About Last Week

Good Monday morning friends. Trying to get back in the groove here after a week away so lots to catch up on both in real life and in blog life. Grab your coffee because I'm going to jam a week's worth of activity into a single post. It's my niche. 

Actually I have one more related anecdote to share in it's own post so there will be a p.s. tomorrow. 

Linking with Holly and Sarah and their Hello Monday hop, and also with Kym and her most recent Everyday Image photo prompts, which this time around are -at home, station, selfie, beginning and/or end, pebbles, and scenery. 

Let's get to it...

We live on a lake so typically stick close to home in the summer months. We haven't taken a whole family vacation since my oldest daughter got married, so this year we decided to get the entire gang together and head to the beach. 

We chose Hilton Head because a.- it's beautiful and b- it's a reasonable drive from here. Daughter1's hubs couldn't stay the whole week due to his work commitments so we wanted to make the location somewhat convenient for him. 

~scenery~

Hilton Head is beautiful. It's lush and makes you feel like you've escaped somewhere tropical.  The whole island is very well planned and signage is low, so you're not looking at billboards every few yards. 

~scenery~

The landscape features beautifully manicured lawns and golf courses, soaring Palmettos, threadlike Spanish moss dripping from the trees...

...and beach grasses growing along sandy dunes. 

~scenery~

We rented a house through Airbnb and it worked out well. It was situated near the front end of the Palmetto Dunes section of HHI and the location was perfect. 

~at home~...for the week anyway

The property backed up to the lagoon,  home to so much beautiful and interesting wildlife including huge chatty osprey, blue heron...

...or the grandpa birds as my grands call them, and something called snake birds. If you've never seen one they're wild. They look like a snake as they come out of the water, but then when you see the body you relax because you realize its a bird and not a snake.  

Of course there was the neighborhood alligator present too, because no trip to the island is complete without one. 

The house had a little dock perched over the lagoon and it was not designed with little people in mind. 

I think they left one section open to pull kayaks in and out, but we kept a tight grip on the kids eager to watch the gator. 

The pool was a big hit...

The house had three suites on the lower level and two bedrooms upstairs, one with bunks, for the kids. There was a big table for dining and we ate most of our meals in because dining out with five under the age of 8 is not an every night kind of thing. I'm sure I don't need to explain lol. 

We all drove separately and hubs and I took our time getting there. We took the back roads because I-95 is one of the worst roads in America and we love small town USA. My favorite thing about a road trip is seeing something new, especially if it's historic. A sampling of my google history from the drive shows the following-

Gold mines in South Carolina, Redcliff Plantation, images of purple sage (relating to our audio book), egrets vs. herons (all egrets are herons but not all herons are egrets), the Long Cane Massacre grave, does Spanish moss kill trees-the answer is no, and what is a Barbados nut plant

There's more but you get the idea. It was a nice ride and there was zero traffic. We stopped for lunch in Bluffton, about thirty minutes before reaching HH, a casual spot that had the most delicious blackened mahi taco-

So good, and they came with a warning-ha! 

As we got nearer the ocean I could just feel the tension leave my body. Salt air does that. 

Initially when we saw the forecast for the week we were a little nervous. There was a lot of rain predicted and while we did have some rain it was mostly overnight and we had beach time every day. We had rain one afternoon just as we got back home, but mostly the cloud coverage and breeze made it really pleasant for sitting, especially with small children. Daughter2 brought a tent with her but they only set it up a couple of days.  The sun shone but the clouds kept it from being too much. 

This is where I planted myself pretty much on the daily-

                ~my station~

We arrived Saturday afternoon, unloaded and set up house, then grabbed dinner at a beachside spot in Palmetto Dunes. The weather was threatening but didn't let loose until we were back home. 

We typically spent mornings at the beach, and half of us packed lunch and stayed into the early afternoon. Daughter2 and her crew went back to the house for lunch so they could settle Sugar for an afternoon nap. Our house was about a quarter mile from the beach so a super easy walk on a wide paved trail designed for both walkers and cyclists.  

I didn't walk. I drove, and actually hubs drove me because I'm still nursing my ankle. I wore the boot off and on and kept it wrapped while on the beach. I didn't do any swimming which was a little bit sad because I love to be out in the waves, but that didn't seem sensible right now. Hubs and I did take a couple of short walks. The sand was flat and packed and the beach is wide, so really nice for walking. 

Everybody thought so...

Daughter2 and her family also drove to the beach because the amount of gear with kids this age is a lot.

Daughter1 pulled a wagon loaded to overflowing with sand toys, boogie boards, a beach bag and her little miss, and then the two oldest boys rode their bikes. What a treat to ride a bike on the beach! 

The first few days we were there hubs also hauled his surf rod and assorted fishing gear down to the ocean to see what he could catch. Not a lot, but he and the boys had fun.  

