Monday, August 7, 2017, started out as just another ordinary day for Cooka Garrett Sells. She worked from home for a few hours and then took a break to run to the dollar store. Her cell phone began to ring in her purse. The news was every mother’s worst nightmare. Her son had been found unresponsive in his home. Twenty-three-year-old Frank Richardson Sells III was pronounced dead at the scene. How could this be? Cooka had just spoken on the phone with him the night before, and everything seemed fine.

Summer is upon us, the time when visitors from around the world see for themselves the beauty and vibrance of the Lowcountry, Hilton Head and the surrounding sea islands.

For the next few months, roads will become more crowded and lines a bit longer, but visitors, we are glad to have you here. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that most of us were visitors ourselves. Still, having lived here for a while, we locals would like to offer some advice on how to make your visit a safe and happy one. Not only will it ensure that you keep coming back for many years to come, but that it is just as beautiful as the last time you came.

The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim and headed straight for a couple who were swimming between their anchored sportfish and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other, and she had screamed, but now they were just standing neck-deep on a sandbar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard toward him. “Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears and screamed, “Daddy!”

There’s something special about the bond a man has with his chair. There is no set time for a man to acquire his chair, and his chair may vary throughout his life. Nonetheless, a man’s chair is a place where many important decisions are pondered and made, both personally and professionally. In history, we can look back to powerful moments put into action from a chair. From his bunker chair, Winston Churchill successfully pondered how to save the free world, and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats eased an entire nation, all from a chair. More iconically is the power kings convey from their thrones and the barking of orders from the director’s’ chair to create great movies. Sometimes the chair itself takes on a best supporting role and becomes a character of its own like Archie Bunker’s famous chair in “All in the Family,” or Martin Crane’s chair in “Frasier.”

Curiously, we wanted to see some of the chairs our local Beaufort County men are attached to, so we went looking for a few good men. We did a good job finding them, and not only did they have a favorite chair, but a lot of heart, as well!

Dear Carrie, My 17-year-old daughter has her first summer job with a reasonable salary.
To me, this is a great opportunity for her to start saving and realizing the power of
compound interest. What’s your advice on how to explain that to her? —A Reader

Dear Reader, I agree this is a great opportunity for your daughter to start saving—and the power of compound interest is one of the primary reasons as you suggest. A key factor in compounding is time, and at 17 your daughter has plenty of time to watch her savings grow. Plus, while interest rates have been very low for the past 10 years, they’re starting to rise and that can help even a beginning saver see some results.

Nautical women’s history, while perhaps an obscure thread, is enough to inspire any bold female heart. Who doesn’t feel a thrill thinking about adventure on the high seas, or the sunny freedom of the cruising life? Legendary lady sailors astonish us with their bravado.

In the 1500s “Irish Pirate Queen” Grace O’Malley commanded hundreds of men and a fleet of ships against the British Crown to protect the independence of her homeland. At a time when women were mostly confined to traditional roles, she is said to have commandeered a Turkish ship the day after giving birth. Popular history remembers her for political shrewdness, audacity and seafaring skill that surpassed the men of her clan.

The roots of the Gullah culture run deep, like those of the sprawling live oak in the center of the museum’s lawn at the intersection of Gumtree Road and Georgianna Drive. The first question visitors ask when standing there is always: “Is this the spot where the Little House was built?” says the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island (GMHHI) founder and executive director Louise Cohen. And she had no plans for the answer to ever be “no.”

After envisioning a new purpose for her homestead, Louise established the museum as a non-profit organization with help from S.C.O.R.E. and other supporters and volunteers in 2004. Louise has been busy in her preservation efforts and programs ever since, and catching up with her is not an easy assignment. She had just returned to Hilton Head from presenting at a luncheon for 75 authors in the Colonial Ballroom at the landmark Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston on the day we met for this interview. Interest in the history of the Gullah/Geechee culture has been on the rise nationally. Following our interview, Louise was slated to present on Gullah culture at the Port Royal Foundation’s Maritime Center.

Healthy joints make for happy athletes. A bum knee, sore shoulder or painful wrist gets in the way of your best time—playing tennis, riding your bike, humiliating yourself at golf.

Research shows that more than 80 percent of all sports injuries involve joints. Ouch! The good news is that there’s a lot YOU can do, and Aleve cannot, to keep your joints strong and healthy all year long.

