News You Can Trust

By David Crawford

‘Empty’ Folly Police Cruisers Actually Transformers

FOLLY BEACH, SC— If only to quit hearing the complaints of cop-less cruisers, FBPD blew the cover on their new ‘Transformer’ units.  They wanted to keep them a secret, but too many people wanted actual cops in the cars.  FBPD released a statement explaining that they “were not budgeted to hire more human cops, however necessary they may be, and that the Transformers were a loophole in the spending process to get more units out there.”

Folly Beach To Re-Nourish Beach In October 2057

FOLLY BEACH, SC— Merriam and Webster define a Barrier Island as being, ‘a long broad sandy island that lies parallel to a shore that is built up by the action of waves, currents, and winds and that protects the shore from the effects of the ocean.’  Our little barrier island, Folly Beach, the one that saves the major metropolitan area of Charleston, SC, every time a hurricane seriously poses a threat, needs to be saved.  And our Country’s 2013 budget only allocated 2.2% of the needed funds to re-nourish the erosion that happened to the beach last year during Hurricane Irene.  If we can just snag that each time out we’ll be all set for re-nourishment in October, 2057.

Study Shows Majority Of Those Who Celebrated 4/20 Still Celebrating One Week Later

BERN, SWITZERLAND– Swiss scientists released a study today that suggests those who celebrated ‘4/20’ as a personal holiday are still carrying on the celebration in pretty much the same manner one week later, with no signs of stopping or slowing the party.  The year long observational study started last week and will continue until 4/20/2013 when most in the study, at least according to the Swiss scientists hypothesis, will still be celebrating the previous year’s ‘4/20’ holiday.

Local Woman, Enraged By Cars That Roll Through Stop Signs and then Stop In The Crosswalk While Waiting to Turn Starts Ramming Into Them With Bicycle

FOLLY BEACH, SC— Area simpleton and cable expert Alex Hunter recently expressed frustration with a recent trend on Folly, in which drivers disregard the crosswalk in front of a stop sign, simply rolling through and then waiting in the crosswalk for traffic to clear.

“I mean, pissed,” she said, explaining her level of anger.  “I can’t stand this crap anymore.  Why even have the crosswalk?”

Hunter, however, fancies herself as a ‘fixer’ instead of a ‘complainer’.

“You know what I’ve started doing?” she asks, chuckling while staring at the inch-long ash formed on her cigarette.  “I just ram right into ‘em…BOOM! Right like that. Yeah, I’ve done it 3 or 4 times now.  They all look at me like I’m crazy.  And don’t get me wrong, I feel crazy when I do it…but hey, someone’s gotta keep things in line around here.”

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By Capt. Geoff Bennett

Wonderful sunny weather has continued day after day, making for awesome fishing conditions. With all this warm weather, it’s no surprise that our fishery is 4-6 weeks ahead of schedule. The water is teeming with bait and even a few sharks are already cruising around. Expect April to be a fantastic month of fishing.

While redfish remain in large schools, they have begun to break up as the water warms. These fish have left survival mode and become predators again. Over the last few weeks, redfish have been finicky with artificial baits. On some days, paddle tail grubs as well as jerk shad of any color failed to elicit a bite.

When redfish are picky, a great solution is to throw chunks of freshly cracked blue crab. This is simply redfish candy and bait that is rarely refused. Redfish have been hitting the crab before it even touched the bottom in the past week, and in some cases, even as we were retrieving the bait. I use size 3/0 circle hooks and put the hook through the bottom flipper hole once I have ripped off the legs. Put the rod in the rod holder and don’t pick it up until the reel is screaming!

The trout bite should really begin in earnest this April. With water temperatures so warm, it’s hard to believe they won’t become aggressive feeders before too long. The preferred rig of live bait under a popping cork is hard to beat. Live shrimp is now available and will give you another option than mud minnows. It’s a good idea to start carrying your cast net and see if you can find some finger mullet. Finger mullet under a cork is just deadly.

