Thus pronounced Sir Francis Drake, the famous English explorer upon rounding the Cape in July of 1580.  “This cape is a most stately thing”, he wrote, “and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.”  Of course I am somewhat biased, having been born in South Africa, but seriously, I have traveled quite a bit, and I challenge anyone to deny that this is indeed a most beautiful part of the world.  These are images of the “Mother City”, Cape Town, and Hermanus, whale-watching capital of the world and a popular spot for vacationing and enjoying a laid back life.  When I retire, I would like to be able to spend a couple months every year in this town.

Only a week ago we were being punished by Irma and lashed by torrential downpours.  It was all hard to imagine this evening as we watched the sun set over flooded but calm marsh grass; people fishing, walking their dogs, spending family time and generally enjoying the board walks at Shem Creek Park. There is something so “lowcountry” about throwing a net, and I took the opportunity to capture the scene. Yes, there are more hurricanes forming in the Atlantic, Maria for example could be a threat, but for now all is well in Charleston.

Well I know that some folks had it far worse than me, so I’m not complaining, rather I’m grateful because nothing bad happened that can’t be fixed, but really that was some storm.  I took Gideon (my grandson) out to Folly Beach the day before to admire the wild seas and wind, (not to mention crazy surfers) but today was not a day to be outdoors.

My young friend just graduated from Dental School at the Medical University of South Carolina.  To commemorate this event, we went down to the campus early Saturday morning to take some photos.  Here are a few.  As you can see, we had fun.  That’s how it should be 🙂

My trusty radar app let me know that there was a storm heading our way yesterday evening, so I drove out to where the skies are endless above the marsh and waited for it.   Oh boy, it was a zinger and I took shelter while the worst of it raged, but afterwards, as the clouds cleared, it yielded the most beautiful sunset as it does often after a summer storm.  Here is the storm gathering, clearing, and the evening calm from Bowen Island and the King Flats Creek.

I hate it when the alarm wakes me at 5.45 a.m. on a Saturday morning, but once I’m up and about with a few sips of coffee inside me, I’m always glad I made the effort, regardless of the outcome.  There’s something special about being out really early when few others are around, especially when most of the time life seems so crowded.  Here are a few images from that special sunrise hour or so at the extreme west end of Folly Beach County Park.

I had the honor and privilege yesterday of photographing holocaust survivor, Joe Engel for a new documentary being made about him by my friend Ron Small of Anchor Media Group, Inc.  Born in Poland, Joe is a survivor of Birkenau and Auschwitz, having managed to escape from an open cattle car in 1945 while being transported to Czechoslovakia.  He buried himself under a pile of snow until the German SS guards gave up looking for him and started moving the train onward again.  Very few of his family members and friends survived the ghettos and concentration camps and more of his both fascinating and appalling story can be read here: http://holocaustarchives.cofc.edu/panels/engel/fulltext.html

Joe celebrates his 90th birthday this year and lives in Charleston.  He is still an active community member, and speaks regularly to school and civic groups.

I detoured on my way home from Brevard to re-visit another of my favorite places.  With great foresight, the Tryon Garden Club purchased this property in 1931 to protect it from development, and have maintained and managed it ever since.  This North Carolina Heritage Area supports an amazing variety of biological and scenic diversity.  The trails and forests are renowned for their rare and prolific wildflowers, and the cascades and primary falls are really impressive. Kudos to the non-profit Tryon Garden Club for an excellent job of preserving this gem.  The admission fee of $5 is used to maintain the property and donations are tax deductible.  Put it on your “must visit” list.

Western North Carolina, and especially the Brevard area, is one of my all time favorite places to be.  It is lush and vibrant in the Summer, with the streams and rivers full and turbulent from the frequent showers and storms.  This was a spontaneous last minute get-away and I visited many of my favorite haunts.  I also found some new gems thanks to my GPS that took me on routes I had never traveled before.  Here are a couple of images from today.