A Week at HHI

Posted on December 3, 2012 by larry

I’ve spent this past week on Hilton Head Island.  I have no RV park to review this time.  The bus remained in Charleston.  I was fortunate enough to be able to cash in on a time share exchange.  I rented a car for this trip.  Fortune proved even more than I expected.  The only space available for me on HHI was a three bedroom villa, at no extra cost for the additional living space.   The place was far more than I expected and oh, so spacious.  So I wandered around aimlessly for a few days imagining what I was going to do with all that room after living in four hundred square feet for the past several years.  It was Tuesday before I realized that what I thought must have been another huge closet was the laundry room.

 Hilton Head can be extremely tricky to navigate.  It originally was a wildlife and nature preserve and the founding fathers have made a valiant attempt to keep it that way.  By this I mean housing developments, businesses, commercial centers are all tucked away into the woods far enough off the thoroughfare that they’re actually hard to find.   Just enough vegetation has been removed from the island for highway and secondary road infrastructure.  There are no signs as high as the trees. In fact, not many signs can be seen from the road.  Once I realized that the island is shaped like a tennis shoe it made things a little more geographically understandable.  But the coup de grace was giving into technology and finding Walmart with the use of Google maps instead of searching for the big blue sign.  The island is beautiful not only for it’s natural grace but for the man-made additions done with planning and care.

Of the six days that I was there, four of them were spent on a variety of golf courses.  The concierge at the Marriot Surfwatch, my home base for the week, would take care of planning and scheduling the course and tee times.  Robber’s Row, The Shipyards, and Planter’s Row all all Pete Dye designed courses that I would recommend to anyone wanted to play the island. They are well manicured and meticulous, a bit unforgiving, but you only play her once in a blue moon. Lastly, the course at Hilton Head Lakes was in dire need of watering. I would only recommend this venue to those that need ‘wide open spaces’ and love the feel of beige carpeting beneath your feet.  By the way, most all of the courses are dotted with live alligators, feeling comfortable enough to stray from their aquahomes to bask in the sunlight of the fairways.  For the most part, I played with other folks from various parts of the country.   Was it ironic, but I did find it a bit strange that of the ten different people that I partnered with this week, six of them were retired engineers.

 

 The final two days of my stay,  I was joined by my sister.  Lisa flew down for her own mini vacation, to soak up some sun and to prove she was my superior as a links partner.  I drove to the Savannah airport to retrieve her via backroads and blue highways.  This was my effort to seek out some additional RV parks for future use.   But again, the internet can fool you. There were some absolutely stunning shots placed on their particular websites, but  upon driving to view the facility, once again….foiled by reality.  One of the parks, advertised for big rigs, just off the interstate near Hardeeville, SC. piqued my interest.  Reading the website offerings actually made you feel like family.  I couldn’t wait to see this diamond in the rough.  Once there, I could never recommend the place to anyone.  Out in the middle of butt-fuc%$* egypt, nothing to do, and absolutely no ambiance.  Do not go there, do not pass go, just keep driving.

 

 

 

 

When I wasn’t on the golf course, I spent considerable time at the facilities of Surfwatch.  The indoor pool and spa, workout facilties and steambath were first rate. I would recommend the Marriot Surfwatch to anyone wanting to visit the Island. It’s a short 1/4 mile walk to the beach, all within the confines of the property and the staff couldn’t do enough for you, accommodating in ways that don’t come to mind initially.  I did find some time away from R&R to visit a few of the shopping areas in search of Christmas gifts for my better half, but then what again do you buy for a women who wants for nothing.  Perhaps, I’ll just put a bow on my sweater vest when I fly north next month.

