After a lazy morning and a cooked breakfast with his favourite coffee, we met up with Roseanne and Neil and set off for the park which was only a 15 minute drive from our condo. Perhaps the best known "studiers" of wildlife at Huntington Beach State Park are the birders who for years have been coming to see some of the more than 300 species that have been recorded there, giving the park a reputation as a top spot on the East Coast. In addition to three miles of beach, much of the park is salt marshes, one of the world’s most productive eco-systems.
Our first stop in the park was to see the alligator in the park's freshwater lake.
Some of the birds we saw were the snowy egret, cardinals, plovers, sandpipers and chickadees. Paul also found a squirrel having a snack in the tree.
Our most interesting find was at the the park’s Environmental Education Center. Here we were all fascinated by the little seahorse. It was very interesting to see how it moved with the use of fins near its head and on its back.
Huntington Park also had great boardwalks on the marsh and hiking trails.
Of course being the Carolina's, there was also an awesome beach. We spent some time taking a leisurely stroll, hoping to find some treasures. We watched the sandpipers and plovers on the shore and saw pelicans flying overhead.
After a couple of hours of enjoying the park, we headed back to Surfside Beach to Nibils Restaurant at Surfside Pier so we could toast the birthday guy with cool ones in hand. We also enjoyed a nice dinner of steak and seafood.
The evening was complete with a chocolate boston creme cake.
I also like to spend some of my time collecting seashells during our morning walks on the beach and this week I had a couple of nice finds. I hope to make a couple of pictures or a wreath when I get back to Beresford. 
I have found only 1 piece of sea glass so far. Paul said that if I was back in Beresford I would have tossed it back in the ocean, but not hear as there are so few pieces. I have to admit he was right!
After enjoying the boardwalk, Roseanne and I went across the street to the Lazy Gator to do a little browsing in the shop while Paul and Neil enjoyed a cool one at Drunken Jacks. While we were at the Lazy Gator we unbelievably met up with Merv and Pat Baker from our hometown of Grand Falls, Newfoundland, who are enjoying their winter in Myrtle Beach. Merv use to be Roseanne's grade 8 teacher. What a small world!
After breakfast we strolled along stopping in the park to smell the magnolias that were in bloom. 
Part our tour took us pass the famous Rainbow Row. These old row houses are very popular to Charleston. They represent the very first style of Charleston homes and are portrayed in the story of Porgie and Bess. You'll see pictures of Rainbow Row throughout Charleston. 
We stopped for a cool drink and a snack before ending our day in Charleston and starting our drive back to Garden City Beach. This was my second visit to Charleston and I would recommend it. Paul and I hope to go back for another visit before we leave South Carolina.
Paul wanted to visit the beach at Pawley's Island. It was a little windy so we didn't stay long but we plan to make another trip there later in the month.
The high point of our day was sitting on our balcony watching the dolphins swim in the ocean. One little dolphin did a couple of jumps for us.
