Matthew KO's Kayaks

Matthew KO’s Kayaks

Like the heavyweight it was, Hurricane Matthew tore through Georgia, South and North Carolina in early October leaving havoc and misery for many residents in its path. Downed trees, collapsed roofs, flooded streets and homes, water and sewer lines broken, caskets disinterred, debris everywhere. Emergency services and first responders taxed to the max. There was a report of a man who called a pizza delivery service to take a pie to his grandmother and tell her to call him. They did, she did. 

At my house there was no serious damage. One limb from a neighbor’s tree fell across the edge of the roof but it was harmless. My cleanup was easier than for thousands of others. 

All around Moss Creek, the last gated community before reaching Hilton Head Island, the affects of the storm can still be seen. It will be weeks before all the debris is carried away and restoration can begin. The golf courses haven’t re-opened yet. Horrors. Psychiatrists are on hand. (Just kidding.)

Lesser known damage sites include this kayak storage area at Moss Creek. This is at the marina where at least two boats left in the water to ride out the storm capsized. 

  

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Christmas message

Christmas is the time of the year when families and friends gather to celebrate the Birth of Christ,

 give thanks for all the blessings of this life and remember those who have been of service to us this past year. 

It is also a time to ask God's blessing on the men and women who serve our country around the world and especially those who will be separated from love ones at this special time.

And to all who see this blog, "Merry Christmas" and may good things happen to you in 2015.

Part of a festival of lights at Hilton Head.

A child exults with joy.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Coligny Beach

Snapshots from a visit to Coligny Beach, a popular Hilton Head Island destination:

(Click on pictures to increase size.

At public entrance.

On duty.

Enjoying each other and the water.

Soaking up some rays.

Good crowd on a Tuesday morning.

 A lot of sunscreen required here.

Some sweet music

We came away from the Farmers' Market at Shelter Cove on Hilton Head Island last night (Tuesday, May 20, 2014) having experienced a couple of treats and a disappointment that it was not really a "farmers' market." Only one stand offered fresh vegetables and these came from the market in Columbia more than a 100 miles away. I had a pulled pork sandwich - rate it as good. Now for  the treats. My dessert was frozen key lime pie covered in chocolate on a stick. Outstanding.
While we - me and Joyce - were walking around and eating we listened to L.J. Bush (info@bushwackdLIVE.com) who played music we and others enjoyed. His melodies were soft and his words we understood. Truly a refreshing sound from that frequently heard out in outdoor venues.

Loving the daily newpaper

Letter to the Editor

The Island Packet

 Hilton Head SC

(Published May 8, 2014)

 

The people in this community must really love the daily newspaper.

Every day, it seems, someone provides grist for front-page stories that usually carry over to inside pages. There is always a fresh murder, rape, child molestation, robbery, car theft, or drug offense involving heroin, cocaine or marijuana. On slow days, there are reports of horrific traffic accidents and thefts from charities, businesses or government offices.

And when things really slow down, local government steps up and brings us fresh courtroom dramas involving all of the foregoing.

There is hardly any room in the daily morning paper for the shenanigans of the White House and the Congress, especially the latter.

Francis X. Archibald

Moss Creek

Passing of a friend

Drove to a funeral yesterday (January 27, 2014) for John L. Trombino who died January 15. It was a little more than 200 miles round trip from Hilton Head to Mt. Pleasant, SC, but there are friends who are worthy of the journey. John was one of them.

The Catholic service was held in the Rodenberg Chapel at Franke at Seaside, where I lived from February 2008 until my re-marriage in March 2013. John’s family from near and far was present. At the joyful reception in the active lifestyle dining room after the service, John's wife, Toni, and I shared a light moment with this anecdote: When I began playing nickel and dime poker with John, and some of the other men at Franke, John had a good day and took some of my money. He asked me at the end of game how I enjoyed the afternoon. I said I would like to have my money back. John’s reply was, “You can have it when I die.”

John was laid to rest in the Columbarium at Franke. It was both a sad occasion but also a happy moment to see many friends and former neighbors. All of us have gotten a bit older and our shapes and sizes have made appropriate adjustments. But, thankfully, life goes on and we look to each new day for the joys and surprises it may bring.

 

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Inappropriate comments in advertising

Dear Ms. Washo

I preferred the "turkey cover" over the tattooed man. That said, I write about another subject: the inappropriateness of Frank Dunne, Jr.'s column in CH2, a magazine designed to acquaint readers with the many services and providers in the Hilton Head area.

Mr. Dunne labeled the national Common Core education standards "a stupid idea" simply because President Obama is a supporter.  He then called Common Core "a bunch of B.S." and said we know this because it is a "federal program." He later refers to the U.S., Department of Education as the "Department of Non-Education," and says its employees are "clowns."

Mr. Dunne is disrespectful to the President of the United States, dismissive of Common Core simply because it is a federal program and insulting to the many fine people who work for his, yours and my government. (Fair disclosure: I am a retired federal security director.)

It is immaterial that a column in support of Common Core was in space opposite Mr. Dunne's disrespectful and obnoxious comments.

I don't object to Mr. Dunne having such views, and some of his comments might be appropriate in a political column on the op-ed page of a newspaper, or some other place pandering to the extreme rightists in our beloved country, but they have no business in a magazine with the obvious goal of CH2.

Obviously, I cannot pick and chose what items flesh out this 120 page advertising medium but I can ignore it in the future and encourage others to do so.

Fewer pecans this season

I never learned the answer (if there is one) to the rhetorical question, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?" Not many heard a major limb snap off a pecan tree near the entrance to Moss Creek plantation at Hilton Head, SC, on June 4, during an electrical and rain storm which passed through the area, but certainly it must have sounded loud and clear.

A similar storm  has been a daily feature for a few days and the forecast is for more such storms for the balance of the week. This one of many pecan trees in the area but the first one to suffer such damage this season. The same general area also houses dozens if not hundreds of giant, sprawling oaks, some of which are at least 100 or more years old.

Being a relative newcomer to Moss Creek I do not know who harvests the pecans when they are ready but it is obvious there will be fewer this season than in the past.
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Easter Greetings

This is my first Easter with my new wife Joyce at Moss Creek Plantation, Hilton Head, SC. We wish everyone a joyous and blessed Easter. It was a good time when Joyce and I met and even better when we decided to marry. Each of us had been widowed for almost three years. No matter how long you have lived there is no substitute for having someone in your life with whom you can be happy and look to the future
We have blended two households into one, and, in my case, meeting and getting to know new people. This is my initial experience of living in the Hilton Head area but I am slowly learning my way around. I see some bridges, overpasses and other state property named for men and women I served with in the state legislature years ago.

This picture was taken over Christmas while visiting my sisters in The Villages, Florida.

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