Monday's Moment: Thanks for the warning....but I'm already out of the channel

 

Monday's Moment: Oysters in Pluffmud

 

Monday's Moment: Happy Place

 

Monday's Moment: Fluffy Clouds

 

Monday's Moment: Cattails with Carolina Anole

 

Monday's Moment: Fungi

 

Monday's Moment: Juvenile American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

 

Monday's Moment: Sweet Magnolia

 

Monday's Moment: Cattails

 

Monday's Moment: Helicopter backlit by the Sunlight

 

Monday's Moment: How many deer do you see?

 

Monday's Moment: Purple Blooms

 

Monday's Moment: Dock on the River

 

Wrapping up home leave 2021.....

The majority of our home leave 2021 was spent in Charleston, South Carolina....likely our last home leave there as we now have our own place in Florida. Looking forward to landing and everyone can come to us (as oppose to running around like we have the last 3 home leaves and R&Rs). We make the big flight over the pond, so a drive down to Orlando is not too bad.

We spent a lot of time running around to doctor's appointments (more than we had planned - someone got contacts, which involved a lot practicing, trying putting them in and out, etc). Based on the past two home leaves, it would not be HL if I didn't get something removed (luckily no cancer this time, just an annoying cyst that wouldn't resolve itself). We enjoyed plenty of time at our favorite restaurants as well. I was also still working remotely all HL (super fun to plan interviews at a reasonable hour in Qatar and not insanely early on the east coast).

Here is a picture of the cousins playing in their natural habitat (aka on electronics)....at least it appeared they were all playing the same game. After a relaxing Father's day brunch (that was on the only time we could get all the teens together...lol).

Given Frankfurt will be a lot colder the majority of the year and we won't have our own yard, we used up the rest of the water balloons we had leftover from Doha.

Airborne Ninja?

Someone was double dog dared to smash a balloon on their head...lol.

We took lots of walks with our new camera (upgraded to the Nikon Z6II mirrorless camera). So we played with the new camera a bit a lot. So I will end with a couple of the wildlife photos and save the rest for Monday Moments.

A Great Egret (Ardea alba) wading at the river's edge.

Deer on Deer Walk (street name.....just a bit ironic)

Osprey (Pandion sp.) on an electric line.

Eastern king snake (Lampropeltis getula) just outside the front door!

Monday's Moment: Sunny Pinecone

 

Ft. Sumter, SC and other brotherly fun

A few days after arriving in Charleston, my little bro and his family were visiting Pawley's Island (about an hour drive away). So we made plans to let the cousins hang out a couple times. The first time was they came down and we went out to Ft. Sumter. It was kind of weird actually going on land there! I have been past it every survey I did for my thesis work, as well as, right off shore of it during dolphin health assessment captures/releases. Yet I had never visited! Little bro likes airplanes (you catch the ferry at an old naval ship full of airplanes), so it was perfect for everyone! 

Old Glory flying overhead the fort.

We learned all kinds of civil war facts on the boat ride over (like when the north controlled the island vs the south, possession of this island at the entrance of the harbor was an important of symbol of moral).

We then wandered around for an hour or so. Did find the air conditioned museum with all kinds of historical stuff, like this original flag.

Lots of cannons pointing out (no dolphins sadly).

More scenes from around the fort.

Cool, shady little out look (probably housed big cannons back in the day).

Some feeding pelicans on the sand bar.

We headed back to Mt. Pleasant on the ferry, more pelicans in flight. Sadly, the next day a bunch of cownose rays were seen swimming in the harbor....that would have been cool!

Pilings and my niece.....

A shipwrecked boat on the shoreline....

Afterwards, we enjoyed some lunch at Baker and Brewer (a second location of our beloved EVO). Afterwards, they headed downtown to 'tourist' and I went home to nurse a headache. A couple days later, we drove up to do a beach day with them!

Happiness is the beach!

The teen does not quite love the beach as much as I! How did I birth such a child?!?

Lil bro chillin in the beach couch he constructed as the three littles play in the water.

Cousins after post-beach showers....so adorbs!

We then headed out for dinner at the Wicked Tuna, a place in the cluster of seafood restaurants in Myrtle Beach that Richard used to go to as a kid.

The next day, lil bro and his family headed back home, Clarissa and I soothed some sunburns (living in the desert you just don't go hang out in the 120 degree heat that much...lol). 

Summer Adventures 2019 Part 3 - Charleston

So Charleston was our home base over the summer. We knocked out doctor appointments, noshed at our fave restaurants, we celebrated good report cards from the previous year with a fun morning at good ole Chuck'e'Cheese,

of course, the kids smile super nicely together for a the cheap print outs.....

we caught up with friends and family, we took some nice walks,

and mainly enjoyed scenery that wasn't desert for a while!

Even happened upon this sunflower plotting some evil plan.....

Overall, we just tried to relax while in and out (and in and out) of Charleston.  After Richard had headed back to Doha and Mason was in Texas, Clarissa had her first solo adventure! A week at Girl Scout camp! She went to Sandy Ridge for a week of Top Drone camp!

This would be her first time away, without family....and to top it off - she didn't even have anyone from her troop.

Was a bit worried about tears, but it was smiles and excitement when dropping her off. She started to get sad and I took that as my cue to dash.

Luckily, with the technology of today - the camp allowed us to see photos uploaded daily and she appeared to be smiling and having a blast!!

 Lots of fun things to be done!

Super big slip and slide!! Looks like a blast and half!!!

She did in fact love camp! Loved it so much that she asked to go again next summer!! 

We had a lot of rain that week, but I was able to squeeze a little beach time in for myself!

We also saw lots of wildlife while in Charleston - deer, snakes, crabs, periwinkles...oh my!

In the end, Richard had about a month of R&R and the kids and I had two months of R&R (that was our agreement when moving to a super hot climate). We all had a blast.....I have a few more posts of our other summer adventures....coming soon....