A few weeks ago my family took a vacation to coastal South Carolina. On the way home I stopped by my grandparents place in Emerald Isle N.C. They live along the intracoastal waterway, on the water. Their place is a bird lover’s paradise. It also happens to be an amazingly beautiful spot. As a youth I’m not sure I appreciated the place as much. My most recent visit made me realize that this place is priceless and that it feels very much like a sanctuary in a land of more or less rampant development.