Hemingway's in Beaufort, SC

Sunday started out with a pretty sunrise. 

I enjoy sunrises immensely.  Maybe it's the quiet, or the promise of a new day, but sunrises are always a pleasure.  After snapping the pic above, the singing of birds caught my attention.  It's springtime in Beaufort and the birds are letting everyone know it.  See the bird on the piling in the pic above?  Here's a close-up.

These birds have a large repertoire of songs, like a Mockingbird.  I don't know what they are.  I asked the dockhand and he said the locals call them crows, which they are not.  Pam checked our bird book and declared them to be Grackles.  I remember Grackles in upstate New York when I was a kid and I don't remember them having anything more than a squawk.   Anyone?

Our friends Rod and Patti, the Catalina Kids, didn't quite make it here from Charleston on Saturday.  They got to just above the bridge and ran out of daylight and decided to drop the hook.  They arrived Sunday morning.

We and the Kids have common internet friends here in Beaufort, who I called to set up a get together for lunch.  We've met Don in person before at the Annapolis Boat Show, but Andina we had not.  We've known her for many years via the internet.  She's not only knowledgeable about all things sailing, but also an electronics wizard.  She sells her inventions, which include battery combiners, galvanic isolators, and other items at Yandina.com (shameless plug). 

Rod and Patti docked right next to us and we "knocked them up" for lunch. As we waited, I noticed barnacles covering the dock pilings, a common thing, but the lighting and the pattern were particularly interesting Sunday morning.  Either that, or I was having a flashback.   Dooood, check out the barnacles.  Awesome.

Here's an awesome close-up.

Fascinating.  Each one of those little things is an individual marine crustacean.  An animal.  Living a totally dull and boring life.

Anyway, off we went for a great lunch.  Andina and Lee also own Hemingway's, a pub along the waterfront.   Afterwards, at their invite, which took no arm twisting whatsoever, we next went to Hemingway's for a drink.

It was sunny and in the low 80s, a perfect day.  The conversation was enjoyable and we basked in the warmth of the South Carolina sunshine.  One pint turned into two, and then three.  I went to the boat and got the dogs.  Hemingway's is dog friendly, especially on Sunday when they don't serve food. 

The dogs worked the crowd, both inside and out, and were rewarded with cookies.

Finally, well lubricated, it was time for the Super Bowl and we made our way back to the boats.  Being trawler trash, we have a 42" TV so Rod and Patti came over for the game.



It was a great game, wasn't it?  A nail biter right to the end.  I'm a Packers fan and Rod cheers for the 49ers, so we didn't care who won and enjoyed a great game by both teams.

Rod and Patti are leaving today for Florida, and then on to the Panama Canal.  Pam and I have decided to spend some time here in Beaufort.  I didn't take anywhere near enough photos of Hemingway's so I need to go back there.   It's important to have proper lighting when photographing a subject, so I'll need to visit frequently during different times of the day.  This project will no doubt require several days, maybe the entire week, who knows?  What's important is to get it right.   As my Irish grandma used to say, "Be the job big or small, do it well or not at all."