Okay, who out there knows why Baltimore (local dialect dictates the proper pronunciation to be: “Ball-ee-more”) is known as Birdland?

Orioles and Ravens are the baseball and football teams here! The city is also known as “Mob City” because this is the 2nd biggest commercial port in the Mid-Atlantic region and was therefore run by the Mob. “The Wire” was my favorite  television series because each subsequent year addressed another of the city’s problem areas while following up on the earlier issue. The first year it was poverty, gang violence, and drug dealing. The second year they added the Port (and Mob) due to a container full of dead Russian prostitutes. The following year City Hall corruption was added to the continuing story lines, followed by the educational system. Great show. Rent it on Netflix if you haven’t seen it yet.

The City spins artists have slathered every bus, train and billboard with the name, “Charm City”…yecccch!  It is a quite charming city with the frontboard (super thin fake brick) row houses, waterfront attractions including the Aquarium, water taxis, free museum (the Walter), Chesapeake Bay sailing, and a gorgeous skyline of steeples, monuments, skyscrapers, and art installations. It’s real charm however comes from the 60+ distinct neighborho0ds, many filled with specific ethnic cultures. We especially loved Little Italy where the restaurants outnumber and outsize even our San Francisco North Beach. What’s not to like about a real Italian bakery with Tiramisu, cakes, dipped Biscotti, almond cookies and gelato? Vaccaro’s need do no advertising except the simple statement, “The place for desserts and more”.  Fells Point and Canton were cool too with a very high number of neighborhood taverns and “cheap and cheerfuls”, small ethnic restaurants, and the community oriented Patterson Park.

We were shocked at the size of John Hopkins Medical Centers, way bigger than UCSF at Parnassus and Mission Creek combined. Hopkins, a Quaker, was an early abolitionist and supporter of President Lincoln. As Maryland remained one of the four Northern slaving states until the 13th Amendment, Hopkins was detested by the State’s Elite. His Trust ensures that people of all ages, genders,and socio-economic position be provided medical services. His Board of Trustees has had to struggle with this requirement in a time of accelerating health costs. The John Hopkings Business School is a gorgeous angular glass skyscraper abutting the new Four Seasons Hotel overlooking the East Harbor, behind this dramatic sculpture, “Katyn Forest Massacre”.

Poland, having been partitioned and dominated by Austrian, Prussian and Russian forces until Independence in 1918, was cruelly invaded by the Nazis and Soviets in WWII. Stalin ordered all of the educated, the “elite” who were a threat to Stalin’s terrorist reign, to three Siberian prison camps, and killed most of the survivors in mass graves in the Katyn Forest. As Stalin denied this, and the Brits and Americans accepted his placement of blame on the Nazis, it was years before it was investigated competently by The Red Cross. The final remains were uncovered only in 1991.   The world finally knew the truth after 50 years. This sculpture with the hanging bodies represents the ritual murder of 20,000 prisoners intentionally “trussed” like hogs by Soviet NKVD before being shot and buried in mass graves. The image of fire is designed both to pay homage to democratic efforts, and to cleanse and heal wounds. We found this monument way more moving than our usual images recognizing our heroes. Below, the first column dedicated to President George Washington, preceding the one on the Mall in Washington, DC.

How often have you read stories regarding the history of the United States, and wondered what it might have been like to actually be there?  We build a mental picture in our minds filtered through our imaginations from our reading, or we see grainy pictures of those who lived in those historic times, but we can never really grasp the true magnitude of what it might have been like. My perception of history changed completely the day I stepped out of our RV at both the Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park and the Gettysburg National Military Park, the crown jewels in the National Park Services.  It was a rather intense to experience American losses and suffering at the hands of a civil war by walking the hallowed grounds!

At the Harper’s Ferry, a little neck of land tucked between the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, where three states (MD, VA and WV) meet, our interest there was the 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry by the abolitionist John Brown.

