Vincent - A Pelican For All Seasons

Back when living in Burlington, VT we were always intrigued with some folks who had a concrete pig, on their front lawn, who was always costumed and decorated for the season or holiday.  After moving to Beaufort, SC we decided to carry on the tradition - Southern-style - where although pork is certainly appropriate, the pelican was more intriguing.

Part of this reasoning was based on Beaufort having strong military history and presence, with the Parris Island USMC training facility close by.  Consider this... the name for a group of pigs depends on the animals' ages; a group of young pigs being a drift, drove or litter, groups of older pigs are called a sounder of swine, a team or passel of hogs or a singular of boars.  Contrast those with a squadron of pelicans.  Obvious.

Vincent arrives - naked but for the gecko on his bill.
(Click on photos to enlarge)

So the search began for just the right pelican to grace the front stoop; one who would always be seasonally appropriate but not ostentatious, noticeable yet subtle, while at the same time able to stand up to both Lowcountry summers and hurricanes. How he came to be named Vincent would require its own blog entry, but suffice it to say the name was chosen long before he was found at this huge roadside ornamental concrete works in Starke, FL.

Jarmon's Ornamental Concrete works, Starke, FL - Vincent's birthplace.

Now for those (as I was at the time) unaware, the symbol of the pelican has a long and storied history, going back to the heraldry of the Middle Ages.  As young pelicans grow, they begin to strike their parents in the face with their beaks. Though the pelican has great love for its young, it strikes back and kills them. After three days, the mother pierces her side or her breast and lets her blood fall on the dead birds, and thus revives them.  Who knew?

To learn all the gory details and religious overtones, just search 'Pelican in her piety' in your favorite Bestiary.  

This WWI British war poster makes more sense,
knowing about the Pelican in her piety business.

Even Queen Elizabeth I got into the act wearing
her pelican pin, in this Nicholas Hilliard portrait.

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And so began Vincent's life of holiday fashion, which continues to this day...

St. Patrick's Day 2016

Halloween 2015

Beaufort Water Festival 2015 & 2016

Halloween 2016

Christmas 2015

July 4th 2016

We're talking St.Pats & Mardi Gras 2017

Vinnny's friend Lora consoling him with flowers,
when he missed out on his back-to-school outfit

Thanksgiving 2016

Social distancing during the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic

Square Bottom Retrospective

 

Square Bottom I

So why Square Bottom Adventures?  The 'Adventures' part is self explanatory, but what about the rest?  Having been asked many times, it's time to disclose - both the derivation and history of the Square Bottom...

It turns out that there have actually been numerous Square Bottom campers - six total Square Bottoms counting the original namesake, which was a canoe.  May I present the original Square Bottom:

 

In 2011 we acquired this wonderful old 17' Gruman aluminum canoe for exploring around the shorelines of Lake Champlain.  Living right on the lake, in Burlington VT, it was the perfect vehicle, and went from plain to fancy in a short time.  You might notice the squared stern with a 2hp outboard?  Well for some reason, Lainie always referred to it as a 'square bottom boat'-  it stuck and Square Bottom was born.  

The following year, some forty years after camping around the country for 3 months (see Square Bottom III below), we purchased another - to see if we'd enjoy it as much as we did in those early days together.  Looking to name the RV, and still constantly delighted by the name Square Bottom, it became official  Square Bottom = camper/RV!  But in retrospect, our 2011 acquisition was actually Square Bottom V...

Square Bottom II

The year was 1969, the place Boston.  Without realizing it, I'd started down the Square Bottom path when I acquired this lovely VW camper bus.  Others can probably tell more about it than I can remember, but I believe it was a 1965 model.

Wintering in Somerville

Me, somewhere in Quebec

It came with the front mounted spare, to which added the tasteful duct tape peace sign.  After all, it was the 1970s.  From what I recall, there was a sink, icebox, bed and cabinets - but no pop top, or fancy stove, a/c, heater.  SB-II was sold in 1970, and replaced with a Norton Commando750cc motorcycle.

Square Bottom III

In 1972, it was time to 'go west young man' - with a plan to depart MA for the West Coast and parts unknown.  To that end, the Norton was traded for a trailered  21' wooden cabin cruiser, which was then sold to acquire Square Bottom III.  SB-III was a 1955 Ford Step Van with a former life as a Snap On Tools mobile showroom.  A 'conversion' had been started, which I completed (loosely speaking). 

Somewhere in Virginia

Pacific Coast Highway

Story time at a marina in Seattle

It had '3 on the tree', no remaining synchromesh, a pnuematic driver's seat.  There was an icebox, water tank and sink, 6" b/w TV, and 8-track tape player with the height of technological innovation - an adapter for cassette tapes with a built in FM radio!  We spent three months circumnavigating the US, down into Mexico, up the West Coast to Vancouver, and back across Canada - 12k miles in all.

