Country Roads and Hidden Treasures

Often when life gets busy and I begin to feel surrounded by high walls forged out of responsibilities, student loans, and a never ending to-do list, I feel a need to get away. To get lost in the serenity of my surroundings, where the peaceful and rhythmic sounds of the environment are all that matter. Recently, my need to clarify and cleanse took me not far from the hustle and bustle of my own suburban life to the quiet corners of the nearby countryside. Only here are peace and tranquility cultivated alongside fields of broccoli and strawberry patches. Highway traffic and lawnmowers were quickly replaced by the noise of a shutting screen door and the mooing of a mother cow. Croaking frogs and cawing birds joined in this harmonious melody as Mark and I drove past cow pastures, sleepy fields of tall grass and yellow wildflowers, and beside the bewitching flow of the waters of Lake Murray. Stress and anxiety quickly peeled away like the skins off an onion as I began to remember what truly mattered. It was not the items on a long list of to-do's, but rather the journey of my ordinary life through an extraordinary world. Beauty really was all around us, we just have to find the time to stop and see them.

Adventures such as these require two wheels and helmets! 

Off the beaten path, laid hidden reminders of our country's past. A past whose strength was built upon the back of the agricultural community, family traditions, fresh air, and South Carolina sunshine.

I find something so beautiful in the contrast of the aging, decaying wood and the new spring growth of chartreuse buds on pecan trees and the limber, uncut grass moving freely in the breeze. 

Can you imagine once eating pecans and sipping on sweet tea on this front porch?

Alongside these farming communities lay hidden spots of utopia. Many of these areas have yet to be developed and transformed into cookie-cutter housing developments. The value of the land not yet determined by the size of the homes built out of wood or brick, but rather the hundreds of habitats belonging to creatures of all sizes that call Lake Murray home. 

Often a reflection of the need to progress and grow, establishments once vital to a community, were sold and demolished to make room for the new. While this sign is all that remains of the memory of Hare's Mill, I selfishly do not mind this need for change. For in it's place, now lies Lake Murray. For me, the fate of Hare's Mill is a reminder that often in life, change and beauty come out of closing the door on a part of life that no longer serves as much importance as it once did. Once these doors are closed, can we finally embrace the new chapters in our lives.

In hopes of protecting vital fish populations, DNR has marked various sites on the lake with these yellow buoys to represent organic habitats. These buoys serves as a reminder to not anchor in this part of the lake.

It's crazy to think, had I decided to stay inside and finish my long list of to-dos, I would have missed out on such a meaningful and reflective adventure. Thank goodness, Mark convinced me to get out and enjoy that beautiful spring day!