On the night of October 16, 1859, Brown, 59 years old, staged his most daring  raid, an assault on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, which housed an arsenal of more than 100,000 rifles and muskets.  Calling his raiding force, the “Provisional Army,” Brown’s group of 22 men included three of Brown’s sons, a fugitive slave and four free blacks.  Brown’s goal was to seize the arsenal, distribute the guns and muskets, mobilize anti-slavery forces, incite slave insurrections and organize raids against slaveholders across the South. Brown and his men initially took control of the armory, but within 36 hours, U.S. Marines under the leadership of future Confederate generals, Colonel Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart, stormed the facility, killed several of Brown’s band and captured Brown and the remaining raiders. Brown was taken to nearby Charles Town, then in Virginia, where he was charged on three counts: treason, murder and conspiracy to lead a slave rebellion.  After a seven-day trial and forty-five minutes of deliberation, the jury found him guilty on all counts and sentenced him to death.  Ironically, the actor John Wilkes Booth witnessed his execution and would later assassinate the President Lincoln about five and a half years later.

At that time, Brown appeared as a Biblical Samson-like figure who sought to tear down the institution of slavery through an incredibly bold, self-conscious of self-sacrifice.  His death may have indeed brought searing moral indictment of the slave system, ultimately leaving the south with little credible response but to secede from the union and engage in Civil War. This event is now considered one of the catalysts of the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865). Four years later, the battles at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, arguably changed the course of the war as notable Union victories.

After winding our way 58-mile northwest drive in 25mph arctic wind, to the historic Gettysburg battleground in Pennsylvania, we took advantage of  the 24-mile auto tour route within the historic Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The muddy icy grounds we experienced were likely extremely wearing for both Union and Confederate soldiers. Mile after mile of cannons, statues, monuments, and plaques along the ridges held by the Northern Virginia Confederate Army provided a palpable sense of the masses of American resources in men and arms committed to the war. Every unit that fought here is memorialized, with numbers of casualties listed: the small numbers are oddly more powerful than the large, a unit of some dozens of men, half or more of whom fell. Units were organized regionally then, so when names are listed alphabetically, it’s brother after brother, like some kind of family roster, unit by unit along the Union and Confederate lines. Numerous cannons are placed in the battle’s many artillery positions, and statues of significant participants are strategically placed at the sites of their heroism.

Here’s a quick summary of the most famous 1863 Civil War battle: it was the “high water mark” of the Confederacy; the turning point of the war; and 51,000 Americans were killed in this three-day battle.  To put that horrific number into context, a bit more than 58,000 Americans were killed in the entire 10-year Vietnam war.

In 1863, at the beginning of the most famous Civil War battle, Gen. Robert E. Lee concentrated his full strength against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade’s Army of the Potomac at the crossroads county seat of Gettysburg.

On July 1, Confederate forces converged on the town from west and north, driving Union defenders back through the streets to Cemetery Hill. During the night, reinforcements arrived for both sides.

On July 2, Lee attempted to envelop the Federals, first striking the Union left flank at the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and the Round Tops with Longstreet’s and Hill’s divisions, and then attacking the Union right at Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery Hill with Ewell’s divisions. By evening, the Federals retained Little Round Top and had repulsed most of Ewell’s men. Little Round Top is particularly fascinating. This hill, on the Union left flank, was possibly the most important position on the battlefield, and standing atop it, I can see why: it commands a view of the entire valley, and much of the battlefield. A statue stands atop a large rock, of Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren, the Union chief engineer, looking out across the valley. During the battle, General Warren discovered that this hill was undefended, and saw Confederate forces ready to attack the Union flank; he rushed to find soldiers to hold the hill.   I can see what General Warren saw: the tree line where the Rebels were within sniper range. Confederate sharpshooters using scoped rifles could shoot a man on this hill from a concealed position. Suddenly those big rocks look very important.

Standing at the bottom of Little Round Top, I can see what the Rebels were up against. It’s not a large hill: it rises about 150 feet from the valley floor. But the rocky terrain makes it formidable. I wouldn’t want to climb this slope with heavy armaments, even without anyone shooting at me. This was an important hill indeed.

During the following morning of July 3, the Confederate infantry were driven from their last toe-hold on Culp’s Hill. In the afternoon, after a preliminary artillery bombardment, Lee attacked the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. The Pickett-Pettigrew assault (more popularly, Pickett’s Charge) momentarily pierced the Union line but was driven back with severe casualties. Stuart’s cavalry attempted to gain the Union rear but was repulsed.

On July 4, Lee began withdrawing his army toward Williamsport on the Potomac River. His train of wounded stretched more than fourteen miles.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.  Well said, Mr. President Lincoln.

