The tea plantation

We spent the morning visiting the United State's only tea plantation and since Sharleen is a avid tea drinker we learned a lot. This plantation makes American classic tea and that is the only American grown tea in the US. Bigelow tea has purchased American tea so they will have a wider distribution.

Here we see the tea "hedges". Did you know that the tea plant is related to the Camellia  plant. Yup, it's a close relative. The plants, once planted need never to be replanted. It takes about 6  years from starting a plant to tea production but from then on for hundreds of years there is no replanting.

This is a tea harvesting machine that the call the Green Giant. They adapted parts from the cotton picker and other implements to make the harvester; It cuts the three inch new growth which is what the tea leaves come from. They said that this machine does the work of 500 men.

From the plantation it was off to visit the Angel Oak tree. It's the largest live Oak in the world and it's immense. Look at the people standing underneath to get a indication of size. Enough touring for today.

Charleston, SC

We arrived in Charleston  on Saturday after a short two hour drive from Myrtle Beach. Since then we have been doing some errands and just laying low for a bit. But yesterday we did some touring again. It was a visit to Middleton Place. This is a plantation owned by the Middleton Family which had a long connection to Carolina and national politics. Henry was a president of the first Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His son, Aurthur, was the president of the second Continental Congress and continued in a prominent place in state and national politics.



Henry started on the gardens shortly after  his marriage to Mary Williams in 1741. The gardens have been maintained from that time and are just lovely. Sharleen was saying that the spring would be great to visit here.










Every pond has it's Alligator down here. I'll bet we saw at least  six of them walking the grounds.

As you can see, they don't lack for water here. It's called the Carolina low country for a good reason. The Plantations here grew rice which needs the water.

This is the original guest house and the only part of the housing complex to survive the Civil War. In 1865 a company of union soldiers from New York burned most of the housing here. Henry the second rebuilt the house and used it as his residence for some years.  There's history everywhere you look here.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

We've been here for three days but it's been pretty much rest and beach time. Except for today,
This morning we drove to Brookgreen Garden just a few miles from here. It's a national historic monument which was started by the Huntington's to display her sculptures. They combined 3 plantations for a total of 9000 acres and then built gardens for outdoor display of the sculptures.

Sculptures like these were everywhere we looked. We walked about 4 miles on the grounds and there was always something new around the next turn.









The trees in the garden were just beautiful. The moss dripped off them as you can see and it made us feel like we were really in the South.








This is the South Carolina Low Country and it has lots of water. The plantations here grew rice and not tobacco like Virginia. We took a pontoon boat ride on the canals and saw lots of water and vegetation. Also, we saw some Alligators. Interesting to see them in the wild and natural habitat.


This is the Myrtle Beach boardwalk area. The area also known as the Grand Strand is wonderful and it's easy to see why this area is the east coast vacation destination.
Off to Charleston tomorrow morning. Just a two hour trip and we'll be there a week. More from there.

Virginia Beach

We've been here for two days and it's great. The weather is perfect and the water is calm and warm by our standards.

We had the good fortune to connect with family that I have been communicating with for several years. From left to right Emma, Kim, Ashley, and Scott. Kim is a Millering and it's fun looking at how we are related. We're missing a key that puts if all together but I trust that will come. Great to meet them and visit for a while. Thanks gang!




Yesterday morning we drove down to Sandbridge Beach and just did some beach walking. On our walk Friday (no pictures) we saw Dolphins feeding by circling their prey and using their tails to slap the water. They were just about 30 yards from shore. We also saw a submarine leaving the port at Norfolk. This is a great and fun place and we'll hate to leave tomorrow but it's down the road again toward Myrtle Beach SC. More from there.

Virginia Beach day one half

We drove all of 80 miles this morning to Virginia Beach just East of Norfolk.  We set up shop and then headed for the beach just two miles away. There we found these amazing sand sculptures from a recent competition.

The sand sculptures were just incredible. These are three examples of what we saw.











This one took the blue ribbon for best solo..... single artist..... sculpture.








Abraham Lincoln is shown here with the mermaid. The sculptures were tall... some at about eight feet and incredibly detailed.
We're now home with our feet up deciding what we'll do for the next three days at the beach.

Jamestown

Today was a wrap up day here in the Colonial Triangle. Since the Government isn't working Yorktown was closed so we headed back to Williamsburg this morning to see a museum we didn't get to on Monday then off to Jamestown for the afternoon.

The Jamestown settlement village consists of a Indian village, Fort James and a museum. We spent the afternoon walking the grounds and visiting the museum which included a  25 minute historical film. These are recreations of the Indian houses that would have been here in 1600.

Jamestown is the oldest settlement dating back to when three ships arrived here on April 14, 1607. There were 104 colonists that came ashore on that day and formed the Jamestown colony. These are replicas of the three ships that arrived that day.

I'm including this so you all will know that we are alive and well.

Below decks the area is small with no comforts of home. The Voyage lasted 144 days and had to be most unpleasant.









The Fort was a reconstruction of buildings that were there in 1607. The history here as with all of the East coast is just wonderful. We learned a lot today about this area, it's role in settling this country and it's role in the revolutionary war.
Tomorrow it's off to Virginia Beach. More from there.

Berkley Hundred Plantation

We drove to the Berkley Hundred Plantation this morning and toured the house and grounds. Berkley is located on the banks of the James River west of Williamsburg and is the site of a settlement which dates to December of 1619 when the ship Margret landed here with 38 Colonists from England.





The house was built starting in 1726 and was home to Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and who was a contemporary of  Thomas Jefferson and a friend of George Washington.







The 2000 acre plantation was owned by Harrison and supported  130 slaves and other workers. Tobacco was the main crop although a small farm was used to raise food for the workers.







William Henry Harrison, the grandson of Benjamin was born in the house here and was President for a month in 1841. He died of Pneumonia a month after taking office. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison VII was our 29 President. Lincoln reviewed the union troops camped here during the civil war. Lots of history in one place.