With redfish being choosy about artificial plastic lures, they have acted the same towards flies. However, this hasn’t stopped us from having some great days. Focus on fishing around low tide when the fish are out of the grass and easier to target. If you do fish on higher tides, make sure your flies have a good weed guard like a piece of heavy monofilament line. The copperhead fly in rootbeer color has been producing well for us recently.

See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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The 5th Annual Charleston International Film Festival (CIFF) presented by Charliewood Pictures, will kick off Opening Night on April 11 at the Sottile Theatre. A reception with Mayor Riley will begin the evening from 5-7 p.m., with Sundance Award winning film ‘Robot and Frank’ immediately following.

Films of all lengths and genres will be showcased from the Lowcountry and across the globe at Sottile Theatre and Cinebarre, including an outdoor screening under the stars. There is also a screenplay competition, nightly after-parties, and an awards gala.

This year, CIFF is working in cooperation with Mark Bryan and Carolina Studios to announce a “Stuff the Music Bus” art supply drive in support of Yo Art! Carolina Studios provides at-risk students with a creative outlet outside of the public school system by giving them the opportunity to write and record their own original compositions in their Charleston-based studio on wheels, allowing for a natural organic cooperation between the groups. Yo Art provides children living in public housing and attending Title One schools the opportunity to explore their aptitude in the arts by ensuring that they have access to the proper art supplies, and education to do so. The group is working in eight public schools that are predominately in low income districts and they are filling the gap where funding has diminished for art related education.

“Our programs expand on the arts by relating to global and local issues such as recycling, good nutritional habits and community service,” says Gene Furchgott, founder of Yo Art.

Local artist Douglas Panzone will also be on site painting a street mural live during the festival. In addition, the SC Film Commission presents the Young Filmmakers Project on Saturday April 14, at 11 a.m. at the Sottile Theatre. The Young Filmmakers Project gets kids out into state parks across S.C., learning creatively through media arts.

“The union between Yo Art, Carolina Studios, SC Film Commission and the Charleston International Film Festival is the perfect collaboration to expose at risk kids and teens to traditional art, music, and film and we are proud to be a part of it.” says Ron Krauskopf, Marketing Director for CIFF..

The Carolina Studios Bus will be parked outside of the theater each day during the festival, April 11-15, and will be available for people to tour and admire. It will be parked outside the theaters at these specific times: Sottile Theater: Wednesday & Friday 5-7PM, Saturday 11AM-7PM. Cinebarre: Thursday 5-7PM, and Sunday 11AM-5PM.

Get a glimpse of the bus at CarolinaStudios.net. Anyone leaving art supplies behind during their bus tour will receive a coupon for $5 admission to any CIFF film block throughout the festival. Please provide only newly-purchased art supplies.

Tickets for CIFF are available online at CharlestonIFF.com or by contacting the CIFF office at (843) 817- 1617. Price per screening block is $10.00, but special promotions and giveaways will be done through CIFF’s Facebook & Twitter pages. Festival passes are available good for access to all screenings, panels and parties (excluding the awards dinner) for $99.

For more information on Yo Art go to YoArtInc.org. For more information on Carolina Studios go to CarolinaStudios.net. For more information on the Young Filmmakers Project and SC Film Commission go to FilmSC.com. 

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On a perfect St. Patrick’s Day Saturday on Folly Beach, Charleston SUP Safaris and Flipper Finders hosted the First Annual Shamrock SUP Race, raising $600 for Pet Helpers and the Emerson Rose Heart Foundation. Congratulations to division winners Caroline Rossi, Bubba Catoe, Sammi Arnold, and Tyler Cross.

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Boating is a popular pastime for many Lowcountry residents.

Imagine yourself relaxing on a boat in harbor, being lulled into serenity by the motion of the waves. You are taking in all the sights and sounds that our glorious oceans provide. That dream can become a reality.

Since we are fortunate to live near the water, it is easy to make boating an important part of your life. Once you’re out enjoying the water and fresh air, you’ll wonder what took you so long. Whether you like to water ski, fish, sail, or simply sit back and enjoy the ride, saltwater boating is a great way to connect with friends and family. You can spend the entire day on your boat just talking, laughing, and enjoying the beauty of nature.