…..unless you’re a slave. Charlottesville, with the University of Virginia designed by Thomas Jefferson, and Monticello, his home, are testaments to the man’s creative genius. As the theorist of the American Revolution, architect, scientist, diplomat and statesman extraordinaire, he had to have a large worldview. He loved all things Classical and French, yet he continued to own 200 slaves throughout his life, including 4 biological children from enslaved housemaid, Sally Hemmings. Ignorance and narcissism is bliss; he could not have attained success in all he embraced without inherited wealth from the profits of slavery, and a staff of enslaved artisans to maintain it. The Museum at Monticello celebrates and castigates this thoroughly Renaissance Man.

We hoped to find a more modern hero at UVA. The man who first ran the four-minute mile in national intercollegiate competition, my grandfather, Forrest Quillian Stanton. This was an especially noteworthy feat as it was generally believed that we wouldn’t run that fast. Once accomplished once, many sprinters quickly began to run faster than that. The old gym, where he must have almost lived as a competitor in track, baseball and american football, is still inviting but held no acknowledgement of past era athletes.

The Alumni Center was closed so I photographed the Serpentine Wall, one of many sites on the UVA campus I learned about as a child…on china plates at brought out for fancy dessert as I was growing up.

We enjoyed Charlottesville’s highlights from the Albermarle Bakery (sour, moist, chewy sourdough bread made from apple cider) at one end of the pedestrian mall, Roasted Vegetable Pizza piled high at Christian’s in the middle of the mall (three tables of firefighters must know the best pizza in town), and an espresso near the tented exhibition site at the far end. We will miss the annual Tom-Tom Indoor/Outdoor Music Festival later in April featuring 60 bands playing jazz, blues, rock, bluegrass, classical, and world music.

We stayed in the Belmont Neighborhood, walking distance to this big tent and pedestrian mall, with our friend and kind hostess Jennifer. I met her sailing together on SV Rot Kat in the Bay of Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico; so great to deepen our friendship just by showing up in her town.

We headed off from her arty loft to the Shenandoah Mountains. The snow on the ground in Charlottesville just got deeper as we climbed in elevation. Too gusty for a real hike, we instead had a snowball fight on the Appalachian Trail.

Steven was a baseball pitcher as a boy….good thing he is accurate and hit me but missed my camera…otherwise, he would have owed sexual favors for at least a year!

LOVING IT BECAUSE:

1) Every dark blue helicopter lettered, “United States of America”, flying to and from the direction of the White House could be my favorite prez…Shalom, Mensch. Welcome back from Israel. Peace out! (and Hag Sameah to everybody else re: Pesach and Easter);

2) The fantastic FREE museums and zoo. Each of which has tons of FREE performances, events, lectures and gorgeous architecture (even this stairway at the Smithsonian Natural History museum seems inspired by Escher).

The National Portrait Gallery is stunning. We loved this painted portrait of Special Olympics Founder: Eunice Kennedy-Shriver . We hope someday to see the works of our portraitist friend, Paul Feinberg, hanging here too. ”  We also appreciated, “Wisdom”, the sculpture of Gertrude Stein as a Buddha used as our feature image.

The Renwick (American Craft Museum) had weird and great stuff, especially sculptures made of improbable substances…we are guessing that the marble pillow wouldn’t be so comfortable. The Indian Art Museum had the most amazing cafeteria (‘Mitsitam’) …choosing  between different tribal foods with upscale treatments, we settled for bison loin, wild rice and watercress salad, roasted sunchokes with a wild cherry/pine nut chutney. We saw the executive chef in the kitchen with Chef Rock, the 2009 winner of the Hell’s Kitchen competition. Our sous chef said he got “ink” last week when he was photographed in the kitchen with Martha Stewart, eg. not your usual food court;

3) The First Ladies Gown Exhibit: Poor Lady Bird Johnson…to be featured for the duration in a bright yellow, floor length 3/4 sleeved heavy brocaded gown with thick mink cuffs and a high Nehru collar, looking like Big Bird with a bouffant ‘do. Further insult, to be posed between the tres chic Grace Coolidge in her sleeveless flapper’s drop waist black silk and velvet dress, and Jackie Kennedy in her elegant ivory flowing silk sheath. I hope Lady Bird just didn’t give a fig what the public thought because she was preoccupied with tree planting …or else got that shmata off the rack at a deep discount!  We got a private, docent-led, guided tour in our friend Ed’s specialty areas in the Smithsonian American History Museum: ‘The American Presidency’, and ‘American Wars’ providing us with the best presidential quote of all time (Harry Truman): “I fired him because he wouldn’t respect the authority of the President. That’s the answer to that. I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that’s not against the law for generals. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail.” Plain speaking, indeed;

