We're Still Here!!!!

We made it gang!!!! The apocalypse came and went and apparently bypassed us altogether!! Of course that's a good thing because I sure would hate to have bought the few Christmas presents I have managed to get so far and not be able to deliver them due to the end of the world!! Seriously, though, it is another example of the things that endure throughout the ages even though they might not always be exactly accurate. And - I guess I'd better 'fess up ... there were a couple of inaccuracies in some of the recent posts. I'll try to correct them as I can but let me start off with two. The other day we mentioned that there were twenty known "Shell Rings" along the southeastern coast. Wellllllll ... turns out there are at least twenty four recorded in the literature of the National Park Service and very likely more. In our post yesterday we mentioned the interesting young man we met during our visit to Coosaw Island. Well, during our conversation he mentioned that there have been several other landowners in the area who have reported that other shell rings have been found and that many have been dug up by land developers. He said that when they first moved to the island they found numerous Native American artifacts around their property. Who knows if we will ever be able to accurately determine how many of these structures were built and where. As you may recall, the Green Shell Enclosure was dated from about 1350 A.D. and the Sewee site we saw is thought to have begun some 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. Interestingly, there is also an active archaeological dig in western South Carolina (known as the "Topper" site) where they have already definitively dated some artifacts back as far as 16,000 to 20,000 years ago - and - have found other clearly human-manufactured items in organic material that dated back to about 50,000 years ago. I have had the good fortune to attend several meetings with Dr. Al Goodyear, the lead archaeologist at the Topper site and he is a truly exceptional scientist!  Work still continues at the site but, clearly, folks have been around the Palmetto State for quite a spell! Bottom line is - we obviously do not know nearly as much about shell rings or the cultures of our Native American ancestors as we originally thought. We'll keep working on it. But even more recent events are open to interpretation. (Or mis-interpretation as the case may be.) The other day I noted that Cordillo Lucas Deaylion established one of the first settlements in what is now South Carolina. Well, I think I combined some names with that entry. Although the English claim that their countryman, John Cabot, first came here in 1497, recorded history indicates that Francisco Gordillo was first, arriving here from Santo Domingo in 1521. Five years later Lucas Vasques de Ayllon did establish a settlement here that lasted five years. I suppose the name I used was merely a distorted combination of the two Spanish names. I'm sorry if I misled anyone.

And .... when we were at Coosaw Island I said I was going to post one of Linda's videos.  Well ... the techno-gremlins jumped on me again and I was not able to get that video posted.  I'll keep trying though!!! We will be back with some final notes about our trip soon but until then - stay ready!!  See ya.