Thur Dec 13 – Dec 31 Beautiful Christmas to New Year

Thur Dec 13 – Dec 31 Beautiful Christmas to New Year

Niagara on the Lake Christmas Parade

Christmas in Niagara on the Lake was EVERYTHING that we hoped it would be and more. The first Saturday was the NOTL Christmas Parade and on the Sunday we were joined by Braden and Grant to attend a Christmas choral concert at the Festival Theatre. The concert was festive, but a little tame for our extreme party-mood group of four so we followed it up with a supremely enjoyable pint at the Angel Inn (our ‘local’). Janice got to enjoy the Silversmiths Black Lager (local brewery) while Derek was especially attached to the draft Innis and Gunn beer (Scottish).  

Niagara on the Lake Christmas Parade

One of the wonderful benefits of being here for Christmas was the memories we made with our two sons… we enjoyed many meals together, some great nights at the Angel, beautiful snowy walks through town and a fabulous Christmas around the fire in the cottage. We kept as many of our family tradition as we could and even enjoyed card games… but we eventually graduated from our usual tame game of Newmarket when the guys taught me and Derek to play poker… and things got much more spirited. Although I must add that Derek and I cleaned up!!! Beginners luck I guess!! Looking for a rematch next year!!

During our stay over the holidays we went for check-ups at the doctor and dentists and we also managed to see many friends and family, most joining us for a drink at the cottage followed by a walk and meal in the old town. One of the things we enjoyed most about our stay in NOTL was the ability to walk into town for all our needs and entertainment… which brings me to…..

New Year’s Eve…. On the morning of New Years Eve Derek got a call saying his new glasses were ready for pick up in St Catharine’s, so Janice decided that she would walk into town to peruse some of the clothing stores. On her way there she walked up Regent Street. A light snow was falling and a dusting on the ground covered up the pavement. Unfortunately it also hid some treacherous patches of ice. The town of NOTL is not very good at clearing sidewalks (their responsibility). Upshot… Janice ended up with a spectacular fall. Followed by the swift realization that all was not well with her arm/wrist. A long afternoon at Niagara General and armed with a cast and pain killers, New Years Eve was spent feeling a little sorry for ourselves by the fire. Grant and Braden came over to cheer us up, but we encouraged them to go to some friends and have some fun. They were reluctant to leave, which was flattering and sweet, but we are glad they went and did have fun. We brought in the New Year and were in bed only minutes after midnight. And so ends 2013… overall an amazing, fantastic, adventure filled year that we feel privileged and extremely lucky to have enjoyed together. From extensive travel across the US, mountains, deserts and canyons, to the cruise in the Caribbean to an extended trip in UK, our son’s wedding and our trip back across Canada, down to South Carolina and finally an amazing Christmas in Niagara on the Lake… and so we enter 2014 knowing we have some plan changes in the offing. We hadn’t planned on Janice being in a cast for the next 6-8 weeks. 

Some scenes and memories from our Christmas holidays:

Outside the Cottage on Gage St.

Outside house on Regent St

Statue of G.B, Shaw in town... festive garb!

Artists cottage on left

Coffee with Baileys on Xmas day

NEW ESPRESSO MAKER FROM B and G.. YEY!!

Santa and elf discussing chimney dimensions

Walk through the village

Our small but festive tree

 

Latte from our new machine... thanks guys!!

Back Garden

Front step

Happy on Christmas Day

The spot I slipped... that water froze solid!!!

Grant decides its time for Braden to wake up!

Fri Dec 6th-Wed Dec 11/2013 S. Carolina to NOTL

Fri Dec 6th-Wed Dec 11/2013 S. Carolina to NOTL

Last trip to Benny's :-(

Benny's shrimp are like Lobster! YUM!

Janice's Xmas Present - Adam's Clubs!! -YEY!!

Festive in the warmth!

Our last couple of days in South Carolina were spent packing. We also went for a last time to Benny's seafood for some fresh seafood. We also did some more research on golf clubs for Janice and decided that the set we saw this week at Edwin Watts Golf store was perfect in both style and colour BUT they had sold that set and couldn’t get any more in. Derek scoured the internet and finally found a set….. but it was at a dealer in Florida.. but with determination to get Janice to perfect Xmas gift, Derek managed to arrange to get it flown in and delivered to our campsite overnight… so it arrived the afternoon of the day before we left, together with a small propane ‘campfire’ we bought online from Camping World… so we were both very happy.

Our new little red fire (Propane)

We packed up the truck on the night of Dec 9^th and left early morning on the 10^th. We towed the rig to Columbia South Carolina and left it at a great storage facility (Monster Storage) and then continued north toward home in the truck. We had planned on stopping half way, but were

Ready to go!!! Getting excited

Parked at Monster storage - "Bye Condo"

See ya in a month (so we thought!!!)

just too excited and we kept driving through to Canada. We finally crossed the border around 2am after a short battle with some snow in Pennsylvania. We took a room at the Hilton Gardens by the highway and collapsed into bed exhausted.

The next day we drove to Niagara on the Lake and met Eric from Niagara Holiday rentals at the Artists Cottage on Gage Street that we had booked for the month. We were thrilled with the place. Eric and his wife Janet who manage many rental cottages in NOTL (Niagara on the Lake) were wonderful throughout our stay, dealing with issues as they arose (which were few) with lightening speed. We came to love the cottage and felt it was a perfect place to spend Christmas. There was even a decorated and lit tree sitting on the corner and a few other Christmas items for us to enjoy.

 

Artists Cottage, our home for Christmas

Mon - Thurs Dec 2-5th - golf/shopping etc

Mon - Thurs Dec 2-5th - Golf/Shopping etc

Monday - Golf
Figured we better get out as we don't know what the weather will do next down here. We see that there are forecast of snow storms heading up the mid west and side effects in Ohio and Toronto. In Hilton head it was cloudy but got up to 17 degrees so not a bad day.  How bad can it be when we are golfing in December and 18 holes on a decent course including a cart and lunch for 2 people is $53 including tax. Enjoyed a beer in the clubhouse after the game and headed back to 'camp'
Finished off with the redone seafood leftovers from last night's dinner, suitably enhanced with green veggies etc. Good grub even though heated through. 

Tuesday - Home and shopping day. 
We had to get out to check prices etc so we went to a couple of the outlet mall plazas (Tangers). We picked up a few bargains and headed home. Janice's back is acting up and she was in a fair amount of pain, so after watching a couple of Christmas movies (Hallmark Channel) back to back, we were in a more festive mood. Derek even set up our mini Christmas tree and the outside lights. Feeling excited about the coming Christmas season. 

HO! HO! HO!

Wed - Shopping again
We had done most of the wrapping last night and decided on a couple of gifts we needed to find, so off we went to pretty much complete Christmas shopping and home to finish the wrapping. Had a great curry supper finishing off the beef roast in rogan josh sauce. Mmm! Lovely warm day today and supposed to get mid 20's tomorrow!!!

Thursday - Golf and blog

ALLIGATOR!!! - Finally!!

What a beautiful day. We knew the weather forecast was good so decided to golf in the morning rather than the afternoon. Got a 10.40 tee off for $29.99 each! Included cart and hamburger for lunch. Total bill under 70.00 for golf, lunch and a beer afterward, taxes and tip included. I know we keep mentioning it... but we still find it incredible!!!  Finally got to see an alligator floating along in some water alongside the fairway! It's the 3rd time we have played the Rose Hill course and we like it a lot. Today Janice liked it more than ever as she beat Derek by 4 strokes!!!! It was 24 degrees as we started home at 3 pm. Headed off to a couple of golf stores to size up what new clubs would cost for Janice. Derek is a little reluctant as she is getting so much better with the old ones!!! Who knows how many she will win by with new tools!! Lots of Internet research this evening and also blog catch-up night

Sun Dec 1st - Boone Hall Plantation

Sun Dec 1st - Boone Hall Plantation
We have delayed going to Boone Hall until today, as it is the first day of the Christmas season for the Hall, and it was supposed to be decorated for the season. Unfortunately they were not yet finished... but it really didn't matter as the place itself is worth the visit regardless of the season.

Avenue of the Oaks - Boone Hall Plantation

Boone Hal Plantation House

Pecan Trees - dormant for the winter

Cute way to display bluejeans!!!

