The Edgar Player Corner, A Carolina Bay, and Congaree (FL Part 6)

We stayed in South Carolina with D's aunt and uncle for two nights on our trip. It was so wonderful getting to know them. I should have gotten a decent photo, but I know we'll go back soon. They fed us so well and we slept so comfortably. Our kids were in heaven riding their pony and driving their golf cart. 

We attended church at the chapel where D's dad attended as a boy. (Another thing I failed to photograph.) We went out to lunch with more extended family at the Compass, and we visited another uncle one afternoon. We heard just a few stories of life on a South Carolina tobacco farm, and so we knew we wanted to take our kids to the house on Narrow Paved Road where D's dad and grandfather were both born and raised.

I wish we would have walked right up to that porch for a little photo session with its features. I have a feeling lots of really wonderful things happened on that porch. Next time I won't be so intimidated.

At nearby Wood's Bay, just a few miles from the Player farm, we ambled along the boardwalk of the swampy black water. Spring is just starting to emerge from the cypress trees. With the exception of some mysterious splashing and the popping sounds of frogs, all was quiet at we tried to spot alligators.

I can see three young alligators (well, two heads and one body) in the photo below. Can you?

Later at lunchtime we located Congaree National Park southeast of Columbia to check out this unique hardwood forest.

The conical "knees" of these cypress trees emerge from the ground as part of strong root network to keep these trees upright when the forest floods. For a long time this was considered a swamp, but now we know it's just a floodplain.

It's always nice in the off-season at National Parks to run into someone to take our photo. I don't force it on my family too much, but in spite of the heat of this day I was successful.