As I mentioned in my previous post, we did a lot of bicycling while in Hilton Head. One day we bicycled to the Harbor Town Lighthouse. You may know that Hilton Head Island was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016. We were worried about the damage we would see, but were really surprised at how well the clean up effort had gone. Here is some of the scenery we saw.

Happily bicycling the roads lined with Live Oak Trees.

Hurricane Matthew debris alongside of a road in Sea Pines

More debris waiting to be hauled off in Sea Pines.

Beautiful ginger growing along the road

Very old Live Oak Tree

I am in love with these old trees. I wish we had Live Oaks in my area. To me they are the most romantic trees ever. Just look at all the little ferns growing on it. Gorgeous! I see a painting coming soon of these majestic beauties.

Selfie with the Live Oak

A lone palm tree

We got off our bicycles and parked them (there are bicycles everywhere!). We walked up to the lighthouse and looked around the harbor. There’s something about a harbor that has such a cool vibe. I don’t live near any harbors, so it’s very exciting for me to see it and experience the business of it all. We could see a ship coming into the harbor from way off. As it got closer we could see her name and got to see her dock.

The Vagabond coming into the harbor.

The Vagabond entering the harbor

It was fun to see all the wildlife around the harbor and of course the landscaping and flowers.

A pelican with his catch.

Pelicans gathered on the pier.

Cormorants (birds) swimming in the harbor.

Beautiful red hibiscus

Large sago palm and hibiscus

There was a lot of construction going on in the harbor itself as well as the ocean side. I’m guessing it was battered from Hurricane Matthew.

The repair work being done in the harbor.

A crane pounding down a pile on the pier.

The tide was out so we checked out what was on the beach.

My dad and son checking out the seashore.

I wouldn’t want to walk barefoot through here!

Shells that have washed up on the shore

We got back on our bicycles and headed back to the house. What a treat it was to see a few alligators. Big alligators. We stopped at one location and watched one swim towards another gator lounging on the grass. Can you imagine walking out your back door and seeing that big guy laying in the yard?! I’m not thinking you can shoo an alligator away very easily.

A big alligator snoozing in the backyard of this condo.

I only had my phone, so the photos aren’t too great. In the white circles are the alligators I’m talking about.

Alligators! On the land and in the water.

So after we got back to the house, we decided to walk to the beach again. Why not? It was so close. I noticed a seagull and a couple crows bickering over what I first thought was a bag of potato chips. As I watched them pick at it, it became clear it was actually a kite. I have video of them fighting over it and it’s hilarious. The seagull flew away momentarily only to come back all puffed up trying to intimidate the crows. The owner of the kite came running back to it and they all flew away. It’s just another reason why I paint crows, ravens, chickens and other birds… they are so comical to me.

Two crows and a sea gull curious about a kite on the beach.

With that I’ll end today’s post. Thanks for sticking it out if you’re still reading!

Learn more about me on the ‘About’ page in the menu at the top. I’m an artist – a painter mostly and an avid gardener. I paint a variety of subjects including birds, koi fish, my gardens, ponds and flowers as well as anything having to do with nature especially trees and tropical scenes. I also enjoy painting abstracts and have started created more and more of them. My most favorite thing to try to achieve in my painting is is mystery.

If you would like to keep up with what I’m doing, I have a newsletter e-mailed about once a month that gives you special status for invitations, birthday greeting and more. I’d love for you to add your email to my Friends and Collectors list!