Edisto Island, August, 2004 -- wrap-up

Wesley and I did a two-hour tour of Edisto itself in a bright pink van. All the remaining plantation homes are privately owned now, and the only way to see them is on a tour with someone who has the keys to the gates. It was so interesting. That island has had such a long history, dating all the way back to the mid 16th century -- yep, the middle 1500's!!! There was a Spanish mission on that island within 40 years of Shakespeare's death!!! The only unchanged, unpaved section of the King's Highway left in America is on Edisto Island -- it's about a quarter of a mile long. C-COOL!!!!! I got chills up and down my spine, I swear!!!!

The food was hit-and-miss this time, and that's a bummer. My favorite restaurant hired a "new chef," which means they fired the "old cook" who knew how to make proper hushpuppies. We only ate there once when I found out how bad the hushpuppies are. I really didn't have a great meal until Friday, when we discovered a greasy spoon that has a Friday special with real hushpuppies. ROFL!!!! I will not forget!!

But really -- and I'm already getting teary-eyed thinking about it -- this whole trip was an education to me about how much I miss that part of the South. I have lived in East Tennessee for 26 years now, and I do love the mountains, but I miss the Low Country badly. I spent my summers (except for camp, of course) visiting cousins in the Low Country of Mississippi and Louisiana, and of course when Daddy was alive, we always went to Edisto/Charleston every other year. That whole part of the world just looks and feels right to me. Wesley fell in love with it, too. So we've decided we're moving there. Not to the beach -- who wants to deal with those prices? -- but maybe to Walterboro, which is a little, insignificant town with absolutely nothing going on a little further inland.

It's just 13 years until retirement!!!!! I think I can hold out that long if I go back every other year for vacation.