Afternoons were spent mostly in the pool, napping, working puzzles, and in general relaxing until it was time for dinner, usually eaten at home. My son-in-law picked up fresh shrimp to go with the steaks he grilled. We each took charge of a meal and that worked out well. 

We went out for a big family dinner on Monday night-Skull Creek Boathouse for those who frequent HH.We went on the early side and didn't have to wait. It's a great spot, with a pier you can walk out on, wonderful food, and a pirate ship playground for the kids which they loved. 

Little Miss rocks the beach waves. I'm having fun buying matching dresses for the grandgirls when I can. These are from Stitchy Fish and they were so cute, and the fabric was really nice. 

As an aside, I try not to post pics of my grandbabies faces on my blog these days. Every now and then one will land there, but I check with mom first. My oldest especially doesn't really want their faces on the Internet and I'm also not posting swim suit pics, which is what most of my beach photos are. 

Okay, back to what I ate because I know that's why you're here. I had stuffed shrimp and it was scrumptious. Our server took a pic of us all at dinner and we took a few snaps of the whole family out on the pier later. The weather was delightful and I'm so glad we were there this week instead of the one prior when all anyone could talk about was the heat. Which was outrageous. 

One night we went to Shelter Cove for ice cream. I had Eskimo Kisses which was coconut ice cream with chocolate truffles covered in fudge. Yum! One grandson who shall remain nameless dropped his before we left the shop, but the server was really nice and gave him another. Vacationing with kids is not for the faint of heart lol.

The boys were skeptical when we told them the pebbles under their feet were mostly crushed oyster shells. True story though. 

~pebbles~

Hubs and I went back to Shelter Cove Friday afternoon to browse a gallery I'd seen that had some pretty things. Still looking for jut the right thing for our outdoor dining space. My son-in-law grilled fresh swordfish and more shrimp for dinner that evening. We taught the oldest grandsons how to play Mexican Train dominoes this week so there was one more game before everyone did some packing for our Saturday check out.  

Can't forget the selfie prompt. This is as close as we got...

~selfie~

A man on the beach noticed our attempt and helpfully intervened. Also, he was from some small town near St. Louis where hubs mother lived a long time ago, so a lot of conversation happened too. Hubs is firmly in the 'never met a stranger' camp. Not sure why I'm not wearing my sunglasses, but it was evening and I guess not bright? 

Except I'm squinting so it was bright enough. This is why I don't take selfies. Too much overthinking. 

And suddenly it was Saturday. Leaving is the hardest part. You wake up and take your coffee outside like you've done every day since arriving, and you smell the sea air and then sadly you remember you're getting in the car to head home instead of to the beach. Boo. 

Here's how it started-

~beginning~

Til next time...

~the end~

Hop over to Hello Monday and Everyday Images to see what others have been up to lately. 

Weekend Roundup

We had the absolute best weather this weekend and enjoyed spending lots of time outdoors. A friend I've known since childhood (and her hubs) arrived from the Garden State around noon Thursday, and after lunch on the screened porch, we moved over to the covered deck, and eventually down to the dock as we caught up on our lives and all the goings on since last we spoke. 

There was very little humidity and a lovely breeze, so pretty much perfect. The little brown dog thought so too, and he went for a swim which is always entertaining. As a bonus, it wears him out a little. 

B and I met here-

A summer camp on Maryland's Eastern Shore many decades ago. We discovered we lived in the same town (opposite high schools) and the friendship grew. We spent a few summers together working at camp, time marched forward and we both married, then time kept marching and we had our first baby girls about a month apart, then our second baby girls a couple of years later. Then hubs and I moved and moved and moved some more and time rolled on and on, but whenever I'd visit my mom B and I would also get together for a visit. 

It's always like no time has passed, and aren't those the best kind of friends? 

Thursday night we had an event with our wine club and B and her hubs were able to attend as our guests. It was a fun, low-key event which included wonderful French wines served alongside a delicious beef bourguignon. 

We relaxed with our coffee on the deck Friday morning, then spent the rest of the day on the water. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather which I know I've already told you, but it's worth mentioning again. 

Even though we've had our boat summer ready for several weeks now, this was our first all day outing of the season and it was a winner. Adding more of the same to our summer calendar please. 

We saw a lot of wildlife while we were motoring around the lake, including a juvenile eagle perched beside a nest at the top of a tall tree. Hubs has eyes like a hawk (no pun intended) and he is always the one to spot birds and other animals in the wild wherever we happen to be. 

B's hubs has a fancy camera with a long lens so we look forward to seeing some of his pictures once they're back home. We encountered the same blue heron several times throughout the day and he snapped lots of really great shots of him. 

That night hubs grilled our favorite coffee rubbed pork tenderloin recipe then we went back out on the boat to check out the sunset. 

There was not a cloud in the sky which, believe it or not, doesn't make for the most spectacular of sunsets, although there's no such thing as a bad one. 

