A crane glides to a landing mere yards from me. A Canadian snow goose bobs just a few feet from the shoreline. The morning air is crisp. A chorus of birds fills the air with surround sound. The glass top of the pond that sits within casting distance of my back porch reflects the palette of the rising sun.
For two years, my wife and I have immersed ourselves in the resort-like beauty of our back porch in the house we have rented in Sumter, South Carolina. This is one of the newer additions in town, and we were blessed to be able to rent it. Our house was built in the late 00’s. The main draw for this neighborhood is that it has a large, S-shaped pond that covers approximately twenty acres. Houses line the banks of the pond. We had an inside connection through a friend who was friends with the land lord. The house was coming available at exactly the time we were moving.
I have vacationed on the Outer Banks in a three story beach house that sat right on the shore. I’ve been to the Bahamas, the Jordan River and a resort on the Persian Gulf. Those places are all amazing. But I have enjoyed my time on this back porch every bit as much as those. You don’t have to travel far to have an amazing trip. In this case, it’s taking a few steps out my back door with a cup of coffee in my hand.
Ken May 