More oaks

Slave Quarters - 'Slave Street'

The most amazing part of this Plantation is the entrance driveway to the plantation called 'The Avenue of The Oaks".  The oak trees (evergreen 'live oaks') on either side creating an arbor across the road that are made even more beautiful by the spanish moss hanging from the boughs. That sight alone is worth the price of admission. Quite astonishing and ethereal Some of the trees are over three hundred years old (so they say). We had a busy day at the plantation. First we went on a wagon ride around the property (it is still a working plantation, but no longer grows cotton), we then went on a tour of the plantation house (Boone Hall) where we learned of the history and various owners over the years. This was followed by a Gullah presentation outside one of the old slave homes still standing on the plantation. The Gullah language and culture is a mix of English, African and French and is still a thriving language/culture in the area. Afterwards we spent some time going through the various buildings still standing, which were occupied right up to the 1940's or so (some slave families stayed after they were freed in 1865 and some were occupied by tenant farmers for a while) Each of the old slave homes now contain information about the history of the slaves and their lives in South Carolina with photos, movies and stories in each building. While we felt some of the information was a little 'sugar-coated', we do give them credit for preserving the history and providing some fascinating information. After a delicious ice-cream we took in a small 'history' presentation, which was marred by the sudden attack of gnats and the fact that the person presenting really did not do a very good job (terrible actually.. but fortunately very short!!!).

Having fun at Boone Plantation

Heading out after a long but fabulous day, we drove to the Crazy Crab restaurant on Hilton Head Island and enjoyed some more great seafood from the area (Crab dip, Crab-cakes, flounder, mahi-mahi, shrimp, lobster)  ... YUM!!!  Couldn't eat it all so packed it up for lunch tomorrow! GREAT DAY!!

Self Portrait  tradition

Boone Hall - Main house

Still would like to know what this tree is. Bark pale, wood red!!

Waiting for the tour of the house

Gullah culture presentation

Record of slave ships.. shows # of slaves loaded and number arrived alive!!

Slave Quarters

Share croppers (post slavery)

Ready to leave.. last look at the oaks - great day

Spanish moss fascinates Janice

So eerie looking!!!

And this is what it was all about.... COTTON!!

Sat Nov 30 - 1 YEAR TODAY - Coligny Beach

It is exactly one year since we started our journey and, looking, back we have been to so many places and seen so many things that we need our blog to help us remember them all. From Nashville to Memphis to Texas to Western Caribbean to  UK and Europe to the Grand Canyon, to Yellowstone to all points west through to Vancouver wedding, through the Rockies with friends and across Canada back to Milton. What an amazing year!  As we enjoy the last week or so here in South Carolina, we often chat about the 'What now?' scenario and we always end up with 'let's just keep going for a while and see what happens!' Regardless of when and where we settle down again, we are both 100% glad that we embarked on this magical mystery tour and we plan on continuing to enjoy it for a while.
So back to the blog....

Ready to head to the beach

Oh yes... this is the way to bike!!

Saturday morning we couldn't decide what to do and were quite at a loss. So after a morning latte and light lunch we packed the bikes onto the bike rack and took off to explore Coligny Beach. It was far better than we had imagined. The beach access area has a large shopping plaza (which we looked at from the outside only) .. there are big wooden swings, change areas and free public showers (beautifully clean) ... but the best part was the beach.... very wide and 12 miles long. We took our bikes down by the water and biked along the beach heading south. It was fabulous... the crowds were only gathered at the access point and the rest of the ride was free and easy... loved it. After our ride (we did 15km) we went to a coffee shop in the beach area and enjoyed some festive style coffees before heading back to the rig before dark .... 

Happiness in a helmet!!

We poured ourselves a glass of Champagne and Kirsch and walked to the harbour in the RV resort and sat watching the sunset as we toasted a great year on the road!!

It is truly the best way to see the beach!!!

And back we go!!

Shower stalls on the beachfront area

Tried hard NOT to feed them!!!

Guy in Parking lot towed on his skateboard by his remote control buggy!!

Celebrating 1 year on the road... cheers!!

Untouched.... Love the sunsets!!

Thurs/Fri Nov 28/29 -US Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Thurs/Fri Nov 28/29 -US Thanksgiving and Black Friday 
A sunny beautiful day for Thanksgiving, though a bit chilly.
Note to self.... do NOT experiment with cooking when preparing something for a pot-luck!!! 

