If the Beach Erosion keeps up.... 7'13

This is how the far northern end of Pawleys Island looked a year ago last August ( 2012) at low tide.

This is how it looked this afternoon  at low tide.  Notice anything missing?

 Like a lot of sand?

Ever since the last Super Moon (3/19/13)  brought in a super tidal surge,  the North end of Pawleys Island Beach has been eroding away .  This is very odd.  Normally beach erodes from the South end of the barrier islands, is carried around  the backside of the islands by the tidal creek, and deposited on the north end.  In effect, the barrier islands inch northward a a tiny bit each each.  But this year, it is the north end of the island  that is dissolving. 

Here's another picture of the north end beach taken 1/6/12 at low tide.  At the far left  near the lower corner of the photo, you can see the jetty and the wide amount of beach in front of it.  The area has always had a small depression which sometimes left a very shallow tide pool ( seen on the right)  which was closed off from the tidal creek by a sand bar.. Usually the water dissipated quickly within the tide pool

This is that same area, but the sand bar barrier is gone, the beach is open to the outgoing tidal creek  waters and the-pool is now filled constantly with chest deep ( or higher) water.

The dunes themselves are also being effected, as are at least thirteen mansions on the north end that have had the barrier dunes  the sit upon being eaten away at high tide.

It appears that much of the sand that used to be deposited from the south end onto the north end by  tidal creek, is now being placed on a small sand bar that is building in the channel between Pawleys Island and Litchfield Island.  So far the sand bar is barely high enough to break the surface and allow a resting place for the sea birds.  But it has forced the channel on the Pawleys Island side to deepen and become swifter, which will only speed up the erosion.

If this keeps up, all it would take is one good tropical storm, and our barrier island could be no more, and we might find our home on beach front property.

Big Sky Day at Pawleys Island 7"13

We took a walk on the South end of Pawleys Island this  morning.  

The dunes and sand looked healthy at the south end entrance, but one could see from the moment we arrived, the real story today was going to be about the drama in the sky.

It was filled with  huge with sweeping lines of cumulus nimbus which led your eye on forever.  I've never seen the south end look so elongated.

The clouds were capturing so much of my attention I almost missed seeing the pelicans sitting on a sandbar in the channel entrance.

Even the creek-side of the island was picture perfect.

Dinner at Hog Heaven 7'13

We had dinner at Hog  in Pawleys Island  last night.  Hog Heaven is widely know for having some of the best Barbque in the low country. Neither Bruce nor I are a big BBQ fans. Yet WE BOTH LOVED THIS PLACE.

Trust me it is not for the ambiance,,,On the outside, it looks like a  red-neck biker bar, and during  Myrtle Beach's motorcycle rally weekends it really is one..  The interior looks like a county western bar,  complete with a bandstand / dance area  and parking lot that spills over into the woods.  The tables are loaded with plastic squirt bottles of barbque sauces and a roll of rough paper towels for use as napkins. On the weekends, when the bands are playing, its a setting straight out of a Clint Eastwood meets Blues Brothers flick.

Despite its honkey-tonk appearance, the place  is packed every night with locals of every class and color. And huge crowds queue up around it's big mobile smoker at every local out of door festival.

 Each loyal  fan will  claim on of the menu item is the reason for Hog Heaven's success.  (Although in all fairness to other Southern eateries, I 've never heard anyone mention any of the Hog's side dishes). Some fans name the Barbque  pulled pork or the ribs; others cite one of the Hog's local seafood specialties . 

For Bruce it is their all you can eat shrimp dishes.  Last night he ordered a plate of it blackened, then another barbqued, and then some  buffaloed shrimp to go.

For me, its always the fried chicken. They ran out  just as we arrived and I had to wait for them to fry up another batch.  Bruce was working on his third plate of shrimp before the chicken was cooked. By then I had eaten a heaping plate of vegetables ( collards, black eyed peas, mashed sweet potatoes, succatash) and  I could only eat two pieces, but I swear it was worth the wait.   Hog Heaven makes THE BEST SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN I've ever eaten. 

Dinner at Quigleys

Dinner at Quigleys with the neighbors

Wilting at Willbrook 7 '13

 We played the last 9-18th holes  at Willbrook Plantation in 90 degree (+) temps  & 90 % (+) humidity, and we both scored exceptionally well.  Could it be we just wanted to get it over with and find the 19th hole?

