sunrise

Kure Beach, NC

This will be a season of quick “break-aways” from Charleston. The weather is changing, fall is coming, and this weekend I am in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. This trip has been on my calendar for months, but only last week, they had an unnamed storm come through here, dumping 18″ of rain in the space of 12 hours! The event was unexpected to say the least, and a week later there are areas that are still flooded, sections of Highway 17 are still closed, and piles of debris testify to the ferocity of the storm. The beaches suffered their usual battering and resulting erosion, but that is nothing new for this part of the world. One beloved landmark still stands, and that is the Kure Beach Pier, an historic wooden structure that has been destroyed, damaged, and rebuilt over the years, but continues to be enjoyed by tourists and locals alike. That’s where I was at sunrise this morning.

Quick Trip to Florida

I had the opportunity to swap houses with someone who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, and since that is one of my favorite towns, I decided to take a quick trip on the I-95 south for a couple of nights. This is one of my favorite American beaches, Marineland. I just managed to get there in time to see the sun as it cleared some clouds on the horizon. It’s good to be alive!

Upstate South Carolina

After spending some days in the Brevard area of North Carolina, I wandered back over the state line into upstate South Carolina where I stayed at a wonderful B&B in Salem called Sunrise Farm. Such fun to walk out of the door before sunrise and capture the light as it rakes across the pastures and signals the dawn of another day. Of course many farm people wouldn’t understand why this would be a big deal, but for a city girl, it’s a treat. Here are a few images from early this morning. These last few days of fall in the mountains have been amazing, but tomorrow it’s back to Charleston and the low country, home.

Early Morning on Saint Helena Sound

I was never a morning person, even less so as time goes by, but every so often I will make an exception and rise early. So it was yesterday since I was joining some friends at sunrise down at Butcher’s boat landing on St. Helena Island near Beaufort, SC. It was a beautiful morning, and the air was soft and warm as we pushed off and followed the creeks out to the sound. We were looking forward to enjoying nature, observing shorebirds, dolphin, and watching the shrimp trawlers as they plied the sound dragging their nets. It was a wonderful time. Here are a couple of photos of the trip.