Here are seven points about joints that will save you time, money, aggravation and dependence on painkillers:

On March 3, 2008 prominent Hilton Head Island couple John and Elizabeth Calvert vanished without a trace. Were they murdered? Are they alive in a witness protection program? What about the supposed “suicide” of Dennis Gerwig, who was named
a person of interest after the Calvert’s disappearance? Gerwig was a trusted advisor to the Calverts.

On the tenth anniversary of John and Elizabeth’s disappearance, a book, Deceit, Disappearance and Death on Hilton Head Island by Charlie Ryan and Pamela Martin Ovens was released. It is a well written account of the events that occurred during that March more than ten years ago.  Though the authors were able to scour through more than 650 pages of additional information on the case, questions still remain: WHY did the Calverts disappear? WHERE are they? If they are dead, WHO killed them? WHAT is the truth?

What's the one accessory that can transform your face? Earrings! Did you know that large earrings make a nose look smaller? Or that silver hoops cool down a ruddy complexion? Or that a pair of gold button earrings warm up pale skin tones?

"There are few accessories that can have as much effect on the face as a pair of earrings," says health and beauty expert Deborah Chase, author of "Terms of Adornment: The Ultimate Guide to Accessories." "Round or square, plain or fancy, earrings bring light, color and movement to the face. They are the perfect finish to a look, adding balance, polish and personality." 

When Gene Martin and his family arrived on Hilton Head Island in 1969, there were only 2,000 permanent residents, Harbour Town was just being built, and Coligny Plaza was little more than a collection of stores supplying the basics. Yet, one store—a small Red and White Grocery—was their reason for coming. And while they couldn’t have known it then, it would set the stage for a 50-year family legacy.

In its early years, the store, now known as Piggly Wiggly, was half its current size and the only grocer serving the island. When its former owner retired, Gene jumped at the chance to buy it. Over time, he would expand the store, franchise the Piggly Wiggly name and survive the openings (and closings) of many competing groceries. Today, “The Pig” remains the longest continuously running grocery store on Hilton Head. But that’s only part of the story.

Sigmund Freud didn’t get everything right, but here’s one thing he said that has the ring of truth. “In our innermost soul,” the world’s most famous shrink tells us, “we are children and remain so for the rest of our lives.”

Some years earlier, Plato delivered this bit of wisdom: “What then is the right way of living? Life must be lived as play.”

This week—if you can tear yourself away from politicians on TV—I encourage you to locate your inner child and play, play, play. Play is the antidote to confusion, even at the constitutional level. Play lowers our stress and lightens our hearts. It awakens our bodies and renews our energy. From peekaboo to pillow fights to paper airplanes in the park, play brings pleasure, reduces pain and stimulates the brain’s production of endorphins, your body’s way of saying, “All is well.”

Family dynamics are a funny thing. Often times it is better to sit back and reflect upon your own life experiences and interactions to grow and learn.  Being an awesome mother-in-law is just that: Understanding what or where you come from can only embrace a better journey together for your own family, especially when a daughter-in-law is involved. Women are strong forces in the family dynamics, and for the most part, your own daughter-in-law will be calling the shots. Don’t get left out just because you are unwilling to understand this new woman in your life!

Looking back, perhaps you’ve had a wonderful relationship with your mother-in-law, or maybe not.  If you’ve struggled with that relationship and want a better one with your daughter-in-law, here are a few things she’d like you to know:

I have had the pleasure of knowing a lot of men, and I have been secretly using the data I’ve collected from them to determine information about their species. One of the key attributes the majority of men have in common is their collective answer to the question “What are you thinking?”

My studies show that a mind boggling 97 percent of men, when asked “What are you thinking?” will respond with the answer: “Nothing.”

If you’re dreaming of going to the beach for some afternoon down time, remember to take your fashion sense with you. But before the clothes come off and the beach party begins, here are a few tips to keep your cool and avoid having a beach style meltdown.

Do keep it natural.
Who really wants to wear a ton of makeup in hot weather? The smoky eye may be all the rage, but smudged “raccoon” eyes at the pool are not setting any style trends. Invest in some waterproof cosmetics if you feel like you need to, but otherwise, keep it natural and enjoy the freedom of a bare face.

My boyfriend and I pretend we have thick New Jersey accents when we go to art museums. It dissolves the pretension that sometimes comes with viewing art in a somewhat subdued and stuffy environment. It also entertains on-lookers, perhaps adding a little humor to their day, and who doesn’t need humor? One more thing it does, it keeps our relationship fresh and unpredictable. There are advantages to consistency, but a predictable relationship breeds boredom, and we don’t want that.

