Naturally Kiawah Magazine Volume 31 | Page 48

52 # Embracing the Use of Native Plants - Jane Ellis 53 No. A Love Affair with Kiawah There is so much to love about Kiawah. Those spectacularly beautiful beaches, particularly at low tide. Or how about the views from the Marsh Point Lookout Tower? Can anything beat that seemingly endless marsh that changes by the hour? What about a peaceful row in a kayak on Cinder Creek around sunset? All those places are pretty terrific and there are so many more on the Island, but my favorite spot on Kiawah is something new. It is a park bench in the Kiawah Conservancy’s beautiful Naturally Kiawah Demonstration Garden recently completed in Night Heron Park. It’s the bench on the west end of the garden, the one with a plaque that reads “Pamela Winthrop / In Loving Memory / From Friends and Family.” Pam was my wife for 30 years. Together, we began a love affair with Kiawah nearly 25 years ago. Though I am sad she will not be able to spend the next 25 years with me enjoying all the natural beauty that Kiawah has to offer, I will visit that bench often and enjoy wonderful memories of a very special person in a very special place. - Bruce Stemerman