" THE BEACH HOUSE " by Mary Alice Monroe

Several months ago one of my friends recommended a book " Time Is a River" by Mary Alice Monroe to me and though I had never read any of her work I agreed that it sounded like one I'd enjoy. I loved it, so I purchased 2 more! "The Beach House" and it's sequel "Swimming Lessons".


I wasn't sure about "The Beach House" because it was centered around a woman named Lovie Rutledge who was a Turtle Lady. The Turtle Ladies are a group of women on the Isle of Palms, SC who protect the Loggerhead Hatchlings. Now I love nature in all forms but I'd never given Loggerheads much thought. Now, they will never leave my thoughts!


Mary Alice Monroe is a readers dream author! Not only is her writing superb but she has something many writers lack, the ability to"capture place" so well you are THERE while you're reading and dying to GO THERE when you get to the books end!
Another endearing quality of her work is , whatever the theme in the book, (in this case Loggerheads) you are in love with it at the end. I wanted to learn to Fly-Fish after reading
" Time Is A River "!
I was up till 12:38 am finishing this book last night. It takes a awesome book to keep me up past 10:00 pm ! When it was over, I bawled like a baby!
"The Beach House" is a wonderful Women's Fiction read. Trust me, you will fall in love with the books characters, with Isle of Palms, SC and YES, you will LOVE those endangered Loggerheads with all your heart and want to be a Turtle Lady yourself !!!!!

This is an Ariel view of Isle of Palms. We have planned a trip in the Spring to Myrtle Beach, Folly Beach and Charleston, Isle of Palms is now a MUST see also! Can't wait!



I probably won't get to see a Mother Loggerhead lay her nest of eggs......



OR...watch the hatchling's when they "boil" out of the nest and head to the ocean...



BUT...if I'm lucky I will get to stay in this beach house while on the Isle...In the meantime...


I'm going to read the sequel and see what's going on with Carra, Brett, Toy and Little Lovie!!

Thank You Mary Alice for writing this AWESOME read!!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE !!!!!!!!! XOXO

" St. John In The Wilderness" Flat Rock, NC

In 1807, the" Great Flat Rock" was named Flat Rock by the inhabitants
of the village growing up around it..............



In 1829, it changed forever. Charles Baring of The Baring Brother Banking family from England found in Flat Rock an ideal place for his British born wife, Susan, to escape the humid summers of Charleston, SC. Baring purchased 400 acres of land in Flat Rock on which he built a summer home and named it Mountain Lodge. He continued to buy land until he had acquired over three thousand acres of which he sold to other Charleston friends to build their own summer houses.Flat Rock then became known as; " The Little Charleston of the Mountains".



After the completion of their home " Mountain Lodge", Charles and Susan built a
private worship chapel on the grounds.It was a small wooden structure that later burned. In 1833, the new brick building was built by local brick makers. In 1836
20 members of this summer colony formed their own parish and the Barings deeded the church to the new Episcopal Bishop. It was from that time known as "St. John In The Wilderness " after John The Baptist.

DaVinci's St. John In The Wilderness

On Friday morning my friend, author Sherry Austin,joined me for breakfast at Flat Rock Inn B & B. She then graciously offered to take me on a tour of historic Flat Rock! Our first stop was this wonderful church.





" St. John In The Wilderness Episcopal Church "

As you walk up to it, you are just mesmerized...............

Sherry and I were stumped by this flower growing outside

the church door, anyone know what it is?

The cemetery is in tiers which makes it all the more lovely!

I got to experience a second Spring as Flat Rock is now in full bloom!

The graves to the right are one tier higher...............

These two sets are also one tier above the other...............

I cannot tell you what a peaceful place this is just to view.......

A Banner inside the door................

I found this image of the windows on the net and included it.

In 1852, the church was expanded due to growth of the congregation.

In order to expand, some graves were covered over by the expansion.

Two of those graves were Charles and Susan Baring.

Headstone plaques are mounted on the wall above their graves.......

A view of the sanctuary.......................Pulitzer Poet Carl Sanburg's funeral was held here however he is not buried here. Louise Howe Bailey is a member here.

This stone however remains as a part of the isle floor.......

Andrew Burnet Rhett also is under the chapel.......

Outside we find the African- American graves, covered in

English Ivy. Stone crosses mark the graves...................

Some are totally covered by the ivy.

A simple stone marks the entrance...............

On a historical note: Before Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation,

both the white slave owners and the slaves worshiped side by side

in the pews of this church. The first wedding in this church was between

two of the Baring's slaves.......................

The pipe organ..........................

Sherry also took me to see the Boyd House once known as

The Saluda Cottages...............

In 1830, Count Marie Joseph de Choiseul, the consul to France,

built Saluda Cottages. The family lived there until 1841....

This is the front where you can drive through the portico...It is for sale

at somewhere around $ 2 million..................

At the turn of the century, the Norton Sisters of Kentucky had additions

and gardens added by Fredrick Law Olmstead......................

St. Francis caught my eye..........

The porches and gardens are just magnificent !!!!

If only I had 2 mill..........................

Be still my heart....this is the back of the house!

However climbing these stairs does not entice me.....

Sherry was a wonderful tour guide and I'll show you more later...................

" Living The Good Life".........There's Hope !

Today is a new beginning for not only America, but also the world.

There is Hope.......hope for change, hope for a better life. Hope that we all have a chance to live the good life ! Just what is living the good life ? I'm sure everyone of you have a different opinion of just what living the good life is. Different opinions are what make life interesting, right ? If you don't have a job.....getting one, might make it a good life. If you have a sick child, it would be a cure for the illness.

I believe the first step to living the good life is gratitude. I have had my share of what I thought were bad times. It was in these times, I called upon hope for a better day....you know the saying;

" this too shall pass". Pass it did, and a better day arrived! As I look back, it wasn't so bad after all. I raised three beautiful, healthy, smart children who became Awesome adults. Now that was living the good life ! For this I am so grateful.

Above you see pictures of four books from my Library....................

These are books about one couples opinion about what living the good life meant. Scott and Helen Nearing left their apartment in New York City in 1932 in search of the good life. They bought a farm in The Green Mountains of Vermont. They lived there for twenty years leaving in 1952 for another farm on the coast of Maine in Harborside. Their quest was due to "America's Back To The Land Movement" of which they are considered the Great- Grandparents . These books are incredible diaries of the day to day struggle and elation of becoming self sufficient on one's own land. A must for the Library of anyone who dreams of a self sufficient life on a farm. Scott Nearing died in 1983, three days past his 100th Birthday of a self induced starvation fast. Helen lived another 12 years, reaching the age of 91. Before her death, she preserved both their land and their lifestyle for future generations by establishing The Good Life Center which is open to the public.

Let us all embrace the Hope of a new day, a new year and Hope for a chance to pursue our own definition of what " Living The Good Life" truly means !