A typical road in the RV Park

View of the swings at RV Park over the bay

The brownies.. while tasty, turned out to be a bit of a disaster, in that they were a big tray of chocolatey mush. Even after trying to re-cook them for 45 minutes they were no better and only with great effort did we we manage to get some of the outer edges formed into squares and plonked on a plate to take to the RV resort Thanksgiving pot-luck lunch. We quickly and furtively put them with the rest of the offerings and moved sprightly away. Fortunately there was a huge amount of food and desserts for all to enjoy and we both had a great time mingling with the 60-70 people who crowded into the lounge. The Turkey was absolutely delicious and were able to taste several types of stuffing (called dressing here) including one with oysters in. We also tried grits and several dishes that we have no idea what they were... a jolly celebration, and day for Derek and I to be very thankful for such an eventful and adventurous year on the road. This week a year ago, the movers came in and moved our furniture into storage and we spent Wednesday with our friend Kathy cleaning the house out. We slept in the 'condo' on wheels in the driveway of our empty house on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.
So much has happened this year (just looking back on the blog, we realize how lucky we are in so many ways.)
On Black Friday we were persuaded by horrific reports of crowds, to avoid the stores at all costs, bargains notwithstanding!!!  Instead, we spent some money on us, by heading to the Skull Creek Oyster restaurant and enjoyed a lovely fish lunch (Cod).

View from RV Park

One of the RV's in the park  decorated for Xmas

In the afternoon we actually got into the mounting Christmas spirit by writing our annual 'Taylor Tales' and Christmas cards for our international friends and family. We even got the cards to the post office before closing and got them mailed... yippee!! In the evening we walked around the RV resort to admire the Christmas decorations that have sprung up literally overnight around many of the rigs. We were admiring one particularly festive display when the owners of the rig saw us and invited us to join them at their patio table and we whiled away an hour surrounded by Christmas lights and decorations sharing stories of life on and off the road. 
Getting back to our 'condo' we finally enjoyed the chilled shrimp and seafood sauce and watched the hockey game, a sad but not disastrous overtime loss! At least they get a single point.  

Monday Nov 25 to Wednesday Nov 27th - Rainy days and Outlet Malls

Mon Nov 25 to Wed Nov 27 - Rainy days and Outlet Malls

As is so often the case, we are told by locals that the cold rainy windy weather we are experiencing is 'unusual' for this time of year, and by rights we should be lazing away on a beach. We have started to take the locals word with a grain of salt, and not planning golf games or beach walks until the 'morning of'. And this week has been one of those weeks for hunkering down by the electric fireplace and breaking out the wooly PJ's at night.  In fairness, we did bravely wander from the 'condo' and herewith is a summary of one of the slowest weeks we have had on the road!! Plans for golf on Monday were quickly ditched when the temperature remained in single digits by noon, so we stayed home and we did some planning and research and basic admin. Later in the day cabin fever led us to venture out to a big outlet mall (Tanger) to discover that we actually didn't initially find it. We wandered inadvertently into 'Big Lots' and 'World Market'.. stores which captured our attention for so long, that a trip to the outlet mall consisted of only one store (Nike) and the rest was delayed for another day.
On Tuesday after a valiant session in the gym we decided to continue our quest to investigate the outlet mall. We were blown away with the 'pre-Black Friday' prices of stuff in stores such as Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy Bahama, Levi, Crocs etc  (if you need more 'stuff').   What was notable about this day was the rain... it was torrential to put it mildly.. and, with gale force winds, we (well Janice anyway, who is far more dramatic in her imagination) had visions of the 'condo' floating away and breaking up in a rubbled heap. But thankfully the shelter of the pecan and live oaks, left the unit with little more than a good shake up and a couple of nuts on the roof (no not us!! Pecans!!). Live oaks for those who are wondering are so-called because they are 'evergreen' oaks and therefore stay 'live' throughout the year. They are common in this 'Gone With the Wind' area of the USA and some parts of Europe. The acorns are very small (fortunately) and plentiful. A walk through a stand of live oaks is frequently fraught with flying acorns unceremoniously shmacking you on the head.
Anyway, back to Tuesday. Exhausted from looking for bargains we didn't need, but pleased with our few purchases, we headed back in the rain and spent the rest of the evening looking out of the window at the storm outside, and feeling very cosy and content.
Wednesday (after the obligatory session in the gym) we went back to Benny Hudson's seafood for some fresh fish. We had actually been there on Monday and had some great flounder.. so today we bought some local sea trout and a pound and a half of huge fresh shrimp to boil up and have cold tomorrow. A trip to the grocery store (Harris Teeter) for some supplies to make brownies as a pot-luck contribution for tomorrow.
We made the brownies, which we have never done before, but we are not sure they are 'done' enough, we will cool them over night and check in the morning. Also made some leek/carrot soup for the freezer. 
The sea trout turned out to be fabulous with watercress and a mustard/yogurt sauce... wow!! We are going to miss the access to such amazing fresh seafood when we leave here in a couple of weeks.
Sorry... no photos... we must get to be more diligent about recording our adventures ... just getting lazy about taking the camera everywhere.