Sweetgrass

"Until fairly recently, the coastal region of islands, marshes, placid rivers and oak-shaded roads had seen relatively little change — but now change is widespread, often overwhelming and sometimes devastating."

 — The National Trust for Historic Preservation

March is a moody time of year in the Lowcountry. On any given day, seemingly by whim, the weather is balmy and sweet-smelling and can lure reluctant smiles from the hopeful who dream of cool, tart drinks on steamy afternoons, creamy white magnolia blossoms and scented offshore breezes. Then overnight, everything can change. With a sudden gust of cold wind, winter will reach out with its icy grip to draw a foggy curtain over the gray marsh.

Mama June Blakely had hoped for an early spring, but she was well seasoned and had learned to keep an eye on the sky for dark clouds. A leaden mist hovered close to the water, so thick that Mama June could barely make out Blakely's Bluff, which stretched out into the gray-green Atlantic Ocean like a defiant fist. A bittersweet smile eased across her lips. She'd always thought it a fitting symbol of her family's turbulent history with the sea ... read full excerpt from: Sweetgrass ebook