Beach Bummin'

There's something about spending an entire day on the beach by yourself that's somewhat lonesome, but it has a bigger, more important affect which is that of complete independence. Looking out at the endless world that lay ahead, surrounded by the tanned and untanned of Charleston's elite, choosing to drown out the sound of incoming tide with podcasts and the sight of pelicans soaring so near above with powerful shades.

I was dropped with beach chair and bathing suit in hand at an early morning hour. As the humidity increased elsewhere, the shore maintained a blissful breeze. The temperature of South Carolinian water is radically different from that of the Cape, which I grew accustomed to during my stint in Boston. There is no bone chilling shock as you wade in. Rather, the mild water gives you the impression you are stepping into a hot bath left vacant for forty minutes. It doesn't stop the hundreds of determined vacationers to flock to the beach. I can't wait until Labor Day when the boogie boards will be put away for the season and I will be at peace with the serenity of a much more subdued setting.

I love knowing I can escape to a beach a mere four miles away, a drive consisting mainly of a bridge built low to the marshy wetlands below. I can only imagine the reptilian that feast so near to the traffic.

Life down South isn't always such a breeze of freedom. There's not having a car, which barely gets me out of the complex and across the street to a community lake, for this heat forbids me to do more than that, and there isn't a public bus in sight. There's relying on people for rides to get to my new job as a K4 teacher assistant. Life is like that. You get thrown into a new place, having to adjust to new surroundings brings about challenges.

Hominy sights to see

The menu welcomed us with Southern specialties such as Shrimp sauteed with scallions, mushrooms, and bacon over cheese grits, Big nasty biscuit with fried chicken breast, cheddar, and sausage gravy, She-Crab soup, and Fried green tomato bit with ancho chile lime mayonnaise. After being told there was a twenty minute wait, we sat on the rickety bench in the scorchingly humid heat, more than willing to wait for a table at Hominy Grill. Within a mere two minutes, the hostess ushered us in to the fan cooled restaurant, a joint fueled by the fragrance of sausage and biscuits wafting out of the kitchen still steaming as it was placed, along with an array of other dishes, to a table of five in the front corner where the food was happily and steadily consumed. 


The restaurant is quant, little clutter to get in the way of what your eyes are drawn to, the special boards. The daily brunch additions are an exceptional extension of the menu, adding meat to the cheese grits and fresh local peaches to the stuffed french toast. The drinks suggested for breakfast pairings were unlike the mimosa or champagne with cassis typical in other brunch restaurants. It was when I saw a bloody mary being served with okra pierced by a stirrer that I soon felt there was nowhere I'd rather be than The South. 


Enjoying our first moments of city exploration took another turn when, after refueling at the house, we decided to venture back into Charleston to hear the sweet sounds of The Young Republic, a six piece band comprised of 'traveling songs,' string instruments, beats to make a one year old dance, and an energy accelerated with each song. 


People of all ages, including toddlers with cowboy hats, are welcomed at  Eye Level Art, a gallery meets music venue with weekly movies on the green. After the first keg was tapped, we were pleasantly refreshed by the second, a Palmetto Watermelon Wheat.


The seemingly endless night was perfect with all its delight. Few sights were seen, compared with the surplus of entertainment to be enjoyed in the days to come.  Here's to the next adventure!