Friday, May 31, 2019

#LeapFrogs: The Boondocks, A Library, and Charleston

After our visit with Santa Claus, we headed toward Charleston. We'd found a free campsite online (at freecampsites.net) in the Francis Marion Forest so we headed for the town of McClellanville.

The campground offered vault toilets, and the listing had also said water, but when we got there, discovered the water pump had been removed. But the peace and quiet there was priceless.


Huge campsites, and only about ten in the whole place. We were surrounded by forest.




We loved being in the forest for 14 days, but we had one serious problem while we were there. 


These critters - caterpillars, tree worms, etc - were in abundance. They got in our clothes, on our tent, in our car. They were everywhere. At one point, Tim said one of our tent arms looked like I-75 in Atlanta during rush hour! And yes, I attempted to take a close up photo of this one crawling on my arm. This is the clearest shot I got with one hand. Ha! [In case you're wondering, NO! We did not kill any of these, intentionally, anyway. I kept thinking how beautiful they would eventually be. And in a future post, you'll see!]

After we set up camp, we went exploring for supplies. A Dollar General store was 8 miles away, the library 9 miles, and then we found this:


Then town provides free, clean drinking water for the public. (ALL TOWNS SHOULD DO THIS!)

We carry 4-5 gallon water bottles with us at all times (we wore out a couple of them, and haven't yet replaced), so we filled them up and refilled here every time we needed water. Such a blessing.

I fell in love with the town of McClellanville, for several reasons. It's not a touristy kind of town - it's laid back and family-oriented, and the people are hard working, primarily as a shrimping community.






Our favorite part of McClellanville though was the library - and the two librarians there. Michele and Pat became friends, and our time with them was very special. They're not only librarians, but they serve as role models and guidance counselors to the areas children who are left to fend for themselves all day. We visited the library several times during our two week stay, and every time, Michele and Pat were mentoring, teaching, guiding a group of active boys who visited daily for video games. Michele and Pat served as their caregivers, and they did it with more patience than humanly possible, and they did it with hearts of love. I'm so glad we met them.

We finally visited Charleston for a day. It's a beautiful city, but much newer than I expected it to be. I've always heard everyone compare Savannah and Charleston, with Charleston winning the "battle" of which one is best, but I have to disagree with that. Charleston seems like a cookie-cutter town of many other coastal cities. I didn't find the unique in Charleston that I find in almost every corner of Savannah.

And yes, that's my opinion, so I realize many won't agree with this assessment. Just remember, I was only there a day, and on a tight budget, so my vision may have been skewed a bit.



I found the Sweetgrass Highway intriguing. I saw various signs - some called it seagrass, others sweetgrass, others sawgrass. I asked a couple of basketmakers the difference, and never got an answer. The thing that intrigued me most was that all along this highway between Charleston and McClellanville sat little "huts" where basketmakers sold their goodies on weekends and special events. While we were there, most of the huts were empty - too early in the season - but they were fascinating to see.


I failed to get a photo of actual baskets. We saw them in the Charleston Visitor's Center and in the City Market, but I needed smelling salts after seeing the prices. They were beautiful though, so the craftsmanship is worth every penny. Here's an article that shares more about them.

Tim took up a new hobby while we were in McClellanville, too. He decided to start woodcarving again. He'd done a little of that years ago - he carved me a couple of beautiful crosses for my desk and pocket - but hadn't done much since. But we started talking about him having a hobby and he said he'd like to take up woodcarving again.

His first project was a "Really Rare Rabbit" inspired by Peggy Cunningham's beautiful series of children's books. Meet the beginnings of Chi Chi:


After two weeks in the woods, we were ready to hit the road again.

