And Home Again to my Beloved Lowcountry…

For those of you who follow my blog in a slightly regular fashion, you may have noticed that my last post was over a month ago.  I’ve been neglectful!  But I’ll chalk it up to what I am now calling the Crazy Days of May.  For most of the month, besides my daily work, I had family events and celebrations galore, my Master Preservationist Program final project and presentation, AND I was out of town for 16 days total.  Having now had a week to rest and reflect – I can’t tell you how good it feels to be back in my beloved Lowcountry.

For two of my trips, I made my way back to Mamma Manhattan (well, Hoboken to be exact) for my best friend’s wedding festivities.  I had a hotel room with a spectacular view of the city and enjoyed the artful changes along the Hoboken waterfront that have happened since I lived there (Charleston, take note! Hoboken is one to emulate for our waterfront.)

View across the Hudson River

For the other trip, my family took an eight day vacation to the Outer Banks just above Kitty Hawk.  Since a good friend of ours had generously given us a week at their 1940s beach house, we just couldn’t turn it down!  We read, napped, played games, cooked up a storm, went on a beach safari, saw wild horses, relaxed on the sand, and my husband went fishing.  Check out his catch below.

But here’s what happened.

In all that travel, in all that allure, there was still this part of me that said “My home is better.”  “My home is more beautiful”.  Alas, after so many years, Charleston has made me myopic in my love.  Once a world traveler, a go-go-getter and a person who considered a lack of roots as having wings, I am now almost unknown to my former self as I settle even further into the embrace of my chosen place.

To me, there’s nothing like the feel of our broad finely-sanded beaches, and the sight of our glittering meandering waterways.  And nothing is easier on my eyes than our lively-colored homes and the quiet grace of our steepled skylines.

And when I get off that plane and walk through those big glass doors that open at my behest, that is my moment. My happiness.  I feel the sensuous Lowcountry wind on my face as that Carolina blue sky comes into view, and I know that I am home.

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning  – T.S. Eliot

Leave a Reply Text

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *