WE BE Bloggin with LowCountry Joe®

I-95 Growth Spurt....Say what!!!!!!!

Wow....Baby.....just when the the Liberal Press keeps telling us the world is crashing down on us and our proud US of A,  as we know it is financially coming to a proverbial end they surprise you with a bit of uplifting information. This tidbit comes in the form of today's front page Island Packet article tellin' us down here in Hilton Head South Carolina Ya'll that, and I quote, "Holiday Inn called first step in I-95 growth spurt". Then they continue on that we also have a Hampton Inn coming in the next 120 days with more to follow. Man....I didn't even know "the Press" had the word "spurt" in their vocabulary let alone the word "growth".

Well I don't know about you but it seems to me that every piece of ground on every intersection from the Disneyesque place called South of the Border to the Florida line has a hotel or gas station on it......so why do we need more and why now in what we are being told every night on ABC and NBC "the sky is falling".....Ahhhh, this is where the plot thickens.

 I called an associate of mine that seems to know about this kind of stuff and is on "them there committees" and he blurted out without conscious thinking....Baby Boomers...."You know Joe...they are all coming South...about a zillion of them....and the hotel market is gearin' up". He continued....All our studies show we are due for what they call a "Silver Tsunami" that's going to flood the Lowcountry in the very near future. Considering the fact that loads of folks just don't like Florida and most of the Georgia barrier Island's are off limits for development and owned by the state....and Arizona is two far from the kids....where do ya think they are going to end up "Right Here".. in the good old Carolina Lowcountry right next  to the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. All ya gotta' do Joe is just wait it out, being in the real estate business like you are and soon you will be in what we call in these parts "High Cotton"....aint enough houses around to even begin to contain "the swell".

Hmmmmm....Livin' in "High Cotton" Sounds like a nice cozy soft plan to me....

See ya on the high tide...

LowCountry Joe

Squirrels and Butterflies

Squirrels and Butterflies

A strong Canadian high pressure ridge pushes South and the associated October Northeast cool winds sweep over the Carolina Lowcountry. Instinctively the squirrels that make residence close to the Bloody Point Lighthouse head for one of my prize pecan trees. It’s loaded to the hilt this year and there is no time to waste. You see, they know I am willing to give up a few of those tasty morsels. But soon their time and patience will run out. Old Lowcountry Joe likes fresh pecans too and just like them I hoard them in my very own special hiding place……but more importantly they also know that I have a deep craving for squirrel smothered in gravy.

Actually Fall won’t really arrive in the Lowcountry until early December. That’s when our trees begin to shed their leaves and its time to break out a light jacket. But after a Summer in the 90’s with the humidity about the same, any brief respite is welcome. So determined to take advantage of Mother Nature’s early treat, I lace up my hiking boots and head for the beach.

Down the oak-canopied sandy lane I go, whistling and prancing about like one of Snow White’s dwarfs. Bluebirds and chickadees chirp and flit about around me as if they were caught up in my new found exuberance. Together we make our way past the soon to be occupied eagle’s nest and onto the wide sandy beaches of Bloody Point.

Leaving the relative shelter of the dense maritime forest I pull my hat over my ears as I am immediately buffeted by strong twenty knot winds and serenaded by the sound of crashing waves. Sea foam floats delicately at my feet and blowing sands remind me of Omar Sharif trudging through the desert in Lawrence of Arabia. This is nature’s fury at its best and with renewed vigor I make a decision to head North and straight into the heart of it.

With head down I scan the beach for some sort of treasure to bring home to my Bride Mary. All sorts of strange looking creatures reminiscent of a sci-fi movie have washed ashore but a moon snail that is known by naturalists to have strange resemblance to a disembodied eyeball catches my attention. As I reach to retrieve my prize I am startled as an orange and black object…..and then another….whizzes by my own eyes. As I do a “360” I realize I am surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of these objects. Intently following their Southward flight I realize I have been blessed to be in the middle of the first Monarch butterflies cruising by the Carolina Lowcountry on their migration to Mexico.

It’s hard to imagine a once ugly bizarre looking caterpillar now turned dainty butterfly could perform one of the miracles of nature. Part of this miracle is the fact that they leave the cold weather of Canada and fly all the way to Mexico…..and get this….to the exact same trees!!!!!

Feeling overwhelmed and a bit insignificant I make my way back up the sandy lane. My pecan tree looms larger and the squirrels mock me with idle chatter. These little nut thieves have got me in a weak moment. I feel like a “softie” in nature’s presence. Maybe I will give old “squirrel face” a break this year. NAAH……I like squirrel covered in gravy. 

LC Joe

As a side note…….The best place to  experience the butterfly migration in all its glory  is in front of the Melrose mansion. The path leading to the gazebo has been planted with all sorts of flowers the butterflies just love. There are zillions of them flitting about and landing on you at every opportunity. Make sure and wear some bright colored red and yellow clothing and they will love you even more. Have a great Fall.   

LowCountry Joe gets "Spooky" on the Golf Channel

Fall Greetings from the Carolina Lowcountry......

A few months ago  I received a call from "The Golf Channel" asking if I would consider being involved in a TV show with Hank Haney's International Junior Golf Academy located on Hilton Head/Daufuskie Island.  For you non-golfers out there...Hank Haney is Tiger Woods personal coach and for the last ten (10) years his Academy has offered a combined program of high level instruction and academic studies for over 2000 students from all over the world. Needles to say I was honored to accept and was actually given the rare opportunity to help produce a small part of one of the episodes.

After scheduling and re-scheduling the kids and film crew finally arrived early one moonlit evening and the fun began.  The producer wanted me to tell a Bloody Point Lighthouse ghost story that the students could somehow get involved in. Considering the fact the former deceased Owner/Keeper was said to not appreciate his Home/Lighthouse being turned into the Bloody Point Golf Course pro-shop and was known to create shall we say "unique undesirable situations" in what is now my home, I had no problem with that creepy task.

With that In mind, I am pleased to say that Episode #5, Spring Break,  premiered last evening to an International audience and will be rebroadcast tonight and the coming weeks. What took almost two hours to film turned into just shy of three minutes of quality editing. The professionalism of Producer Joel  and his film/sound crew is evident. But most importantly I was "blessed" with the opportunity to interact with the students. These young guys and gals with unsurpassed golf talents had been hard at work for many months, many away from home for the first time, and struggling with the pressures of trying to be golfs next superstar.  It felt so good for me to enter their lives, make them laugh and at times, with eyes wide open, scream with delight as the evenings shenanigans unfolded. It was fun to see them "let loose" the way it should be before they enter the "real world" and life's travels. And I must especially thank them for bringing out "the kid" in me once again.

Have a great day and see ya on the high tide...LCJoe

Program show times...

Wednesday Oct 1....  10:00 PM

Friday Oct 3....  2:30 PM

Monday Oct 6....1:00 PM

Monday Oct 6.... 8:00 PM