He texts me in the morning “Good morning, Honey,” and I text back, “Awww, tanks Fwankie, you are so schweet and muscular.” (His name is Robin.)  I’m more likely to get a fun conversation going that way than if I text back, “Good morning, sweetie.” Playfulness keeps relationships vital. It helps you have something to fall back on when times get rough.

Only those who have experienced it will ever know the immense strength it takes to face Lyme disease. Strength to withstand blow after blow from an unseen, unknown stealth pathogen that evades modern diagnostics and moves rapidly through the body attacking any system it chooses. Strength to bear being ignored, dismissed, disrespected, and outright laughed at by those who don’t believe your illness is real, including doctors. Strength to keep trusting your own judgment instead of giving in to outside suggestions that you’re “just depressed.” Strength to carry on with daily activities when all the joy has been sapped out of them by a disease famous for the fact that it doesn’t kill you; it just makes you want to die. Strength to persevere when you’ve been led into collapse by false diagnoses and misguided treatments that only made you worse; to find hope in the latest plan when all the previous ones have failed. Strength to dig deep and pull yourself up over and over, day after day, year-in and year-out with no end date because supposedly there isn’t a cure. Strength to keep believing in yourself when you’ve been on the floor for so long, to keep believing in life, to keep believing in happiness.

Only survivors can understand this.

Elizabeth, wishing you and Pink the happiest of birthdays and a wonderful year to come. You have created an extraordinary magazine in Pink, and I hope you are as proud of your accomplishment as we are to be part of it!  Warmly— Suzie, Pink Writer

What an incredible time we’ve all had over the years, Elizabeth! From that first golf-wear fashion photo shoot on a freezing Palmetto Dunes, to all those fun years and countless pictures since. Your cultivation of Pink Magazine, its readership, and friends has been amazing! Congratulations! Christian, Pink Photographer

In 1889, the art world was a male-dominated work field. Five innovative women in a New York City studio apartment took a stand and made one giant leap for women-kind in the art world. These five women delivered the first women’s art organization to states. This organization still stands tall today, 130 years later, with more than 800 female members, creating one of the largest women’s arts organizations in America. The organization is the National Association of Women Artists, also known as NAWA.

Face a new season with a fresh outlook! Update your makeup palette with Easter egg-colored eyeshadows, bold lips, glowing cheeks and strong brows. Try one new trend at a time and you’ll have a whole new attitude to welcome spring. Here’s what’s making the biggest buzz on the spring runways:

Luscious lips.
If you only change one thing in your makeup routine this season, make it your lip color. From velvety corals to hot fuchsias to barely-there pinks, there are plenty of choices for every preference. Just try a change—or two or three!

More than anything else, my greatest hope and intention for this article on female empowerment is that each and every person reading it will choose to show up and say YES to YOU.  

YES to that inner voice—the voice of intuition. YES to your life force and universal energy that is calling you to perhaps follow that crazy idea, move across country, start a painted furniture store business, to committing to that kickboxing program. YES because you are the only YOU that you have, and you deserve it; YES because there’s no one who can do it for you; it’s truly up to you.

Savor rhymes with favor, and if it’s not in your vocabulary, it should be. Why? Because learning to savor is a wonderfully effective steppingstone to greater happiness, according to the latest research in positive psychology. And yet, these days—when so many of us are feeling chronically rushed and endlessly distracted—who has time for savoring?

Which is why I find Fred Bryant’s work so appealing. Fred is a psychology professor at Loyola University in Chicago, and he’s been studying happiness for 38-plus years. While other researchers focus on what to do if you’re not happy—how to deal with trauma, depression, the evening news—Bryant’s pioneering work shines light on the positive experiences in life and how to process and appreciate them. That’s what savoring is all about, and it does wonders for your well-being.

The Estill Book Club, a hallowed institution founded by twelve women in 1913, has yet to interrupt its activities despite wars, depressions, and the Internet Age. Membership is not something you pick up and put down like a second-hand beach novel. It’s sacred, time-honored. You don’t choose to join the Estill Book Club; you either get invited, or the membership is simply handed down matrilineally. There are only twelve spots in the club, and new ones don’t come open often. The only membership requirements are that you live in Estill, and you love to read. In 105 years the club has never once missed its monthly meeting.

