A lot of vacationers ask what it’s like to live on Edisto Beach, especially when those vacationers are down here during the heavenly months of June, July and August. So for all of you out there who wonder what it’s like to live on Edisto in the summer, listen up.
The summer is nothing short of amazing. Now I’ve only lived down here full-time for two years, but this is my third summer being an Edisto local (I’ll never be a true local; I was born in Iowa). But this is an example of my day.
Today I got up, put on a bathing suit and a beach dress and headed over to my neighbor’s house so we could go out to Wilkinson’s Landing and take a boat ride to Shell Island. We drove down Highway 174 and turned onto Botany Bay Road something we’ve all done a million times and we still commented on just how beautiful it is to be underneath the canopy of trees that cover the sandy dirt road.
We pulled up to Wilkinson’s Landing, drove down the lane that takes you from the thickness of the maritime forest right up to the marsh. With our coolers and beach towels in tow we got on the boat along with some vacationers who were heading out to go fishing. Our captain dropped us off right onto the beach of Shell Island.
After making a small camp on the beach where we left our coolers, towels and whatever else we dragged along with us, we walked along the empty beach listening to the pounding surf. Even though all of us live here and have the ability to see the seashells on a daily basis, we still couldn’t resist picking up some of the prettiest conch shells ever that were lying in the sand untouched by anything other than nature.
My friends also found two pairs of washed up sunglasses, some interesting driftwood and an old brick that could possibly be a remnant from the island’s early plantation houses that have long ago crumbled into the sea (granted, my friend felt the need to say it was probably 100-year-old washed up debris from the Titanic).
After walking around the beach we sat down and ate lunch and enjoyed the scenery. When you’re out on Shell Island, you can see nearby Seabrook Island, Edisto Beach and numerous sandbars.
We spent about two hours out on the beach before heading back so that I could get to work. And since I work on Edisto, I went to work wearing my bathing suit and beach cover up because that’s just how we roll.
Tonight I’ll hang out with my friends on our back porch after work. We might even walk down to the beach and see if there’s any turtle action going on. Tomorrow we’ve got plans to drag our rafts out into the water and float as soon as work’s over and five o’clock begins.
So, as you can see, living here in the summer is pretty much as you would have expected, which is nothing short of wonderful – and I don’t think any one of us would change it for the world.
