As the enraptured hours of our resort on Hilton Head Island diminish progressively, approaching our departure a week hence, I find myself having frequented only lately two venues which I have intriguingly spied – though had not yet frequented – throughout our two month tenancy here beginning the end of January last.  The tardiness speaks to the odd characteristic upon arriving at an unfamiliar territory to seek to discover, rather than what is immediately at hand and inviting perusal, instead that which is further beyond and unspeaking except because of its distance.

Perhaps in an effort to resolve these yet undiscovered opportunities (and to benefit the psychical corruption of my thoughts), I convinced myself to do so.  Yesterday was Marker 21, the footpath and boardwalk from S Sea Pines Dr onto the beach.

Initially I had ignored the mounting walkway over the dunes because I simply flew by the secreted entrance on my tricycle; and, when I later returned on the same route along the cycling trail, the opening was strangely more unremarkable from the opposite direction. But yesterday I paused to enlist my intervention.  The rising boardwalk was wide and not at all as difficult to ascend as I had imagined it to be.  But the real finding was the long boardwalk to the beach.  Having been up and down the beach in that exact area many times before, I hadn’t any idea from the beach how prolonged the boardwalk was.  In the result I decided it was a best kept secret! Indeed my ambition was unperturbed and singular, an uncommon trait of other boardwalks I have had the regularity to trod.

Today’s exploration was of a similar nature; viz., another boardwalk from the roadway to the sea.  In both instances the similarity is that, given my increased immobility, I have yearned to recover my erstwhile acquaintance with the beach and the sea, which during this vacation has been a trying accomplishment deprived of my usual vigour and dexterity.

This particular boardwalk is within Lands End which may thus put it beyond the privilege of denotation as a public access route so I haven’t a number to attach to it. Daily, during my morning commencement excursions around Lands End upon leaving the cottage, I have passed this walkway, always wondering about it.  I will however admit that part of the reason for my reluctance to have investigated further is that I could see from Lands End Road that it leads to that portion of the island facing directly onto Daufuskie Island and Caliboque Sound, thus limiting its approach directly to the ocean.  The ocean is only a matter of a kilometre away but in my selective manner I have always acceded first and only to the sea. Even today – though I obviously stopped to photograph the entry point – I did not press my ruinous spine and arthritic ribs to attempt to walk upon the corridor to the beach. A glimpse was sufficient to satisfy my curiosity.

Although I would customarily conclude this trifling account, not having anything of additional merit whatsoever to add, there is in fact a detail of novelty which has arisen in the process of relating this account. I precede this information by saying that, while I type on my MacBook Pro laptop computer I listen to music through my Bose Ultra® headphones which naturally disguise any external sounds such as television, etc.  Apparently during my typing today, the doorbell rang.  I did not hear yet.  However my partner did (though at first he thought it was part of the television programme or film he was watching).  When, investigating the possibility of the doorbell having rung, he opened the front door, there was a gift.  It was a herb arrangement in a jar.  We instantly suspected the culprit, our neighbour Carolina of SC resident in the cottage nearby.

She too will soon be removing herself from the landscape to Chicago, Ill. By coincidence this morning, nearby the pickleball and tennis courts in South Beach, Carolina of SC and I encountered one another on our Atlas tricycles. We chatted briefly.  Carolina of SC had already been as far as Sea Pines Beach Club (though I disguised my embarrassment from her disarming athleticism).  The serendipity is as always entirely flavourful!