Square Bottom IIIa, in the Florida Keys, 1976

SB-III was sold around 1975, and replaced with a Saab 95 wagon (or SB-IIIa) - which also made numerous winter camping trips away from New England.

 

Square Bottom IV

Sometime around 1977, it was time to move from the Boston area to Galveston Texas, via a cross-country tour.  Times called for Square Bottom IV - an early 1970s Dodge Van.  Again, a minimal conversion Square Bottom, with only a couch/bed and icebox, but lots of storage and passenger room.

Wonderful sign, location unknown. 1978

 

Arroyo Seco, NM. 1978

Square Bottom V

Fast forward through careers, moves, and lives to late 2011 - back to the beginning of the tale.  To recapture the excitement of our earlier adventures, but in high style, we acquired a brand spanking new 2011 Damon Avanti.  It came heavily discounted from an EOY sale at MSHRV - the largest RV dealer in Texas.  A 28' Class A beauty with full wall slide, front deisel, Freightliner custom chassis, Allison 6 speed transmission, and all the bells and whistles.
 

On the lot in Alverado, TX @ MHSRV

 

So we packed up Roxy (our Leonberger) and what we'd need, rented a one-way van, and drove down to Texas to move into our new Square Bottom and begin a new generation of camping.  Some of the other Square Bottom Adventure posts on this blog are from travels in this SB-V, and his successor SB-VI (below).  

SB-V was sold on-line in 2014 to a gentleman from OR.  He flew out to VT, and drove home to the West Coast singlehandedly, in three days.

 

Square Bottom VI

Square Bottom V was a hit, and rekindled the spirit of the road, but had one downside - Lainie was not comfortable driving him, given the traditional 'Class A' seats and driving position.  To that end, we began the search for the perfect Sprinter based replacement - which was what we were originally hunting for, unsuccessfully, when we found the Avanti.

Now, a few years later, there were many more Sprinter offerings and floorplans - and we found the perfect blend in a 2015.5 Leisure Travel Van Unity MB (murphy bed) model, bought it at the Hershey RV Show, took the Amtrak up from Beaufort (SC) - our new home - to pick him up at a dealer in PA.

Picking up SB-VI at Fretz RV in PA, June 2015.

St. George Island, FL.  Winter 2015

Agip the toad added, 2015

When not traveling, Square Bottom VI  and his companion Agip (2016 Jeep Patriot) live comfortably in our yard in Beaufort, SC.

Square Bottom VII

Square Bottom VI and Agip found new homes in June of 2019 - one in Charlotte, NC and the other traded in toward a 2015 BMW X35d.  Capable of towing 6500 pounds with the addition of a (Georgia made) Stealth Hitch, SB VII is now a 23' Winnebago Micro Winnie with murphy bed and all the bells and whistles!

Square Bottom VII and her X5 tow care were sold to a couple of intrepid women from Minnesota in early 2021.  Is it the end of the Square Bottom Line... ?

Shell Shocked on St. George Island

Don't Forget the Forgotten Coast

Florida's Forgotten Coast is a registered trademark, coined in the early 1990s by the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, referring to a relatively quiet and undeveloped section of coastline - stretching from Mexico Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, to St. Marks on Apalachee Bay.

It's always been one of our favorite areas to visit, meander, and camp - particularly at the extraordinary  Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park on St. George Island, just off Apalachicola.

With Square Bottom's new toad in tow, Agip the Jeep, we once again took advantage of the wonderful shelling this barrier island has to offer.  As you can see, even after one day it became difficult to find a place to sit and eat.

In some spots, what appeared to be shell banks were almost entirely composed of sand dollar fragments - something we'd not seen on our last visit here.

Since you never know what you'll find along the ocean, especially at St. George, make sure to keep a sharp eye out...

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Pearl Fryer Topiary Garden

A place that is alternately beautiful, whimsical, educational, and inspiring...

On our 2015 Square Bottom Adventure tour, this was one of our first stops. We didn't get a chance to meet Mr. Fryar in person, but perhaps next time.  

Since the early 1980s, Pearl Fryar has created fantastic topiary at his garden in Bishopville, South Carolina - The Pearl Fryer Topiary Garden. Living sculptures, Pearl’s topiary are astounding feats of artistry and horticulture. Many of the plants in Pearl’s garden were rescued from the compost pile at local nurseries. 

With Pearl’s patience and skilled hands, these “throw aways” have thrived and have been transformed into wonderful abstract shapes. Pearl Fryar and his garden are now internationally recognized and have been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles, television shows, and even a documentary, A Man Named Pearl. Today, the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden draws visitors from around the globe.

A delightful and fanciful place.  Should you make it to Bishopville, SC don't forget that the South Carolina Cotton Museum is right down the street.