Tidbit Tuesdays- Retreat Spring Colors

Spring is a beautiful time at the Retreat. Below are a few pictures captured throughout the community of spring blossoms! Do you have some gorgeous shots of the community? Send them to us, and we will share them on the blog.

Community Barbecue TODAY

Retreat Residents:

You are invited to a Community Barbecue/Pool Party TODAY April 26^th 2-5PM organized by our very own social committee!

Come meet your neighbors, invite a new resident in your building, and enjoy the party. The HOA will provide pork barbecue, chicken, sides, and NON-alcoholic beverages. If you wish, please bring your alcoholic beverage of choice. (Remember: Glass is not allowed in the pool area and you must be 21 to consume alcohol on The Retreat property.)

There will be music, dancing and games during the party, so please come out and partake in the fun!

Life Alert Brochures

Life Alert Brochures 

As a followup to a recent post on personal safety, there are now brochures on Life Alert products available for your viewing in the clubhouse and on the bulletin boards. 

Tidbit Tuesdays - Perimeter Walking Path

The Perimeter Walking Path

Located just within the Retreat property lines facing the woods and crisscrossing our property line with the apartments, the perimeter path is a wonderful amenity for our residents. Daily, you can see everything from dog walkers and baby strollers to runners and bikers enjoying this pathway.   

The path was resurfaced about four years ago with local shell sand and measures approximately 1260 yards or 7/10 of a mile. Over the past year, we have installed several solar powered motion lights along the darkest areas of the pathway between buildings 700 and 400 in order to improve visibility and deter unwanted guests late at night.

Between buildings 800 and 1100, the path has a wooden bridge that climbs the side of the Civil War earthworks that border and enter our property. (See our previous post.)  Behind 400, a beautiful live oak branch extends over the path, and, if you look around, you might spot a tree with a grin on it.

Near the front gate of our property, you can continue over to a second walking path maintained by the apartments. This path circles the large lake adjacent to the road and has mostly a mulch surface. It measures 565 yards, or slightly less than 1/3 of a mile, and has several nice benches and swings situated around its perimeter.

Together these paths are a great alternative to the mundane miles on the treadmill or a perfect evening stroll.

Momma Duck and Ducklings Epic Story - A Reminder to Not Play Around the Ponds

For the past several years, the residents of building 1000 have witnessed the heartbreak of a mother duck's relentless attempts to have ducklings on a second floor porch. This year, she moved to building 1100 and successfully hatched ducklings.

But her troubles do not stop there. On Monday last week, mother duck and her little band of followers decided to visit the pond behind building 1000. Unfortunately, mother duck can not read the warning sign about no fishing or swimming due to alligators. Just as mother duck was entering the water, she was attacked by an alligator but eventually was able to flee to safety with her ducklings. She had obvious wing, leg, and possible back damage from the encounter.

On Tuesday, mother duck and three ducklings made it to the pool. She was in obvious need of medical care from her attack. Several Retreat residents and helpful children rounded up the duck and ducklings, and they were graciously taken in free of charge by the Dorchester Veterinary Hospital. They were all treated for the chlorine water exposure, and the mother duck's injuries are still on the mend. The ducklings are doing fine. They will all be eventually released into a duck conservancy where there are no more alligators to torment this little family. The alligator in the 1000 pond was evaluated on Thursday. It showed no signs of unprovoked aggression and thus was allowed to stay on Retreat property.

Please consider this mother duck's story a warning to you and your family. Alligators are a natural part of the South Carolina environment, should be respected, and not considered a nuisance. Signs are posted at each pond warning about alligators and to not fish or swim in the pond. In other words, do not disturb the alligators. Please do not let your children, grandchildren or pets play at the water's edge. An alligator can move extremely fast when attacking, and you might not be able to get away fast enough.