HoneySuckle, Sugar Cane, and High Tides

Summer was a great adventure growing up.  I grew up along the banks of the Stono River in Charleston, SC.  I lived in a small neighborhood at the foot of the old Limehouse bridge, a swing bridge that turned sideways to let boats go through.  There were about 20 houses in our neighborhood on a dirt road leading off the main highway that formed a circle of about 1/2 mile. There were houses on the main river, houses on the inner circle with just a view of the water, and just off the circle was a small extension of the circle where my house stood.  We had a dock in the backyard on She Crab canal that circled straight into the river.  The lots that were not developed were still thickly wooded areas filled with trees and wildlife.

I was almost 8 when we moved to that house.  There was only one other family with children at that time, and we met the first week.  Carol was a feisty, freckle-faced redhead just a year and a half younger than I.  We immediately became “sister” friends and still are to this day.   Even though my grandmother was very controlling and afraid of just about everything, she seemed to feel safe letting me roam the small neighborhood.  Carol and I spent every day together with few exceptions for next ten years.

The tides played a big part in planning our day.  At low tide, only pluff mud and fiddler crabs were in the canal. We occasionally braved the mud to chase the elusive crabs.  The tide had to be about half in before there was enough water to swim or get in the old john boat.   High tide in mid-afternoon was the ideal.  We would be in/on the water from lunchtime until dinner.   In the evenings, we would shrimp or crab from the dock.  A few years later, more families with kids and boats moved into the circle.  We would often go out to the main river on their boats, but the canal was always our first love.

Behind Carol’s house were several undeveloped lots.  There was a very large oak tree with massive branches that touched the ground. One of the branches that came closest to the ground was perfect for bouncing. Our tree had several perfectly etched out places where you could sit.  Carol would climb to the one just above the place I chose.  We would sit and talk for hours.  We solved world problems, dreamed of adventures, and planned our futures.

We loved the woods. They were filled with honeysuckle vines.  We would sit and pick the honeysuckle, gently pulling the stem to get the tiny bit of nectar on our tongue.   We picked wild blackberries and ate them on the spot.  We were yet unaware of all the things in our world that would soon prove to kill laboratory rats.  The woods were filled with tics, red bugs, spiders, and more but we rarely encountered any problems.  We did come across snakes a few times, but always outran them.  We loved catching Daddy Long Legs and fireflies.  We would sit and dig in the sandy soil and find shark’s teeth.  Over time we would fill several small jars with them. We were always filled with awe as we thought that our homes were once covered with water and sharks.

We had a small store not far from our neighborhood.  It was also home to the post office.  Close by there was a fresh vegetable stand.   We would go with Carol’s mom and spend our meager allowance a couple of times a week.  We would often buy a stalk of sugar cane to take home.   After dinner we would sit in Carol’s yard looking across at the river,  pulling the husk away and chewing on the canes to get the sweet sugary juices.   Another favorite treat was Pepsi and peanuts.  After drinking just a little of the Pepsi, we would each pour half of the bag of peanuts into our bottle.   The trick was to get all the peanuts out before you finished the Pepsi.

When people ask about childhood memories, I don’t often have many fond ones to share.  Alcoholism, abuse, abandonment, fear, and sadness were all things that filled my house.  Moving to that small neighborhood and finding Carol and her family was the greatest treasure and salvation of my childhood.   Those summer days gave me hope for something more.  Carol and I are still “sister” friends. She moved back to her childhood home after her father died, and  I would go to the house, and sit on the front porch looking out at the river or in ever so familiar living room and share stories of the past.  We would walk around that block we walked so many times before and smile.  We even stopped to pick the honeysuckle from time to time.

Our lives have been filled with parallels including being born in the same hospital and being given the same name. (My name was Carolyn at birth and later changed)  Today, we both live with our daughters, who were born within just a couple of weeks of each other.  We talk every week without fail. Just recently we went to the memorial of an old friend from the neighborhood.  It was held just minutes from our old houses on the Stono River.  We stood together looking out at the river at sunset remembering our days of high tides, honeysuckle, and sugar canes.

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