Something this morning led me to try to find the old beachhouse my aunt and uncle owned in Garden City, SC. A minute or two of poking around map sites led me to this picture of it.

This imagery was taken pre-1989, as the Kingfisher Inn is still there. As a kid, that Kingfisher Pier was like the end of civilization. I spent a lot of summer days making that walk.

Hurricane Hugo swept the Kingfisher into the sea in 1989. The Pier at Garden City replaced it soon afterward. It was a sunny morning on April 17, 1998 that I proposed to Kelly next to that new pier.

The beachhouse itself was sold a few years back, my uncle and aunt have moved away, and another hurricane may once again lay claim to that pier. In spite of all that, the memories will always be there.