Recent Posts:
#LeapFrogs: Pre-Order Our New Release
#LeapFrogs: A New Journey Begins
#LeapFrogs: Wacky Experience in Albuquerque
#LeapFrogs: Discovering Arizona
#LeapFrogs: The Grand Grand Canyon
#LeapFrogs: Grand Canyon Bound
#LeapFrogs: Mountain Fears and the Saguaro
#LeapFrogs: On to Arizona
#LeapFrogs: Speeding West Again
#LeapFrogs: A New Tent and a Little Time to Breathe
#LeapFrogs: Running from the Weather
#LeapFrogs: A New Town and a New Ministry Idea
#LeapFrogs: A Desert Experience
#LeapFrogs: Exploring Carlsbad's Treasures
#LeapFrogs: Settling into New Mexico
#LeapFrogs: Change of Terrain and a Midnight Visitor
#LeapFrogs: Covering a Lot of Miles
#LeapFrogs: Holy Ground in Kerrville
#LeapFrogs: History Comes Alive
#LeapFrogs: Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch
#LeapFrogs: From One Pioneer Town to the Next
Finally Heading West and a Glimpse of the Old West
San Marcos and Lonesome Dove
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Austin, Texas
#LeapFrogs on the Move: San Antonio!
#LeapFrogs on the Move: On the Way to San Antonio
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Rockport and Mathis
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Kemah, Houston, Wharton
#LeapFrogs on the Road: Fort Anahuac Texas
Technology on the Road
Crossing Louisiana
From Alabama through Mississippi
First Leg of our #LeapFrog Journey
Preparing for Camping on a Long Road Trip
The Beginning of a Dream Realized

Recent Posts from TMP Books:







Get your #LeapFrogs Merchandise here:





Thursday, May 16, 2019

#LeapFrogs: Pre-Order Our New Release and receive Bonus!

I'm so excited for this day to arrive!

Official Release Day: July 15, 2019

Go West, His Momma Said



Go West, His Momma Said will include a detailed travel journal of the first leg of our #LeapFrogs journey - from Georgia to the Grand Canyon and back. The book will include our blog posts from here, but so much more, including maps, full color photos (some familiar, some as yet unpublished), snippets from personal letters to family, friends, and our prayer team, links to attractions, sights, restaurants we visited, reviews of campgrounds, hotels, overnight stops, packing (and re-packing) lists, tips, suggestions, recipes, and more!

Today, we're offering a pre-order special with a bonus offer that will only be available a short time, and will only be available through me directly. Later, the book will be made available for pre-order on Amazon, but the prices will not be as low and the bonuses will not be included.

When you pre-order the Kindle version now, for $10 (retail price will be $16.95), you'll receive the Kindle version when it releases on July 15 and a bonus 8x10 photo art poster of somewhere along our travels.

When you pre-order the printed paperback version, for $45 (retail price will be $54.95) you'll also receive your choice of a bonus: an 11x14 photo art poster OR a set 10 notecards featuring 10 different art images from our travels (with a choice of various courthouses in charcoal, or an assortment of full color art pieces of my choosing).


Choose Bonus Option

Thank you for reading along and considering our books. Please help us spread the word by sharing this blog post on your social media pages.

And stay tuned for more #LeapFrog adventures as we stay on the move!


Recent Posts:
#LeapFrogs: A New Journey Begins
#LeapFrogs: Wacky Experience in Albuquerque
#LeapFrogs: Discovering Arizona
#LeapFrogs: The Grand Grand Canyon
#LeapFrogs: Grand Canyon Bound
#LeapFrogs: Mountain Fears and the Saguaro
#LeapFrogs: On to Arizona
#LeapFrogs: Speeding West Again
#LeapFrogs: A New Tent and a Little Time to Breathe
#LeapFrogs: Running from the Weather
#LeapFrogs: A New Town and a New Ministry Idea
#LeapFrogs: A Desert Experience
#LeapFrogs: Exploring Carlsbad's Treasures
#LeapFrogs: Settling into New Mexico
#LeapFrogs: Change of Terrain and a Midnight Visitor
#LeapFrogs: Covering a Lot of Miles
#LeapFrogs: Holy Ground in Kerrville
#LeapFrogs: History Comes Alive
#LeapFrogs: Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch
#LeapFrogs: From One Pioneer Town to the Next
Finally Heading West and a Glimpse of the Old West
San Marcos and Lonesome Dove
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Austin, Texas
#LeapFrogs on the Move: San Antonio!
#LeapFrogs on the Move: On the Way to San Antonio
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Rockport and Mathis
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Kemah, Houston, Wharton
#LeapFrogs on the Road: Fort Anahuac Texas
Technology on the Road
Crossing Louisiana
From Alabama through Mississippi
First Leg of our #LeapFrog Journey
Preparing for Camping on a Long Road Trip
The Beginning of a Dream Realized

