South Carolina – Page 20 – TheWriteBoat Blog

Clay Rice. By day, he’s a world renown silhouette artist, a talent passed onto him by his grandfather and father. By night and weekends, he’s pursues his passion of music. Oh, and when time permits, he enjoys writing children’s books. Truth be known, each of his songs also tells a story. Clay grew up on the waters of the South Carolina Lowcountry. His song, The Jon Boat, tells the story of an old jon boat, and the role it played in three generations of men in his family. You’re My Island, tells of his love for his wife.

Poet, Carl Sandburg described Clay’s grandfather as, “the world’s greatest silhouettist.” Author, Pat Conroy, described Clay as “a great talent who combines soul with passion.” Those of us fortunate enough to know Clay, would describe him as simply a great husband, father, and friend that has been blessed to be a very talented man with his priorities in place and his feet planted firmly on the ground.

If you’re going to be in the Charleston area next Saturday, May 26, plan to catch Clay in concert at the Isle of Palms Marina.

My first visit to historic Shem Creek was in the spring of 1983. The Charleston Chamber of Commerce was recruiting me to merge three local tourism promotion organizations into a single, full service convention and visitors bureau. The chamber’s tourism manager and I met at R.B.’s Rusty Pelican for lunch. In 1983, R.B.’s was a building approximately 20′ x 50′, with outdoor seating at picnic tables on a rickety old dock. The fried shrimp were great and the Bud was ice cold. Today, R.B.’s is probably the largest restaurant on the creek, but the shrimp platter is still great and the Bud still as cold as ever.

Today, great seafood and the ambiance make Shem Creek a prime destination for locals and visitors, alike. No visit to Charleston or Mount Pleasant, is complete without at least one meal “on the Creek.” And by the way, don’t forget your camera. Boats. Shrimp boats. Dolphins. kayakers. Paddle boarders. People. Sunsets. On Shem Creek there’s always something to photograph.