So Tucker and I took my sister Lauren to Parris Island, South Carolina to see her best friend graduate from Marine Corps bootcamp. This has honestly been one of my favorite trips I've taken in the last few years. I thought I'd just give you some highlights and some of my favorite pictures from the trip. (I mean of course I took my camera)
Day 1: Wednesday--0430 departure
We spent Wednesday crammed into Tucker's little Ford Fiesta. Road tripping with my sister and fiancé is officially one of my favorite things to do. When Lauren wasn't sleeping and Tucker and I didn't have a headphone in listening to an audio book or music, respectively, we had SO much fun making fun of other drivers, admiring the scenery, and having sarcastic conversations about anything and everything. Most of it was picking on me, to be clear. They bond over harassing me for some reason.
The mountains in North Carolina
Day 2: Thursday--Family Day
We weren't sure if Tuck and I would be able to go to Family Day on the base, but we ended up being able to go. I'm SO glad we decided to go. The military and its dedication to uniformity pleases my OCD on a level I didn't think was possible. Also it provided for perfect photo-ops.
Company C, Platoon 1006
Thank you for your service, gentlemen
Day 3: Friday--Graduation and Savannah, GA
The graduation was fabulous. There were still platoons going through bootcamp so the ranges were hot most of the morning. When the band was playing the national anthem, there was rapid service rifle fire in the background and a military plane flying high above us. Basically the most patriotic way I've ever witnessed the anthem sung.
Seeing the families of the marines greet them after the ceremony was one of the most touching scenes I could hope to witness as a photographer. There were tears, long hugs, laughing, and the general aura of families who hadn't seen their kid for three months. I nearly cried with Lauren and her friend were reunited. So much emotion in one place.
Marching in on the Parade Deck
So incredibly cool
PV2 Smith and Pvt. Flohr
Funny story: she actually outranks him and she hasn't even gone to bootcamp yet.
We had to take Lauren to Savannah to catch her flight to Grand Rapids so she could go to her drill weekend, so Tuck and I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering historic downtown. There is a lot of Civil War history there, and therefore some fabulous picture spots.
Little bird I saw on a bench
Cool wall ft. random guy who didn't realize he was in my picture
Lazy downtown street with cool trees
Fountain in Forsyth Park
Day 4: Saturday--Beaufort, SC and Hunting Island, SC
This was the only day we had dedicated completely to our own photography, so we went anywhere we felt like and took a lot of cool pictures. We did get to see the Beaufort swing drawbridge move, which was lit, since it's one of only a few like it left in the country. We climbed to the top of the Hunting Island Lighthouse, ran around on the beach, and explored the salt marsh that's about a quarter mile-ish from the Lighthouse.
While we were wandering around Beaufort, a guy walking his dog approached us and said, "You two must be from the North." I said, "Actually yes we are." Apparently he saw Tuck walking around with no coat on and I had on my light trench coat with no scarf or gloves. Amazing how they all know a northerner when they see one--especially in the winter.
The Beaufort Drawbridge
Looking up the spiral staircase of the Lighthouse
The view from the top of the tower--slightly overexposed
The beach near the salt marsh
Little animal prints
Cute tiny bird we saw
Day 5: Sunday--0530 departure
We were up and on the road early on Sunday morning. The drive seemed a bit shorter than before which was nice. We had a bit more fun with the stuffed otters while we were in the mountains. Tucker put one of them in the window as an SUV was passing us and the passenger happened to look over at us, saw the otter, and did a double take like "what the hell is in their window!?" We also got a car with a couple girls to go for a second look at the thing in the window. We laughed for a couple miles about the looks we got.
This was before she startled people in the mountains, but Tuck let Fiona drive for a while. ;)
As with all my travel posts, follow me on instagram @jadefire_violin for more pictures and @otter_minkus for pictures of the otters and their adventures. I'll write at you all later.
No comments:
Post a Comment