Where I've been

I don’t think I’ve had this much time pass between posts since I started blogging in May. We were planning to go camping this week, but due to the rain and 2 important projects I HAD to get done, I've been at home in Charlotte all week.

After a 4 month vacation basically, I finally buckled down and did my first marketing piece for Gary. It was quite the undertaking, but come hell or high water, I was committed to getting it finished by Friday. The high water came - we got almost 8 inches of rain this week thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Faye - but I got the project done!



The other project was getting the house cleaned up and ready for our guests coming for the weekend. And anyone who's ever been to our house knows that without a staff, cleaning this house is a week-long endeavor. Oy!

Shed Shopping

Dad & I went shopping for a shed on Friday afternoon. Who knew there are so many sheds to choose from? There's the pretty wood variety with a metal roof:

Or the kind that looks like a play house - it even has window boxes:

Or the kind that can be used for a cabin in the woods with a front porch:

They even had 2-car garage sheds. These go for $10K!

Hole in the Wall

Dad and Connie had their living room windows replaced this week. A crew of three finished this major project in one day. Thank goodness it wasn’t as hot as it has been (for their sake and ours!). I didn’t see the old windows being taken out, but I watched the new ones being put in. It’s not very often you get to see something like that.

It's Cocktail Time!

An old favorite: Bourbon & Coke with Rose's Lime in a tall glass

At the Wells home, every evening at 5 is Cocktail Time! Usually just a glass of wine and a few Ritz crackers. Sometimes, though, they get a little fancy and have real cocktails like the ones we had yesterday - Raspberry Martinis in Waterford crystal martini glasses (served with Ritz Crackers with American Cheese to shake things up a bit). Note, Connie is not partaking in the booze right now due to her meds so it’s just been me and Dad getting liquored up before dinner each night. Kidding. Sorta.

My Dad...the Environmentalist?!

My Dad has invented a water conservation device that uses water from the "spin cycle" of their washing machine to water plants in their garden. It's hysterical - but ingenius! The cigar in his hand is priceless - he's SO RETIRED - isn't he?!?

Here's the video (1 minute 11 sconds):

'Round About Town

For a number of years I've seen this T-shirt hanging in the window at Pairet's, a shop in downtown Farmville - where Dad & Connie live:



There are 2 colleges here - Hampden Sydney - an all guys school that's been around since the late 1700's, and Longwood - which used to be all girls but is now co-ed, founded in 1816. With these two very old schools, you'd think Farmville would be more, well, known. Ya know? I guess this T-shirt was the brainchild of someone's parents as they dropped their out-of-state kid off at school for the first time. I've always wanted one, so I bought one the other day.

Another hot spot on Main Street is this place:



The owner is very European and makes the most authentic breads and pastries this side of DC. They are closed on Sunday and Monday, so I still have yet to sink my teeth into one of their tasty treats - but I will before the week is up!

Dinner Duty

When I got to Dad & Connie's, I asked for a list of things they needed me to do. The list was simple: cook, do the dishes, and take care of Daisy (their dog). No Problem said I! Those of some of my finer talents anyway. However, one of the benefits of living in a small town with tight-knit friends and neighbors is that they rally around those in need AND COOK!

I mean, people have brought over entire meals since Thursday. For example - a nice lady named Nancy who is an artist friend brought over the following: South African Bobotee (a curry dish that was delicious!) with brown rice, mixed vegetables and a chocolate trifle for dessert.

Dad & Connie's good friend Sally brought over Pork chops with Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, salad, tomato aspic, and a coffee cake loaf.

Last night their next door neighbor Judy brought over grilled Pork chops and creamy wild rice, 7-Layer salad, mixed vegetables and a peach cobbler.

Tonight another neighbor, Becky, brought over a spaghetti casserole, a huge salad, some awesome garlic bread and fresh sliced peaches and raspberries for dessert.

How GREAT are all these folks?!? It's been heart-warming to know that Dad & Connie have so many friends looking after them.

