You can traverse so much of this vast land on anonymous but convenient interstates where it's often difficult to tell which state or locale you're in. We've certainly taken our fair share of them on prior trips but we decided to drive Hwy. 17 for most of this southern trip. It's been a great combination of back roads where we've gotten a sense of life in another part of the country and quasi-interstates where Steven's been able to put his pedal to the metal! Even though we didn't see the pounding surf hitting the rocks as we drove along spits of highway, we did see lots of small amusement parks, mini golf parks and aquariums and other ways to loosen tourists' wallets!
After doing a lot of driving along the Eastern Seaboard the last few days, seeing King Kong at a traffic intersection in Myrtle Beach, SC, provided some much needed comic relief!
Unlike our 'long trips' where we mostly know what we're going to do when each day, we only know where we're going to be resting our weary bones at the end of the day on our summer trips. That was why we were able to decide to detour to Brookgreen Gardens en route to Charleston, SC.
We had been there about 25 or more years ago when camping across the street at Huntington Beach State Park. Coming back was like seeing it for the first time as our memories of our previous visit were dim! Knowing the magnificent sculpture gardens were listed as one of the Top Ten Sculpture Gardens in the country made it even more of a reason to stop again.
Samson and the Lion:
Janina: This sculpture of a Black African Rhino is for you in honor of your upcoming trip to Africa.
The Fountain of the Muses:
The South's probably most famous tree, the magnolia, was beyond its prime but the few remaining flowers were still gorgeous.
The largest sculpture at Brookgreen was Pegasus.
The Bell Tower structure was built in the early 1930s of open brick around a dead tree trunk that was too large to easily remove with hand saws!
Alligator Bender:
A number of sculptures surrounded the Poetry Garden. I remember my father reciting reams and reams of poetry to me as a child that he'd memorized as a child growing up in New Brunswick.
The sculpture of the three dancers, called Pas de Trois, was particularly alluring.
A carving of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem The Cloud:
The Communion:
I just had to include this photo of the Nova Scotia Fisherman!
We decided not tot tread too close to the pond as the sign said it might include alligators and snakes.
In a massive park space, there were many more spectacular sculptures. This was called Time and the Fates of Man.
Don Quixote was carved out of aluminium by one of the Gardens co-founders.
Andrew: When I saw this Heron, Grouse and Loon sculpture I thought of you as I remember our talking about loons eons ago for some reason.
Through the years, over 2,000 African slaves lived and worked on the four plantations that now constitute Brookgreen Gardens. Many of South Carolina's slaves were brought from specific parts of Africa because of their knowledge of growing rice in similar environments.
Christine: Our walk through the Domestic Animals of the Plantation section of the gardens made me think of you but there were no lambs for Mike to birth!
Natalie and Nina: Guess Dad and I will have to practice our dancing moves before your weddings!
Leaving the Gardens, we still had a two hour drive to Charleston ahead of us. Nearing that fabulous city, we kept seeing stall after stall along Hwy. 17 set up to sell sweetgrass baskets during daylight hours. The city is famous for its handmade sweetgrass items. You'll see them in the next post.
After doing a lot of driving along the Eastern Seaboard the last few days, seeing King Kong at a traffic intersection in Myrtle Beach, SC, provided some much needed comic relief!
This has been the cheapest gas we've come across so far!
This statue of Diana once graced the top of Madison Square Garden in NY!
Ever since first discovering the South long ago with Steven, I have been mesmerized by the majestic live oak trees and their hanging Spanish moss.
The rather grand Dionysus:
Strolling along the Brown Sculpture Court transported us back to Athens, if only for a few moments!
If I were a dancing fool, the Viennese waltz music playing overhead would have even encouraged me to dance!
After being lucky enough to see so many gazelles in the wild last December in South Africa's Kruger National Park, we knew right away this was the delightful Gazelle Fountain.
The Saint James Triad, named after the NY hometown of the person who commissioned the work, was a favorite as it appeared so relaxing and joyful and singularly unpretentious.
The sculptures of the three native Americans were very moving.
Overlooking the Low Country Trail's Lumpkin Rice Fields that were cultivated on the plantations:
The Brookgreen village of approximately ten acres provided housing for as many as 500 enslaved Americans. Their everyday activities of cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc were done outside and patterned after their West African heritage.
The whimsical larger-than-life frog sculpture exhibit was a perfect way to end our all too brief visit to the amazing Brookgreen Gardens!
Zachary: Staying in the Marriott's Residence Inn in Charleston was such a luxury that night thanks to your employee family rate. We sure could get used to staying in such nice hotels!
Especially appealing after a long day was the complementary dinner including free wine and beer. Our little nook in the hotel's eating area had its own TV too.
Next: Charming Charleston and Jekyll Island.
Posted from Grayton Beach State Park, Florida on May 18th, 2017.
Loved the alligator bender statue and its reflection. Lil Red
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