Other activities that are becoming popular with saltwater boaters include snorkeling and scuba diving. If you are an experienced diver, there simply is no better way to wash away the stress of life than by going into the water and seeing all the nature has in store under the sea.

Saltwater fishing is also an activity for novice and experienced fishing fans alike. The various types of fish that are available in our oceans, the different rods, reels and bait, and the different venues all make this activity available to anyone.

Just in case you have no idea how to navigate a boat, you will find that there are many boats for rent, and many that come complete with a captain, throughout the Lowcountry. From deck boats perfect for entertaining to fishing and skiing boats, you can find boat rentals that will cater to all your boating needs.

Even if you have never been on a boat, you will likely enjoy saltwater boating. Whether you want to fish, swim, and dive, just simply lie on the deck and soak up the sunshine, or rent a charter boat with some of your closest friends to explore the Charleston waters, being out on the clear blue sea has a calming effect that helps to relax you, improve your mood, and even help you to feel healthier.

The next time that you feel life getting you down, just go boating. There are millions of people throughout the world who feel that the only real way to relax is to head to the beach and sail away. I am one of them and hope you sail away on your own adventure very soon.

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A sand sculpting competition is part of the fun at the Folly Beach Sea & Sand Festival.

The 2012 Folly Beach Sea & Sand Festival will take place the weekend of Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25. Center Street will be shut down at 8 a.m. March 24 and the arts, crafts and food vendors and non-profits will open their booths at 10 a.m.

At 11:30 a.m., the street party and live music will get kicked off on the Follywood Stage by Reid Stone and Jeff Davis of Guilt Ridden Troubadour, followed by the Folly Beach Bluegrass Society from 12:50-1:50 p.m., and the Shakin’ Martinis from 2:10-3:10 p.m. Concrete Jumpsuit will close the festival down on that stage from 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Meanwhile on the Chill & Grill Stage (the main stage), Champagne & Friends will get things rolling at noon and play until 12:50 p.m., followed by Weigh Station from 1:10-2:10 p.m., Jupiter’s Garden featuring James Justin Burke from 2:30-3:30 p.m., and Stereo Reform will bring it home from 3:50-5:00 p.m.

The Folly Art Guild will also be holding its Tides of March Festival in the Folly River Park on Saturday.

Sunday the festival will continue with the Folly Wahine Surfing Competition and the Folly Beach Now Sand Sculpting Competition. The day will culminate with the East Coast Party Band concert at the Tides Resort.

This festival is free and open to the public, and there will be nearly 100 street vendors offering arts, crafts, clothing, concessions, children’s games, silent auctions plus much more.

The Folly Beach Sea & Sand Festival is presented by the Folly Association of Business, Follywood Productions and Blue Planet Green Events. More information can be found online at www.follybeachseaandsand.com.

Coordinators for the event are now accepting sponsorship and vendor applications, volunteer sign-up forms, silent auction items, etc.. To donate a gift for the silent auction, sign up as a sponsor or vendor, contact Toni Reale at toni.reale@gmail.com. For more information about the music lineup for this year, contact Ben Bounds at follywoodrocks@gmail.com. To join the Folly Art Guild, contact Andie Weathers at andiew@earthlinnk.net or Kerry Hupp at kerryhupp@bellsouth.net. To sign up for the Wahine Surfing Competition, contact Nancy Hussey at nancy@follywahine.com. To pre-register for the Sand Sculpting Competition, contact Vince Perna at vperna@dunesproperties.com.

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Introduction: The Club provides a forum for the candidates to present their positions to voters and respond to brief written questions. The location is the Community Center and commences at 7 P.M. Tuesday, February 21^st. The Club invites as many of the voters/residents to attend as can fit safely in the room.

Process

The Vice President will give a brief welcome.

The moderator will read the biography and the candidate has no more than 4 minutes to speak. There will be a time keeper

After the speeches there will be a refreshment interval. Snacks and soft drinks will be provided.

On reconvening the moderator will read out a question for the candidate. The candidates have one timed minute to reply.

This process will be repeated until either it is time for the meeting to end or the questions become exhausted.