I've only had to cook one night, so I made (my Mom's - snicker ; ) Chicken Divan - another of her best dishes circa 1960, which seems to have been the favorite so far - and it turned out beautifully, served with baked spiced peaches and a gorgeous sour dough loaf.

Here's the recipe for Chicken Divan - it's quite the "Sunday come to Meetin'" kind of dish, perfect for having company or pot luck dinners. It's a bit of work, but so worth it in the end!

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
2 packages frozen Broccoli
1/4 to 1/2 c. toasted almond slices
Curry Sauce (see below)
White Sauce (see below)
1 c. sharp cheddar
2 c. soft bread crumbs
2T. melted butter

1. Place the chicken, skin side up, on a roasting pan, season with salt & pepper to taste, pop in the oven at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. When finished, set aside to cool, then pull off the skin (and I dare you to try not to eat some) and pull the chicken off the bones and cut it into bite-sized cubes.

2. Cook the broccoli according to package directions, drain and set aside.

3. Make bread crumbs using about 4 slices of sandwich bread in your blender. Set aside. (Don't put the melted butter on yet).

4. Toast the almonds on the stove (dry - no butter) on very low heat until golden. Set aside. These burn SUPER EASY so don't leave them alone!

5. Put together the Curry Sauce:
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. milk
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2t. curry powder
Mix together all ingredients and set aside in fridge.

6. Make the White Sauce:
4T. butter
3T. flour
1 c. Half & Half
1/2 c. milk
3/4 t. salt
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
2T lemon juice
1/2 c. white wine
pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

Over low heat in a heavy skillet melt butter, then add flour and "cook" about 3 minutes stirring constantly with a whisk. Very slowly add the half & half - stirring constantly to absorb liquid. It will first turn to a paste, but keep stirring and adding the liquid slowly and it will become sauce. I promise. Next add the milk, again, slowly and allow all the liquid to be incorporated without lumps. Stir in remaining ingredients, one at a time. The sauce should stay very light in color and will taste divine! (divan?) Note: for the less experienced cook, or for the cook who doesn't have the time or ingredients on hand to make the white sauce, I suppose you could use a can of Cream of Chicken soup. You still have to make the curry sauce - that's the main background flavor) But the white sauce REALLY makes this dish and you'll be proud of yourself for not Sandra Lee-ing out on it.

7. Add the Curry Sauce mixture to the White sauce, stirring to combine completely.

8. Butter or Spray a 7 x 11" baking dish (I used a 9 x 9 casserole dish that worked great).

9. Layer the drained broccoli in the bottom of the pan with the floret tops facing outward.

10. Layer the cut up chicken over the broccoli.

11. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the chicken.

12. Pour the Sauce mixture on top.

13. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top.

14. Add 2 T. melted butter to the bread crumbs and mix with a fork until coated. Then sprinkle that on top.

Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes on 350. Let stand a little while before serving.

Note: We had the leftovers for lunch today and it was even better than the first night! We had cranberry sauce with it, yes, from a can, and that was an AWESOME combination too.

Flowers for Connie

Once I got to Dad's around 7pm we immediatly sat down to dinner. Connie was pretty out of it from all the pain medication, but she still made it to the table to eat. I'd say that was a huge step!

The house is dotted with lovely bouquets sent to her from my step-brother Randall and his family, Randall's in-laws Patty & Perry sent an exotic Zizi plant, and Ele & Will sent some flowers up with me. All of them brighten the house!

Pit-stop for a Cutie Pie!

I left the beach Saturday morning to go lend a helping hand to my Dad, since my Step-Mother Connie is recouperating from back surgery. I had to pass right by Raleigh so I stopped by to see my sister and family.

Finn is getting bigger by the day - and cuter! He is just about to crawl - you can tell he wants to, he can sit up and he can scoot backwards - but just shy of crawling forwards. He's such a precious little wonder! My sister and her husband Will are doing well too. : )

I only stayed for about an hour and a half, then got back on the road to Farmville. That was a very long day of driving, but worth it!

