My Mom moved back to Beaufort, South Carolina last year, where I was born, smack in the middle of the Low Cackalacky region where she was raised and where our family has been for a long, long time. My sister and I went down there for a quick trip this week. She’s turning 50 next week, and my dad would have celebrated his 80th birthday a couple of weeks ago were he still with us, and we don’t quite exactly know how old my Mom is, but it still seemed like a good season for the three of us to spend some time on our home turf together and celebrate. (Plus my Mom tricked us by scheduling surgery, then cancelling. Well played, you!) We ate way too many boiled peanuts (among many other things) and just enjoyed a few lazy days, including a trip to Beaufort National Cemetery (where my Dad is buried) and Hunting Island, which I consider to be the prettiest beach on the East Coast, hands down. Here’s some photo evidence . . .
Beaufort Waterfront Park and Marina
Can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent sitting up there when the drawbridge is open
My sister reliving her life guard days at Hunting Island
My sister continuing to revisit her lifeguard days
Lighthouse at Hunting Island
Glad that the island has (mostly) recovered from a year closure after Hurricane Matthew
Forrest Gump (left side view)
Forrest Gump (right side view)(My fave bench in a little downtown pocket park that tourists mostly ignore)
Mom made my sister and I sit together at dinner. Ewww.
Live Oaks and marsh: unbeatable beauty.
The massive live oak above my Dad’s grave.
“Touch Trees” (TM Alex Shigo) with my Mom.
Touch Wine (TM My Mom)
J. ERIC SMITH 
From whence we spring, too…..I’ve told your sister this…but we have some Huguenin kinfolk from Rose Hill way, too…so we prolly all kin s/fellow Beaufort Boy and Blogger My Ownself
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I always say to folks that the Low Country was so relatively isolated for so relatively long that we have a Family Vine instead of a Family Tree, and it wraps around everybody whose family has been down there for more than a few generations. I suspect anybody with the names Colcock, Hutson, Gregorie, Huguenin or Hay in their history is tied to us one way or another. Thanks for connecting!
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My some way back great grandmama was a Huguenin…that’s all I gots
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That’s enough. The vine has touched you!
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My maternal grandfather and his second cousin, who were also 4th cousins, married sisters, so I have 2nd cousins who are 4th cousins and 6th cousins…because South Cackalacky
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Yessir, that is a classic!
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Beautiful pictures. Your mother, wow!
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