This weekend past we made a roadtrip to a picturesque little town on the coast of South Carolina, called Habersham. We… you ask? Well since you could probably surmise from my New York post, I was heading to Atlanta – more specifically, Douglasville – to visit my fa-mi-lia . So it was my brother, Kudu, my sis-in-law, Dawn, myself and the belle of the ball… the girl of the hour… drumroll: Claire, the Bear AKA Tootsie Roll. Yes, we are that infatuated.
absolute and utter tranquility
So why Habersham? We went to visit and old friend of Dawn and her husband, Edie and Peter, who has turned out to be my new favorite people and I can assure you a good time was had by all! Now, with introductions out of the way, let’s get down to Paternoster… I mean, Habersham!
It’s very close to the town of Beaufort and a community entirely on it’s own. The reason I immediately started thinking of the previously mentioned town on the West Coast of South Africa, was that it had the same feel. Small and tranquil with great architecture that all follow the same guidelines and cozy little swing benches situated all around town that add to the magic and character of the place. Throw in a marketplace and cute restaurants and the picture is complete. It’s also the venue for the annual Beaufort Twilight Run & Oyster Roast – the reason we graced Edie and Pete with our presence.
After our arrival on Friday afternoon, we were given a tour of the town on the Pearsons’ golf cart. Everyone in town basically owns one – that’s how they get around. The town is small enough and who wants to waste gas anyway? Plus, you’ll never run the risk of being pulled over for a DUI. It’s a win-win situation! We visited their community garden. A big plot centrally located, where for a small fee, you get allocated a veggie patch that you may use in whichever way you please. Great idea for foodies and greenies! Also closely located to the weirdest and coolest playpark I’ve ever seen – made me wish I was a kid again. A lop-sided and skew affair that only needed to be made out of candy to step right out of a seen from Hansel & Grethel. Last stop was the local jetty before we headed out for a carbo-loading mission in preparation for the race the next day.
our humble abode for the weekend… the cute one with the blue shutter on the far right
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day, in spite of some rain that was predicted. The plan was to start with breakfast in Port Royal, followed by some sight-seeing and shopping in Beaufort and head back home to get ready for the race. Breakfast was at a diner called, Mikki’s, and it was an experience! It used to be a one room schoolhouse, so it’s not very big inside, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in portion sizes. I had a veggie omelette with a side of home fries and just because curiosity killed the cat, my brother and I decided to share a fried peanut-butter & jelly sandwich. Now for the Safa’s out there, it’s basically like a peanut-butter and jam sandwich that gets pan-fried so that everything inside is kind of melted – it’s realllly good! The decor was very strange, ranging from a selection of super-hero artifacts to a “masterpiece” artwork in the ladies room of a hibiscus selling for the once-in-a-lifetime price of $200?! There were kitsch little nick-nacks everywhere including salt-n-pepper shakers nestling in the arms of a moose. Crazy and strange – enough said. It turned out that curiosity not only killed the cat, but also my appetite. My stomach was properly lined for the race later on!
Afterwards we headed into Beaufort where we took a stroll down the promenade and did some house window-shopping. Large ones, cute ones, quaint ones and some in desperate need of loving care. Being a DIY’er myself, I could just see how some of them could transform into absolute dream houses. There was one specific house that reminded me of a very dear friend back in Cape Town. It was similar to one that was situated opposite the street from the apartment we used to share. Well, he still lives there. Anyway, we spent many days dreaming about how we could fix it up. Mic, soos ek gesê het… jy sou 7 dode gesterf het!
Shopping ranged from high-end boutique shops to local produce and gift shops. I was tempted to buy a LOT of things, but instead opted for a very modest contact lens case for only $4 (I can be frugal) which perfectly suited my already large collection of owl stuff. I have a mild obsession which I can guarantee will become more apparent in future posts. Our shopping trip came to an abrupt end when the Tootsie Roll decided she was hungry and the discovery was made that there were only empty bottles left in her diaper bag. In baby world, this is very close to a mental breakdown. True story!
Back at the house, some opted for an afternoon nap and some of us went on a walk about to take in some more beautiful scenery. Or in my case to try and get rid of a peanut-butter & jelly sandwich in my belly. I didn’t want it to still wobble around in there by race time. The race seemed to be quite the yearly affair and with one of the biggest marine corps training bases located in Beaufort, there was a promise of some eye candy! The marketplace became a hive of activity. Live music, food and beer stalls and a very fit-looking crowd, including plenty of momma’s with strollers. They even form an official group – the Stroller Warriors – and they were hardcore. I guess if you’re the wife of a marine husband, you have to up your game!? Can I get a Hooah?
Distances you can enter are 5km, 8km or both depending on your whim. Dawn, Edie and Pete were doing the 5 and smarty-pants (that would be me) decided to do the 8. I had been averaging 10km runs since December on the farm and in between leaving Cape Town and arriving in Douglasville. Well, I’m not going to lie. I struggled and I blame it entirely on a certain fried sandwich that was consumed earlier in the day! But we all survived and were awarded with a free beer afterwards. There is always a reason for doing these kind of activities. The oyster roast that we were all looking forward to the most, turned out to be a nasty affair. Instead of just sitting down and being served all-you-can-eat oysters, we had to huddle around communal tables and shuck them ourselves. We tried to put up a brave face and managed to eat a couple before we tossed in the towel and headed to the chicken dinner stand.
the bridge over the savannah river in the distance
On Sunday we decided to start heading back home early so we could spend some time in Savannah. It’s a coastal city and located in Georgia with great history and some Southern charm! We took a stroll down River street taking in some of the scenery and vibe, being eternally grateful for not being there the weekend before during their St. Paddy’s celebration – the second biggest in the US and apparently complete debauchery. I might go back next year and see for myself!
We stopped off for lunch at Vic’s, but sadly had to settle for coffee instead of Bloody Marys – alcohol only gets served after 12pm on Sundays. So we settled for dessert instead at River Side Sweets. Best pralines ever! It was time to head back to the car. We still had about 4 hours of driving to do. Distances here in the States are no joke and this comes from a Namibian girl who’s used to towns being far apart. Although that said, most roads here are double or triple-lanes and big trucks are not a problem to overtake. I even got to put my driving skills to the test and managed to stay on the right side of the road… excuse the pun!
wanderlust (won¦der|lust) 