Dear Reader:

Since today is our trip to Columbia to see the ” one that got left behind” (Libby) this retreat year due …to an unforgettable and unfortunate fall…we decided to take the beach to her… to spend a fun day together picking up lunch and just sharing time together!!!

So then we made another decision to go ahead and have our seafood dinner out last night… trying out a new restaurant… the Edingsville Grocery-Restaurant and Bar!

It was absolutely delicious… we have found a new restaurant that we love! Best deviled crab and shrimp… yummiest hushpuppies that melted in your mouth!!!

The clouds and winds whipped up but by the time we left the restaurant…one more time the late late afternoon sun was breaking through! The owner, Robert Hughes, came over to the table and we had connections from almost every town in the state… a small wonderful world! Especially with Brooke …they knew many of the same people!

On the way home we passed the famous hanging mattress! (Better known as the ” Mattress Tree of Edisto Island.” )

I remembered part of the story but found more information this time around! It is located beside SC-174 ( highway leading into Edisto) named for that particular bend in the road… ” Mattress Point.” It hangs down from a beautiful live oak tree. And for many annual vacation renters over the decades the sighting of the hanging mattress meant … ” We’re almost there!”

The original owner was Frank ” Tish” Gadsden who created the idea when his wife kicked him out of the house after a drinking binge! But soon his hanging mattress drew so much attention he charged 5 bucks a photo and later ten dollars and a pack of smokes!

Some old friends set up a card table nearby to play cards in the chilly off/seasons … keeping warm from the fire burning from an old oil drum.

For awhile after his death in 2009 -it seemed that this nostalgic landmark was gone but later family members reconstructed it and today decorate it for special holidays!

Today the mattress still stands…a sentimental landmark to many!

So until tomorrow…” In the wilderness is the preservation of the world” -Thoreau

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Please keep prayers coming for Harriett and Regina… will continue to update you on their health status! 🙏🏻💗

We also need prayers that both Tommy and Kaitlyn get to leave Shannon Airport tonight… to return home! 🙏🏻💗

The tulips we gave Brooke for her birthday are halfway opened in bloom and we are halfway through our retreat! SLOW DOWN TIME!!!!!!!!