Carolina on my mind

We had a great time in the Carolina's.

Sunset our last night.

We thoroughly enjoyed watching the critters around the neighborhood.  There were "odd" ducks and ducklings, several resident alligators, turtles, gecko and lots of frogs.  Jake got too close for my comfort once, that I know of.  And Annie got great pictures --- from a safe distance.  I was very cautious walking Suzy and didn't let her get near the water.  Cautious or paranoid, I'm not sure but we thankfully we didn't have any encounters. 

 

<- Odd duck, or is it a turkey with webbed feet?

-> The ducklings were adorable.

Jake staring down a gator.

(No, I didn't like this one bit!)

Scary! 

Not a small gator!

Annie took this one from a safe distance.

Suzy enjoyed the deck view, too.

Jack took his clubs and played at Ocean Ridge Plantation - Leopard's Chase.  Here's a link to show some course info:  Leopards Chase.  It was voted one of the best in the area.  We drove over the night before to be sure we knew where we were going early Wednesday morning.  It was a good thing.  We wandered around the plantation for quite a while before finding the right clubhouse.  There are four courses and we easily found all but the one we were looking for.  We found a much easier way home - through what I later learned was a construction entrance.  I dropped him off a little before 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Jack was the second "group" to tee off for the day.  He quickly caught up to a threesome ahead of him and asked to join them - but the East-coaster suggested he play through.  He lost all but one ball.  He saw two water moccasins.  One on the cart path being dealt with by the grounds crew.  And the other in the water when he was trying to retrieve a ball.  He said it was nice but, "The course was very flat and didn't have a lot of personality."  I guess there was a water feature on the 18th hole that was supposed to have a waterfall but it hadn't been turned on yet.  One of the cool features of this course is they have bent grass greens. It was kind of hard for Jack to get excited about something all the courses he plays at home have the same type greens.  He got done playing 18 holes by 10:15 a.m. and decided to play another 9 holes.  He was stuck at the golf course until I returned to get him. All in all, he found a great deal and would play again for for that price but he wouldn't go out of his way and definitely not pay full price.  The clubhouse also left a bit to be desired. While the other three courses had BIG, FANCY clubhouses, this one had a fancy-fied double wide mobile home.  I wonder, since there were still many homes to be built in the close vicinity, if a larger clubhouse will be built someday?  I'm guessing, yes.

 

Golf Day!

While Jack was golfing the kids and I went kayaking.  It was our first time.  Jake went solo while Annie and I got a double.  It was... an adventure.  We had to paddle out against the current for several miles. Yes, the ocean current.  It was hard work and I was so thankful Annie and I were together!  We saw live oyster beds, fiddler crabs, egret, and sea gulls.  Our destination was Bird Island.  (click for Bird Island info.)  Our guides, Kari and Greg, helped us beach our boats and we were free to walk about the island for a while.  The kids and I headed to the Kindred Spirit Mailbox.  I had read about it and had wanted to make the trek. Had we walked down the beach from Sunset Beach, it would have taken over an hour but it was a short walk and were were there.  I took a few moments and wrote a note - words of thanks and gratitude, as well as several prayer requests.  The kids were less than impress and Jake was a bit anxious the group would head back without us.  We ate a snack, played in the water and took a little rest before heading back to the mainland.  The return trip was much easier, except for the jet ski's and boats causing waves.  Jake took them like a pro. Annie and I... well, we took on a lot of water and returned soaked.  :-)  It was a fun trip but we were all E X H A U S T E D!

Jake avoiding live oyster beds.

Meandering.

Walking to the Kindred Spirit Mailbox.

Weather worn but worth the journey!

Heading back to the mainland.

We enjoyed going to the beach... in Myrtle Beach we sat in front of a large hotel with loud music and the most people.  Sunset Beach is a quiet, isolated beach.  There is a Pier but not a lot of other businesses.  We went to Sunset beach a couple times.  The second time the waves were pretty big due to the storm coming in later that night.  North Myrtle Beach had free parking about every block or so and great beach access.  Ocean Isle Beach has more of a small beach town feel with several little shops and restaurants.  All had a different feel and it was our favorite.  We didn't go there until our last day.

 

above are from Sunset Beach

 

above are from Myrtle Beach

 

Frisbee at North Myrtle Beach

 

Ocean Isle Beach with friends

 

Our dear friends from Maryland came down for a quick visit.  

They spent more time on the road than with us but said they'd do it again.  

Here are a few more pictures of things that kept us busy...

 

Hanging out on the deck, rain or shine.

Dinner with a few.

Pippy (our GPS) took us down one scary road.

At the other end it said "Proceed At Your Own Risk"

Needless to say we didn't take that road again.

 

Goofing off before dinner out.  Don't they look nice?

 

Jake loved "The Presley" sandwich - peanut butter, banana and bacon.

 

All you can seafood in Myrtle Beach.

