11/25/15   Wednesday before Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Our friends from Oriental - Vicki and Ed - just left. So terrific that they found us as we were on our walking tour of McClellanville, a small shrimp fishing village where we are docking tonight. Apparently we passed them as they were leaving their marina this morning. We didn't see them and we travel faster than they by about 3 knots/hr. But here we are together on the face dock of Leland Marina. They brought wine and crab dip. We provided the space and the chips and napkins. What a deal. We'll get to Charleston ahead of them tomorrow and sus-out the anchorages and report back.

Out early - 7:00 AM - this morning for a long journey through the lowlands of SC coast. Such a beautiful journey today with only a few stresses about low water. I did miss a turn and had to back track for half an hour. Aside from that we were pretty much tourists in these beautiful wetland marshes that used to be rice paddies - think Uncle Ben's - slave labor for the most part.

First the wide and wild, seemingly, and flooded Waccamaw River that spilled into the Winyah Bay.

so wide and one side of river has trees w/leaves 

the other side has Spanish Moss and dying trees
River is really flooded

As we left the Waccamaw River for Winyah Bay and then "the ditch again, the scenery changed. At one point, and because it was really low tide, you could see the sea grass was abt 3'-4' tall.

later there was only tall grass in what was once rice paddies

We passed this "bridge" which is really for the ferry - cars? And the instruction sign for boaters that goes w/the ferry bridge.          

floating bridge is black

"stop if flashing"

We arrived at Leland Marina around 1400 hrs (2:00 PM) wanting to be on a mooring or at a dock since all the anchorages in the next 20 miles talk about swift or strong currents. We've had our anchor-dragging experience and don't want to chance that in the marshlands here.  Our overnight accommodations below. Excellent and very FRESH shrimp.

Being so early we took a long walk around town, found a place to buy shrimp, ran into the above mentioned friends on our walk, and talked with a retired couple who moved here from PA about 5 years ago.

there is a 100 year old live oak tree. I don't think this is it but beautiful

nearly hidden path turns right at the spiky palm

short history was "continued on other side"

canape of Live Oaks w/Spanish Moss

This is the 100 year old...TREE

So this village tugged at my heart strings, representing all my romantic notions of the beauty of "the South"...the narrow lanes, tree covered, the Spanish Moss dripping, the slow dipthonged speech, flatness, working waterfront with shrimp boats. This is NOT the South I know or grew up with but the one I saw in movies and books and others' fantasies and my own imagination. We spoke w/and waved to many people on our walk including a gentleman of color sitting in his back yard. We were aware of when we had left the white Historic District and entered the perhaps equally historic but not manicured and kept up, the poorer historic district of color and working poor. So here I am again with that romantic South love/desire and the reality of the horrible violence toward black people that made it possible for some very privileged whites. F*#%, this is hard to embrace/hold/figure out/enjoy/hate this privilege of inequality that I have. Meanwhile, the landscape and the people we meet are quite beautiful.