First of all, apologies to any Parrot-Heads (Jimmy Buffett Fans) who may have stumbled upon the title of this post and thought they were tuning in to a blog about Jimmy.
The underlying theme of From The Land Of Palm Trees is to share the life experiences of a transplant to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and to chronicle the day to day life in this beautiful and magical place that we refer to as "vacation land." I hope that through my writing, you, the readers will be inspired to follow your dreams and realize that we are only limited by the things that we choose to allow to hold us back.
The weather influences our lives in so many ways. It affects our health, our emotions, our plans, our wallets and is often directly linked to our happiness. The type of weather that one prefers is a very personal choice. Prior to moving to the Lowcountry I lived in a beautiful little hamlet in the mountains of West Virginia, a town tucked into a valley between mountains and smack dab in the middle of ski country. Many fans of the Weather Channel across the world will recognize the name, Elkins, West Virginia. Many times it is the coldest spot in the country and certainly receives it's share of snow. For many years, I considered myself a fan of wintry weather. I spent a good deal of the winter on snow skis and hanging out in a hot tub on my back deck with a view of the snow covered mountains. But that is all in the past now and one of the primary considerations for transplanting myself into the sandy soil of Coastal South Carolina was the pleasant year round weather.
Since moving here I have grown to realize just how much the Atlantic Ocean controls the weather here. I also now understand that during all of those weeklong vacations at Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island we weren't so "lucky to have hit a great weather week" after all, it is simply that way MOST of the time. I love being outdoors, as you have learned from reading this blog, so much of what I write about is related to outdoor activities. I even enjoy being outside when I am not really doing anything at all, hence, "front porch sitting" is one of my favorite modes of relaxation. Many of my friends and family members are constantly accusing me of bragging about the weather or "rubbing it in." In that regard, I think I am truly misunderstood. It is hard for me to not point out to my friends and family up North that while they constantly complain about the rain, and the snow, and the cold, it is really nice to enjoy a cup of coffee on my front porch, or a walk in the sunshine or even a bike ride around town. I think it is kind of cool to live in a climate where people arrive at Christmas Eve Service on the family golf cart. I think that I probably do have a sub-conscious desire to spawn the realization in them that they don't have to live where it is cold and wet a large portion of the year, but then I remind myself that while my personal preference is for the warmth of the coast, they may be quite content with the weather in their neck of the woods.
As I pointed out earlier, it is sort of humorous when visitors to "vacation land" think that they "hit it lucky" with the weather during their visit. Almost as humorous as when I have people say to me, "I don't see how you stand it in the summer." Once again, a failure to fully understand the big puddle of water known as The Atlantic. Yes July through September is HOT and HUMID, but their is always a nice sea breeze blowing, and I have never been uncomfortable in my beach chair sitting on the beach. Granted, and I advise my family members accordingly, a sight seeing trip to Charleston to enjoy the history and beauty of the city is not a good idea in July or August, but if the pool and beach are what you are looking for, and if you don't mind getting your round of golf in before 11 AM, I think you will find that Summer in the Lowcountry is quite enjoyable. And no, unlike the comment I saw on a friends Facebook status last week, we do not have to live underground in the summer.
I could go on, but as I look out my back door at the neighbors palm tree swaying in the breeze, against a blue sky, it occurs to me that I have things to do outdoors. I hope you are enjoying your day wherever you may be and I hope that the next time I cave to the temptation of bragging about the weather that you will understand I can't do anything but say nice things because it seems that like always, The Weather Is Here, I Wish You Were Beautiful... Just like the song Jimmy sings.
