<h3>By Lee Scott</h3>
It is that time of year again. The quiet time between Christmas and Easter. The Christmas decorations are safely put away except for those few you missed. It is not time yet to think about unpacking all those ceramic Easter bunnies and Easter baskets. There are no visitors stopping by on their way north or south and the kids are in school. Now is the time for the long-awaited winter’s walk on the beach. To me, there is nothing more relaxing than our beach, especially when the only people you see out there are locals. &nbsp;

&nbsp;The last walk I took out at Hunting Island State Park was early in December. It was right after the Full Cold Moon or Super moon as it was called. Brandy, my canine companion, and I went out one morning and left behind the Thanksgiving leftovers, the unopened containers of Christmas decorations along with the unaddressed Christmas cards. We watched that morning as the sun rose up over the horizon. There were no clouds and the sunlight on the water sparkled. The tide was very high, and the waves were spectacular. I did not want to leave it was so beautiful.

There were only a few people at the park with me and Brandy that morning.&nbsp; The beach was very quiet because the Thanksgiving visitors had gone home, and the Christmas company had not arrived. She was the one that got tired before me. “Come on, Mom” she seemed to say as she tugged on her leash. “We have things to do and treats to eat.”&nbsp;

Driving out of the park, I realized how much work had been completed since Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Irma. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, the accomplishments so far have been astonishing. Regardless, it is the beach that beckoned me that day and even more now. This is the time of year when we get some warm beautiful days. There are very few visitors and the tourist season has not started. The only people out there are those of us who want to sit on the sand, maybe get our feet wet, and just admire the scenery.&nbsp;

I met a woman from Columbia recently and she said, “You are so lucky to live here in Beaufort. Everyday there is something else beautiful to admire — the flowers, the marshes, and the moss hanging from the live oaks.”

“Oh, you are so right,” I replied. “But you should really come back and visit in the summer when you can enjoy our beach too.”

We do not have to give away all our secrets, now do we?