Hilton Head Island was absolutely idyllic. Will I go back there? Surely again, for a week here and there. Could I live there?  Not for me. Although the weather averaged 75 degrees this week and the days were sunny, not much sun reaches the homes, the businesses, and parks. As previously stated, most are nestled within the vast preserve of palmed forests. Not enough sunlight comes into these abodes for my likings. I would find myself getting a bit depressed once again from this constant shady living. On our last night, Lisa and I splurged for a burger at the HH Diner.   Isabelle, the most fascinating waitress I’ve run across told us most of her life’s story. And it was a pleasure to listen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior to sunset we drove to Harbour Town, located at the tip of the ‘tennis shoe’ to see the lighthouse,

take in the harbor, and watch the sun go down.  Today, I drove Lisa back to Savannah International as work beckons her at Monday’s coming.  I returned to Charleston and readied myself and the bus again for another road trip. Tomorrow I shall make my way north to Myrtle Beach. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Campground Reviews, Cities, Full Time RVing, Golf Courses, People, Road Trips, RV | Leave a comment

Holiday Weekend Update

Posted on November 27, 2012 by larry

  To bring this up to date as of the last post, I spent Thanksgiving behind the motorhome.   About 50 yards to my rear, the campground pavilion was the setting for the owners’ festive holiday dinner.  Each patron was asked to bring a covered dish, I made succotash.  The owners deep fried twenty five turkeys for a turnout of about a hundred people.  They were done in five different flavors from raspberry to Italian herb. Someone must have made sure all bases were covered as there were plenty of desserts to accompany the plethora of food choices.  I had the best pecan pie these buds have ever sampled.  Drinks, food, turkey, and desserts were all free, all you had to do was bring your addition.  They even provided a three piece band for melodic company to enhance the mood.    I’ve always got a kick out of striking up conversations with strangers I meet in bookstores, airports, and campgrounds.  I seem to have a particular talent for drawing personal stories from these people and I love hearing from them.   But far more valuable than the entertainment of the stories is the connection made with another human being. It is a comfort like no other. It is the comfort of personal communion.  So I invited myself to sit with a couple from western Kentucky, she a former middle school teacher and a retired  tool and die man.  They had been full-timing for the last six years and we traded stories, ideas, and tips that we may not have heard before.  I hung around for about and hour and then the country western music got the best of me, so I bid my adieus and trudged back to the rig and spent the rest of the day reading and watching football.  The pecan pie sent my enzymes over the top and I didn’t yearn for food the rest of the day.   At week’s end, I found myself braving the commercial haunts and picked up a few stocking stuffers to take north next month, and then I spent a few hours at Barnes and Noble, drinking coffee and perusing books, one of my most favorite pastimes.  The chill was getting the best of my bike riding but I did find time to stop at an indoor shooting range and practice my marksmanship.  Apparently, I’ve been away from practicing far too long.

  I picked up a rental car, on Saturday, packed up my belongings, and moved the motorhome to a storage site on Sunday.  Then I headed south for Hilton Head Island.  I plan on spending the week there but found myself leaving too early.  When I reached Beaufort I found that I was going to be a       few hours early so I detoured 20 miles out of the way to Hunting Island State Park. I heard there was a neat lighthouse there and I thought this may make a     good photo op.  The state park was different. A massive grove of palm trees so thick that one couldn’t walk though them, not more than ten or fifteen feet.  They have carved just enough of a path through this grove just enough to pave an asphalt thruway.  It was very nice but you couldn’t see much of anything on either side of the road but palms.  At first I thought how enticing, how southern, how unusual but after a mile or so of this, enough was enough already.  At last, the lighthouse. I planned on climbing the staircase to the top to garner in the entire area from a bird’s eye view.  I even had my wide angle attached to take in as much scenery in one shot as possible.  Not to be had.  Work was being done on the lighthouse and the stairs were off limits for another two weeks.  Nevertheless, it was a better way to waste two hours than traveling on some busy thoroughfare. I arrived just about dusk in Hilton Head and pulled into the Surfwatch villas.  I’m holed up in a three bedroom condo for the next week.  Off to the gym.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Food, Full Time RVing, Photography, Road Trips, Travels | Leave a comment

Carolina Gumbo

Posted on November 21, 2012 by larry

I was carousing around the streets of Charleston today. I had and hankering and began looking for some gumbo when I stumbled upon Charleston Cooks. It’s another one of those epicurean storefronts that I can’t just pass by.  I went in and while wandering around I was amused by the usual array of kitchen gadgets that the newbies can’t live without.