Rules for Questions:

THERE ARE FIVE (5) CANDIDATES SO TIME WILL BE SHORT. QUESTIONS MUST BE SHORT AND CAPABLE OF SHORT ANSWERS.

• must be LEGIBLE and Signed;
• must be a question not a statement;
• must not be defamatory;
• to be used, the author of a question must be present;

Production of Questions

Email questions received before the meeting and questions deposited in a question box at the library ( 12^th March onwards) or handed in at the door will be reviewed for use. Note cards and pencils will be provided. The question cards will be collected and sorted by Club Volunteers. The same Three (?) questions considered of prime importance to the community, created by the Civic Club, will be asked in random order of each candidate. This will allow voters to compare candidates’ answers to the same question.

THERE WILL BE MORE QUESTIONS SUBMITTED THAN THERE WILL BE TIME TO ANSWER SO PLEASE REALIZE YOUR QUESTION MAY NOT GET ASKED.

Library requirements

The room has to be returned for library use so the audience will be asked to allow the club members to restack the chairs and set out the tables for the next day by 10 P.M

DJ Rich

DJ Rich

Dear Friends and Neighbors-

It has been an honor to serve you on Folly Beach City Council, and I look forward to our bright future together. As your representative, I am constantly working with not only other members of our Council, but elected officials statewide, to ensure Folly Beach has the best present and future possible, while learning lessons from our past. You can’t know where you are going without knowing where you have been, and keeping our rich history and heritage should be a top priority.

We have met many of our goals, and our island is in a great place right now. We are very healthy financially, have a thriving business district, new-look police department, more green space and parks. We updated building codes to lower flood insurance, strengthened our Beach Management Patrol, and brought police dispatch back to Folly Beach. Overall, our City has improved significantly over the past 2 years (please visit VOTETEAMDJ.com for more info), and I look forward to new challenges in the future.

As we work towards these goals, we need input from you. This is your island and your future as well, and we need to hear from you on making our island a better place to live. Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions or concerns (djforfolly@yahoo.com). Your vote for me on April 3^rd will ensure that we keep a cohesive Council, working together without mediation, while keeping Folly’s history alive. Thank you for your time and support. 

Sandy Hickman

Sandy Hickman

I am Sandy Hickman, and I am asking you for your support on April 3rd in my bid for city council. I was born and raised on East Erie, where I currently reside with my husband, Ken. Both my parents, Marcia and Angus Smith, were involved in the Folly community. My father was a Volunteer Fireman and Civic Club member. My mother is known by many as the “Bread Lady” for the Sandbar Restaurant. My daughter, Veronica Bolus, was also born and raised here on Folly and is active in the surfing community. I am a Board Member of the Folly Exchange Club where my, brother, Angus, is also currently the President. I am in the process of retiring so I can devote more time to Folly.

I have seen many changes take place here on Folly Beach. The present Council and Mayor are taking Folly in the right direction. Folly Beach has always been a laid back town and I believe it should remain that way for years to come. In order for this to occur, we all must be respectful and considerate of each other in our community as well as visitors. The stress of the day melts away as I approach Folly. “There’s no place like HOME”! I am available to speak to any and all of my fellow Folly Beachers. I can be reached at 437-0340 or sandi4council@yahoo.com.

Tom Scruggs

Tom Scruggs

My links to Folly Beach are broad and deep. I operated the “Twister” at the old amusement park, and helped run Folly Bingo (later the Islanders Shag Club and now Taco Boy). When I wasn’t working, I was either surfing or listening to awesome bands on the old pier. After graduating from James Island High School, I earned a business degree from the University of South Carolina and served in the U.S. Air Force.

In 2000 my wife Sandy and I became permanent residents of Folly Beach. I retired last March from my career as a human resources and risk management specialist (managing compensation, benefits and training programs, workers compensation and safety, and finding personnel for key positions all over the country). I’ve been working part-time on our Beach Management Patrol, helping to keep our beach and streets litter-free and serving as an “ambassador” for our city.