4) The Peacock Room at the Freer…crepuscular, like his ‘Nocturnes’, James McNeill Whistler’s sumptuously designed dining room, later filled with Freer’s Asian ceramics, is somber and moody until the third Thursday of each month, when the shutters are opened and the bright rich glazes are visible for a day;

5) The Supreme Court was a happenin’ spot this week as the oral arguments progressed on two gay marriage cases. Other than a few ignorant and mean-spirited messages alleging that ‘AIDS is caused by the sin of homosexuality’, most of the sitters represented the country…about 80 percent supporting gay marriage. We of course enjoyed chatting with the camera crew who had the latest dirt, fresh from the mouths of the sketch artists who had been in the courtroom. Of course, the Court will take it under submission so we won’t have a ruling for months….fingers crossed until then!;

6) People from all over the world, especially kids on school trips, are running all over the Metro, the museums, the monuments, the food courts, and near the Embassies in Georgetown. I wonder if I was ever that twitchy and screechy in Middle School? They do know how to have a good time…and shop! We especially loved the kid who climbed into FDR’s lap and wouldn’t leave even with his parents yelling at him. An older woman in a wheel chair, a victim of Polio herself, advocated for him to enjoy the best seat in the City;

7) We got no Monarchy, but we gotta’ cool crenelated castle;

8) Monkey Puzzle Trees and 141 varieties of roses, make the National Botanic Garden the oldest in the Nation;

9) We will miss the Cherry Blossom Festival originally scheduled for March 20th, now delayed to April 7th, and probably just beginning to bud even then, as it remains freezing at night and with 2 inches of snow on the ground two days ago. Fortunately, retailer Macy’s opened their Cherry Tree and Japanese Garden display yesterday so we can have a taste (live trees, fake backdrop) of what will occur around the Tidal Basin in several weeks: 3,750 trees in bloom; and

10) Walkability score is very high as Washington is small, flat, dense, well served with transportation, public trails, canals and creeks, ethnic food and interesting neighborhoods. Yep, we could live here surrounded by neighbors obsessed with politics and awakening to the Washington Post on our stoop daily! Now that is a newspaper!

We always wonder how welcome we will be when visiting family members whose homes have been “volunteered” by other family members. This is especially true when you last saw them in ballroom dancing class in Middle School. However, we learned quickly that those “Stanton Boys”, Sal’s cousins and their families, have adopted their ancestors’ Southern Hospitality Roots and will pull out all the stops to be welcoming hosts. Food, drink, dogs to play with, and meals with other family members and neighbors nourished us during the snow flurries and cold temperatures. I know I could never be so warm and inviting the week before I put my house on the market, while still working every day, and recovering from a half marathon the day before! Geez Louise! Don and Annie could make us feel like slackers…if we weren’t so darn happy to be goofing off here. Check out the feature image: our view from the front porch overlooking the cove and sailboats…. In addition, Annie taught us to roast our coffee in her primo roaster while Steven listens for the 1st and 2nd “Crack”.

In the historic district, we are 3 blocks from the town center and the U.S. Naval Academy. We are enjoying hunting out the “chicken sculpture” public art, 7 of them but no one can explain the significance of this trend in the city…

…and the public murals tucked alongside the little neighborhood pedestrian alleyways.

The Capital is right here also as are a lot of gorgeous sailboats, still bundled up for the winter. We watched 4500 midshipmen drill for 15 minutes as they amass before heading into the dining hall after morning classes. The brass and drum corps were really rockin’ and the renditions of the navy anthem, ‘Anchors Aweigh’, gave us goosebumps. The original banner, ‘Don’t give up the ship’ was ordered preserved by President George Washington in 1812 and it hangs at the USNA, tattered and torn but a popular naval battle cry today.

An hour away is the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Too early for the rush migration and with snow flurries on the wind, we have it all to ourselves. Tubby’s Point is a peninsula of wild grasses surrounded on three sides with water, and terminating in a duck blind for invisible bird watching.

