Author: Easin' Along

Our second week at Edisto Beach was a bit more active than the first. My son, his wife, and daughters live in Charleston, about a 45-minute drive from the campground, which allows Helen and me to be hands-on grandparents for a change. No matter how much time we have with them, it’s never enough, but it’s better than FaceTime.

On Saturday morning, I woke early and noticed that the first light offered the promise of a lovely sunrise over the beach. I left Helen sleeping away, grabbed my camera, and walked around the giant dune guarding our campsite. An opening above the dune was a hint of things to come. I made it to the beach and witnessed one of the most stunning sunrises I’ve ever seen (pictured above). The only editing I did to this image was a touch of sharpening. 

Next up was a drive into Charleston to watch the girls play soccer. Cason, our youngest, was up first. Kickoff, set for 9:00 am, would require breakfast on the run. We made it with time to spare.

At age nine, Cason plays goalie on a team that plays hard but has met with little success. Nevertheless, she holds her own in the goal and always encourages her teammates to give it all they have. I was proud of her effort and assured her that next season would be much better.

Bennett, age eleven, plays on a team of exceptional young athletes. They rarely lose and travel throughout the south seeking the best competition. We’ve lost count of her medals and trophies, but they fill her room. Bennett plays defense and seldom leaves the game. I don’t know where she obtained her running speed or foot skills, but it certainly didn’t come from my side of the family. Those skills were on display in the afternoon game against a team from Augusta, Georgia. Our side won impressively. 

The following Tuesday was the last day of school for the week. Helen and I picked them up when the bell rang at 11:30 to take them back to Edisto for two nights of “glamping” and beach walking. They seemed eager to join us, which pleased us greatly.

On our way back to the campground, we stopped at Walmart to pick up a few supplies and the board game; Sorry. It has been years since I last played Sorry and, rather than read the rules, we jumped right in after dinner and played a few rounds. When we finished those two games, I sensed something was not quite right and decided that it might be a good idea to check the rule book…good idea.

I let the girls know we needed to hit the reset button and have a new session the following day. They wanted to play immediately, but I persuaded them that it would be better to let the anticipation build throughout the day. At around 4:00 that afternoon, we decided that we would play a game outside to make sure that everyone had the rules down. I asked Bennett to create a certificate that we would award to the winner of the 2021 Edisto Beach World Sorry Championship. She handled the task beautifully.

We began the familiarization game outside, but the chilly weather drove us in before we finished. We decided to have dinner then play the World Championship after dessert. As soon as the plates were in the sink, I asked everyone to stand. Next, I asked Siri to play the National Anthem. We all put our hands over our hearts and joined the singing. When the last note sounded, Cason looked up and said, “Now we’re going to war!” (Remember, she’s nine!) 

Big Daddy (me) won the game, but it was a dogfight. I was just plain lucky. We followed the rules explicitly, but these girls were so competitive, we had to endure a tantrum or two. Cason was the runner-up. I can’t remember when I’ve had more fun!

Early on Thanksgiving morning, we made the drive to Charleston. Collin, our son, organizes a neighborhood run/walk/bike ride, and the start time is 9:00 am sharp. About thirty hearty souls gathered to join the event at the appointed hour. When the start signal sounded, the participants took off on a three-mile journey except for Helen and me. Being the oldest by far, we chose the one-mile short route in the interest of time. Otherwise, we might still be out on the course.  

That afternoon, we enjoyed a fabulous smoked turkey dinner that Collin prepared on his Big Green Egg smoker. All the traditional trimmings accompanied the spread, including an over-the-top sweet potato dish. The weather was lovely, and we set the table outside to view the Charleston harbor. Our daughter-in-law’s mom, Carolyn, and her husband, Johnny, joined us for the feast. Austin’s good friend, Caroline, also joined in.

I’m going to sign off with some pictures of Christmas lights. Collin always goes Griswold (Christmas Vacation) for the season, and his house illuminates the block. I’m confident that the inspiration comes from the Charleston Festival of Lights at James Island County Park, which is one of the premier Christmas Light displays in the south, if not the country. We drove through the display on Monday. A few samples from our drive follow below.

Helen and I sat out Black Friday at Edisto while feeling the blessings of the Thanksgiving season during these two weeks, and returned home grateful for every moment. We attended one more event in Charleston that I will share with you next week. Please join us. In the meantime, have a terrific start to a holiday season filled with joy.

Helen and I arrived at Edisto Beach on Wednesday after two stops on the way. We spent one night in Cherokee, NC, to rub a little ointment on her casino itch.  My lotion worked better than hers, but that’s all I’ll say about that. We spent the next night in our son’s driveway in Charleston, SC. I invested in a partial share of a fifty-amp electrical outlet at Collin’s house, and we now have water and power for the Mother-In-Law Suite, also known as Dora, our fifth-Wheel trailer.

After our granddaughters left for school the following day, Helen and I did some Costco shopping then drove 50 miles for our fifth straight year of camping in Edisto Beach State Park. We love the beach campground, and our campsite sits behind a dune along the shoreline and overlooks a lovely salt marsh teeming with egrets, spoonbills, cranes, and one pesky raccoon.  We’re here for eleven relaxing days.

