Where are Scully and Mulder when you need them?

The local Fox news came on tonight after American Idol. About ten minutes into the program the newscaster mentioned a possible Bigfoot sighting not too far from Charleston. Dave and I immediately stopped what we were doing--I put down my laptop and he put down his book--to hear if Sasquatch really had made an appearance in the lowcountry. Perhaps he heard that spring was a nice time to visit?

What got me about the report was not the Bigfoot sighting or even that the local news was reporting it.

What really got me was that the newscaster casually mentioned that some people think that it wasn't Bigfoot, but instead the "legendary Lizard Man." I couldn't believe my ears. I looked at Dave and said, "Did she just say 'legendary Lizard Man'?" Dave nodded, thrilled at the prospect of a green monster roaming the area.

I picked up my laptop and went straight to Google. Sure enough, there have been "sightings" of a green, scaly monster with glowing red eyes. Here's what Wikipedia has to say:

"The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp (also known as The Lizard Man Of Lee County), is a humanoid cryptid which is said to inhabit areas of swampland in and around Lee County, South Carolina. The Lizard Man is described as being seven feet tall, bipedal, and well built, with green scaly skin and glowing red eyes. It is said to have three toes on each foot and three fingers on each hand which end in long black claw-like nails."

Great. Now on top of alligators, snakes, and the ginormous roaches palmetto bugs that fly around here, I have to worry about a bipedal humanoid cryptid. Is there no justice in this world?

This made me laugh and laugh and laugh and . . .

Dave and I really have noticed that Charleston is a laid-back kind of town. You should see the bars on a Sunday afternoon--packed! People down here really do seem to enjoy life. That laid-back attitude crops up in the funniest places. Our street name, for instance, is Vagabond Lane. Right next to us is Gypsy Court. And I keep seeing signs around town that make me laugh out loud. Like this one. I think I laughed for 20 minutes straight.

Long time gone

It's so good to be posting back on this blog! A confluence of events prevented me from updating the blog this past month...

1) My desktop computer decided to go on strike. I've now gotten a new laptop that I love! I'm no longer chained to a computer that only works when it wants to.

2) Spring has sprung here in Charleston. I am easily distracted and this spring fever I have caught hasn't helped!

3) I've been volunteering for the Historic Charleston Foundation as a docent for historic home tours and garden tours around Charleston. It has been amazing and I'm treating it like a free education. I'm learning a lot (but have so much more to learn). I've decided to enroll in a Master Gardener program (Clemson has an extension in Charleston).

On top of freelance work and some travel mixed in (I took an amazing trip to Nashville with my sister-in-law in February) it's been a busy month or so. We love Charleston, although I still get homesick once in awhile. But this city right now is absolutely beautiful. Spring here is like paradise...but I know the cruel heat of summer awaits!

Spring in Charleston:

The sea lion that wasn't

Tonight Dave got home from work a little early so he, Nomini, and I headed to the beach for an evening walk.

As I've said before, Nomini absolutely loves the beach. She runs and plays and wags her tail and, most importantly, wears herself out. Tonight was no different. She had a blast investigating the seashells and digging in the sand.

As we were walking, a thick fog rolled in and we could barely see anything ahead of us. It reminded me of the beach scenes in The Goonies. It was eerie being out on the beach and we almost expected a pirate ghost ship to make its way inland (wouldn't Dave have loved that!).

Up ahead of us at one point I saw a weird shape. At first I thought it was a large dog running around, but as we got closer it didn't look like a dog. Instead, it looked like a huge sea lion coming in out of the ocean. It was really hard to see through the fog and I immediately began an internal debate in my brain. I flip-flopped between That's not a sea lion--they don't live on the S.C. coast to That IS a sea lion and it's huge! to There is NO way that's a sea lion to OH MY GOD, IT'S A SEA LION AND HE'S COMING TO ATTACK US--RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At which point, I proceeded to scream and take off with Nomini in the opposite direction. We left Dave in the dust, or I should say, sand.

After a few minutes of calming down and listening to Dave laugh and laugh at me, we realized it was two people who were wrestling and running around. I made Dave admit that to him, too, it looked like a sea lion. I guess walking in the misty light of the fog made my imagination run wild and my legs run fast!

Follow that bird

Dave and I were standing in our yard recently when what seemed like a T-Rex with wings flew overhead. This bird was huge and Dave and I instinctively ducked as its wingspan cast a shadow over our entire backyard. Since then I've wanted to learn more about wildlife in our area.

So this past week Nomini and I set out on a journey to discover what types of birds inhabit the lakes and creeks that flow through our neighborhood. I put on Nomini's leash and the two of us took off. Much to my surprise we immediately came upon three huge turtles and a ton of egrets and pelicans basking in the Sun. I was so excited and then I realized I had forgotten my camera. We ran back to the house, got the camera, and ran back to the site to find the turtles had slipped into the lake and the birds had flown off.

So Nomini and I sat and waited. Nomini was a bit impatient but suddenly some wildlife returned. I tried to capture some of the birds on my camera, but the photos didn't turn out as great as I wanted. It was a peaceful and beautiful afternoon, though, and I can't wait to do it again.

From the bird book I bought, I think this is a Snowy Egret.

A pelican and a Double-crested Cromorant just hanging out:

A Double-crested Cromorant drying its wings. These birds lack the oil gland that keeps its feathers from becoming waterlogged. So the bird has to dry off with its wings outstretched, facing the Sun:

Obama!

I'm not sure who I'm going to vote for yet in the upcoming SC primary. So yesterday I went to a rally at the College of Charleston for Barack Obama. It was packed with students, faculty, people from the community like me, Secret Service (all over the place), and local and national media. I stood next to a group of med students from the Medical University of South Carolina who were very interested in hearing what Senator Obama had to say.

What was so exciting is that Senator John Kerry showed up to announce his endorsement of Senator Obama. None of us expected him to be there and to make this major announcement (we had all been waiting in line for hours before the rally so we didn't catch the news about Kerry's endorsement). Because of this endorsement, the event was made even more significant--everyone in the crowd was buzzing about what this meant for John Edwards. More than anything it was exciting to see all of the students so involved in this election. Many of the students volunteered and were very optimistic about the future (which made me smile because at times I caught myself reacting cynically to some of the promises made by both politicians).

I'm still not sure who I'm going to vote for, but yesterday's rally made me feel glad to be a citizen of the United States of America who has a choice in the matter.

Senators Obama and Kerry on stage:

Both men greeting supporters:

En français

This morning Dave and I went downtown to the Gaulart and Maliclet Cafe (G&M Cafe) also known as Fast & French: www.fastandfrench.org/G&M/G&M_index.html. When we visted Charleston back in February a friend at work who is from Charleston recommended we stop by G&M. I was anxious to return so I was excited to go back there this morning. The breakfast was terrifique. (That's about the extent of my french vocabulary even though I took it in high school! Hee hee.)

Downtown Charleston reminds us a lot of Europe, which makes sense because the English settled in Charleston in the 1600s. Huguenots from western and northern France also settled in Charleston in the 1680s. Each time Dave and I are downtown we notice the french influence, especially.

That's why G&M cafe fits in so well downtown. The coffee (made in a french press) is delicious. It was a nice way to start off our Saturday morning. Bonne Année 2008!!