Showers of Stars Fell Over Hilton Head Island

Adding to the excitement of the holiday season were meteor showers!  As the Earth crossed the orbital Temple-Tuttle bits and pieces from this comet burned up as Leonid meteors in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

The Leonid shower produces some of history’s most spectacular displays.  Many islanders, as well as other earth-bound creatures, were up early to witness the event. The showers are easily observed over Hilton Head, unlike cities where tall buildings and an abundance of lights block the stars.

Holiday productions such as “The Nutcracker” enchanted viewers; Christmas parties were in abundance.  One in particular creates a special ambience each year.  It is hosted by Kate and Russ Keep, popular, long-time islanders who enjoy entertaining.  In some homes it is easy to see “pride of place” manifested in the way things are done, as well as great attention paid to detail.

For this annual party, guests entered a private courtyard through large wrought iron gates decorated with entwined vines of colored Christmas lights.  A stroll past blazing torches led into a home decorated with live greenery: greenery swags caught with red bows at windows, a large beautifully decorated Christmas tree, a fire burning in a fireplace lined with antique metal fire plates depicting scenes of gaiety.  The plates reflect the heat out into the room, an important feature before central heating.  Servers offered champagne and later, passed trays of hors d’oeuvre.

Even a cursory look at this home tells the viewer that the owners are incurable collectors.  World travelers, they have a fascinating collection of treasures:  Flemish tapestries hang on walls; antique furnishings add a soft, burnished glow.  There is a Tuscany wine-tasting room complete with stucco-swiped walls and old wooden ceiling beams; a statue of Bachus, the Roman God of wine, looking down from high in a corner with his horns and hoofed feet.  In the center of the room is a “wine jail,” a wrought iron Spanish-looking safe holding a gross of bottles under lock and key. 

On the rear patio, pine logs burned popping and shooting up sparks from a Chiminea, warming the crisp but still mild air.  Guests like to gather here, under the stars, near a Koi pond and a bubbling waterfall.  Beyond is a natural wooded area and a mature stand of Black Bamboo.  Later, after a sumptuous buffet featuring fried turkey, Kate played her mother’s Baby Grand piano, which she learned to play as a young girl.  When guests finally departed they were filled with Christmas spirit!

International travel is impacting the United States.  The National Association of Realtors Global Research Report for 2012 reports that international buyers purchased $83 billion dollars of U.S. real estate last year.  Hilton Head has been a prime destination for international travelers for many years.  We’ve had many buyers of island properties from other countries, especially England.  The island is a top destination for Canadians who comprise our Number 1 market in sales to international buyers.  Sales are up 24 percent of international sales, up from 11 percent in 2007.

Nancy Kemeny was on-island from London, England before Thanksgiving.  Her husband, Tom, stayed in their London home to attend to business while Nancy enjoyed their Hilton Head home, which they have owned for many years.  The family later met at another home in Barbados for Christmas.

Dana and Diederik Advocaat, accompanied by their teenaged sons Alexander and William flew from their home in London, England to spend the holidays on Hilton Head.  The family usually vacations here in the summer and has for many years.  They plan to retire here.

Katherine and James Kapps enjoyed their second “retired” Christmas in their beachside home.  Long-time property owners, they moved to the island from northern Virginia.   Their close friends, the Shirley Beavers, have also moved here and live a couple of houses away from the Kapps!  Katherine Kapps’s sister, Jeannie Lawrence and her husband, Mike, live not far away.  They moved from their Nashville, Tennessee home many years ago to enjoy the island lifestyle.  In the “small world” department, Jeannie’s childhood friend from their early days growing up in Greensboro, N.C., Andy Sonfield and her husband, Bob, live on the same street as Jeannie and Mike!

Bloomberg Business reports that home prices climbed more than forecast in October, indicating a rebounding real-estate market that will bolster the U.S. Economy for the first time in seven years.  On Hilton Head we’re still seeing cash buyers coming into the market, purchasing big-ticket properties as well as lower priced inventory.  One of the most popular price ranges appears to be the $500,000 range but $3 million to $6 million isn’t unusual either.  Regardless of who is buying or what the price is, the purchaser finds the restorative power of Hilton Head an added bonus.