Our son Matt and his wife live on James Island and our daughter Carla lives in North Carolina with her husband and child. My sister Sandra Boyd lives on Folly Beach and my twin brother Tim lives in Hanahan.

I’m a member of the Folly Beach Civic Club, member/past president of the Islanders Shag Club, an Elder for James Island Presbyterian Church. Sandy and I continue to help with the FB Halloween Carnival and “Save the Light” (Morris Island Lighthouse Preservation).

If you elect me, I’ll put my personnel, finance, and planning experience to good use for Folly Beach.

Sincerely, Tom Scruggs

Eddie Ellis

Eddie Ellis

Hi! I’m Eddie Ellis. Thank-you for electing me two terms. In 2004, I promised to vote no to a property tax increase, and an increase in zoning density. In 2008, again I pledged those promises, and “to work to keep Folly a laid back residential community”. I kept my promises! If re-elected, I promise the same. Therefore, I’m asking for your vote on April 3. Please vote for me!

Serving entails more than simply voting no. I have provided fiscal responsibility and looked out for the taxpayer. In 2007, I reduced the property tax increase by $114,000. I improved the sewer finances by eliminating the $60,000 yearly PILOT, which was draining our sewer reserves. Moving forward, I want to work to establish a utilities capital improvement plan, and an infrastructure reserve. I know the city finances, and I’m confident I can serve to provide fiscal integrity, and work against property tax increases.

Legislation I introduced and passed PROHIBITS any further CONDO DEVELOPMENT, and reduces development density. Other legislation prohibits any further increase in beachfront commercialism, and limits transient vendors in our business district. I REFUSE to let Folly be a CASH COW!

Effectiveness takes working with others. I opposed County Consolidated Dispatch, and worked to overturn it. It took perseverance and cooperation from others to return our dispatchers. I’m experienced, effective, and as a graduate of MASC Elected Official’s Institute, I’m educated. Most important, I can work with mayor, council, and staff. That’s what it takes – and your vote – so please do! Contact : 588-9595 or eddie.ellis@comcast.net.


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Mona and Amy were proud PluffMudders at the end of their tour.

Pulling up to an oyster bank, I polled my guests.

“Who likes mud?” I asked.

Hands from Amy and Mona (9 and 7 respectively) shot into the air. Oyster-covered pluff mud banks cushioned the boat’s landing.

“We’ve got millions of oyster here in the salt marsh, maybe billions,” I told the folks on the boat.

“Snails and oysters are mollusks,” Amy stated.

Wow, I thought. Smart kid.

“Octopi are mollusks, too,” she added.

Amy had me off balance. “Uh…yes, octopus are mollusks, class cephalopoda, phylum mollusca,” I dredged up from my cobwebbed memory.

“Don’t you mean octopi?”

“Yes…Octopi”, I repeated. Just as with my students, I smiled and nodded approval. A sheepish smile on the Dad’s face turned wide. Next, we painted pluff mud onto our cheeks. Pluff mud, made up of clays, silts, and organics, settles and deposits in the low-energy salt marsh environment.

“So…what lives in the water and what do they do?” I asked.

Yes, kids…you just put crab poop on your faces. 

A little later in the trip, Amy, now fascinated with pluff mud, requested half a pail from the exposed bank. I obliged. Soon, in beauty spa style, pluff mud caked both Amy’s and Mona’s cheeks. Pluff mud also found its way onto pant legs, onto boat seats, and into hair. I made available a hand-washing bucket of creek water. Potential pluff mud-printed car seats and couches had the adults talking confiscation. The pluff mud bucket went ashore with Amy and Mona during their Morris Island exploration. Then it returned and rode back to the marina, nestled tightly at Mona’s feet.

At the end of our trip, I held my “awards ceremony”, bestowing the kids with the coveted PLUFFMUDDER title and bumper sticker. Amy and Mona, with partially dried, mud-caked cheeks, graciously accepted their new PLUFFMUDDER statuses. Their Mom, who never actually touched the stuff, received the lesser award: “Mother of a Pluffmudder”. She still got a sticker.

Glancing up from my boat cleaning, I saw my departing guests walking up the gangway. The pluff mud bucket left with them, still swinging on Amy’s arm.