The Best All-U-Can-Eat in Myrtle Beach

Gary, Joyce, Alex and I went to Benjamins for dinner on Friday night to celebrate Joyce's birthday, and also to get STUFFED! This restaurant is THE BEST when it comes to all-you-can-eat places at the beach and it's packed every night.



I don't know how many items they have on the buffet but it's in the hundreds. A fried-seafood lover's dream! They also have King Crab legs - Gary and Alex are our champion crab leg eaters! Yes, it's a place where you want to go VERY hungry and eat until you nearly pass out. It's a once in a blue moon kind of place. If you ate like that every night you'd be big as a barn in no time. But boy their hush puppies are TO DIE FOR.



You know that "Free Credit Reports.com" commercial with the singing dude "dressed like a pirate selling fish to tourists in T-shirts"? Well, they have a pirate hosting at the door. And he's very authentic looking. He even says "Argh! Maties!" I didn't think to get a photo of him because while waiting in line all I could concentrate on was the fact that my stomach ws eating itself I was so hungry.

Birthday Peaches!

Gary's Mom Joyce came down to the boat on Friday (8/15) for a week's stay at the beach not coincidentally to celebrate her birthday. Happy Birthday Joyce! You're a real peach yourself!

Can I get a Piece of Ass with that?

Before we got out on the water we stopped for a bite at Captain Poo's at the Anchor Marina. See the drink menu?? Ha Ha!!! Captain Poo's is part biker bar, part *cafe divorcee*, and part beach bum hang out. We like it.

A Perfect Journey

Today we took the jet skis out for a spin. We took the ocean route to Cherry Grove then meandered through the creeks, back to the ocean, then finished up with a waterside tour of Calabash. It dawned on me that the thousands of tourists who come to Myrtle Beach each year for vacation miss the absolute best the beach has to offer - seeing the beaches, the waterway, and all the creeks and marshes from the water.



There is so much to see, and it’s all beautiful. And FUN! I don’t know if there is another activity I love more than jet skiing down here. The freedom of exploration and the uncompromised landscape is unmatched when you’re traveling by jet ski.



Today the ocean was much more calm than it has been the other times we’ve gone out this summer. And remember that buoy we visited a couple months ago - a mile off shore? It seemed like we would never reach it, and were breathless with excitement when we did?! Today we followed the Sea Screamer right out to it, and then went probably another mile to a shrimp boat out there, to see if we might spot a dolphin or two.



We came back in and took a short break at Bird Island and I finally got to see the view from the beach bordered by the north jetty. It was stunning. It reminded me of a California beach, with a mix of rocks and sand, although I’m aware the rocks were put there by someone - they’re not natural to the site - but still. It was gorgeous and I stood there for about 5 minutes just to listen to the waves hit the massive barrier and ricochet all the way down the jetty.



Of course I have a short video (really, it's like 30 seconds, not even):


In Calabash we discovered an (abandoned?) marina with nothing but sea gulls and pelicans keeping watch over the pilings. We also saw numerous cranes and herrons standing in oyster beds, breathing in the salt air brought on a craving for a dozen or so oysters on the half shell!



See the rest of this series by clicking here.

Why I quit the swim team when I was 12

When I was little we belonged to our neighborhood swim club for as far back as I can remember. It’s where I took swimming lessons, swam on the swim team and developed my first summer crushes. That swim club was a huge part of my childhood, and I have lots of good memories that I haven’t thought of in years, until I saw Patty on the news the other night.

