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The sightings could not be predicted; now and then you would hear the familiar noise that the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins make to clear water from the breathing hole and then soon after, one or several of them would try to corner their quarry against the river banks making quite a racket with their tails and fins.

On this cold and windy morning, Elizabeth and I had biked to the isolated western-most side of Kiawah Island and quite by accident discovered the dolphin activity just when the low tide was starting to turn into high tide. As I tried to capture the activity with my small Canon G9 camera, I decided to get closer to where Kiawah River joins the Atlantic Ocean. Moving across several tidal pools parallel to the river banks, I was able to reach a vantage point where a pod of dolphins was making the most out of a collaborative fishing activity.

A human mother and daughter pair who also biked to the area with other members of their family decided to follow me in my quest to get closer to the feeding dolphins. They were an enthusiastic pair but they were soon going to regret their decision to follow me.

We were so totally concentrating on the dolphins that we forgot to keep an eye on the rising tide. A few minutes later, when I tried to return to the point where Elizabeth and the bikes where, I discovered that the tide had already submerged the land bridge that I had used just a few minutes earlier. I ran back and forth along the long but quickly-disappearing sand bank where I was, and decided that there was only one thing to do: I took my shoes and socks off, rolled up my pants and then started to search for a relatively shallow point where I could escape my predicament without having to swim in the cold water.

The mother and daughter pair that had followed me panicked and started to go across the most direct and straight path between them and the couple of other members of their family who stayed behind. They did not take the time to find a shallow point or to take socks and shoes off and as a result, they were completely drenched by the time they got to the other side. Though what I did took extra time and I had to walk further, I was perfectly dry after I replaced my socks and shoes on the other side.

In a warm day, the experience would have not been a big problem, but on this particular morning, the temperature was around 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 Celsius) with very strong and gusty winds that made it feel more like 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 Celsius) or less. As we were biking back to our base with strong (and very cold) head winds, the two women were having a terrible time and were on the verge of hypothermia. They won't do this again!

Watching the dolphins feeding on Kiawah River was just one of the many highlights of this end-of-the-year family trip to Kiawah Island. During our three-week stay in the area, we confirmed that we still have much to see and experience in this amazing and beautiful place. As it was for last year's visit, the main purpose of this trip was to relax and forget about the stresses of life on the fast lane. But there was a bit of every type of experience in store for us this time around.

When Sergio, Elizabeth and I were visiting an art shop in Charleston the day after Christmas, we came across a large photo print of an amazing-looking old tree. The shop owner, who was a very friendly guy, volunteered that the tree in the picture was “Angel Oak”, considered the oldest tree in the United States, east of the Mississippi River - about 1,500 years old.

When our new friend described where the tree is located, we were surprised to discover that it sits on a small state park just a few hundred meters off Bohicket or Main Road that connects John's Island to Kiawah Island; the same road that we always use to reach Kiawah. We had passed it by many times over the years but we had no idea that it was there!

I was so inspired by the beauty and character of this amazing tree, that I decided to dedicate time to go find it and photograph it. The first opportunity came later in the afternoon of Sunday, December, 28, but the day was mostly cloudy with thick, dark gray clouds and isolated rain showers. I was concerned about not having adequate light to get a good image.

The dirt road off Main Road leading to Angel Oak is well marked and at the junction point there is a sign with the daily schedule when the park is open to visitors. In spite of the dirt road, the short distance between the junction and the park makes it possible for any vehicle to get there ok even in rainy, muddy conditions.

The small park is surrounded by a simple chain link fence that permits the park employees to close the property during the off hours. In spite of the low-key and modest facilities (a single small log cabin that serves as gift shop is the only structure in the property) nothing prepares you for what you feel when you are in front of this ancient and majestic living entity!

With grand branches reaching for the sky and many others leveling off and extending across all sides as if reserving its royal place among the other trees, you feel that this tree is somehow capable of relating to you the human history that has transpired ever since it was just a small seedling. That was the time when the Mayas were about to start 300 years of golden civilization and Europeans were just starting the Middle Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire.

And every visitor this day appeared to experience this upmost respect and admiration for this ancient giant that somehow escaped so many irrational human activities across the centuries, any of which could have ended its life and turned it into something as ordinary as a wooden ship, construction material, or just a big firewood pile!

But the human menace is not totally gone for this giant. Though Angel Oak is now recognized as a natural treasure and its small park is now protected by the South Carolina state government, developers in the area would like to see the forest that surrounds the small park converted into a high-density human housing project.

With its surrounding forest gone, Angel Oak would become vulnerable to natural threats that are very common in the area: hurricanes. Biologists and other scientists agree about the interdependency of trees in a forest and how it is a critical factor for survival. This majestic giant without its forest would have its days counted. There is a grass roots movement trying to stop this irresponsible development, if you care to help, please visit Save the Angel Oak and sign the electronic petition.

Unfortunately for me on that day the very dark tones of the tree and the much brighter gray sky behind it created a lighting condition very difficult for the imaging sensor of my camera to handle. I made plans to come back on a different day, different time of day and with more promising lighting conditions.

One other Kiawah trip highlight was a sailing outing from the eastern side of Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island and Bohicket Creek. Under the command of Captain Jack from Captain Jack's Sailing Charters, Elizabeth, Sergio and I enjoyed several hours of lazy sailing around the backwaters and marshes that provide such a rich ecosystem for a variety of animal and plant species in this low country of the eastern United States.

As with our earlier experience on Kiawah River, we saw many dolphins playfully swimming around our ship and many sea birds going about their business among the marshes. Aside from the natural wonders that were on showcase for us during this outing, Capt'n Jack provided much human interest with his personal stories and great background information about the area and its people. He even taught Sergio the very serious business of sailing; lessons that Sergio thoroughly enjoyed and appeared to absorb very quickly.

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