Tag Archives: USMC

November 30 and December 1: Beaufort and Port Royal SC and the trip home

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We had breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Company one more time before leaving Savannah, checked out of the hotel and drove to Beaufort. We had reservations at the Hilton Garden Inn in the central district and quickly learned one of the facts of life about living in and around Beaufort.

Our reservation was for 3:00 and we arrived around 1:00. Due to the proximity of the Parris Island USMC Recruit Training Depot (boot camp), hotel rooms are in short supply on Wednesday and Thursday nights as families are in town for Family Days and weekly graduation ceremonies. Graduation takes place 38 weeks of each year. Fridays are heavy checkout days and rooms are rarely available early. In making the reservations, we learned that room rates are significantly higher on those nights.

We met up with Bruce and then followed him to his friend’s, Eddie and Donna’s, place on Lady’s Island. We went beyond the end of the paved roads and turned onto the dirt road leading back to their place. Turning onto the dirt road was interesting as the road went to either side of two large oak trees. At least in our mind, it appeared as if the dirt road was divided and had a landscaped median! (We later found out that the road had been re-routed/doubled as there was insufficient room to allow fire trucks to make the turn should they ever be necessary.)

We had planned to spend some time learning about housing options from Eddie, a custom builder as well as meeting Donna and their horses. Two were shires (draught) horses and one was a thoroughbred. The shires towered over all of us. Eddie and Donna have a few (5?) acres at the end of the dirt road with all the necessary fixtures to support the horses.

They also have a rather unique residence. Its a large metal building with horse stables on one side with doorways to a paddock. On the other side is storage for Eddie’s construction business and equipment with large enough doors to drive the loaded trucks in and through. In the center, raised above the main floor is their living quarters. Donna told us they originally constructed the living quarters so they could hire someone to tend the horses and watch the property but decided to move in themselves after it was finished.

Eddie was detained with a builders meeting so we got to spend quite a bit of time visiting with Donna who gave us a tour and shared some insider information about living in the area. She also walked us over to meet one of the neighbors, Jason, who is a caterer and has an interest in old military vehicles. We spent some time with him ogling HUGE trucks and listening to them run. Jason has also rigged a zip line across his property for entertainment. Jason’s family also provides temporary foster care for dogs who are between stable home situations. The assortment of dogs ran from a big lab all the way down to a small dachshund who welcomed the additional attention once they decided we belonged there. Remember, dogs are great judges of character so we take their endorsement well.

We enjoyed our visit tremendously and left to go look around the area a bit. Bruce showed us a development called Newpoint tucked off the main road. Newpoint is a residential community built with older, low country styles (big porches, close to the street) and is quite an attractive neighborhood with an older flavor. Nicely done with a few houses for sale and a couple of lots available for building but not in our price range. The neighborhood is definitely walkable with an ice cream cafe at the entrance but the car would be needed for most any other errand.

We grabbed lunch at The Upper Crust at the Shoppes at Hamilton Village. Eddie met us briefly as we arrived on his way to another commitment. He was able to answer some general questions for us as it had been a very long time since we had paid attention to details of modern construction methods. First impressions count and he seemed like someone we could potentially work with if we decide to build in that area.

We next went over to look around in Port Royal. Port Royal is actually an older (30-50 years? mostly) town with the same sort of feel as Newpoint. Houses are more cottage sized. Commercial operations are situated along the waterfront with a big sign announcing a coming condo complex.

Port Royal is a scenic little town across the water from the Parris Island facility. We enjoyed sightseeing there. We also got to watch the sunset over some of the fishing fleet.

DSCN7755 DSCN7756 DSCN7758As we watched the sunset, we also saw a couple of porpoises rolling in the water.

After watching the sunset, we returned Bruce to stay at Eddie and Donna’s and then returned to the Hilton Garden for the night. Tried to get some shots of the nearly full moon through the trees but they didn’t turn out.

We woke Saturday morning and began the drive back home. The most direct route home took us through Yemassee to I95. We passed by the Old Sheldon Church ruins but didn’t take time to stop this trip but its on the list for a future trip.

Old Sheldon Church ruins. Image courtesy of Google.

The remainder of our ride home was uneventful. As usual, we enjoyed sleeping in our own bed again.

November 29: Beaufort SC

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After checking out Garden City and Pooler GA, we headed over to Beaufort SC. Its about an hour drive. We had tried to get reservations at the Hilton Garden Inn in the central district and quickly learned one of the facts of life about living in and around Beaufort. Due to the proximity of the Parris Island USMC Recruit Training Depot (boot camp), hotel rooms are in short supply on Wednesday and Thursday nights as families are in town for Family Days and weekly graduation ceremonies. Graduation takes place 38 weeks of each year. Fridays are heavy checkout days and rooms are rarely available early. In making the reservations, we learned that room rates are significantly higher on those nights.

Betty had found an excellent little guide book to help with our familiarization with the Beaufort area. We went to the park at Pigeon Point and then headed into the historic area.

