Saturday, October 23, 2010

"De Buzzard Done Got Um"

Since Labor Day my life has been a blur.

I have made two trips to Atlanta, a wedding and then a funeral, unfortunately involving the same family. In the middle was a week in Richmond with Cousin Jack doing history. Returning that week-end I attended the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club's 40th anniversary gathering near Washington, NC. It was great seeing old friends again. There was also another funeral, this time in Virginia, one of my oldest and best friend's mother. She was a wonderful lady I always enjoyed visiting. On that trip I spent time in the UVA medical library learning more about my great-great grandfather Dr. Lemuel, time well spent. While this was going on the hot summer weather broke, providing opportunity and incentive to finish household projects. I can now walk around our garage without putting life at risk and the rails on the back porch are finished. My to-do list from six months ago is considerably smaller, although far from finished.

And last week much of our extended family met in Hilton Head, SC for our annual week get-together, a tradition started by my mother years ago. This year we forsook the middle of summer at Duck, NC, but and found the beach at Hilton Head in October wonderful, the water warm, the weather perfect. We had very nice accommodations, plenty to see and do, good restaurants, and off-season crowds. Everything was "no problem."

It was great hanging out with the family, especially the two grandchildren, Wil and Lily. But what I will remember from that trip is the tour we had of nearby Daufuskie Island ("the only place in the world where nothing normal ever happens.") and our guide, Roger Pinckney, he of the previous quote. Here is a photo of a dolphin along our bow on our way to the island.

Dolphin
As I am less than 24 hours from heading out on a two-week road trip that will take me to the banks of the Mississippi River and back, I don't have time to gather my thoughts about that tour. From the homemade tape of remembrances made by the Captain of the boat that took us to and from the island - a boat by the way that recently ran from Reedville to Tangier Island - to the stories of the Gullah inhabitants and the tangling up of developers and Dr. Buzzard, the tour was as perfect as the resorts on Hilton Head strive to be - but in a completely different way.

"Dr. Buzzard?" For those curious, link here, here, and/or here. You will then understand why I enjoyed that trip to Daufuskie so much.