Recent Posts from TMP Books:







Get your #LeapFrogs Merchandise here:







Tuesday, May 14, 2019

#LeapFrogs: Guidestones and Santa Meets Santa Claus!

This slower-paced travel has made me a slower-paced blogger! I'm going to try to get caught up over the next couple of weeks - we're having some great experiences.

When we left Cartersville, we drove to Elberton to explore a little. During a Production class in school, I had to create a production schedule and budget for one of my scripts, and chose Elberton as the filming location even though I'd never been there. (I did some research on real estate websites and Google maps to find a town that fit my vision, and Elberton worked well.)





Then Zach, my older son, reminded me that the Georgia Guidestones were in Elberton, so we had to visit!








We met a very nice couple there and we exchanged recommendations and suggestions for our travels - they were on their way to Florida.

As we stood at the Guidestones, the rain hit hard again so we headed to Macon, because I needed to meet with a client about her upcoming children's book. We'd visited Macon several times the last few years - and my dad was born there - so we didn't spend much time in town because of the rain. We pushed on south to try to escape it.

Glancing at the map during a rest stop, I saw the town of Santa Claus and knew I had to take my own Santa Claus to visit! Once there, I couldn't figure out why I'd never heard of this town before. All the streets had fun Christmas names, and we drove through them just to see Dasher, Candy Cane Lane, etc. I thought that was it - just streets, but as we left, I discovered this:


A beautiful chapel surrounded by Santa Claus Gardens.








From Santa Claus, we continued toward our intended campground, but when we arrived, we discovered a massive construction project underway, with bulldozers and dump trucks and cement trucks all over the place, and not a campsite in sight. 

We decided to move on to South Carolina for the night. 


Recent Posts:
#LeapFrogs: A New Journey Begins
#LeapFrogs: Wacky Experience in Albuquerque
#LeapFrogs: Discovering Arizona
#LeapFrogs: The Grand Grand Canyon
#LeapFrogs: Grand Canyon Bound
#LeapFrogs: Mountain Fears and the Saguaro
#LeapFrogs: On to Arizona
#LeapFrogs: Speeding West Again
#LeapFrogs: A New Tent and a Little Time to Breathe
#LeapFrogs: Running from the Weather
#LeapFrogs: A New Town and a New Ministry Idea
#LeapFrogs: A Desert Experience
#LeapFrogs: Exploring Carlsbad's Treasures
#LeapFrogs: Settling into New Mexico
#LeapFrogs: Change of Terrain and a Midnight Visitor
#LeapFrogs: Covering a Lot of Miles
#LeapFrogs: Holy Ground in Kerrville
#LeapFrogs: History Comes Alive
#LeapFrogs: Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch
#LeapFrogs: From One Pioneer Town to the Next
Finally Heading West and a Glimpse of the Old West
San Marcos and Lonesome Dove
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Austin, Texas
#LeapFrogs on the Move: San Antonio!
#LeapFrogs on the Move: On the Way to San Antonio
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Rockport and Mathis
#LeapFrogs on the Move: Kemah, Houston, Wharton
#LeapFrogs on the Road: Fort Anahuac Texas
Technology on the Road
Crossing Louisiana
From Alabama through Mississippi
First Leg of our #LeapFrog Journey
Preparing for Camping on a Long Road Trip
The Beginning of a Dream Realized

Recent Posts from TMP Books:







Get your #LeapFrogs Merchandise here:










Why I Write the Yucky Stuff

Last week, I shared a blog post, When Holidays and Birthdays are Difficult , that had some folks questioning why I write about such things. ...