LowCountry Joe.....Master Wire Wrapper, Lighthouse Keeper, Bluesman

"The story of Low Country Joe starts in the offices of Corporate America.
A man stares out a frosty Pennsylvania window dressed in white shirt,
rep tie and pinstriped suit. Sales quotas weigh heavily on his mind.
An ad for Hilton Head Island catches his eye. The transformation begins.
Dressed in wide brim hat, sporting a salt and pepper beard he
now lives a lifestyle many just dream about. His German work ethic
keeps him working hard at his Real Estate Business but he makes a lot
of time for play. He often can be seen with his hat pulled over his
ears as his Zodiac skims the waters of Calibogue Sound.Quotas are no
longer on his mind but the free spirit dolphins that glide playfully along
his side are. They always seem to be smiling and these days so does Joe."

I penned those words Twenty Seven (27) years ago for a real estate ad...
and yes it seems like yesterday. Since that monumental day when I told
IBM to "take this job and shove it", my life has simply been
transformed. Even though I liked the structure of IBM and will always be
extremly proud to be an IBM'r I realized quick that same structure
that made me a lot of money crippled my creativity. When I moved to
Hilton Head I joined a structured company like IBM because I
simply needed the money. But after I successfully made enough to be
comfortable I shifted gears, joined RE/Max,
where essentially you are your own company, and an inbred renegade
creativty took over my soul. This creativity has enabled me to be
known on Hilton Head as a true creative marketteer....shunning the
real estate norm and going where none had gone before.

It was during this time that other feelings of self expression took
over. I picked up a harmonica one day....it was the same day my life
changed. Deep inside the feeling to play the blues took over and I
was blessed to play on stage at The Jazz Corner with some of the best
musicians on the East Coast...if not America.....

But there was still something missing....I was turning into a
couch potato...flicking from show to show.....That is until my Bride
Mary and I visited Prince Edward Island, Canada. It was there that
I would meet a former true Sailor/lobster Man with a big old mustache
....hands as big as a ox and a heart as big as the whole wonderful
country of Canada. Peter Llewellyn was his name and being the Mayor of
Georgetown was his game. But what he really loved to do was "wrap" the
jewels of the sea...Prince Edward Island Sea Glass. I was intrigued
at first sight and when I watched Peter wrap that first piece I knew
being a couch potato would be a thing of the past. Because of this fine
man an inner creativity blossomed like the beautiful wildflowers of
Prince Edward and in the evening I fashion jewerly with a
zest and zeal I have never encountered before. My hands...like Peter's
work majic in front of me creating pieces of art without
thought or design....and just like playing the harmonica
I really dont know where the notes and funky wire swirls come from.

I have often said that taking multiple strands of wire and
creating a piece of jewerly is like trying to "herd cats".
But just like a cat I am my own man....and I get as much as
a "high" watching a smile come over a face when they open that
jewerly in a wooden box as receiving a standing
ovation and high fives as I leave the stage.

I truely hope you enjoy the jewerly in my collection. When
I fashion each and every piece at night I cant wait to get up
in the morning to view my creation....My jewerly comes from
the heart...the creativity comes from deep within....and
the gratitude I receive each time folks like you enjoy and
wear my pieces will linger on forever.

See ya on the High Tide...LowCountry Joe