A few clouds bring out the best colors but ours was still beautiful.

On Saturday morning B and I went for a semi-power walk in the neighborhood before heading in to the nearby small big city for a late brunch. Balance, right? 

The city was bustling as we'd forgotten there was a Jazz festival happening, but fortunately we'd booked a table and were seated quickly. 

Brown butter pecan pie and a bite of banana pudding which were both super delish! 

Our friends were heading on to another city that afternoon so hubs and I had a fun Costco date. Not! I do not recommend Costco on a Saturday afternoon, but we were already in town and needed a few staples. We didn't do the usual up and down all the aisles, but we did get what we came for and got out in a reasonable amount of time so there's that. 

We actually got more than what we came for because can you not when you shop in these kinds of stores? 

Hubs and I went out for breakfast Sunday morning, then I spent a few hours trying to upload two different templates to a print site which was only a teensy bit frustrating because my files were too large or some such nonsense and then I had to rename everything and blah blah blah technology. 

We also read, watched some college baseball, and I did some laundry, spent another hour or so booking flights for a trip later this year (blah blah blah technology) and then caught up here. I had a home chef in the frig I needed to cook and that made for an easy dinner prep wise. 

And that's the weekend that was. 

What fun or not-so-fun things did you do this weekend? 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday morning party. 

2020 Tom Foolery

It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged anything more than the weekly Hodgepodge, so thought I'd play catch up here today. Talk about what's been been going on in our little corner of the world.

So what has been going on?

Well there's a pandemic. Did you hear? Ha! Whew. It's getting old, isn't it? I heard someone say it's starting to feel like a heavy wet blanket across the shoulders and I think she's right.  Today when I got up I thought, "I need a day off." From what though? It's not like we're doing all that much but I feel like I need a day off anyway.

Earlier this week, or actually I guess it was last week, but who really knows because everyday is a lot like the one before, and a-ny-way...I opened the sliders to greet the morning, steaming cup of coffee in hand, took a deep breath, and yuck. The air smelled so fishy.

We live on what is one of the cleanest lakes in all of North America and it never ever smells fishy, but this day it was definitely smelling fishy. I looked out towards the dock and saw a huuuge turkey vulture eating breakfast, right there on our shoreline.

Raise your hand if turkey vultures kind of skeeve you out? Yeah.

I told hubs he needed to walk down there, because I don't care if it is 2020, investigating and dealing with dead stuff is a man's job. It was in the handbook we were given when we said I Do.

There wasn't a handbook, but I do have a mental list of rules and this is one of them, which hubs knows so he walked down there and then yelled for me to bring the camera. Hmmm. I yelled back, 'Is this going to be something I can't unsee?' and yes it was, but I brought the camera anyway.

Y'all. This vulture was chowing down on the biggest catfish I've ever seen. His head was the size of a basketball and with his mouth wide open he looked even bigger. Hubs dealt with it, but all I could think about was how a vulture casually dining on the worlds biggest catfish right in my backyard is pretty much 2020 in a nutshell.

Let's change topics. We had an earthquake. I know! We were sitting on our deck early Sunday morning and we felt the rumble, the deck shook a little which was a bit disconcerting, and our hanging lanterns started swaying. It lasted long enough to make you think, and we found out later a quake measuring 5.1 on the scale had it's epicenter about three hours from us.

We also were treated to a rainbow last week which I guess balances things out. We've had so many rainbows this summer, so many crazy rainstorms where the sun keeps right on shining, I guess even the weather doesn't know which way is up right now. I do love a rainbow though, and while this one wasn't quite as vivid as the last it was still so pretty. After the weather cleared hubs and I hopped on the boat to catch the sunset because we knew we'd get a good one.

We were right.

This has nothing to do with the weather or unusual occurrences (unless you count people coming over for dinner as an unusual occurrence), but we had some friends come for dinner Monday evening (outdoors of course) and I baked this salted caramel butter cake that was as delicious as it sounds.

I took this right after I poured the caramel butter sauce over the cake, and after it cools you remove it from the pan and drizzle the top with a salted caramel syrup. So good! You can find the recipe here. 

In other delicious news, this little guy is all of nine months old now and he is such a joy.

photo credit: Sincerely Shannon 

Big brother started a little preschool program two mornings a week and we are just loving watching them both grow and learn and discover something new about the world every day.

photo credit: Sincerely Shannon 

The distance stinks, and hubs and I might throw tiny little pity parties for one another now and then, never in the same moment though, which helps. My daughter is wonderful about keeping us connected, which we appreciate more than words can say.

Sunday evening we kayaked with a few neighbors over to a nearby island because you never ever tire of sunsets on the lake and this one was a beauty.

The temperature was perfection, the night quiet, and the lake still. With every exhale you feel your cares float further and further away.

When life is fragile and uncertain it helps to know the One who sets the sun.