The Locountry

And on the tenth day, they left the East Coast and began the drive across the Deep South for nearly two months in the desert.

I have mixed emotions about this first phase ending, for it has been blessed with good fortune and a hint of magic.

The other day, while walking the beach at Isle of Palms, we found ourselves surprisingly alone until a police cruiser slowly edged along the dunes. I waved to the young officer, he stopped, and we began to chat. Turned out he was from the Outer Cape originally. 

"I love the ocean, but not New England's winter weather."

Getting used to living in the Locountry has been a challenge. He misses the natural landscape of old Cape Cod compared to the overly developed South Carolina Coast. We differ on the Southern accent. I enjoy it, find it romantic, even. But he laughed when he said, "Whenever I run into someone talking in that slow drawl, I think they're putting me on. First time it happened, I had to be talked out of arresting a guy because I thought he w…