Alexandria, Va. Trip a Bittersweet One

 

It has taken me a while to feel ready to write this post. I love to share my travel photographs such as this view of the U.S. Capitol with the Potomac River in the foreground. 

Alesia and I flew to the D.C. area early last November, not to sightsee but for a sad family gathering. 

My older brother Matt passed away on Oct. 14, 2025 at age 66 after a two-to-three-year battle with stage four prostate cancer. See his obituary. 

We, along with many family members, attended his Requiem Mass on Nov. 7 at the beautiful Basilica of St. Mary on Royal Street in Alexandria. 

The Basilica of St. Mary was founded in 1795. It was the first Catholic parish in Virginia. George Washington himself helped fund the church, donating the equivalent of $1,200. The church was located in a different part of Alexandria at that time. It moved to Royal Street in 1810. 

More on St. Mary's rich history here.

Matt was a good brother to me and it is still difficult to fathom that he is gone. Our big Catholic family of nine is now down to six. We lost our father, Michael, last February. I wrote about the sad but lovely family gathering in Estes Park, Colorado., where we bid a tearful farewell to Dear Dad. My youngest brother Tom left us in 2018. I posted about Tom’s passing in Alabama. 

I knew my tribute to Matt on this site was coming. The busy Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s holidays, plus finishing up the fall semester at SC State occupied my time. Plus, I just procrastinated. 

 

Matthew David Harwood was such a good and kind man. He lived his life by his own code and rules. He worked hard at his craft, which was art, and was very successful and accomplished at it.

Fun While It Lasted- Farewell Coosaw Stroll Magazine

 

Last January a magazine company began a monthly publication for my neighborhood, Coosaw Creek Country Club. Stroll, free to residents, had a polished high-quality glossy look. It was advertising- driven and each issue seemed to have plenty of ads with new local businesses appearing regularly. 

Within a few months, I met the publisher at a clubhouse event. She invited me to contribute a bird-themed article and photographs for each month’s issue. 

I didn’t need to be asked twice! Birds and bird photography- that's definitely in my wheelhouse. I've published two books full of my bird and nature photographs: "The Birds of Magnolia Cemetery: Charleston's Secret Bird Sanctuary" and "Nature-ly Fun! Bird Photography from A to Z." Both, along with my other books, are sold on Amazon and by me personally. 

My first “Peck of the Month” piece appeared in the March 2025 magazine. Following are the articles I wrote in subsequent months. I really liked the layout done by Stroll’s production team. 

Saluting “Sister City” Savannah!

We kicked off 2026 with a two hour 15 minute drive to Savannah, Ga. Savannah and Charleston are sister cities, we heard several times. This visit made me realize what a compliment this is to both Southern cities, and that they do nicely complement each other. 

Alesia and I rendezvoused in Savannah with my big brother Mike and his wife Christine. They live in Sarasota, Fla. One of the highlights would be our excursion on the Georgia Queen, learning about the old city’s rich maritime history during a 90-minute tour of the Savannah River. More on that later in this post.

Over a long post-holiday weekend, we walked, boated, dined, and even had a pirate ghost encounter! 

Our accommodations were the Andaz Hotel, a Hyatt property near the riverfront and City Market. Alesia and I had a nice experience at the Andaz several years ago so we knew it was a fine hotel in a central location. We parked our cars in an adjacent city garage and didn’t use them until we left on Tuesday. Tip: The hotel parking is much more expensive than the city garage just down the street. 

Within just a few-mile radius of the Andaz Hotel there is so much to see and do. From Saturday to Tuesday the weather became clearer and warmer. This photo is of Alesia in the City Market. The top of the Andaz Hotel is seen in the background to the left of the clock.

Savannah is a very walkable city. Monday, according to my iPhone’s health app, I logged a whopping 13,394 steps. That’s almost seven miles.

This photo is of us at Forsyth Park, Savannah’s oldest (1840s) and largest park (30 acres).