“Oh child, you don’t get out of Book Club!” exclaims third generation member Lawton Clarke O’Cain. “You die.”

March 1st marks the start of Women’s History Month.
This month-long celebration recognizes and celebrates women who have made their mark and made a difference. We look to icons such as Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, and Mother Teresa as some of the greatest and thank them for the incredible acts they accomplished in their lifetime. There are so many women, in both the distant and recent past, who blazed new paths and paved the way for the generations of today. It is the collective effort of all those powerful women before us, who collected their courage in the face of fear to serve as forces, role models and voices for women and girls all over the world.

I could never be a medical transcriptionist. It’s not the typing that would deter me. My problem would be hearing the symptoms and medical conditions. I’d think I have all of them. To say that I am easily influenced is like saying the Titanic sprung a leak.

Knowing this about myself, I wasn’t all that surprised to end up with yet another condition after watching an episode of “Oprah” devoted to the “disease to please.”

I flew through Oprah’s “Do You Have the Disease to Please?” self-diagnosis quiz.

My first recollection of being bitten by the wanderlust bug was in high school. Gazing out the window in the middle of a Latin class, I found myself daydreaming about what life must have been like in the early days of Roman language development. How did people communicate, live, meet others, and date? What did they do for fun? I had no idea at the time what a wealth of worldwide opportunities awaited me; I just dreamed about them.

After I graduated from college, my sister, Diane, and I went to Europe on a tour of England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France. This was back in the day when young women traveling abroad wore shirtwaist dresses and virgin pins. I didn’t care what I had to wear; I was fascinated by the countries, cultures, cuisines, and people.

Have you heard the news making its way across the grapevine? It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No. It’s not Christmas, but for the thousands of oenophiles who will flock to Hilton Head Island for the weeklong Wine and Food Fest, it really kind of is. You don’t need to be a vintuitive to know that when you pair wine lovers with a plethora of wine, happiness and satisfaction abounds.

The Hilton Head Island Food and Wine Fest was launched 34 years ago as part of an island wide promotion to bring visitors and stimulate the island’s tourism industry in the early spring shoulder season. A group of devoted wine enthusiasts, along with some great island culinary talents, started the tradition of the annual Wine & Food Festival, serving as the herald of spring. From its origin as a one-day, three-hour tasting, the festival has now blossomed into a full week of events surrounding the iconic Harbour Town Yacht Basin at The Sea Pines Resort. On this year’s festival itinerary, you’ll find exceptional wine dinners, educational seminars, the Sip and Stroll, plus the traditional Grand Tasting and well-loved Public Tasting. The signature event, the original Public Tasting, is one of the largest outdoor, tented public wine tastings on the East Coast.

Take time for a deep breath. Then take a stroll down the spice aisle, inhaling the exotic aromas—from pungent turmeric to zesty pepper to fresh sage—that have inspired the colors of a spirited fashion season. Here’s a list of the newest spicy hues to add to your clothes rack this year.

Not-so-mellow yellow. A current culinary favorite, turmeric, is a favorite color with the fashion crowd. The yellows this spring range in shade from amber to mustard to curry to gold. Wear variations of this color palette from head to toe for an ultrasophisticated look.

Class is in session. Today’s topic isn’t the sexiest, but if you’ve ever had a muscle cramp during sex, you know how it can snap the brain to complete attention. Cramps happen at other times, too. You’re running across a tennis court when suddenly, someone is jabbing a fork into your calf. Or you’re blissfully swimming along and for no reason, your toes get stuck in a vise. Or you’re asleep in bed hours after a vigorous walk— nighttime cramps are very common—and you’re jolted awake with a piercing pain in your thigh.

So much for the problem. Let’s talk solutions. Though it’s still a bit of a mystery why some people get cramps—aka charley horses or muscle spasms—there are lots of things you can do for prevention and relief.

One morning, 9-month-old Francesca Lobban was playing with her older sister as their mother stood nearby. Francesca was just learning to walk and, as all toddlers do, she lost her balance, gently plopped onto her bottom on the carpeted floor … and lost consciousness.

Alarmed, Trudie Lobban rushed her daughter to the hospital, but by the time they were seen by a doctor, her daughter was alert and behaving normally. For three years, the attacks continued—up to eight per day—each one triggered by circumstances as benign as a game of peek-a-boo, or stepping on a Lego piece. Doctors offered up possible explanations ranging from lack of sleep to temper tantrums to epilepsy, but all tests came back negative.