Day at the beaches

Last Saturday (Sept 8th) I had recovered from a viral infection and decided to tour the area. It was a beautiful 85 degree day. I started by heading to Isle of Palms (IOP), a very ritzy $1+ million area with a nice beach frequented by families, tourists and locals. On the way I drove over the largest cable-suspension bridge in the US and the high point in the area, so the joggers and bicyclists were out in large numbers. The mansions on the beach were right out of postcards photos. My cell phone doesn't do them justice, but the photos below give you an idea of Charleston's version of "southern charm".


Then I headed to the nearby Sullivan Island. This is the beach were one of my patients was recently bitten by a shark, so I had to check it out. It was more residential than IOP and full of locals taking advantage of the local winds. There were so many kite surfers it looked they should be getting tangled up. My photos don't do it justice. I kept envisioning the family and I out there learning to kite surf. It looked more fun and easier to learn than sailboarding.

After snacking on a couple delicious fish tacos, I headed back to Folly Beach near my rental room. It was busy, not nearly as crowded as you'd expect a popular local beach to be on a spectacular day. After a long walk I went for an ocean swim. It was getting out past the breakers, but I tried to stay near kayakers and surfers. The memory of the shark bite kid was too fresh and I found myself looking at all the waves for dorsal fins.

It also was getting lonely by this time. Seeing all the families playing on the sand and in the water reminded me how far away my family was. Then it was time to head home and rest for four 12-hour days.