 Captain Anton DuMars, a coastal geologist and 31-year Folly Beach resident, owns and operates Tideline Tours, LLC. To find Anton, please call or text 843-813-2497 or visit http://tidelinetours.com

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Brian Sanders and Woodstock

No, I’m not quite that old, but Woodstock did save me. Woodstock my dog that is, not my hippy experience. Okay, it was both, but let’s start with canine and discuss the hippy experience another day. (The hippy stuff will require a book, not a mere article.)

Between the times of early consciousness until about ten years old, I had a giant German Shepherd named Woodstock. Maybe he seems “giant” in memory now because I’m remembering through the eyes of an adolescent, but Woodstock was a strong, smart and protective dog.

Like most dogs, he was deathly scared of thunder, but oddly enough he also had a morbid fear of water, due no doubt to my grandmother and her infamous garden hose. My grandma used her ‘water cannon’ on children and pets alike, laughing the whole time like Cruella de Vil. Woodstock often fell into her line of fire, probably because he didn’t bother to try to outrun us kids, each of us scurrying north, south, east and west when grandma came running with the water cannon. Poor Woodstock was often left standing like a deer caught in headlights.

During a thunderstorm, Woodstock could only be found under the shed, maybe under my bed if I managed to sneak him inside. I managed to sneak him in during most storms. Maybe “sneak” is a little misleading; my grandparents were okay with him inside, as long as I got him in before he got wet. They loved Woodstock too, but didn’t want a wet dog in the house. He and I were the best of buds, hunkering under my bed while the storms passed.

It was a sweltering evening in the summer of 1970-something, and I was eight or nine years of age. Woodstock and I were on the beach of Folly around the East 4^th Street access. We had jogged from the East 5^th Street access and it was very hot, so I ran into the ocean to cool off. Woodstock didn’t follow any further than to the edge of the surf, but he hovered there as I splashed in the waves. I tried to encourage him to join me in the refreshing waters of the Atlantic, but he was more interested in simply laying his belly on the cool sand and watching me frolic. Suddenly, a big wave sent me head-over-heels and then pulled me some distance out to sea. It was an out-going tide, but not quite a ‘rip-tide’.

When I gathered my bearings and started treading water it was a brief respite. Another massive wave hit me and I was again in a tumble. Fortunately, this wave pushed me toward the shore and I swam as hard as I could, catching the churning backside of the wave, but still fighting the current. Soon I had my footing and was staggering inland, into a big sandbar pool created by the out-going tide. That’s when Woodstock attacked.

He came plowing through the pool like a bull and latched onto my swimming trunks. He began to drag me away from the ocean, and despite my protests, he wasn’t taking no for an answer. I was fighting to keep my trunks on, but by the time we were on dry sand I had managed to regain some control of the situation. Woodstock maneuvered between me and the Atlantic as I dropped to the sand. I pulled my trunks back up and cleared my head of saltwater. He was standing defiantly between me and the ocean and had a very intent look on his face. I knew I was not allowed back in the water. And that was okay with me. I had ocean water, sand and shells up my nose, in my ears, and in places unmentionable. We watched the sky become deep purple and trotted back home.

The second time Woodstock saved me was almost thirty years later.

This Woodstock was a rescue I found on Wadmalaw Island. I was 38 years old then and looking to get a dog. I wanted a Boykin Spaniel, but decided to go with a rescue. A good friend told me of a sweet hound that his neighbor had been feeding and said that I should give the dog a look. So I went for a country drive to look.

My friend’s neighbor had been feeding her for a week or so, leaving a dish of food out for her at night. She was very nervous and he had dubbed her ‘Skinny Minny’. ‘Skittish Minny’ would have been a better description, because she would have nothing to do with humans. Some nincompoop had abused her, not just through neglect but by keeping too tight a chain or rope around her neck. There was a scabby line around her slender neck, devoid of hair. She was a survivor, though, having slipped her noose. She was free but alone. I quickly discerned that she was not just hungry for food, but for kindness and love. I was ready to give her both, knowing I would get a return of both in abundance. Besides, she had the sweetest brown eyes and big, floppy, hound ears. I was already doing “dog talk” with this sweet yet tough puppy, having yet to even touch her.

