Laurel Greif

Every morning, Laurel Greif and her Rhodesian Ridgeback, Lucy, get up and stretch their legs. Another beautiful day is dawning on Hilton Head Island, and from their home in Sea Pines, they can practically hear the gentle sound of the surf calling to them. Laurel grabs that essential piece of dog paraphernalia, the tennis ball tosser, and they head down to the beach for their morning walk, which has been part of their daily routine for years now.

One day about three years ago, a woman came running excitedly up the beach towards Laurel and Lucy. She had a Viszla, a type of dog with a similar appearance to the Rhodesian Ridgeback, and she thought Lucy was a Viszla also. She soon realized her mistake, but by then the two women had struck up a conversation.

"She said, 'Oh, I like to bring Hunter down here too. Do you want to meet tomorrow at 10 o'clock in the morning?'" recalls Laurel. "As the year progressed, other dog owners would ask what time we met and now our group has grown to four ladies who have dogs, plus one other lady who doesn't have a dog but just likes to walk."

They started meeting earlier and earlier-first at 8, then 7, and now they meet at 6:45-and they make quite a party with their pack of rambunctious dogs. The normal routine is to meet at the Beach Club and walk all the way to the end of Sea Pines and back-a total of about two miles. As is often the case with pet owners, the women derive just as much, if not more benefit from the walk as the dogs do.

"Everybody tells their life stories, and what's going on with them," said Laurel. "We've all gotten involved in each other's lives just from walking on the beach. For us, it's not an aerobic walk at all, it's a social walk."

Though the women rarely see each other outside the context of the beach walk, they have taken a genuine interest in one another and seem to have formed a sort of accidental support group. If one person doesn't show up, everyone else asks where she is and if she's okay. They have seen each other through many of life's day-to-day challenges, as well as more serious concerns such as health issues and even the sudden death of one woman's husband. When Laurel had knee surgery several years ago, another member of the group would come and pick up Lucy so that she could continue to go on the morning walk. Now one of the other ladies has had back surgery and Laurel has pitched in to lend the same helping hand.

Laurel came to live permanently on Hilton Head Island in 2004, though she had been coming on vacation for many years. Last May, she and her husband bought Le Cookery, a kitchen store in Wexford Village. She enjoys her work and relishes the pleasures of living near the beach.

"It's definitely very calming," said Laurel, who takes great pleasure in observing nature's rhythms on the seashore. "Right now we're watching for turtle nests; other times of the year we see dolphins just about every morning. In the fall there are the little baby horseshoe crab shells that wash up, and sometimes we pick them up because one lady likes to give them away as souvenirs. It's just something that you look forward to every morning."


Up Close

Hometown: Perry, Iowa Family includes: Chuck, husband of 36 years; children Judson, 29, Clinton, 25, and Alexandra, 24 Hobbies: reading, sewing, and shopping First dog: Beagle named Snoopy Favorite kitchen gadget: a wire whisk with little ball bearings on the end; "I swear it makes pancakes lighter." What she'll be remembered for: her patience, sense of humor, and the good job she did raising her kids