Everyone was on the swim team. EVERYONE. They had all age groups from the “shrimp team” to the 18 year olds. Sardis was a very competitive club, and our swim team always did well against all the other clubs in our league (or whatever). Our biggest rival was Rama Swim Club and there was always a HUGE deal made out of that particular swim meet. Unlike the other meets, large groups would caravan over to Rama with cars decked out with our colors and whatnot - and afterwards the whole team would go to a designated restaurant to celebrate our wins. I remember going to Godfather’s Pizza at Park Road Shopping Center, which I believe may have been the first place I ever ate REAL pizza, unlike frozen Totino’s or the like, with tons of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top for good measure. We were celebrating after all, right?

This is me, not age 12, probably more like 8 or 9, circa 1979.

These were exciting times. I loved the swim meets because of all the team spirit - and I loved being a part of that, even if I was just a little kid with little to no impact on the overall standings of the team. Yet, good swimmer as I was (and am - I still think of myself as a very strong swimmer), I was ALWAYS in the same age group with 4 girls who were some of the best swimmers on the entire team - not just the younger kids - these girls were better than most of the older girls (and guys) too. I know for a fact that one of them went on to Olympic trials later (and I believe she married an Olympian medalist too). But at every single swim meet, these girls were the *stars* of the show. They swam year-round, brought in ribbon after ribbon, always in the first heat, in every stroke, in every relay, setting club records year after year.

At the end of the season before I quit, we went to the annual pot luck dinner banquet held at a nearby church, where all the awards for various accomplishments were given out. One of the awards was for “Most Improved” and as Patty gave the speech about the person who was to receive the honor I held my breath because I could have sworn she was talking about ME and I was all ready to go up and grab my trophy. I was shocked back to reality when MY SISTER got the award for “Most Improved”. I was happy for her, I guess, but that really kinda did something to me.

This is me & Ele at a team banquet - not the one where she won the "Most Improved" award - we were a little older at that one. Still looks like I had a premonition of things to come - keeping an eye on those other girls. Me and my bowl cut. Cute little dress though, no?

I’m not a quitter. I’m not. I’ve proven that in the many years since the swim team. I have staying power when others jump ship. Call it being stubborn, call it persistence, but it takes a lot to get me to quit. But quitting the swim team was a turning point for me. I remember the day vividly. There was an assistant coach named Brent who was in charge of my group for practices that year. He was a stocky, cocky guy who was probably only about 18 at the time. He was not the coach that Patty was, but I suppose he was just doing his job. He was working us just about to death one super hot afternoon, lap after lap. I remember being so out of breath at one point, so waterlogged and eyes stinging from chlorine - I just got out of the pool and said, “I quit”. He tried to humiliate me in front of the other kids by calling me a “quitter” - but I had had enough. In my mind, here I was busting a gut to get through a practice, feeling like total shit knowing that no matter how hard I swam I would NEVER be as strong a swimmer as those 4 girls in my age group, and I was done.

I went home that afternoon and told my Mom I was quitting the swim team and I was as serious as a 12 year old could be. I was surprised but relieved when she said I didn’t have to go back. And that was that.

I am proud of myself for trying, and proud of myself for knowing when I was not going to get any further. My sister, on the other hand, starting swimming year round after getting her “Most Improved” award and kept at it well into high school. I started cheerleading the next year. That was infinitely more gratifying and popularity boosting than taking constant hits to my self esteem from those four twits on the swim team.

Olympic Glory with Hometown Roots

Tuesday night I watched the Olympics for a little while on TV. I like to watch the swimmers because it’s the only time you ever get to see competitive swimming on network television. I know - I get the same reaction when I tell people I like to watch golf on TV too. I can’t play golf (although I drive a mean cart!) and I quit the swim team when I was 12. But I still think it’s the best sport of the entire summer games, and definitely the best one to watch.

I’m particularly fond of Michael Phelps, the swimmer on the US Men’s team who has made history with all his medals and his amazing “boat-like" body plowing through the water as if he was part fish. I first heard about him when I lived in Baltimore and would hear his name on the local news every once in a while, where his remarkable talents were discovered and honed in Charm City.