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In addition to many homes, we found this historic African Baptist Church and the light seemed just right to grab a picture or two. DSCN7747

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Milton Maxey House
Craven Street – ca. 1813
Built around 1813 on original tabby foundation dating 1743, the Maxey House is known as the “Secession House” after the first meeting in favor of secession was held here.

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William Fickling House School masters house now rectory St. Helena

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Charles Edward Leverett House

Following our self-guided tour of the historic district, we decided to check out shopping options in the local area while we awaited the arrival of our friend, Bruce. We went to the Cross Creek Shopping Plaza and walked through a couple of stores, including Belk and JCPenney. We skipped the Walmart. While we were walking about, Bruce called to let us know he had arrived.

When we got together, Bruce contacted his friends Eddie and Donna to see if they would be able to join us but they were unable to meet us but we made plans to get together on Friday.

Dinner was on Lady’s Island at a place called . Barbara Jeans, a local chain with locations in from St. Simons to Charleston. Bruce had been there before and knew what he was getting. Bruce had the pot roast, Betty had the grilled Catfish and Keith had the crabcakes. All were delicious and the desserts sounded yummy as well but our appetites were well satisfied after dinner.

We parted ways with Betty and Keith returning to Savannah and Bruce headed for Yemassee with plans to meet again the next day.

Friends Playing Tourists in DC: A Tribute to Our Military Heroes (Part 2.2)

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From the Declaration monument, we made our way to one of the newer and more well-known memorials, the World War II Memorial. It is both striking in its design (even with the water drained for the cold weather as it is now) and awe-inspiring in its sobriety. It is also very popular at all times of year.

The World War II Memorial honors the service of sixteen million members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, the support of countless millions on the home front, and the ultimate sacrifice of 405,399 Americans.  On May 29, 2004, a four-day “grand reunion” of veterans on the National Mall culminated in the dedication of this tribute to the legacy of “The Greatest Generation.” See more at the official website.

It is situated between the Washington and Lincoln adjacent to the Reflecting Pool. This was the first time that Steve and Russ had been to see it.

The Memorial includes granite columns for each of the states, districts and territories that sent their sons and daughters to fight.

Connecting the granite columns are bronze ropes just as the country was bound together in a common purpose. (More than a few lament the passing of these binds while rejoicing that their cause has ended.)

At opposite ends of the circle are soaring pavilions to signify the two major fronts of the war, the Atlantic (sea, land and air)  and the Pacific (sea, land and air).In the center of the circle are pools of water (during normally warmer months). At various spots are bronze bas-reliefs and engraved granite recalling significant events or thoughts of the period.One of my favorite parts of this Memorial is the wall of over 4,000 gold stars commemorating those who were casualties or missing after the war. (We didn’t get a picture of them.)

Our next stop was the Korean War Veterans Memorial, located southeast of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. The Memorial commemorates the many who died (USA 54,246 United Nations 628,833), went missing (USA 8,177 UN 470,267), captured (USA 7,140 UN 92,970), and wounded (USA 103,284 UN 1,064,453) for a country of people they never knew.

The Memorial contains 19 larger-than-life figures are made from stainless steel and are depicted marching next to a wall of polished granite where a multitude of faces look on. There is something haunting in the sculpture as well as the faces etched and reflections. The visit to the Korean Veterans Memorial was a first for the guys.

Our next stop was the Iwo Jima Memorial.

“The United States Marine Corps War Memorial stands as a symbol of this grateful nation’s esteem for the honored dead of the U.S. Marine Corps. While the statue depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II, the memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in the defense of the United States since 1775. ” You can read more about the Memorial at the official website.

The Pentagon September 11 Memorial opened on September 11, 2008 to honor the memory of the 184 people who died in the attack there on September 11, 2001 both on the ground and onboard the airplane.

The Memorial is located on the rounds of the Pentagon complex and not easily reached. The options include taking the Yellow or Blue Line Metro to Pentagon Station and then walking around to the opposite side of the complex or driving and parking on the opposite side of I-395 (although 5 handicap parking spaces are available next to the Memorial). There is also a walking tunnel under 395 from near the Pentagon City Mall. I believe that there is also a drop off for tour buses nearby so the “difficulty” and long walk is only if you’re traveling on your own.

For each person who died there, there is a bench rising from the ground on one end and suspended in the air on the other. Below each bench is a pool of moving water. On the end of the bench, the name of the person is engraved. You can tell whether the person was inside the Pentagon or onboard the airplane from which end of the bench with their name is anchored in the earth and which end is elevated. If the anchored end is closer to the building, they were inside the Pentagon. If the anchored end is away from the building, they were onboard the airplane.

The benches are arranged based on the year of birth of the person. The younger children onboard the airplane are closer to the entrance. Thankfully, there are also fewer of them in that area. If more than one member of a family died during the attack, family names are listed in the reflecting pool under the bench, in addition to the separate benches that have been created for each individual. A wall along the edge of the Memorial begins at a height of 3 inches and rises to a height of 71 inches, the ages of the youngest and oldest victim of the attack, and approximately 85 paperbark maple trees are planted on the memorial grounds.