By Carol Lucas
When my late husband and I moved to Beaufort in 1998, I truly believed we had created a new life in a place as close to heaven as one might achieve. We had become familiar with the Lowcountry when we started vacationing on Hilton Head Island in the early 80s, renting homes every summer in Palmetto Dunes, many on the ocean.
After seven or eight years, we simply knew this was where we would retire. Coming from the Pittsburgh area that claims 69 total days of complete sunshine, we were captivated. Initially, our thoughts were to settle on Hilton Head, but after some exploration of places nearby, we decided that a small town, much like the kind where we both had been raised as children, better suited us.
To be certain that we were making the right decision, in 1995 we both took sabbatical leaves and spent a month on Harbor Island. If we had any doubts, they were swept away during that month when we explored Beaufort and the surroundings.
I have never regretted that move. We lived 35 years in suburban Pittsburgh where we both taught high school – he, chemistry and I, English. Sadly, my husband lost his battle with leukemia in 2001, and when many friends from Pennsylvania asked whether or not I planned to return, I knew I would not, weather notwithstanding. I simply loved this place and all it had to offer.
Furthermore, I had made wonderful friends who were my support system as I grieved my loss. I tell you this because what follows may seem on the surface a condemnation of the town I love to call home. Instead, I ask you to think of what I am about to propose as a “wish list.”
At 80 years of age, I know the truth in the saying that there is nothing more sure than change. Change is very hard, especially as we grow older and more set in our ways. When I hear many lamenting the influx of people as well as new business establishments, I recall my late husband’s comment early on that, “Now that we are here and settled, those other damned Yankees should stay away.”
Of course, he didn’t mean it; the man didn’t have a mean bone in his body. That was simply his idea of humor. I often wonder what he would say now, 22 years later. So yes, while the atmosphere of Beaufort is taking on subtle changes, I think that “small town” flavor is, thankfully, still intact. What I am about to suggest won’t dilute that flavor but rather, I believe, enhance it. And so we come to the crux of this article, my wish list.
I am unabashedly a lover of good Italian food. My favorite dishes include just about anything, with veal Marsala topping the list. When I visited North Boston, an enclave for truly spectacular Italian cuisine, I couldn’t get enough. Even walking the streets and absorbing the smells wafting from so many restaurants was a treat. I did discover Ombra on Hilton Head, but I’m saddened that I should have to drive that far for authentic Italian. So make the addition of the perfect Italian restaurant, here in Beaufort, No. 1 on my list.
No. 2 is a plea for the return of an indoor movie theater. At one time, we had two, one on Lady’s Island and one on Robert Smalls. Great movies are still being made, and wouldn’t it be wonderful if we didn’t have to drive to Bluffton to see the latest. I find it a bit ironic that we host a film festival every year, an event that draws many, but we don’t have a movie theater.
I fully recognize that with COVID came the closing of many public facilities, but the reality is that we lost both theaters before that. Some may respond that we have a Drive-In nearby. Sorry, but this woman prefers the comfort of a seat inside as opposed to that in her car. Please, please bring back one of our theaters.
And then there is No. 3: the establishment of a really fine bakery with the most exquisite offerings to be had. Bakeries seem to come and go here, and I’m not exactly sure why they “go.” Anytime I was ever in one, it seemed to be highly patronized. And yes, I know the higher end grocery stores do offer decent pastries, but most of these are delivered from out of town and baked in the store, as opposed to actually making them from scratch right in the facility. Walking into a bakery where the latter is taking place, with the surrounding smells that drew you there, is a treat above and beyond picking up a cardboard box, or God forbid, a plastic container filled with so-called delicacies.
No. 4 on my list, unfortunately comes after the fact; in other words, too late. On Lady’s Island, we watched Publix relocate across the Sea Island Parkway from its original location. The lot sat empty for years; rumors were rampant, and there was the issue of tree removal, something very meaningful to many of us.
Much conjecture and supposition was offered as to what would be built there. Many of us fell into line with the drum beat of Trader Joe’s, Trader, Joe’s! At one point we were told Harris Teeter. “Good grief,” said we who craved a Trader Joe’s; “Harris Teeter is simply another Publix.” Then all went quiet and the lot continued to sit empty, giving us hope that maybe, just maybe, Harris Teeter was out of the mix. No such luck. I still repeat my mantra occasionally, silently asking for a Trader Joe’s in Beaufort before I depart this earth.
And now to my fifth wish. I have saved what most will see as trivial for the last. Every time I navigate Sams Point Road and have to turn left onto Sea Island Parkway, I grit my teeth. This is especially true if I am back in line farther than five cars. Will someone pleeezzze reset that directional light to accommodate more than five cars passing through.
I have sat and counted just about every time I am there, and truly, five is the max. It may be even fewer if someone up front is asleep at the wheel. By then frustrated souls go careening through on the yellow arrow in hopes that they won’t be mowed down in this challenge. There are plenty of us coming from the direction of Sams Point, and I think that light merits an adjustment.
And so concludes my wish list. I am the first to admit that every one of these ranks as a first-world problem. And while I readily recognize that I live in a place closely approximating Nirvana, even the Garden of Eden had its drawbacks, especially if you revile snakes as I do.
I have no idea who the decision makers are that might move my wish list along, but if you are out there, please know I would love to go to dinner at a top notch Italian restaurant and take in a movie here in Beaufort. That would be right after I stopped at the bakery to buy some goodies for the next day. And all that activity would take place, assuming I made it through that miserable light at the corner of Sams Point and Sea Island Parkway.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