Phelps’ 2nd swim of the evening was the men’s 4 x 200m Free Relay. Along with his teammates, including Ricky Berens of Charlotte, they finished with a world record time, under 7 minutes. Of course they took home the Gold for their unbelievable achievement. On the local news after the Olympic coverage they reported from a restaurant where some of Berens’s fans had gathered to root for the home town kid, cheering him on halfway around the world. Isn’t that what the Olympics are all about anyway??

So the local news girl interviewed someone who had coached Ricky back in the day, when he was still swimming in Charlotte. Her name is Patty Waldron, and she’s a coach at MAC (Mecklenburg Aquatic Club), one of the more celebrated year-round swim teams in our region.

I immediately recognized the sparkle in Patty’s eyes, then confirmed her identity when they showed a clip of her whistling with 2 fingers and whooping it up as her former swimming pupil took the Gold. Patty was MY swim team coach at Sardis Swim & Racquet Club back in the early 80’s when I was a kid! How cool is that?!

So I went online right then to see if I could find anything about Patty Waldron, because when she coached for Sardis her name was Patty Hughey. Sure enough I found her email address straight away, so I shot off a congratulatory email to her, and added that despite the fact that I had quit my competitive swimming career at age 12 (separate post - long story), she left an indelible mark on me at such a young age with her incredible team spirit, and told her she was one of my earliest influences when it came to being competitive.

I was so pleased to open my email the next morning to find she had written back, and said she remembered me and my sister Ele! This is one of the coolest things about “growing up” and then getting reacquainted with people you knew way back when. Especially when you’ve moved around like I have, to know that I still have roots in Charlotte that go back so far has a real grounding effect on me.

Congratulations, again, to Patty for her role in Ricky Berens gold medal swimming career, and for leaving such a huge positive impression on me and countless other kids of Charlotte.



Here's the Sardis Swim Team circa 1982:

Vacationers!

Gary’s GM - Dan, and his wife Rebecca and their kids Lauren, Zach and Zeke came down on Saturday for a mini-vacation on the boat. I showed them around, gave the instructions for the toilets, toured them through the pool area and the hotel to get acclimated to their new environs, then left them to experience the wonderful unwinding that happens the minute your feet hit the wood of the dock. I know they’ll have a great time! Aren't they adorable?!



This really puts some scale to the boat - doesn't it?! What a beauty she is!!! Couldn't even get her full length in the frame!

Happy Hour

I met Mom & A.Vee on Friday evening at Filets in Cherry Grove, right by the swing bridge we’ve gone over and under six hundred and fifty times. They have Happy Hour from 4 to 7 with ½ price apps and drinks on Fridays. The biggest surprise (besides the fact that, with few exceptions, there was nobody under the age of 50 in the joint) was a full-on Sushi Bar in addition to their standard menu. Unfortunately the sushi isn’t part of the ½ price menu, but I indulged anyway with this delicious tempura mahi roll.



The service was ok - and I‘ll give credit where credit‘s due - the server remembered Mom & A.Vee‘s order almost exactly (from the last several weeks they've gone on Fridays) - but she fell short on refilling drinks and coming back to check on us, bringing the bill with a pen that didn‘t work, etc. I constantly have to remind myself that everyone operates on South Carolina time down there and I have to consciously adapt my extreme impatience and expectations.



Obviously it’s a popular place - packed both inside and out, this very "typical" NMB locals' hang out has great views of the Cherry Grove Marina and the swing bridge. Mom and A.Vee were all dolled up ready to head to Harold’s, the epicenter of the Shag world, after we ate. I hate that I didn't take a picture of them, but I was fixated on the server's lack of attention to us after we got our food that I just didn't think about. My mind was also going over mental checklists the whole time, for the final preparations for my departure Saturday. It really takes a lot longer to clean up the boat than you might expect - there is so much to be done, especially when you're preparing for guests!

And now for that funny story...

Yesterday in Charleston, when I spied the shop "Indigo" I just had to go in and buy something. You see, I OWE those people.