I had visited the Piggly Wiggly on the way to Wadmalaw and had some pork chops in my truck. After making friends with the pup with a few bite-sized pieces of pork, tossing them to a safe distance between us, I placed a whole pork-chop on the ground a few feet away, securing it to the ground with a tent stake. Then I simply reclined on the ground and waited, ignoring her. She vigilantly sniffed and crept around, very suspicious. Her hunger got the best of her. As she gingerly tugged at the pork-chop, I rolled over and nabbed her. She weighed all of 20 pounds and I just pulled her into my chest. It was easy, especially since she immediately went into a submissive position. She was just a pup, an abused one at that. And she was hungry. I handled her with kid-gloves.

I had come to Wadmalaw Island expecting to maybe take a dog back with me, so I had blankets piled in the passenger seat of the truck. I wrapped her in the blankets and she was as quiet as a mouse–shivering like one too. I tossed the pork-chop she hadn’t eaten back into the cooler and drove home. Half an hour later she was in my living room atop the same blankets and chewing on the pork-chop with gusto, sneaking grateful, yet guarded glances at me.

I decided to name her ‘Woodstock’ for three reasons:

1. She looked like my earlier Woodstock: the same color coat (blond with streaks of black) with four white feet and two big soupy eyes.

2. She reminded me of the bird in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. You know, Snoopy’s best friend, always there to listen, non-judgmental, and ready for any adventure. Is ‘Woodstock’ a male or female? Does it matter?

3. Woodstock is just a cool name.

I’ve been friends with this ‘Woodstock’ for about seven years now, and she has saved my life by enriching it. She has taught me responsibility, much as a nine-year-old child might. That’s about as far as dogs get: a silly, inquisitive little knuckle-head adolescent. In dog years she is in her forties, but in reality she is less than nine. I often awake to find her soupy eyes and wet nose inches from my face. I gotta pee, she is announcing. Well, I gotta also, so I get up.

She is still a little skittish, but nowhere near what she was. I take her to all the bars on Folly that will allow her, and even to some that don’t. She takes it all in stride, nervous at first, but warming-up pretty darn quick. Normally I tether her leash to my chair, but if the bar is rowdy I remove the leash and let her ramble. She seems to do better the drunker the people are, ironic as that seems. I guess she figures a drunk won’t be able to catch her. She never loses track of where I am though, returning often to confirm my presence.

I took her to the Surf Bar one night and had her tethered to my chair. There was an untethered young Rottweiler under a nearby table that kept snapping and growling at her. I wanted to get the owners attention, but couldn’t figure out just who the heck the owner was. Woodstock slunk under my chair as usual, but after a few minutes she did something very unusual. She came out and stood tall. She bolted to the limits of her leash and unleashed a 400-pound barking right in the Rottweiler’s face. I’m not sure what she said, but it was said with passion. I was proud.

The outside deck of the Surf Bar momentarily went silent after her reading of the riot act. The other dog retreated with a whimper. Woodstock promptly took a seat at my feet and turned her soupy eyes up for my approval. She got quite a few pats on her ‘knuckle-head’ that night. Those darned nine-year-olds, sometimes they can’t share the same sandbox; sometimes the bullies get their comeuppance.

Between the two Woodstocks, I’ve always had a pet when I could, and they are all silly nine-year-olds. Well, maybe not cats. Cats are silly too, but they are far too independent to be too silly. Cats allow us to share their world. Sometimes they want to share our world; sometimes they want us to share theirs. ‘Sometimes’ being the operative word. Dogs, however, are ‘all-the-time’ wanting to share.

If you don’t have a silly nine-year old, you should. They will take you off center, keep you somewhat responsible and will always entertain you. Adopt a pet and enrich your life. They are always glad to see you come home, always glad to be invited onto the couch or into your lap, and certainly always glad to go for a W-A-L-K on the shores of Folly.

 For more information contact Brian Sanders at bp.sands1034@gmail.com.

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