Beach Vacation Day 3

On Friday morning, we set off for Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is just ten minutes' drive away, at the bridge connecting Hilton Head Island to the mainland.

"A wide variety of land types are found on Pinckney Island alone: salt marsh, forestland, brushland, fallow field and freshwater ponds. In combination, these habitats support a diversity of bird and plant life. Wildlife commonly observed on Pinckney Island include waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, neo-tropical migrants, white-tailed deer and American alligators, with large concentrations of white ibis, herons, and egrets."

Hunting crabs

There were approximately ten gazillion tiny crabs rustling around in the muddy flats, which provided endless hunting fun for our children. No crabs were harmed in the taking of these photos.

Interesting volcano-shaped ant hill

Alligator awareness

Right after reading the trail sign about alligator awareness, we came upon a mother alligator and her three babies (presumably from last fall, as babies hatch around September).

This was as close as we got,
as alligators are described as "quick as lightening" and "ferocious defenders of their babies,"
so the picture is unclear:
the two horizontal shiny stripes are the mother and one of her babies swimming.

Right after departing from the alligators, a snake--brown with pretty reddish geometric patterns--was in our path.

Spanish moss

Hunting for more crabs with Daddy

Big brother sharing a crab with his little sister, who tells me that it tickled

Reality: I had to bribe my children with Cheetos for their willingness to take a cheerful photo with their mother,
who planned this whole fun outing for them to see alligators, thankyouverymuch.

After a picnic lunch at Pinckney, and Quiet Time back at the condo, we took the children swimming. It gives me a smile to see the porch at the end of each afternoon, covered in towels and swimsuits drying in the breeze: a sign of a good time had by all!

Then Grandmom and Pop-Pops met us at a restaurant for dinner! Two of the children enjoyed the local seafood, Joseph eating quite a few calamari and a lot of mahi mahi . . .

Not a great photo of Mary, but I couldn't pass up such a spider-like calamari!

. . . and Mary eating some spider-like calamari. After begging to try it, she actually didn't love it, but only because she said "it tastes too plain." She's our adventurous eater!