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.