Final Sights, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

Here are a few final photos on or near the island.  We had a great two weeks - the family together, healthy  food and comfy beds, sunny all day almost every day, temps near or over 60 Fahrenheit by midday - Hilton Head Island is a beautiful spot on the planet. Next stop is Isle of Palms near Charleston, South Carolina, about a hundred miles north of here.

Another glorious sunrise.

A sand dollar (also know as a "snapper biscuit" in New Zealand - ya gotta love those Kiwis) burrowing into the sand at sunrise.

Low flying gull skimming the surf in the early morning light.

A group of white ibis feeding in the marsh at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge.

Spanish moss adorns the trees on the road through the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge.

An expensive cat-perch.

A common sight in the public beach parking lots.

A public access path to the beach.

"I know it's getting dark but I don't want to stop playing and come inside yet......."

Observations, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

Wearing tight red pants against the blue ocean background will always attract attention.

Any dog that won't chase a tennis ball into the water is not a real dog.

Likewise, any dog that won't chase a frisbee into the water is not a real dog.

Anyone who buys and rides a bike in these colors is not meek of personality - either that or perhaps color challenged.

This is either where ice cream sundae "jimmies" are created or, where all the little pencil leads go that fall out of your mechanical pencil or, something else entirely.........

Absence of light can be as useful as presence of light.

A blue heron who raises his hand is probably not asking a question.

Is an undulating uvula ubiquitous in ungulates or unusual or uncommon unless used under an umbrella?

I'd better stop after that one.

Random Sights, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

A view through a catamaran resting on its side.

Normally, I think of kite flying as a restful activity but........

.....flying this paraglider-styled kite in a 20-30 knot wind gave this vacationer from Belgium a full-body workout.

A beach access walkway.

Evidence of the rare "waffle-backed sand dollar" burrowing in the sand. (Or something else entirely). 

Even in winter there is always some bright green growth to be found.

I thought people knew this at a gut level - I guess not.

Pelicans at sunrise.

A sea-themed Christmas tree along the beach.

I'd love to know the back story behind this street name.

A beach walker at low tide at sunset.

Piggly Wiggly, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

Piggly Wiggly is "America's first true self-service grocery store, and was founded in Memphis, Tenn. in 1916 by Clarence Saunders" according to their website. "In grocery stores of that time, shoppers presented their orders to clerks who gathered the goods from the store shelves. Saunders, a flamboyant and innovative man, noticed that this method resulted in wasted time and expense, so he came up with an unheard-of solution that would revolutionize the entire grocery industry: he developed a way for shoppers to serve themselves."

A pig keeping watch over the shelves.

A popular southern product.

Speaks for itself........

....likewise.

And of course, they sell Piggly Banks.

Their website says that today there are more than 600 Piggly Wiggly stores serving communities in 17 states. All Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned and operated, and are located primarily throughout the Southeast.  But - who would ever guess - that Piggly Wiggly corporate headquarters is in Keene, New Hampshire!!  I like Piggly Wiggly - big business with a sense of humor.

Christmas Morning, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

Winter Solstice, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

Winter began early the morning of the 22nd.  Days are getting longer - Summer is on the way!

Bush palmetto in the 605-acre Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

Hard packed flat beach sand at low tide makes for smooth pedaling.

Spanish moss weeps from the trees in the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Spanish moss is not a parasite but rather an epiphyte that draws its nourishment from air and rain.

Patterns in pelican feathers at the Sea Pines South Beach Marina.

If you need it to seem more like winter, pretend the sand is snow and the water is ice.

Beach Walk, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

Pre-dawn on the last day of Autumn.  

Dawn.

There were not many folks out as the overcast deepened this morning.

But the gulls are ever-present.

For a million bucks and up, you can probably buy a house like this on the beach.

Young people engaging in a physical activity not involving an electronic device!

Worth more than all the mansions on the island, this little child stood transfixed for at least the half hour it took me to walk by a ways, turn around, and walk back - never leaving his/her position.What does his/her little mind think when staring out, listening to, and feeling the sea roll past his/her little ankles?  Kudos to the parents for letting him/her just be.