My wife and I vacation on a private island on the South Carolina coast named Fripp Island. For two weeks, there’s no commuting through D.C. traffic or hearing user complaints. It’s days filled with fresh sea air and nights under a clear, star-filled sky.
One evening, we watched the Orionid meteor showers from the beach access stairs. Another evening, we watched a spectacular lightning storm over the ocean.
Over the two weeks, I enjoy taking photographs. One of my favorite times is sunrise.
One morning, I awoke to see fog in the courtyard. It was the first time since I starting coming in the mid-90s that I saw fog here.
The island is a nature preserve, which means plenty of deer live here. Most are quite tame, but I came across a few doe that stomped their hooves when I got too close.
This year, we had a few surprises.
This alligator was on the 16th hole between the tee box and the fairway of the Ocean Creek Golf Course.
Many days (and nights) we see shrimpboats from the nearby Gay Fish Company working to bring fresh seafood to the local restaurants. This was the closest I have ever seen one.
Sunsets are as gorgeous as sunrises, and I’m awake for all of them.
Lately, I’ve been trying to take an artistic picture. This is my best attempt.
I’m an author living in northern Virginia with a wife and a cat. In the late ’80s, I worked on the International Space Station project. I recently retired from managing a group of software engineers to focus on writing science fiction and speculative fiction. Learn more.