We saw five Whistling Swans that overwinter here, and lots of Ospreys and nests up close. The sky was dramatic, but lowering quickly and the rain finally drove us back to our rig. The little historic town of Chestertown 13 miles away, has a great bakery EarthGrain, founded by a 23 year old award winning baker. With hazelnut mochas and gorgeous brioches, scones, cookies, coffee cakes, quiches, and breads, we warm up for our drive “home” to our family in Annapolis.

We returned home to perfectly roasted potatoes thanks to Bernardo, our Brazilian family chef, and a killer (garlicky!) Caesar Salad and roasted chicken thanks to Cousin Don. After 3 bottles of red wine, we challenge ourselves with a group activity: trying to balance a tower of little carved wooden animals from Oaxaca,  Mexico. Of course, only the pregnant one, sober Elizabeth, is steady handed enough to accomplish the task.

We finally explored the North Carolina cities of Chapel Hill/Durham, spending a few days just walking and wandering as our water pump on the van failed there. This outdoor area pictured in front of the Co-op Market in Carrboro (an appealing neighborhood next to Chapel Hill) was the only place that seemed to invite the community to come and play during this very dead week of Spring Break.   We loved seeing posters advertising small local bands plastered everywhere, but none of the venues featured any live music the week we were there, and some of the restaurants had very reduced hours (with no advance notice), making us wonder if they primarily cater  to students. Yes, the Duke campus in Durham is nice, and the Gothic Cathedral on the hill is terrific. Known as the “Research Triangle”, employing smart and educated people from all over the world, this rich cultural diversity was not evident, and the towns seemed provincial and unsophisticated. So many people love this area, perhaps Chapel Hill and Durham really shine in other seasons and we just missed it.

No one told us to go to Charlotte, NC which surprised us as we found it so lively. Rich with a great Tango community, dramatic skyscraper night lighting, we were happy to find a jumping downtown evening bar/club/live music scene, with people spilling out of many downtown venues, even mid-week. Also, we found our “Cheers”, a friendly affordable neighborhood  bar/restaurant  (Eddie’s Place) showcasing the charm and generosity of Ben, of the the Sophisticated Signature Cocktail Concoction. Most of the staff has been there as long as he has (12 years) and they clearly enjoy the ambience and clientele as much as the many patrons who were greeted by name.

We appreciate cities that can sustain a cultural base through every season, offering at least 9 full-season theatre companies, national performers and touring companies, James Beard awarded young chefs, and featuring more local artists than the very boring, “Resort Art” (art marketed solely to tourists, the same art available in Carmel, CA as in Durham, NC). We love cities where the locals outnumber the tourists and are out enjoying their city at all hours. Not all medium sized cities in the South have the location and panache like New Orleans, St. Augustine FL, and Charleston SC with a waterfront, high walkability score, great food, great small theatre and live music venues, and historic architecture. These three are favorites; we know we will return as our experiences there linger on our minds and in our bellies.

Spring Break at RPI brought Jacob to Boston to meet with his mom for a family vacation. Irish eyes are smiling for St. Paddy’s Day.

Pick a designated driver and join the silliness. Belt out a song….

…Chug some green Guinness, or an Irish Coffee if there is still snow on the ground like Boston… and wear your green…or get pinched!

We wonder how much of our bias toward Charleston as a wonderful city to visit and perhaps to reside, is influenced by getting to hang out for two weeks with my delightful pal and cousin Ed, on Seabrook Island. South Carolina went from drought conditions before the month of February with only 2 inches of rain for the season, to 5 inches of rain over average season rainfall by the end of February.  Ed’s house is such a wonderful place to be pinned down with wintery weather.  Here is our view from the “tree house”, when we awaken in the morning with intense birdsong right outside the window.

We eat breakfast, read the Wall Street Journal (Saturday rocks!), drink coffee and gaze out at the marsh and creeks extending from here out to the ocean as you can see in the featured image. Lety likes to hang out with Ed as he is a writer that works at the kitchen table; she keeps a close watch on the critters in the marsh and creek, perhaps hoping to see rogue dolphins that swim up from the ocean on occasion. The marsh grass Spartina is prevalent on the Atlantic Coast from Canada to Northern Argentina. It changes color with the seasons and looks like the tall grass prairie in the Flint Hills of Kansas…and just as flat.

