This log is for Joanne & Mark aboard the MV AVALON. We had the honor of sharing a couple of days with these seasoned cruisers who have not previously experienced the Atlantic Intra-Coastal Waterway.
The doe was alone. Dipping her head to lap up water, raising it to measure SKINWALKERS intent, lowering to the water once again. She lives in the Waccamaw River plain where land and water often seem never to be one or the other; where there are no edges to define the threshold of either . It seems a mystical place where common creatures of the earth might feel the presence of a unicorn without wonder. Man is invading and with him corruption of the natural wonders to fit his image of what nature and creature comfort should be, but that is digression.
The Waccamaw, with ancient talents, holds its own, maintaining a syrupy beauty. The adaptation of flora and fauna to the infirmity of the land and the thickness of the water is unique. To me the area between Socaste Swing Bridge and the high rise bridge before Georgetown, SC is a delicious cornucopia of natural delights. The silence of the night is enriched by the occasional owl call, a soft trill of another bird, a small fish breaking into the air and quiet rustling in the reeds of unknown origin—perhaps the Unicorn. Perhaps during the day you will enjoy the purple haze of the now wild rice growing at the edges and the hand dug ditches some lined with wood and poles and the eagles posted high as if a sentinel offering safe passage for each passing cruiser.
The Waccamaw is the northern end of South Carolina’s Coastal plains speckled heavily with wooded islands and areas of marsh grass that are islands at low tide and shallows at high tide. This is the Lowcountry with its thick muck that is, in fact, older then dirt. It’s the home of gentle people and exquisite foods, where cooked beans can be a delicacy and pulled pork a treasure.
I think you’re going to like South Carolina as you come along the waterway.
Bones
