Building Sandcastles on Hilton Head Island

Across the extensive marshlands that surround rivers and creeks in our area of the Lowcountry, spartina grass turns from brown to a bright, new green in June and is almost submerged by flooding spring tides, illuminated by a full moon. As the tide turns some 12 hours later, the eye is drawn to bands of color: some browns, the bright greens, patches of umber - a Rothko color field painted on nature's canvas.

At nightfall, there are as many animal and bird sounds as one would hear in a jungle. The piercing, forlorn cries of a chuck-will's-widow mingle with the songs of tree frogs, the background noise of crickets, the occasional roar of a bull alligator and an owl's hoot. The chuck-will's-widow's relentless, shrill cries are often mistaken for those of the whip-poor-will but whip-poor-wills seldom visit this still-wild place.

When you live on an Island, you learn to co-exist with nature's creatures: deer, raccoons, the occasional snake, exotic bird life (consider the tall, handsome blue heron which is actually gray), elegant white egrets dressed in exquisite plumage for the mating season; ospreys, bald eagles and of course, the prehistoric alligator.

Recently a 13 foot alligator had to be removed from a large lagoon bordering a public park. The creature had snapped up an errant soccer ball that landed in the lagoon. The soccer ball was lodged in the jaws of the gator, which, in the end, could not be relocated so it subsequently was dispatched to wherever it is that only alligators go. The following is what was found in the creature's stomach: two turtles, a 4-foot alligator, 48 rocks, 53 fishing lures, 2 baseballs, 1 tennis ball, a half-pound of lead sinkers, two other partially digested balls and one beer can. Occasionally a homeowner will find a small gator taking a swim in the family pool, at which time the wildlife officer is called.

Hilton Head is flooded with a tsunami of visitors this summer, happily building sandcastles on the beach, riding bike trails that crisscross the Island, lobbing tennis balls, hitting golf balls, sailing while porpoises trail the boats, crabbing, visiting the Indian Shell Ring that was built 4,000 years ago in the Sea Pines Forest Preserve, eating watermelon - storing never to be forgotten memories of an Island vacation with friends and family.

In the real world of business and real estate activity, our market is recovering quicker than most in the national marketplace. As inventory is declining with short sales and foreclosures being cleared out, there are positive trends such as 77 homes in Sea Pines selling so far this year with an average price of $1,009,007 compared to $863,867 in 2011. Five oceanfront homes have sold, impacting the average price. As mentioned in my blog last month, the upper end of the market is selling again and for a couple of months now, agents have been getting multiple offers on desirable properties, the result of a more balanced market. Appraisers are still often having problems matching value to comparable selling prices as the market keeps moving, resulting in a determined buyer who knows what he wants making a larger down payment if necessary and walking away with the property at a good price and low interest mortgage payments.

Over the years, Hilton Head Island has benefited from The Town of Hilton Head purchasing around 1,100 acres of land on the Island, keeping it from commercial development. Currently, the Island is benefiting from the major infusion of capital improvements and redevelopment at Shelter Cove, Park Plaza, Coligny Plaza and Sea Pines Center. Beaufort County signed off on the Hilton Head Island's Airport expansion project. The master plan calls for a two-phased extension of the 4,300-foot runway to 5,400 feet. The work is designed to ensure the future of commercial and private air service on the Island. The FAA approved the plan last fall. Tree clearing has already begun.