sdiamondriley
From Everyday to Extraordinary
Unknown to many who seek it, a favorite Lowcountry souvenir has a dark past. Although prized today by collectors the world over,...
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sdiamondriley
- Feb 25
- 3 min
Our Own Prince of Tides
“Love’s action. It isn’t talk and it never has been.” ~Pat Conroy, Beach Music Despite the controversies he often spurred, one Lowcountry...
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sdiamondriley
- Feb 1
- 4 min
The Day of the Big Gun Shoot
You think your neighborhood's got problems? Mine is the site of the largest naval battle ever fought in U.S. waters. Protecting the Sound...
327 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Jan 13
- 3 min
Blossoms of Winter
It hardly seems fair, but an explosion of red, pink, and white blooms are taking over Lowcountry gardens while our Northern neighbors are...
347 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Dec 7, 2022
- 3 min
No Snow? No Problem!
Despite--or perhaps thanks to--its mild December weather, the Lowcountry boasts its own unique twists on the usual holiday traditions....
382 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Nov 23, 2022
- 3 min
The Truth about Southern Hospitality
When I moved full-time to Hilton Head several years ago, I discovered something I had never expected. I had heard that "Southern...
536 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Nov 8, 2022
- 3 min
The Forgotten Capital
Half a century before the pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock, a bustling European capital called the Lowcountry home. Forts, homes,...
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sdiamondriley
- Oct 19, 2022
- 3 min
Beware of Haints!
If you've ever awoken and still felt tired, you just may be the victim of a Lowcountry haint. Members of the Gullah community have long...
847 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Oct 5, 2022
- 3 min
Carolina's Blue Gold
There was a time when all of Europe was clamoring for what the Carolina Lowcountry had in spades. But then, just as quickly as it had...
1,217 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Sep 21, 2022
- 3 min
Birth of the Bloody Legion (Islands Divided, Part 2)
The residents of Hilton Head Island were out for blood. Their sworn enemies on neighboring Daufuskie Island had burned their homes to the...
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sdiamondriley
- Sep 7, 2022
- 3 min
The Burning of Skull Creek (Islands Divided, Part 1)
As the Daufuskie Island men rowed silently up Hilton Head's Skull Creek, they stopped and methodically burned to the ground each stately...
1,103 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Aug 24, 2022
- 2 min
A Perilous Picnic
No, they're not suicidal, they're not really "stranded," and they don't need our help. Our nutty Lowcountry dolphins just have their own...
2,283 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Aug 10, 2022
- 3 min
The Storm that Drowned the Sea Islands
Sixteen-foot storm surges. 120-mile-per-hour winds. No survivors remain of the most devastating hurricane to ever hit the South Carolina...
1,512 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Jul 27, 2022
- 3 min
Legends of the Moss
ZZ Top beards. Spiderwebs. Christmas tinsel. The Spanish moss that drapes swooping branches of Lowcountry live oaks has evoked images...
679 views1 comment
sdiamondriley
- Jul 12, 2022
- 3 min
An Island at Arms
Deep within the lushly landscaped confines of a gated Hilton Head Island residential community lie a couple of open acres of waterfront...
1,967 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Jun 29, 2022
- 3 min
A Race to the Midnight Moon
"A fiery red glow illuminated the pit of sand at the boy's feet, sand that was now churning as if alive. A black shape emerged from the...
1,663 views0 comments
sdiamondriley
- Jun 14, 2022
- 3 min
No Small Victory
Prior to the end of legalized slavery in the South in 1865, there were many brave souls who took matters into their own hands to escape...
506 views3 comments
sdiamondriley
- Jun 1, 2022
- 3 min
The Lowcountry's Dirty Little Secret
"The smell hit her as soon as she stepped outside on the museum's front porch. Delta recognized the earthy tang of Lowcountry pluff mud,...
1,673 views2 comments
sdiamondriley
- May 18, 2022
- 3 min
A Skeleton in the Trees
About midway between Savannah and Charleston on Highway 17 ("Savannah Highway" if heading south, "Charleston Highway" if heading...
1,804 views2 comments
sdiamondriley
- May 3, 2022
- 3 min
Gator Tales
My daughter Kelly and I were recently watching a nature documentary that showed a family of Malaysian monkeys that, due to habitat...
1,522 views2 comments
Want new blog posts via email? Send a note to SusanDiamondRiley@gmail.com.
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