In Appreciation 7 '13

Boy did CC  get a pleasant surprise at the July 7^th SAG General Membership Meeting. Our Guild's President, Woody Bower presented  out-going SAG Board Members, Eugenia Tribett  and CC each with a Certificate of Appreciation in expression of the Guild’s  appreciation for all of the hard work, long hours and late nights they put in to  making out Guild a success.  

CC's new handmade pot 7"13

This morning, we bought this beautiful little Green Glazed stoneware bowl from potter Bill Maurer who was showing at the SAG tent sale outside of Applewoods.  CC loves the color and all the incising on the side.

We should visit these tent sales more often.

Beaver at Plawleys Plantation 7 "13

This evening, we watched a beaver eating willow and bamboo growing in a freshwater pond here on Pawleys Plantation. It's the first live beaver I've ever seen that wasn't on exhibit in some man-made enclosure. So cool.

Unfortunately the Golf Course maintenance people say they will kill it if they see it because beavers damage trees and eat vegetation. That's the pot calling the kettle black.. The golf maintenance people must have taken out a hundred trees since they took over the course last year, and last spring  their workers have taken out most of the bushes and rushes in the saltwater marshes that border the course ( eliminating habitat the marsh birds rely on for nesting). They even took down the bald cypress and other trees along the marsh that the endangered American Wood-storks and egrets used for a rookery. They said that the birds droppings were too unsightly and their noise was annoying the residents of the Wood-stork Condominiums units ( how ironic ). Those last two stunts cost us our Audubon habitat rating. Real Conservationists, that crew!

CC's Paintings are now at The SAG Applewoods Gallery 7 ' 13

July 1st was art change-out day at the SAG Gallery at Applewoods. Applewood's owner, Amy Vlahos, is a great supporter of local artists, and has provided wall-space for thirteen of SAG's artists. CC replenished her wall space with lots of paintings of local landmarks.

Carried Away? 6 '13

A nasty thunderstorm parked itself right over our house this afternoon about lunch time and rudely hung around until dinner.  With lightening strikes all around us, we had to turn all the lights and electrical equipment off.... It was too dark to paint indoors, and too dangerous to go outside.  I decided to use the enforced confinement   to prime some canvases.  Usually I only prime one at a time with an undercoat of gesso followed by a light coat of a  color that is in contrast to the color scheme of the painting I am about to start.  But then I don't usually have six hours of free time on my hands. 

By the time the power was restored, I was feeling like I might have gotten a bit carried away.

Newest Painting: Cheraw State Park 6 '13

One of the reasons we took a trip to Cheraw State Park is that CC is deeply engrossed with painting South Carolina's State Parks and  she hoped to get some good reference photos and maybe even a painting or two if the weather cooperated.  The weather didn't and the trip  turned out to be a travel "disaster".  We got hit by rain, tornado warnings, and both the RV and the tow vehicle broke down on the way home.  Never the less  she was determined that some good would come from this  adventure,

When we got home she started working  on a painting  from a quick sketch and a photo  she'd made of two people in a canoe in Lake Juniper at   Cheraw State Park last weekend.  The  blurry photo  is the way the camera saw the scene.  The second image is the painting she did  once she got  home.  As you can see, the scene was a lot more vivid in her minds eye

This makes the tenth painting that Cece has completed  for the State Park Series since April.

Still think it's all whooey?

When Al Gore (and his predecessors) first started sounding the warning about Climate change, there were a lot of people scoffing.  Today, more and more people are talking about how is climate change impacting the area where they live.  Enter your ZIP Code below to learn how your local area is vulnerable to climate change.
http://www.nrdc.org/health/climate-in-your-community.asp

Return trip from Hell 6 '13

The drive home yesterday turned into the trip from hell., . Just before we left, the servo motor on the drivers side of our tow vehicle died, leaving the window fully open. We didn't have the tools to get it up with us, so we decided that I would follow him in the Honda and Bruce would drive the RV. That way I could pull over and find shelter if it started getting too wet inside. Halfway home he phoned me that the battery in the RV was dying. We made it about ten more miles before he had to pull into the lot of the Bethel Holiness Worship Mission and call AAA. Long story short... Rv's been towed to a repair facility in Florence and we packed everything we could in the back seat of the Honda. BJ drove the car home with the window still down, and me holding Kat on my lap. Thank goodness she is a good little traveler... most kitties would be trying to claw their way out of the car.. but she just cuddled up against me and sniffed the air for a scent of home. Honda window is still broken, and its still storming , so Bruce put some plastic and an umbrella over it until the storm passes enough to take the door apart.