Back when I lived in Charleston (more accurately, when I lived on the Isle of Palms) and was working at my first hotel job out of college at Wild Dunes, along with numerous other 20-something's struggling to make a living I put my name on the resort's *babysitter list* in the hopes of making some extra cash throughout the season.

I ended up babysitting quite a lot - and made great money at it -- $10 bucks an hour, plus an additional dollar per hour for each additional kid. Once peak season was over I quickly began to struggle again with living expenses because I didn't have that extra cash infusion on a regular basis. But I did sit for some of the locals on the island, and that helped.

One family that I sat for were the people who own Indigo. Back then the shop was located on East Bay Street. In the years since I lived there, I've always looked for it but haven't seen it until last night. They relocated to a side street just off of East Bay, just down from Waterfront Park. I figured they went out of business a long time ago because they no longer had their store front on East Bay, so I was happy to see that this super cute shop still exists.

So why do I feel like I owe these people something? Well... The last time I babysat for their kids we (the kids & I) were doing some exploring around their gorgeous house. While drinking red kool-aid. Not from sippy cups. We were checking out the stunning view of the marshes and inlets from the vantage point of the master bedroom and then decided to have a seat on Mom & Dad's beautiful king sized bed. Red kool-aid and all.

No surprise what happened next, right? One of the kids spilled red kool-aid on the pristine white bedspread, which I'm guessing was VERY VERY expensive, from what you could tell about the rest of their furnishings. Lucky for me, the very large spill (er, pool of red food coloring a foot in diameter) was at the very top of the bedspread, over the pillows. Not using the best judgement from the start, clearly, I decided it would be best to simply cover up the spill with the big white pillow shams, close the door behind us, and pretend the whole thing never happened or at least let the kids catch the fall-out later on. I guess that's why that was the last time I sat for them. Ya think?

Last night I spent about $50 at their shop. So there - I hereby absolve myself of their dry cleaning costs AT LAST!

A Day In Charleston

I drove south to Charleston on Wednesday afternoon. I’ve needed a Charleston *fix* for a while, it’s been ages since I last visited. Certainly I prefer to visit Charleston with my honey-puss Gary, because it’s such a LOVER-ly city, but he’s in Charlotte right now and I just wanted to go for the day - so there you have it. I was only there for about 4 hours, but in that time I managed to do everything I set out to do.

First I stopped into a shop called Indigo. Funny story there, but I’ll save that for a separate post. I bought some nifty giftable items which I will save for some girly birthday presents or stocking stuffers for Christmas. I also bought a moleskin notepad. I wanted to have something other than - gasp! - a newspaper - since I’d be dining solo later. That way they'd (maybe) think I was a food critic! Ha!

After leaving Indigo I went across the street to the Vendue Inn, a venerable hotel and landmark in downtown Charlie-town, for a pre-dinner warm-up. A warm-up? Yeah, before heading into a restaurant for dinner by myself, I thought it’d be better to ease into it with a drink at a nice bar first. I suppose I felt like I needed some practice because I haven’t done that in so long - I mean, I have a real live boyfriend to go places with normally. But I’m pleased to report that I actually had a conversation with a couple of people at the Roof Top Bar. It was funny to step back and observe that I still have the ability to speak coherently and with reasonable ease and intelligence - basically - to hold my own - when speaking to complete strangers, by myself. Now that I'm living in such isolation sometimes I don't recognize myself as myself. Does that make sense? Once upon a time I used to do that sort of thing for sport dontcha know.

Anyhow, the breeze up there was as delightful as the view - and I enjoyed a single Mint Julep. Most of the old buildings along the battery were intentionally positioned to maximize the breeze coming off the harbor, back in the days before air conditioning. It was a very enjoyable experience, but the main event was still going to be dinner at my favorite restaurant in the world.



