Dear Reader:

It was while Brooke and I were posing all over the wrong beach house last Wednesday that we had a God Wink…actually a double one. (since we bumped into him twice.) A gentleman, Tom Hudson, and his adopted dog, Jacob, stopped Brooke and I, while taking snapshots of historical markers. Tom told us that if we loved history…to come see the cemetery adjacent to his home on his property…there was history to be found there…dating back to the mid-1800’s.

So before we returned to Carolina Corner Wednesday we crossed back over the Causeway (following Tom’s instructions) and saw his beautiful home growing larger and larger as we neared the mainland on the other side of the causeway.

Tom and his wife, Lily Grace, left Washington, DC to retire at Pawley’s Island near family. When he bought the property he was told of the overgrown cemetery adjacent to his home and wanted to know more about its occupants and the best way to preserve the family cemetery for the future.

I really felt a sense of being in a sacred place with the combination of the beauty of land and water providing the back backdrop of this well- attended cemetery.

Today there is an historical marker telling the story of the cemetery its location and history…and how it came to be.

Tom, his wife Lily Grace, and wonderful neighbors worked hard to restore the disappearing cemetery…hidden under poison ivy and all kinds of thick foliage. Once restored the Hudsons and neighbors brought closure to the cemetery with a service that many friends and neighbors attended. They  felt it was their duty to uphold the promise made to Sarah Shackleford back in 1848…“to protect in perpetuity her backyard graveyard.”

Here is a link from a local news article done about this unique service and a promise fulfilled…at long last. (“A Promise Restored”)

News for Pawleys Island, Litchfield and Murrells Inlet – Coastal Observer

When Tom Hudson discovered my last name was Dingle, he immediately asked if I was kin to the Pawleys Tip Top Inn Dingles, especially to Robert and Rene Dingle…the owners and cooks. I explained the relationship was on my ex-husband’s side…they were his aunt and uncle.

He laughed and told me that he and Lily Grace were eating lunch there one day…and Rene brought out a bowl of cucumbers and onions soaked in vinegar…he asked what the name of the dish was and Rene replied: “Dingle food!”  (Too cute…I only got to eat there one time when Mandy was little and ready to play on the beach…not eat…so don’t remember too much except it was so yummy!)

(“Remembering Tip Top” (The Tip Top Inn floated out to sea with Hurricane Hugo) Keels Culberson  Swinnie- KeelsArt. comPrints)

Pawleys really is a hidden treasure with no businesses allowed on the island and only two causeways (north and south) to connect it to the mainland…you can almost feel the residents of the past who once came here to frolic on the beach.

Georgetown County Library Archives (photo)

The hammock you see in this old photo (dated 1900) is now symbolic of Pawley’s Island…Pawley’s Island Hammocks. Here is how it all got started…excerpt.

(Pawleys Island is one of the South’s best-kept Secrets (Caroline Eubanks)

“The island best known for two things: hammocks and cheese. In the late 1800s, local riverboat captain Joshua John Ward designed a rope hammock to sleep in instead of the traditional canvas versions. His legacy is now one of the most popular hammock brands in the country, still operated by his descendants. Buy your own at the famous Original Hammock Shop, which has been selling Ward’s products since the 1930s. Palmetto Cheese is another definitive Pawleys Island brand, one of the top makers of pimento cheese, a Southern staple.

So until tomorrow when we return to the Hammock Shops and find Mr. John Whitmire of Whitmire Jewelers inside with more stories to tell of the Pawley’s Island Shells. Until then…a personal thank you goes out to Tom Hudson for his friendliness, kindness, enthusiasm, and welcoming spirit to share his love of Pawleys with Brooke and me. We loved his dog Jacob too…he is the ninth adopted “older” dog the Hudson have taken in for an ever-lasting home experience.

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

*Yesterday I kept Eloise for Mollie and colleagues to talk to Senator Tim Scott’s office about potential legislation to protect consumers from mis-labeled beauty products and potentially harmful ones.

I had gotten Eloise a robe with pink bunny ears at the beach…definitely a little big but Ya’s here is a “Pinkie Robe” lover too. I tried it on her on the table and she fell fast asleep….with it on. Jackson, Mollie loved your adorable little fun in the sun outfit for Eloise this summer…the nine months size should be perfect…and Honey those cowgirl boots you sent are a hoot…I feel like Eloise will start ruling the roost with boots made for walking…all over her big brothers! 🙂

Lachlan couldn’t stand it and had to try on the robe too…here comes the middle child wanting his attention moment ..we middle children have always had to fight hard for our fair share. Della and Eloise.