We celebrated National Donut Day at Krispy Kreme.

 

Zipline Adventure in Myrtle Beach.

It was fun!  I'm ready for the real thing.

I did not do the Freefall, too scary.

The kids were underwhelmed.

Jack... will never do that again.

 

   

 

 

Our last evening we rented bikes and took a ride on the beach.

And our ride home...

 

Lots of traffic.

Sasquatch watch. 

 

Mom, please stop taking pictures.

Never!

And lots of rain.

But we're home, safe and sound.

xo

Summer is finally here!

Yes, Summer is FINALLY here!

And we made it to North Carolina.

The kids are right in the middle of the splashes.

Ok, that was skipping ahead... now, back to the beginning.

The 2013-2014 school year is over.  All classes were passed!  Yay!  I could go on and sing their praises but I have a lot of ground to cover... suffice it to say, I have smart kids.  :-)   

Our classroom was packed up.  It was bittersweet.  While I am now looking forward to moving to the Hilltop Campus, I have loved being next to a particular 1st grade teacher. Our paths have crossed several times and I do hope they cross again.  She is delightful!

Jake had pre-marching band Friday evening and Saturday morning.  He said, "Friday night we learned how to stand and warm up.  And Saturday we started working on the show music.  We were REALLY good!"  I am glad he is so excited.  They will have sectionals every few weeks throughout the summer in hopes of having all music memorized before camp starts July 29th.  

Saturday morning while Jake was at band and Annie was visiting a friend who will be moving while we're away Jack and I picked up our rental for the week.  They offered us an upgrade to a Minivan.  I tried my hand at negotiation but flinched a bit too soon for Jack's liking.  We settled on $8 extra a day. Not bad, if I do say so myself but Jack was hoping for $5.  It is NICE!  And the extra space is great!  A little after 2 p.m. hit we the road.  We drove through a few rain showers but nothing too bad.  Our first stop was Mt. Vernon, Illinois. We arrived before 8 p.m. and took Suzy for a long walk.  I was the first one to fall asleep.  

Yesterday, we were on the road by 9 a.m.  Time and again we all echoed "beautiful!" throughout the day.  We stopped at what had to be the most beautiful rest area in America just across the border in Virginia. Outstanding facilities, picnic area, pet run, all showcasing beautiful landscaping.  Three tunnels and five states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia) later we entered the sixth state as the sun was setting.  We had been looking for a dinner options and found the perfect place in King, North Carolina.  Our waitress was bewildered as to why we stopped at Little Italy in her little town.  I think she's probably convinced her that all people from Kansas are a little crazy... but we had been in the van for many hours.  ;-)  We made it to our destination for the night, Greensboro, took Suzy for a walk and settled in the van.  As we made our hotel arrangements we looked for pet friendly hotels, however this hotels "friendly" charge was more than we paid for the room, so Suzy slept in her kennel in the van.   

 

<- Indiana

-> Kentucky

 

<- Big Sandy River

-> Charleston, West Virginia Capitol

 

<- awesome travelers!

-> Hello Virginia!

Good News!

 

<- Selfie Sunday!

Crazy Kansans!

Today, we overslept.  We planned to be on the road at 9.  That didn't happen.  I woke up at 8:57 a.m. Eastern time.  My first thought?  "SUZY!"  (She was fine.)  Jack called the front desk only to discover we missed breakfast.  Oh well, there are worse things.  It was morning filled with beauty!  The highways had gorgeous wildflowers dotting the median I don't remember what time we got on the road but we arrived at our home away from home just after 1:00 p.m.  We unloaded, took Suzy for a walk, made a grocery list and piled back in the van (minus Suzy) to go to the market.  I soon remembered why we never all go to the store. Even WITH a list the extras were many.  Lots of locally grown fruits and veggies. Complete meals, breakfasts, lunches and a few dinners, too.  We had not eaten lunch (I know, another error in judgement) but decided to forgo it and go out for an early dinner. Captain John's Seafood in Calabash was calling our name. Carolina crab cakes, shrimp, fish taco's and calamari were our selections.  Delicious!

 

<- Swamp Fox Highway (the name cracked me up)

-> Jake enjoying the deck

The view from our table at dinner.

Low tide but still beautiful!

After dinner we found our way to Sunset Beach beach.  It was low tide but that didn't stop the kids from jumping in!  Yes, they had their swimsuits on.  They held hand and jumped over waves.  Adorable!  Annie wished we had brought a pail and shovel - tomorrow, I assured her.  As silly as it sounds, I now regret not saying until sunset.  Maybe tomorrow.

 

Enjoying the waves!

 

<- Margaritaville #1 got flooded too quickly.

-> and #2 (notice the limes on top)

Jack said we could stay until it met its demise.

We didn't have to wait too long.

'Long live Margarita ville'

:-)

More fun tomorrow!

xo