Charleston

Maura and I arrived in Charleston Airport about 6:30 0n Monday evening. The sky had been clear and blue all the way from Atlanta, but dusk was falling. The air was cool.

We woke to a beautiful morning and, after breakfast, we strolled over to our little lake and stood watching a flock of egrets standing on a headland below the swimming pool, as if waiting for some imminent manifestation.

Suddenly, we realised that all the ducks on the lake were desperately paddling towards us, some taking to flight as they realised that they were being left behind. We remembered then; that they firmly believe everyone who walks by their lake is required to feed them, by way of a toll.

In the evening, after Desi closed Crushed Fine Wine, Betsy and he drove down, and we bar-b-cued hamburgers. We sat afterwards on our little deck, talking, until they left, about 10:30.