IT IS A SMALL, YET VAST, WONDERFUL WORLD

Last Friday evening in the midst of a tropical rain storm, my cousin led a small group to a wonderful spot for dinner at 11th St. Dockside Restaurant in Port Royal, S.C. The location was right along the water, and it was the site of the Forrest Gump movie Shrimp Boat scenes. The dinner was superb with huge shrimp, scallops, and the biggest serving of swordfish steak I’ve ever seen.

Leaving the restaurant was something else, because it was raining cats and dogs. It reminded me that Big Bill used to say, “It was raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock.” We had to walk through about two or three inches of rain standing on the walkway just to get to the car, and the drive back to Spring Island was most interesting, to say the least.

During our dinner, one of those attending was a very successful financial planner from Watertown, N.Y. who is a part-time resident of Spring Island. I asked him if by chance he knew Jim Higgins or Tony Malara from WWNY-TV in Watertown, and much to my surprise he knew both very well. I had first worked with these gentlemen over fifty years ago in my early days as a television sales representative. Tony went on from single-station small market television to become the President of the CBS Television Network. This proves one should always deport themselves well, because the world is really small and you never know who you will meet.

If you have read some of my previous works you know that I love history, and especially books on the Civil War. Currently I’m reading a very disturbing book about President Abraham Lincoln’s actions as Commander-In-Chief, and I’ll be writing about the book when I’m finished. When it comes to my personal knowledge of the Civil War, I am a mere pup, but I am expanding my understanding and appreciation of that important part of our country’s history.

The Low-Country of South Carolina is very interesting to say the least, because everywhere one turns there are historical facts and figures, particularly concerning the Civil War. General Sherman completed his famous and frightful March to the Sea in Savannah. He fell in love with the city, and ordered his troops to leave the City of Savannah just as they had found it. Most of the countryside that Sherman’s troops passed through, however, were pillaged and destroyed. That city remains one of the most picturesque places in the South to this day.

Just to our North is Beaufort, which, too, has a rich history dating back to the early 1700’s, including the Civil War era. Union Naval forces captured this area, including Port Royal, because it was a significant supply port for the Confederacy. Old southern homes abound in beautiful Beaufort to this day, and it has become a big tourist attraction. Famous author Pat Conroy who wrote amoung others The Great Santini and The Lords of Discipline is a local Low-Country island resident.

The preservation of nature is a top priority across the coastal shores, and the native vegetation is magnificent. The forests are dense with a wide variety of trees, plants, and flowers. With a relative mild temperature throughout the year the Low-Country is a Golfer’s paradise, and has attracted an ever increasing permanent population along with a robust tourist industry.

Obviously, your Commander loves the Low-Country of South Carolina, and you will too.

COMMANDER GRANGER