Edisto

I have recently been working on a major photo project - sifting through all our digital files and trying to put the best photos in albums.  I used to be much better about this - before you could take pictures on phones and every other device.  Now they just collect virtual dust.  Anyway, I made a great effort to catch up and printed up 5 years worth of pictures.

Although I took great care to order them chronologically, when I got them back from Aspen Photo (which I will probably not use again), they were completely scattered and disorganized.  So now what was already a big project turned into an even bigger headache.  The point of this story is that the hardest part of organizing the pictures was all the photos of Edisto Beach.  We have been going every year now for the past 5 years (at least), and it is becoming harder and harder to distinguish between the trips!

What I love about this is that our trip to Edisto is turning into a tradition, and the house and space and beach and activities are being woven into the fabric of our lives and our kids' memories of growing up.  So now we can all begin to expect that Hubry will most likely find the first sharks' tooth, and that he will probably find multiple ones throughout the week (while others of us continue to search in vain).

We did make a few new traditions this year.  On the way in we stopped for coffee and donuts at the Geechie Boy Mill.  The donuts were so amazing, and we even got a quick tour of the building and an explanation of how the mill works - which the kids loved.  We ended up buying our animal watchers some corn mill, which turned out to be the perfect gift.  The only sad part of this tradition is that when we stopped back by on our way out of town they were already sold out of doughnuts (which the man said never happens).

Another new tradition was the addition of the Hoovers' youth kayaks.  This was awesome, and Ellen and I even got to take some turns paddling out in the waves.  Before we learned that it was illegal, the kids enjoyed "chasing" the dolphins, who seemed to enjoy being chased.

We also took a hike at Edisto State park where we saw some Summer Tanagers, Phoebes, red-bellied woodpeckers, blue-grey gnatcatchers, and multiple other shorebirds.  We were excited to learn this year about a new shorebird that passes through Edisto in May, and we were able to observe this Ruddy Turnstone engaging in different activities.

Cuatro enjoyed his first trip to the beach, though we couldn't convince him that the sand was not for eating.  I should be thankful, because he really is not a picky eater, but it makes keeping an eye on him a full-time job, as everything goes into the mouth!

We are so thankful for family we call friends, and for cousins who love each other like brothers and sisters.  I look forward to having more family joining us in the future on this wonderful tradition!!  And, I barely took my camera out the entire time, so I only have a spattering of photos.