November weather at Edisto can be somewhat mercurial. Still, so far, we’ve had sunny days in the ’60s and low ‘70s with nighttime temperatures in the high ‘40s—perfect for campfires, and we’ve enjoyed one every evening. I’m not sure how much of this I can take, but I’m in for all I can stand.

For exercise, we walk the beach every day. The shorebirds wander along with us as though we need escorts.  The water is surprisingly warm and feels warmer than wet sand to my bare feet. There are so few people here that we have the beach almost to ourselves. Did I mention that we love this place?

This narrative will be shorter than my usual posts.  We’ve had only three days to record the experience, but I captured a few images that I hope give readers a feel for the occasion. The plan is to share our visit with you after the Thanksgiving holiday.  Would you please join us then?

Oh, one more thing…

On Thursday, around four in the morning, I woke up and remembered that a lunar eclipse was near the peak.  My camera was unpacked and sitting beside the door. I grabbed it, stepped into my flip-flops, and walked into a dark campground in my pajamas. Nobody screamed, so I assumed I was alone.

Looking to the south, a meteor crossed the sky just below the eclipsed sphere dubbed the Beaver Moon. I decided to forgo any attempt to put my camera into perfect settings and went to automatic mode. I snapped away. Looking through the long lens, the lower left portion was as shiny as ever, but the rest of the moon was shrouded in an eerie shade of red. The image below was captured at 4:06 am.

Helen and I send our best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday to our friends and followers everywhere.  We’re blessed, and we’re Easin’ Along.

The day after Helen and I returned from a wonderful (and wet) weekend camping trip with our church, we packed up again to spend a few days with some dear friends.  Readers have met these folks before, and they are friends we made when we moved into a new neighborhood upon our return to Knoxville. Our youngest son was born ten days after moving in, and we lived there for twenty-one years.  I cried when we moved out but left the neighborhood with great memories of great times with many great people.

Some of those neighbors moved on as well, but we stayed connected, primarily because six ladies in our group have spent a week together at the beach for forty years.  The husbands stayed home to babysit in the early years. Now, we gather for dinner to catch up. It’s been a sad two years, however. We lost two of the husbands to illness, and we miss them immeasurably.

One of the ladies in our group shares a lovely home with her sister in the Blair Branch community near the Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. She graciously invited us all up for a time of fun, companionship, and a birthday celebration for one of our friends.  I promised (sort of) that I wouldn’t say who.

The Blair Branch community is adjacent to the famous Blackberry Farm, a four-star resort that draws well-heeled guests worldwide.  Anne, our hostess, enjoys the opportunity to visit Blackberry and bring her guests with her. She booked us in for a day to check it out, and we jumped at the chance.  The weather was great, and we needed the exercise.

Blackberry Farm is a unique resort, and the owners have worked hard to make it as complete a farm-to-table operation as possible. Extensive vegetable gardens supply many of the items found on the menu, and chickens, turkeys, and other game fowl provide fresh poultry for guests.

We visited the gardens and looked over the varieties of vegetables found there. Beets, cabbage, kale, and carrots filled the rows in one garden, as did zinnias and other flowers for the tables.  Paw-Paws grew in one corner of the field but were not yet ready for picking. It’s an impressive operation.

In addition to our garden walk, we visited the kennel to meet the new puppies born on the Farm.  These are not ordinary puppies but a specialized breed, the Logotto Romagnolo. As the name implies, Logotto Romagnolos originated in Italy and trained to hunt.  Because of their keen sense of smell, these animals eventually were used to search for truffles in the Italian hillsides. Blackberry is in the process of preparing some land to grow truffles for the resort and keep these pups busy.

We entered the kennel area and immediately had one of the dogs rush out to meet us. They are lively fuzzballs and cute as they come.  The trainer interrupted his session with one young pup to give us a bit of information on the breed and the operation of the kennel. He explained that the dogs are in high demand and sell for many thousands of dollars.  Once sold, the trainer accompanies the dog to its new owner, wherever that is.  He told us that he had delivered them all over America and to many foreign countries.  At this point, there is a waiting list for Blackberry Logotto Romagnolos extending out over six years.

After our information briefing, we visited the newest pups in the kennel.  Helen got to hold one, but he was a furry handful, and I couldn’t get either Helen or the puppy to remain still long enough to focus my camera.

After our afternoon on the Farm, we returned to Blair Branch to continue our time together. A roaring fire added much to the cozy atmosphere, and the conversation lingered long. We did much the same around the breakfast table the following day after Bloody Marys helped spice up the chatter. (Photos courtesy of the other Joe in the group.)

Oh, we finally got around to celebrating the birthday, but not before a mystery person stole a slice from the Red Velvet Cake that Anne prepared from scratch. We never discovered the culprit, but I did take a picture of the birthday person…the name remains withheld, but clues are everywhere.

In summary, everyone enjoyed a delightful time together, and the time for Easin’ Along came all too quickly.

Please join us next week.  Helen and I are taking you to Edisto Beach, SC.