my brother had told us how amazing it was and we spent hours there.  If you ever get a chance to visit make time to ride through.  It's just beautiful and there is lots of history so take your time. We took the walk to the beach and it's a trek but totally worth the effort.  We saw so many shells and so much more.  Check out the link above to see more pictures.

Since we weren't ready to head home just yet, Greg checked online and was able to get a reservation at Hunting Island State Park.  We hadn't been back since the last hurricane hit there - I believe it was Michael.  This is one of our very favorite spots and as I have mentioned too many times, we spent a part of our honeymoon there 34 years ago.  I have to admit when we drove into the park it took my breath away just a little - it was just so different.  After a bit we realized that it was still a beautiful nature filled adventure it always has been.  When we got to our site we were surprised to find out the site we had reserved was the very same as our last visit.  Even with the storm damage and reduced shoreline it is still an amazing campground.  Most of the ocean front sites are gone but there is still a lot of work going on there to restore as much as possible. 

This view is from the lighthouse side and it's well worth visiting too. There are tables and places to grill and hang out on this side and it's just so peaceful there.  Tons of crazy birds hang out there too.

After a couple of days we headed home.  This was such a fun trip and it's so nice to be able to pack up and move on to the next adventure.  That was so much more complicated when we tent camped.  We have done this on a couple of trips and we really enjoy it.

We have our next trip planned in June.  We will be heading back up to Devils Fork for a few days and then on up to Bryson City!  I have wanted to go there for years and we are finally going to make the trip.  We hope to ride the train and see a few other sites while we're there.  We have reservations at Turkey Creek Campground.  We have heard so many awesome things about this campground and the couple who run it.  Check it out if you are ever in the area.  We'll post some pictures after our trip.  They also have an awesome Facebook page.

On another note, we are settling into our new normal as empty nesters and learning it's going to be ok.  We are still struggling with the thermostat but it seems we have the Google Home and wireless down.  Now if we could just get the Amazon Fire Stick functioning again.  Oh well....one day at a time.  See you on the road....

Changes, Camping and More....

In the last four months we have been through lots of changes and we find ourselves in a bit of a new reality.  That's not always a bad thing and we are working to embrace our new day to day.  Life changes quickly and if there is anything we have learned it's to embrace each and every day, enjoy life, and don't waste time on things that just don't matter.  I'm posting this rare picture of us here because we want to come out from behind the camera and let everyone know that we are the face of senior life and the challenges it can include. 

We are in that now common position where our parents have been our responsibility and concern in day to day life.  In the last few months we have lost my Mother and Greg's Dad.  Now Greg's Mom is alone and that is a daily worry.  She is very independent and self sufficient but loosing a partner that you have spent more than 60 years of your life with can bring on all sorts of dilemmas.  The loss of Greg's Dad was quick and somewhat unexpected and has left a hole in our family.  My Mother was ill and in long term care for over a year and a half and while expected, it was much sooner than anticipated.

In the midst of all of this Greg has suffered a long chronic illness which resulted in his loosing a job that he loved.  This has been another death of sorts for him and has been a process to begin to move forward from that.  We have been stalled and having difficulty in moving in that direction but we are now on the road and hoping to keep plodding ahead.

Another event that has definitely effected our lives was the loss of our beloved 14 year old Beagle Jack, Beeger.  He was the most loyal and sweet boy and his favorite person in the world was Greg.  He never left his side when he was home and he was happiest in the yard helping out.  He had been declining for quite a while and also had dementia.  We had to make the very difficult decision to put him down four days before Greg's Dad died.  We could not allow him to suffer any longer.  He talked to us until he drew his last breath.  He was never able to camp with us due to his health but he was so happy to see us each time we returned.  Understandably this has been very hard on Lucy as well.  She knows that he is gone and she is alone with out a sibling for the first time in her life.  Hopefully at some point we will find another rescue the she loves like she did our sweet Beeger aka BJ!

What's the point of sharing all of this??  We hope that others out there who are suffering similar difficulties in life can see that it is possible to find joy even in the midst of pain and loss.  We have felt that we have been hit by a landslide of loss lately but as the clouds clear away we are left with a glimmer of bright light and hope for our future.  We are so excited to be welcoming our very first Grandchild this month and the joy and anticipation of his arrival gives us hope for brighter days ahead.  We are so very fortunate to have four beautiful grown sons and their wonderful spouses!!  And...we know that all of these events are part of life and endured by us all.

We are looking forward to a camping trip hopefully next week before Greg gets back to work in a new and different job.  A little time spent in Little Red always gives us perspective and brings us back to whats important in life.  Stay tuned to see where we travel to.  Spring is usually beautiful in South Caroling!