As I write this hurricane Sandy is hitting the shores where all my family and dear friends live. I’m holding my breath until I hear from everyone, at least a day or so from now…
Meanwhile, the winds will continue strong here until the end of this week, and we are in glorious sunshine with clear skies and bright white clouds. The autumn colors of the cypress swamps in the Waccamaw River are stunning, and our rainbow came in the form of a woman named June.
June is related to my oldest childhood friend, and we were so lucky to spend some time with her on this journey. Her family has lived in this area for many generations. It’s an area of cypress swamps, fields of sweetgrass, so much bird life and aquatic life…turtles, fish, alligators…
June took us visit Brookgreen Gardens, which is not only a stunning garden set on the grounds of four historical plantations which were combined by the Huntingtons to create this space for displaying outdoor sculpture, but also over the years has acquired the largest collection of American sculpture in the US. And it’s a magnificent place. June’s family lived here when the Huntingtons began their plan for making Brookgreen, and I imagine June must have been a young girl when the gardens first opened in the 1930s. June’s mother worked at the gardens when she was growing up, and June herself also worked here for more than a decade. She made a perfect tour guide for our visit!
There are so many stunning works in these gardens, so beautifully displayed in the landscape…. it was a visual feast, and it didn’t take long for me to become visually overstimulated!
All through the landscape are live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Stunning… As it turns out, they grow quite quickly, so although these trees look as old as time, in reality they are only about 300 years old.
Afterward June took us to see Murrels Inlet where we saw a large flock of Wood Storks! I did not know there were any storks in the US! What a thrill!
We ended the day on June’s back deck, watching the light change toward sunset along the salt marsh estuaries of the inlet.
I can’t possibly describe how special this day was to us! It was a day of days….and should I mention?…. well, okay, twist my arm…. this day of days was a landmark for us. Forty years ago, can you believe it?….40 years ago…. we had our first date. What a magnificent way to recognize our long life together.
We have motored a little further down the Waccamaw and are anchored in another secluded spot off the river called Jericho Creek. Today is about 10 degrees colder than yesterday, so I am bundled in my wingspan shawl and a pair of handknit wool socks. I’ll be making something hot and comforting for dinner.
Day 47 and 48, October 27 and 28: Cow House Creek, off the Waccamaw River, SC.
Day 49, October 29: Cow House Creek to Jericho Creek, SC.
