Dogs lead Rebecca Bass to Beaufort

When you've traveled all around the world -- really traveled, living for months and sometimes years abroad -- a rich portrait of that "perfect" place coalesces in your mind.

Rebecca Bass hails from Philadelphia, but in 32 years of marriage to her husband

Frank, Bass has done a "little traveling."

During that time, she has moved on 15 occasions, and her high-powered career has taken her across continents in pursuit of business ventures for international corporations.

A petite dynamo with a winning smile and a voracious appetite for learning, for her, there is simply no better place to live than Beaufort.

Her biography reads like a Who's Who of the Fortune 500. A Wall Street attorney, who excelled in corporate litigation, Bass ultimately mastered the intricate world of corporate finance. Her energy was infectious as she recounted her achievements, which she attributed to her father's encouragement.

"He always said, 'Shoot for the moon, you might hit a star,'" she said.

Her career is seasoned with executive positions at such companies as GE Capital, LexisNexus, Motorola, Galileo Development Systems and Home Depot.

Her educational pedigree includes Harvard's International Management Program.

Clearly, Bass could have chosen to live anywhere in the world. So what drew this successful powerhouse of a businesswoman to Beaufort?

Would you believe, her dogs?

FOLLOWING THE LEADERS

Several years ago, Bass, her husband and their canine companions began "trying on places for size."

Avid dog lovers and dedicated Doberman pinscher owners, the couple placed a premium on finding a setting that met their needs, as well as those of their four-legged friends. "We looked up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Newport (R.I.)."

Having developed a love of boating while living in Connecticut, she knew she wanted to be on the coast, but it wasn't just about waterfront living. She wanted a place that would welcome dogs and provide her and her husband with plenty of opportunities for community involvement. With the same diligence she applied to her business ventures, Bass began a research mission to find that special place she'd always dreamed of.

After seeing an article in Coastal Living about St. George Island, Fla., entitled "Dogs just want to have fun," they booked a weekend to investigate. Ultimately, they decided it was a bit too remote. Ditto, Jekyll Island.

"It was perfect for a weekend getaway," but Bass felt it didn't match their lifestyle.

Then she came across an article in Southern Living Magazine about Beaufort that changed her life.

"You just know it when you see it," she said, glowing, as she relayed her "aha" moment. She even saved the article as a memento.

Bass recalled her stay at the Beaufort Inn on her initial visit. She and her husband were so enamored with the area, the couple drew up a contract for a second home on Harbor Island that very weekend.

They were living in Atlanta at the time, and Frank was traveling Monday through Friday, so Bass regularly packed up her four-legged family and headed here at the start of each week. At the time, she had Coco Chienel, a Doberman, and a papillon mix named Marigot that the couple adopted while on vacation in St. Martin.

Convinced the area would continue to attract attention, the couple went on to purchase several more properties. One of them, a beautiful high lot with deep water and sweeping marsh views, kept drawing Bass back.

"Coco and I used to come here and just sit out on the dock that was here before we ever decided to build," she said, "It was kind of like the commercial, tranquil and serene ... priceless."

From the screened porch that stretches the length of her gracious Lowcountry cottage home, the views are simply breathtaking. Best of all there is plenty of room for her dogs to romp.

Sadly, both Marigot and CoCo have passed on, but Bass' two Doberman pinchers, Mousse au Chocolat ("Moussie") and Princess Chloe of Carolina ("Chloe") -- both adopted from Doberman Rescue of the Triad in Greensboro, N.C. -- have happily inherited the kingdom.

"We loved it just the way it was," said Bass, who is an advocate for preserving Beaufort's charm and character. "To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, we'd hate to see them pave paradise and put up a parking lot."

(NOT) SETTLING DOWN

For someone whose life played in the fast lane, the attraction to the area's natural beauty is completely understandable, but Beaufort's setting was only part of the draw.

"If you are bored in Beaufort, there is something wrong with you," Bass quipped.

She should know. Her social involvements are almost as prodigious as her resume.

She learned the state dance by joining the Shag Club, graduated from Leadership Beaufort, is an active Rotarian and a member of the Red Hat Society. She and her husband take their love of the water seriously and are both instructors for the Beaufort Sail and Power Squadron.

"We've made some wonderful, wonderful friends here," she said. "It has enriched our life, and that's the point, isn't it?"

Bass also shares her enthusiasm for the area by serving on the Beaufort Port Royal Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has even found an outlet for her dogs as an obedience instructor at the Beaufort Kennel Club.

Almost on cue, Chloe playfully rolled over for a belly scratch. "Oh stop it. Don't make a liar out of me," Bass chuckled, as she obliged.

The area also appealed to Bass' culinary interests. All her traveling addicted her to trying new foods.

She speaks Spanish, French (she's a member of the Beaufort French Club) and is "fluent in Italian menu and wine list."

Ever ready with her personalized shucking knife, there is hardly an oyster roast the couple doesn't attend. Bass is an avid cook and loves the wealth of fresh seafood and produce the area offers, especially at the Farmer's Market. The dogs even gave her husband a crab pot for Christmas.

She grew wistful, though, as she regretted that her parents passed away before they could see it here. "When I was a child, we used to spend Christmas at the Cloister on Sea Island, so maybe I imprinted on the Lowcountry like a sea turtle."