Without fail, I find all of these at Kiawah Island. We've been visiting there for more than twenty years now. Kiawah is just off the coast of Charleston, SC. The island isn't big. It's a gated community that has for the most part maintained its ecological bearings, so it feels like you are one with nature.
I always start my visit with a stop on my way onto the island at Rosebank Farms. There I treat myself to a bouquet of local flowers, fresh shrimp, and tomatoes. That's part of the stand of flower bunches in the photo below. I loved how the cat plopped down in the midst!
Our vacation was marked by soaring temps with humidity that sent the mercury up into the triple digits. Even so, I managed to take walks on the beach early and late in the day. Despite the heat, I sat on our balcony (photo below is the view) and read. As I've mentioned before, sometimes I even ventured into the surf holding my ereader.
This visit was extra special because I scheduled breakfast with a family member I'd never met face-to-face, Andrea Hazel Hamilton, who is a talented watercolorist. Our story is unique, I think. Years ago, my second cousin posted information on Ancestors.com, including the fact that his great-grand-uncle had died. Andrea saw the information, and wrote my cousin to tell him it was incorrect. Instead of dying, as the "white" part of our family was told, Joseph Manigault married Molly Steward, a woman who was both African and Native American. Joseph and Molly are Andrea's side of the family. So, Andrea and I are cousins! She's lovely, lively, and talented. I was so happy to meet her.
Andrea enjoyed meeting my son, Michael. And Michael loves the water. He always has. I love watching him surf!
12 comments:
That is so beautiful that you met your cousin face-to-face for the first time. I clicked on her link and her watercolors are gorgeous.
Hi Joanna. That is amazing how you found your cousin! Isn't the internet incredible? Looks like you had a wonderfully relaxing time. So glad you got to take a little break. Hugs to you, kiddo!
Joseph and Molly must have been two beautiful people. Way ahead of their time.
Dru, isn't Andrea's work wonderful? I love the shoes! So girly, and yet so adult.
Kaye, my Penguin Pal, I did get quite a bit of reading and a nice tan.
Imagine finding that richness in your family that you didn't know about! What an experience! She looks so welcoming.
It sounds like a great vacation with the bonus of meeting your cousin.
I think that it's great that you got to meet a new member of your family. I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many cousins to share a good time with!!!
Of course, being an animal lover, especially cats, I loved the picture of the kitty (looks like a tortie, was it?)
Next time I see you at Malice, remind me to tell you the somewhat long story of my three legged, polydactyl tortie I loved that went "missing" for 8 years but was recently found alive and well living with another family.
Glad you had a good time on your vacation.
Shirley in Baltimore
How great that you had a fun vacation and met your cousin, too!
Kaye, it's the wonder of the Internet that Andrea reconnected her side of the family and "our" side.
It was a super vacation. I look forward to learning more about Molly Steward. She ran a business and had government contracts. She was the first (or one of the first) women in Charleston to drive a car. She must have been someone very, very special.
I would love to hear about the tortie who didn't come home, but who was found anyway. I love animals.
Great story. At our reunion, we had half-brothers who met on Facebook.We all need all the family we can get.
As I grow older, I see that family matters more and more. As my sister, Jane, says, "We are a small tribe." Yes, so we need to protect and nurture each other.
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