April 29, 2014

Atalaya Castle, Pt. 2

Welcome Back!

This time I'm highlighting MORE of the photos of the Atalaya Castle in Myrtle Beach. These are all taken inside the gate (ie. after you pay the fee)! Lots of long hallways and this gorgeous garden smack dab in the middle of the whole thing! I could have sat there all day! I can see why they still have events there, its very pretty and welcoming!

I'll have some more shots next time as well-we're just getting started!

Well, this week is another quiet one with a couple of appointments, one for me and one for my kiddies! Brooke will probably be stealing my car as she has gotten a summer job----at Timmies! Yay! At least one of us will be working! :-D

More later this week...








April 25, 2014

Atalaya Castle, Pt. 1

Welcome Back!

This time I'm starting to highlight the photos I took of the Atalaya Castle, which is found at the Huntington Beach State Park site. There was a small admission fee and pets were not allowed, so Daddy and Zeek stayed in the car..it was a warm one that day too! Keturah and I toured it and took lots of photos. It reminds me of Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands. It is now used for festivals, weddings and corporate events.

Here's the description from Wikipedia:


Atalaya Castle, also known as Atalaya, was the winter home of industrialist and philanthropist Archer M. Huntington and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, located near the Atlantic coast in Murrells Inlet, Georgetown County, South Carolina.

Archer Huntington was a noted scholar of Spanish culture and art, and designed the residence in the Moorish Revival and Mediterranean Revival architecture styles from Spanish Andalusian coast models.

Atalaya (AH-tuh-lie-yuh) means "watchtower" in Spanish. The house is dominated by a square tower, which housed a 3,000 gallon water tank.[3] Rising nearly 40 feet (12 m) from a covered walkway, it bisects Atalaya's inner court. The inner walls of the main courtyard were covered with creeping fig vines, Sabal palmettos, the South Carolina state tree, and other palms.
The living quarters consist of 30 rooms around three sides of the perimeter, while the studio, with its 25 foot (8 m) skylight, opens onto a small, enclosed courtyard where Anna Hyatt Huntington worked on her sculptures. Pens for animal models, including horses, dogs and bears, are situated adjacent to the open studio. The building also features hand-wrought iron grills designed by Mrs. Huntington, which cover the exteriors of windows. These and shutters were installed for protection against hurricane winds.[3]

During World War II the Huntingtons vacated Atalaya and provided it to the Army Air Corps for use from 1942-1946.
The Huntingtons last used Atalaya as their winter home in 1947. Most of the furnishings were sent to New York City after Mr. Huntington's death in 1955. The studio equipment was moved to a new studio at Brookgreen Gardens just across U.S. Route 17, which cut through the Huntingtons' former contiguous property.

I'll have more photos of this historical site over the coming weeks!

Well, it's Friday already! We picked  Brooke up at the University on Wednesday. We had an awesome drive both ways..busy, but no stop-n-go traffic through Toronto, which is very odd! :-) We were even home in time for supper! She's been busy unpacking and we managed to do a bit of shopping yesterday.

Nothing planned for the weekend..except Brooke and a friend are going to Ottawa to visit their other friend who goes to University there. Soon, they'll all be home and hanging out together!

Enjoy your weekend! 
 








April 22, 2014

The Last of the Birds!

Welcome Back!

This time I'm highlighting the last of the birds from the Huntington Beach State Park---more herons, egrets and greater yellowlegs.

Next time I'll be highlighting some architectural photos from Atalaya (found on the Huntington Beach site). Its the former home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The Moorish-style winter home and sculpture studio was built during the Great Depression by the New York philanthropists. 

It is pretty cool and we took lots of photos!

Well, I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was quiet, but good. We went for a walk at the park on Friday and then out for sushi. Saturday was spent getting groceries and getting my snow tires removed (now it will snow again) and playing in the craft room. Sunday we had a great time visiting my sister and family and spending time with the kiddies and eating--way too much! Monday we headed out to do some shopping and for a walk at the park in Bath. Long weekends go by so fast!

Well, tomorrow Kevin and I are driving to Waterloo to pick up Brooke who will be home for the summer! There goes my car! :-)

More later this week!
 







April 18, 2014

More MB Birds

Welcome Back!

This time I'm highlighting even more of the heron and egret photos from the Huntington Beach State Park..I guess I took more than I thought...Can't believe I liked that many of the ones I took! Must have been a good lighting day, even though it was very sunny!

Well, this week did end up being very quiet...My hip and back were sore, so I stayed home and didn't move too much! Coupled with insomnia, it was a very long week!

Well, we have one Easter dinner planned for this weekend-- on Sunday, with my family. It will be sad as Brooke won't be here (she has two exams on Tuesday)...But the good news is we are heading to Waterloo to pick her up on Wednesday and move her and all her crap home! :-)

More next week! Have a great Easter weekend!








April 15, 2014

MB Birds

Welcome Back!

This week I'm highlighting some more birds from the Huntington Beach State Park. They include the greater yellowlegs, egret and a heron. 

I've seen some of the birds returning already (or should I say finally) to the Napanee River, like the little bufflehead ducks and some swans too! Unfortunately it's calling for snow today, so I hope they have a place to take cover and that it doesn't last long.

Well, it looks like a quiet week here...so I guess I will get some job searching in and hopefully go to the gym. 

More later this week...
 








April 11, 2014

Huntington Beach State Park---Cont'd

Welcome Back!

This time I'm highlighting some more shots from the Huntington Beach State Park..I think I have  a few more to show you next week.

Today's shots include more of the Egrets and also some alligator shots. This guy was actually visible from the causeway and it was very cool to see him right in front of the Alligator sign! 

Well, I'm going to keep this short as I'm VERY tired. I did not sleep well last night--well, I never do, but last night was the worst it's been in awhile. SIGH....I may go have a nap, after I clean the house of course!

Nothing planned for the weekend other than visiting my Uncle---tomorrow's his 91st birthday..I wish he was doing better so we could celebrate a bit! :-(

Have a great weekend!
 








April 8, 2014

More Birds of Myrtle Beach!

Welcome Back!

This week I'm highlighting more bird shots from Myrtle Beach. The first three were taken at Murrell's Inlet! Usually we see quite a few pelicans, but not this year--must have been too hot for them! :-)

The rest were shot at Huntington Beach State Park. A very beautiful park with walking trails where you can see wildlife of all kinds. But today, I'm just including the following: a pretty bird in the tree (not sure what kind it is), a greater yellowlegs bird walking in the water and a great egret. The greater yellowlegs bird kept photo bombing my photos of the egret. I waited it out so I could get a shot of the egret by itself!

Well, not much planned for this week! Waiting to hear from my Uncle's doctor, may have to run him to Kingston for an appointment. Will hit the gym again, do some more job searching and maybe even some card-making!

More later this week!