Headed South

5:27 AM – July 7, 2016

Approximately ten years ago my wife Jenny and I discovered Charleston, SC.  We were home.  While we are clearly not alone in this matter, the first settlers arrived in 1670 on the West Bank of the Cooper River naming Charles Town in honor of then King of England Charles II.  The community founded on a constitution written by Philosopher John Locke around the principles of toleration provided the framework from which the people of Charles Town founded the first municipal library in the Charleston Library in 1773 and first public college in College of Charleston when it held classes in 1770.

Rooted in appreciation for history and education the community was additionally home to a large contingent of French Huguenots, which explains  why Jenny felt so at home, as her family fled Southern France when religion was a touchy subject.  These early Americans were joined by another religious group of immigrants in the Sephardi Jews, later growing into the foundations of the Reform Branch of Judaism and founding of the Reform Branch of Israelites in 1824.  These immigrants in the late 1600’s laid the groundwork for the foundation of our country as Charles Towns’ Henry Middleton served as President of the first Continental Congress in 1774.  We have visited his home farm Middleton Place now several times, as it is today a National Historic Landmark. The farm is now open for daily tours and when you get there you will see why Mr Middleton started his farm there along the river.  (Sorry for all the history and dates this early in the morning)

Clearly these folks built an amazing coastal community resonating with an appreciation for history, architecture and diversity of thought and beliefs which keep us coming back each summer.  Admittedly, we are leaving one beach to go to another one, 9 hours away which does not exactly make sense.  This year however, the beach might not matter much, as I hear a few alligators have been pulled off beaches around Sullivan’s Island where we hang our hats.

Perhaps one day The Land Group will expand into SC, as I have been visiting farms with local brokers and studying the market for a few years now.  The farmland along the expansive coastal salt marshes are just awesome.

So while I am avoiding the alligators, shark fishing (a requirement this year from the 8 year old little fish) and soaking in the SC sunshine, I likely won’t write each day.  However, I am sure I won’t stay away from the iPad and early morning coffee the entire trip, so I will chime in from time to time.  Be well, I am headed South!