I think sometimes my friends don’t know what to do with me. I talked them into what I thought would be a sweet, gentle walk in the woods but it turned into a major hike that led down to nice waterfall on the Chague River in South Carolina. After walking along a flat woody trail for a few minutes, we suddenly realized we were heading downhill in a major way, and that always means at some point we have to come back up hill!

But the area at the falls was really sweet with a sandy beach, and I think I may have redeemed myself some. Here’s Anne with her dog Holly.

I could imagine spending a lazy summer afternoon on this river wading in the water and I would not give a single thought to the presence of copper heads or other things that could hang out along the shoreline in warmer weather. . . Yikes! I’ve just scared myself. So, I’ll change the subject!

There is plenty of trout in this river and some are Brown Trout, which I love seeing because they are native to the area. This means that they were originally here and not added like rainbow trout.

We always stand amazed at the beauty of this corner of South Carolina. People often ask me if I ever want to return to Atlanta and the answer is a complete “no!”

Chippy agrees. Nothing makes him happier than a walk near a river . . . Unless he has a chance to visit his cows. He’s such a cute cowdog!

And here’s beautiful Cocoa, who is a little older but still strong enough to pull me along these rocky trails. I love this dog!

This is actually a class VI rapid when the water is rushing over the falls, but you won’t catch me with a kayak trying to paddle it!

An old grist mill was once located here, but it has been gone many years. The only trace of evidence that it was once here are the bolts that remain in the rock above the falls.

We did find a lost sock. Thus, adding to our collection of lost things that were found by our dogs!

This little flower always makes me smile. It’s Trillium Sessile, which is  the botanical name for the Red Toad Trillium. I love seeing it in the woods in early spring and into summer.  It grows in climate zones three through nine and does really well in full shady areas and gardens. It can get up to a foot tall, when fully grown can spread and become at least a foot wide. I just think it is pretty cool! It will live and adapt to all different kinds of soil conditions. That’s a good thing!

It grows back every year and the blooms last for up to three weeks. I’ve read that the plants make a great addition to all gardens and any natural areas where they are planted. Plus, they are easy to care for and maintain. Mmmmm, I may need to add them to landscape of the cottage beneath one of the trees. (smile)

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