Flat is great though for relaxing bike rides through the shady, canopied lanes to Spinnaker Beach where the Coastal Bottlenose Dolphin reside. We saw one today, leaping out of the water and landing with a splash, part of their fishing behaviors. The Dolphins here also have another unique way to fish that is not found anywhere else in the world, strand fishing. They work as a team driving the mullet to shore with sufficient speed so that the fish hit the shallows and flip out of the water onto the sand. The dolphins roll up out of the water and onto the sand to catch and eat them. Smart critters!

Ed is the family genealogist and historian. He has compiled notebooks on our grandparents and great grandparents including their sports awards (my grandfather held the national college record for the mile) and their letters…and these folks really wrote letters. In our speedy e-mail world, perhaps we have lost some depth to our communications, trading for efficiency. It is just so wonderful to visit distant family, and leave with deep and enduring friendship established. It just requires having sufficient time and place to chat for hours about our lives, our families, our travels and our dreams, to share some dirty jokes and limericks, and add in some political discussion. We chat while preparing food together, eating at Ed’s favorite “Cheap and Cheerfuls” (ethnic, hole-in-the-wall restaurants), going to the movies, visiting his sassy girlfriend Linda, a popular Charleston actor, just chatting our way to greater closeness….always a pleasure in a new friendship, but extra sweet with a family member.

It helps that we all love to cook…and eat. The new Sunset Magazine came yesterday and we had a “Palio Meal”, that would be hunter-gatherer foods like….meat and potatoes! We cooked a Vietnamese inspired meal with roasted sweet potato, brussel sprouts and pork roast infused with lime, chile, honey, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and cilantro. Yummmm! The 2002 Dry Creek Petite Syrah was syrupy and rich with legs as long as Tina Turner’s! Tonight we will cook the asparagus and shrimp recipe from a Sunset Magazine feature on a Vietnamese Restaurant in Seattle called Monsoon.

We talk a lot about  Ed’s deceased mother Alice, and my 84 year old mom Diane, their close friendship over their entire lives, and appreciate our common ancestry, especially its’ roots in cooking and eating.

Along the “Lowcountry” a stretch of sea islands and coastline is deeply effected by the sweeping tides. Our RV is bouncing along, winding up the coastal waterways, following the lazy yet pristine water along miles of undisturbed marshes and acres of natural woodlands. This area is teeming with wildlife, and larger trees, commonly Live Oak and Bald Cypress with their Spanish Moss, long graybeards dangling low.  There, a lovely picturesque town of Beaufort (it’s pronounced BE-YOU-FERT) sits alongside the Beaufort River.  Charted in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston.  Also, it is one of the few cities with its entire downtown designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a historic district.  No wonder several major motion pictures, including Forrest Gump, The Prince of Tides, The Big Chill, Forces of Nature, and the Great Santini, just to name a few, were all made here.

We enjoyed walking all over the oak and moss lined streets and especially the charming Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.  From one of the numerous large bench-sized swings there, overlooking the Beaufort River, we went swinging wildly like children all over again ~ whee!

From Beaufort, about 20 miles southeast along the Sea Island Parkway, we discovered an amazing gem, the Hunting Island State Park and its 1859 Lighthouse. We scored a beachfront campsite about 30 feet from the breaking waves and soothing ocean roars for two wonderful nights.  This was fortunate, as it is the most popular state park in South Carolina, even during the the lowest attendance month of the year.  On the first night under a brilliant half-moon with its piercing Jupiter, I went out on the beach and noticed that the lighthouse in the near distance was actually rotating its light toward the ocean ~ what a treat!  Before sunrise, I took a quick walk down the beach toward the lighthouse and noticed a veritable graveyard of trees lying unburied on the wide expansive beach.  This island suffers major beach erosion yearly, ranging from 7 to 15 feet of land lost yearly to the sea. Since 2000, 50 to 250 feet of land lost means houses, roads, campsites and forests have been washed away. A 16-year annual camper at this park, pointed out that her favorite site likely would be the next one lost to the ocean, along with the road providing access to our site….thus the large tree graveyard there. They used to bring in sand and rock to provide erosion relief, but now allow nature to have her way, as we know she will in the end.