We moved to Clarendon County in 2006 from Dorchester County because my husband was ready for some real retirement. I still had ten years to go before I could retire but I was ready for a change. We had lived on the Edisto River, and sometimes in the Edisto River, for 17 years. Prior to us moving to the Edisto River area, it hadn’t flooded in many years but as soon as we moved there, it flooded on a regular basis. Go figure. However, I wouldn’t trade the memories of having to boat to and from our little house on stilts in a borrowed john boat for anything. I remember one year, I think it was either 1993 or 1997, the water came up overnight on Christmas Eve and we ended up boating every day until Mother’s Day weekend that year… but, I digress…
It seems everywhere you go in Clarendon County you see vehicles with a vinyl Lake Life sticker on their back window and it recently occurred to me that this isn’t just a slogan; it’s a way of life. For those of you who have lived “on the lake” or “near the lake” all your life, it’s possible you may not realize how blessed you are to live where you do. Now, where we live, we are in the category of living “near the lake.” That means we can’t see the lake from our yard but we can hear the boats and jet skis and party music from our yard but with just a short golf cart ride, we can be on the lake in just a few minutes. If you ask me, this is the best of both worlds. Close enough to get to it quickly but far enough away to escape the sometimes loud and obnoxious music that some of these boats like to blare across the lake. However, the one thing living on the lake definitely trumps to living near the lake: watching the sunset each night. There is nothing more beautiful, in my opinion, than watching the glorious handiwork of God as he paints the sky each night with gorgeous shades of orange, red, pink, purple and blue. Nothing man can do can top what God can do. Period.
Most folks who live up here own at least one boat and the most popular type of boat is a pontoon boat. We had a fish ‘n ski boat when we lived on the river but decided to sell her and buy a pontoon boat to match a slower paced Lake Life life-style. Best decision we could have made. She’s just a short little 18 foot Sweetwater with no bells or whistles other than a radio. We named her L’il Bit Fishy and she has a pretty orange paw print on her sides. We put her in the water in April or May, depending on the weather, and take her out the first of October. We love to take boat rides mid-week because, most of the time, we have the entire lake to ourselves. I love to watch the light dance on the peaceful water as we make our way slowly across the lake to Ballard’s Point where we usually have the beach to ourselves. Life is good.
Now, another thing that is almost a requirement for the Lake Life experience is a golf cart. It took us several years before we were able to acquire one but now, I don’t know how we lived life before our golf cart. It is a gas powered 2008 Club Car Precedent. Nothing fancy. We scoured the classified ads for weeks before we found this gem of a deal. We had to drive to Chapin to get her and it was worth the drive. I think we paid $1,750 five years ago. This particular golf cart was lightly used and came from Canada. Everything was written in French on the steering column but the seller assured us it was in pristine condition because it wasn’t used very often. Coming from Canada, we tended to believe him. Our day isn’t complete until we take our nightly ride around the ‘hood. We have some very good friends who live lake front and we stop in almost daily for a few minutes to chat and catch the latest lake front news and we catch them up on the near the lake front news. It works out well for everyone involved.
Then we head on back home where most nights I grill dinner on the back porch. Once I hear the cicadas start their evening song, that’s my signal to go out and tuck my chickens in for the night. Shirley and Elaine always cluck their appreciation good night. Finally, before crawling into bed, I count my blessings and thank God that He has allowed Al and me to experience and truly live the Lake Life life-style.