Slightly North Of Broad has been my favorite place to eat in Charleston since the mid-90’s when I first moved there after college. The owner, Chef Frank Lee, was one of the first in Charleston to use strictly local and regional ingredients to create their incredible menus. I have looked to S.N.O.B. for many special occasions in Charleston, and I like to think of it as the place for a true Southern fine dining experience.

I started with an Arugula Salad with blue cheese and pecans, dressed in balsamic and what I believed to be duck fat vinaigrette. I would have licked the plate clean had I thought I could get away with it. SO GOOD.

Then I had the Tenderloin topped with a deviled crab cake, which is one of their signatures, with a house made béarnaise. The beef was so tender it was like they had already cut it into bites and stacked it together - it practically fell apart - but still cooked exactly to medium rare. This is the BEST place for beef tenderloin - and they are so consistent in their exceptional high quality ingredients.

I must add here that the service at S.N.O.B is also consistently professional and outstanding. Tonight I ate at the bar and had the undivided attention of Becky, the bartender, who did an excellent job. Their trainers should be applauded. All the way around, from the food, service, décor and general ambiance - Slightly North Of Broad is without a peer in Charleston, in my (moleskin) notebook.

I rounded out my whirlwind day-trip with one last stop at Kaminsky’s for a slice of pie and an iced coffee for the road. They are pretty legendary for their huge selection of “by the slice” cakes and pies and I don’t think I’ve ever been in there when a table was open. I got a slice of German chocolate (I think?) pie to go, and it s now sitting in my fridge here at the boat because I was so full after my wonderful dinner I couldn't eat a bite. No doubt it’ll make a great breakfast in the morning!

Southern Culture Pop Quiz

Who knows what this is?

Click here to find out.

More from Brookgreen Gardens

I have received numerous emails from readers about how much they enjoyed reading the post about Brookgreen Gardens (thank you!!) and thought I'd add this little video montage to attempt to share the experience of the music and the solitude and the gorgeousness of that magical place. After I downloaded it to youtube it lost quite a bit of quality, but I think it's still something to enjoy!

Reason # 247 why we don't swim in the water by the boat

I have NO IDEA how this guy got up on the dock.

Here's how I originally found him - upsidedown, Friday night after my lovely evening at Brookgreen Gardens:



I grabbed a pole and flopped him upright. Although he hissed at me, I'm sure he was glad to be back on sure footing. He waddled over to the side of the dock (much quicker than one would expect a turtle of this size to move) and jumped in with an impressive splash and swam away. Whew!

My Daily Walk

I've been pretty good at walking a couple miles every day for the past month or so. I finally decided the only way I would keep to a schedule was to make myself walk every day - instead of picking 4-5 days a week to walk - this way there's no excuse whatsoever for me to not get 2 miles in per day...at least!

Normally I go to the gym at the hotel, but this evening I thought I'd break up the routine a little and walk around "the neighborhood". I love our neighborhood here at the beach. It's pretty fab, especially at sunset.

This is the bridge that connects the hotel & marina complex to the golf course and neighborhood of the same name. I've never crossed this bridge before! I decided tonight was the night!

This is the vantage point from the sidewalk, about 3/4 the way to the highest point on the bridge.

Here's the lookout tower, looking south over the Intracoastal Waterway.

Not one to get absorbed in the details (wink wink) here's what the inside of the tower looks like. I just love the attention to detail. The iron chandelier and wooden beams were a pleasant surprise.

And here is the lovely view of the hotel and marina from the top of the bridge. This is facing south on the ICW. The golf course is on the right.

I walked to the bottom of the bridge then crossed to the other side so I could see the view from that vantage point.
These are the homes of our GAZILLIONAIRE neighbors, looking north on the ICW.

I felt like the paparazzi taking these pix, sort of invading their privacy, but like all Hollywood celebrities do, they call attention to themselves with their grotesque displays of wealth. Bastards!!! So I extended my lens as far as it would go!

All's quiet as the sun sets over the Anchor Cafe - the marina bar - where this time of night is their busiest.