And Now For Something Completely Different
by John Weckerle
We join you today from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, deep in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Hannah. In this case, the “aftermath” is sunshine with occasional clouds, a light breeze, and a glass of chardonnay. Â
Having spent much of last week wondering whether our only “real” vacation of the year was going to be battered to pieces by tropical weather, we arrived yesterday more or less without incident (a minor delay affected the final leg of our travel, and there was some of the bumpiest weather I’ve ever encountered between Atlanta and Florence, SC). We landed in Florence – a little 3-gate airport – and drove to Myrtle Beach, checked in (we’re at a time-share right on the beach), sat around for a bit, visited the Tiki Bar by the pool, and then went to the Giant Crab seafood buffet. The food was good, but I felt that it was a bit overpriced given the selection and the fact that it was, in fact, a buffet.Â
I was up before sunrise (I can prove it; see the photo), and once everyone else was up and had breakfast, we went down to the beach. We set our towels on some chairs that were set up along the beach, walked down to the waterline, and were confronted by a surly lifeguard who informed us that the chairs were for rent – $30 a day for two rickety chairs and a little umbrella. We thought not, and chose to lay our towels out on the sand instead. We took a little swim, walked the beach a bit, and then came back and swam in the pool. Subsequently, we floated on some inner tubes on the “lazy river” that flows around the south end of the parking garage.
Lunch was at Jimmy Buffet’s Margarataville – “Cheeseburger In Paradise” for Lucy and Mom, and a tilapia sandwich for me. Then it was off to Ripley’s Aquarium, a very nicely done aquarium located just minutes from where we’re staying. The presentation includes a very well done reef-type tank with a tunnel running through. Large sharks and sawfish were present in notable numbers, as were quite a variety of other fish – however, no sea turtles were in evidence.Â
Tomorrow, it’s off to Brookgreen Gardens. Who knows what we’ll see there? (Well, we do, to an extent, having reviewed the web site and the brochures…)