However, what I did find was an adjacent room containing a commercial kitchen where instructional and hands-on classes were held.  I asked about them and was informed that today’s class started in a mere half hour.  It just happened to be a presentation of chicken and sausage gumbo over toasted Carolina aromatic rice, accompanied by apple upside down cake.  Well, sign me up sweetie.

The class would last for almost two hours so I exited to feed enough quarters to my famished parking meter.  There were ten of us in the class and the youthful instructor proved to be one of the best teachers I’ve experienced. Our seats were appointed with water and wine glasses, silverware and linens.  This was going to be a first class operation.  I almost felt as we were up front and center of a celebrity cook’s show.

I learned some neat new tactics on utilization of a knife, that red peppers are much sweeter than green, and toasting rice, (heating it bare in a frying pan prior to adding the water and boiling), gives it a much better taste. A camera was on the instructor at all times streamed to an overhead large screen so we could see her every move from a high vantage point. Upon conclusion she doled out ten bowls of the gumbo.

We were served our choice of merlot or chardonnay. A serving of the apple upside down cake topped off the presentation. This experienced proved well worth the twenty dollar matriculation fee. Another case of finding a gem when you least expect it.

In case you may be interested I’ve put the recipe below:

Toasted Aromatic Rice

1.   Heat a saute pan over high heat. Add rice (long grain preferred) and cook until rice starts to brown.

2.   Add the waster and salt. Bring to a boil.

3.   Reduce heat to low and cook covered for 9 minutes.

4.   Remove from heat, set aside undisturbed for 10 minutes and fluff with a fork prior to serving.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Olive oil…1/4 lb. boneless chicken thighs cut into 1″ cubes…1 tblsp. blackening seasoning…4 tblsp. unsalted butter…1 diced yellow onion…5 grated garlic cloves…3 celery stalks diced….1 diced red bell pepper…2 tblsp. all purpose flour…2 cups chicken stock…16 0z. diced tomatoes…2 tblsp. chopped thyme…1/4 lb. mild Italian sausage cut into half moons…1/2 diced zucchini or 8 okra….kernels removed from 1 ear of corn…sugar…Worcestershire sauce…bunch scallions thinly sliced.

1.   Heat stock pot over medium high heat. When hot, add enough oil to coat bottom of pan without tilting.

2.   Add chicken and seasonings to pan. Allow chicken to brown on both sides, 3-5 mins. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

3.   Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, onions, garlic and a pinch of salt to pan. Cook without stirring until browning begins. 1-2 mins.

4.   Add celery and peppers to the pan. Cook until softened. 3-5 mins.

5.   Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour loses its raw smell, about 3 mins.

6.   Add chicken and any accumulated juices back to the pot. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, sausage and thyme.

7.   Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid coats the back of a spoon, about 5 mins.

8.   Add zucchini or okra and corn to the pan stirring to incorporate. Simmer until vegetables are cooked. Remove pan from heat.

9.   Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and/or hot sauce. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with scallions.

Apple Upside Down Cake

6 tblsp. unsalted butter melted and cooled…1/2 cup light brown sugar…Splash of rum or brandy…1/8 teaspoon grated ginger…1 cup gala apples diced…1 1/4 cups all purpose flour…2 tsp.baking powder…1/2 tsp. salt…1 stick butter, room temp….1/2 cup white sugar… 1 large egg…1/2 cup whole milk…1/4 cup sweetened cream, whipped to firm peaks.

1.   Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2.   In small bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, liquor, ginger, and apples.

3.   Divide the apple misture among 12 greased muffin cups.

4.   In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

5.   In another bowl, cream together the room temp. butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. About 6 mins.

6.   Add the egg and stir to combine. Add the flour in 3 additions alternating with 2 addition of milk, stirring to combine after each addition.

7.   Divide the mixutre among the muffin cups.

8.   Bake until cake springs back to the touch, about 22 mins., invert immediately. Allow to cool to room temp. and serve topped with whipped cream.

ENJOY!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Cities, Food, Fun Things To Do, Photography, Recipes, Travels | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment