Sunrise on Beaufort SC
All the locals love "The Chocolate Tree" in Beaufort. I met Gene Green, whose mother Pat started the business.
Gene Green
Remember the line "Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get" from Forest Gump? Well, Tom Hanks endeared himself to this community and he loved this place. But the price to have their logo appear on the box in the movie was too high. So Tom bought chocolate here and they put it in the box of a big national chocolate seller to appear on the screen.
I was like - well - a kid in a candy store. Some truths are just self-evident I guess. Anyway, there are windows to all the rooms in the back of the store so you can watch everything being made. Lorine Campbell was wrapping chocolate Easter eggs.
Lorine Campbell
There are hundreds of styles of chocolate molds and a huge variety of chocolate wafers ready to be melted down by the do-it-yourself choclateer.
It brought back fond memories as my mother had a small bakery when I was young, and molding chocolate was a big task during holiday seasons.
And, as much as Tom Hanks endeared himself to this community while shooting "Forest Gump," locals say Barbara Streisand distanced herself while shooting "The Prince of Tides." A favorite story is when Barbara called the local military base and demanded to speak with the person in charge. She then vented that she could not concentrate with the noise of the military jets passing overhead. The officer assured her that it would be taken care of, then ordered that jets buzz her house at 4 am.
A neat thing in Port Royal - the city put in a covered and lit park for skate-boarders. I met a fellow named "A.J." who was skating there.
A.J.
A.J. recently spent a month surfing in Southern California. He liked it so much that he returned to Beaufort determined to earn the money needed to move to California permanently. He skate-boards to stay is surfing form.
This time of year is amazing. Places I drove by two days ago are suddenly in bloom. Overnight these Azaleas blossom - it looks like it is going to be an amazing spring. The design of this picket fence is kind of neat too.
Have a great Tuesday !!
David
If you can contribute a few bucks to help get the foundation started and help with this journey, Click Here. To contact me, click Here.. Thanks for your interest and support !!