Time to head for the barn 6 '13

By the time we returned to the campsite the weather had turned really ugly, and forecasts called for several more days of the severe thunderstorms with the possibility of tornadoes. We decided it was time to pull up stakes and head home (which is only a 2 hours drive)

Rain rain go away 6 '13

Luckily we got the golf in early in the trip, as it started to rain on Tuesday morning. It was too wet and threatening for kayaking, fishing or plein-air painting so we decided to explore the nearby town of Cheraw. Its historical section is filed with lovely pre-civil war mansions. It is also the birthplace of Dizzy Gillespie. The rain let up long enough for us to have a picnic lunch in a sculpture park the town has dedicated to him. 

We also visited the town's Little Pee Dee River Park. You can see from the photo how the thunderheads are growing.

Cheraw State Park Day II 6 '13

Day two (Monday) of golfing we had the course to ourselves. Such a pretty course. I took advantage of the slower pace to take some photos of the carnivorous plant bogs that line some of the fairways.

 

Cheraw State Park Day I 6 '13

Our campsite was right on the lake.

 

  The reflections in the evenings are especially beautiful.

Happy Fathers Day, Bruce 6 '13

BJ's Father's Day gift is a three day golf package to Cheraw SP.. Beautiful course.. runs right along the lake.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in our lives!

Beautiful day for Golf at Pawleys Plantation 6 "13

After 2 weeks of brutally hot weather, it's finally back to being pleasant. We took advantage of the temperature change and played the back nine holes of Pawleys Plantation Golf Course today.

Visiting with the Neighbors: A Slider came a callin' 6 "13

I was backing out of the driveway when a small movement caught my eye.  Checking all the mirrors I couldn't see anything. Had I seen a bird? a Squirrel? a mirage on the hot pavement? Was it still there?  Bruce jumped out to check and sure enough a little Slider was struggling along the super heated pavement.  It's a good half mile to the nearest freshwater pond, even if it didn't get run over along the way, it would have cooked in its own shell before it made it there.  So we gave it a lift to safety.

All along the way it stretched its head upward as if saying , "I am flying does this mean I'm I dead? Is this heaven?"

Be safe little Slider, and stay away from the resident gator.

Hot Hot Hot 6 "13

Hot Hot Hot ACs  been out for a week.  Heat index is over 100 degrees and still no word on when the AC will be  fixed

Come on Down 7 '13

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (Charleston, SC) is a short detour off Highway 17 - so if you're a history buff, you should check out their History Fair scheduled for 6 July 2013. I'll be there with the Charleston Artist Guild. Look forward to seeing y'all. It looks wonderful! For more information: http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/history_fair.html

Hurricaine Season comes in early with Andrea 6"13

Hurricane Season has started early with the appearance of Andrea.  Thankfully she brought very little damage to the lowcountry.

Eye of Andrea passing over Folly Beach

A very noisy storm she came in  with strong bands of wind, high surf, and lots  of rain.

I saw some major flooding yesterday morning in the Francis Marion Forest where the Highway Patrol had to caravan cars through a mile long section of Hywy 17 which was completely flooded over.  It looked like a lake.  I couldn't see the road at all.  Very dangerous. Fortunately, the water had nearly drained off the road by the time I was returning home that evening.

 

Hyway almost back to normal by 7 pm

Brookgreen Gardens Annual Art Show 6'13

Walter Cushman,  BJ, and Ed Delaney

We visited the Brookgreen Gardens Annual Art Show On June 1 and were happy to see so many of our friends and local artists from the Seacoast Artists Guild were exhibiting. 'Good Selling' to Sean Thompson, Maria Delaney, Millie Doud, Judy O'Brien, Suz, Mole, and Nancy VanBuren.

Maria Delaney

Suz, Mole

and Nancy VanBuren
It's nice to belong to a Guild whose members are  so active in the local art scene.