Good-Bye Myrtle Beach..........

I have really loved our three weeks gazing out on the ocean.     This is what I see over the course of a day.....

Sunrise isn't always this beautiful, but there have been several that make it worth waking up early.

This couple was on the beach this morning sharing a special moment with the beautiful morning color.

As the day starts, people are out for their morning walks and shell collection.

The crowds pick up as the day warms and the sunbathers and surfers take over the beach.

As evening descends, the skies change again.

Goodnight and farewell to Myrtle Beach................

Wilmington NC

Today we visited Wilmington, NC.      It's about a 90 minute drive north of here.

This glass sculpture is entitled  "Southern Hospitality".      It depicts the Venus Flytrap, a carnivorous plant native only in the boggy areas within a 75 mile radius of Wilmington.      I find it very interesting that this plant we have all played with in nurseries is only native to this one small area.   Unfortunately, we got distracted and totally forgot to visit the local park that has some growing, so no pictures of the real thing.

During our walk around town, we saw several interesting signs......

Wilmington is a rarity in the coastal South in that it was totally spared during the war.  As a result, they have an incredible number of homes that are on the Historical Listings.   Homeowners can buy a brown plaque to display on their house if it is over 75 years old.    The plaque gives a history of the home.  If the home is over 100 years old, they purchase a black plaque. Visitors are encouraged to go onto the homeowners front porch to read the plaques.  

We were told there are many homes that qualify for plaques and that are on the Listings, but do not display their plaques because they prefer their privacy.   I can certainly understand that.  You can see the plaque on this house just to the left of the front door.

Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, lived in Wilmington from 1874 to 1882 at the Presbyterian Manse while his father served as the minister of the city’s First Presbyterian Church. We were on a tour and I didn't respond quick enough to get a photo of the house, but this is the yard he played in.

Whistler's Mother also grew up in Wilmington.  Anna Mathilda McNeill gained world-wide notoriety by doing nothing but posing for her artist son, James Whistler. Today her portrait hangs in the Musee d’Orsay in the center of Paris.

Time to head back to the beach....................

Local Tidbits.............

There is a great shopping area that I enjoy visiting  (imagine that).     Barefoot Landing consists of several divided sections of stores, restaurants and attractions located on filled land over the top of 27 acre Louis Lake, next to the Intracoastal Waterway.

The entire area is a Boardwalk over water.    It's very nicely done, it even has a small carnival area for the kids.      There are over 60 shops along with 14 restaurants.      

I especially like walking the two long walk ways over the widest parts of the lake.     You see much wildlife while walking from one area to the next.

I have a very good friend who used to be a Tilley.     When I saw these hats I thought of her and decided to add them to my blog.

Apparently you have to buy the hat to view the Owner's Manual and Brag Tags since I couldn't find them in the store.

To the Co-Founder of the Irish Wive's Travel Club - do you have your hat yet?

Conway

Conway is a historic town inland from Myrtle Beach.   It's founding date was 1732.

I had been there a few days ago to visit their outlet mall.     I don't remember ever totally losing my car at a mall, but I did it that day.     For the life of me I couldn't remember the stores near where I had parked.    I did remember I was the second car in facing parallel to the mall.      I decided the smartest thing to do at this point was to walk the perimeter of the mall.     7,000 steps later  (yes, I checked my FitBit) I found the car.     It would have been much shorter if I had turned left at the beginning instead of right, but...............      Hey, I may have lost my memory but I have retained my logic and organizational skills.     Next time I will take a picture of the nearby stores, though.

Today we drove there for lunch and to walk the historic downtown.     Sorry folks, it was just old, not historically interesting.    

One thing they did have was a wonderful river front boardwalk.     No shops, just a beautiful relaxing walk along the river with a few markers talking about the Waccamaw tribe who called this area home.

When Spain began exploring the SC coast in 1521, there were many native tribes living here.  The Waccamaw Tribe inhabited this area around the Waccamaw River.     In 1715 it was recorded that they had a population of 610 living in four villages.       A tribal war ensued a few years later and the survivors ultimately joined another tribe.

You don't see this moss much in the city of Myrtle Beach but it is quite prominent inland in Conway.

The city created a walkway under the bridge which crosses the river.

It's hard to take pictures with a shoulder bag, so RJ frequently gets the job of carrying it.     He does it without complaining, but I think his posture in this photo tells his true feelings............

Our final stop was a 55+ Community.      The first of many places we will visit in the next few months.     This one will definitely NOT be on the list of the top 10.   (I was going to say 10,000 but thought that might be overkill!)       We did a thorough tour, 3 model homes, two recreation buildings, drove around, asked questions at the sales office.     Most importantly, we really talked about what we did or did not like about the homes/facilities etc.    It's a start.........

I will impress some of you when I say I do not have a 3-ring binder for this endeavor.    Okay,  I do have a 5x8 Moleskin book with tabs, etc. dedicated to the search for our next home.    We'll see if the Queen of 3-ring binders can change her ways.

The Beach at Night

The last rays of sunset were coming between the buildings when I captured this.

This was earlier in the day on a busy weekend.    Fortunately, it's not nearly that busy during the week.

This woman was amazing on her board.      It was obvious how much she loved what she was doing!

I wish I could have captured her going over the wave - she would leap high into the air and do a somersault, land perfectly and keep going.    It was a real joy watching her.

We've been here eleven days and the joy of the beach has not diminished at all.     Only ten days left.

Fireworks

We had fireworks on the beach again.     This time I grabbed the camera.    Surprisingly, no one called the authorities so we got to enjoy the entire show.

You get a weird perspective when you are 11 floors up and looking down onto the beach.

Go Packers......

Murrell's Inlet

Today we took a side trip to Murrells Inlet.       This is only about 12 miles south of Myrtle Beach but seems like a totally different world.   The sandy beaches melt into a salt marsh and the tourist trappings transform into caverns of live oaks laced with moss.    

This fishing village of weathered clapboard homes and sloops is much older than Myrtle Beach, having been founded in the early 1700's.    Blackbeard and other pirates supposedly sailed up into the inlet.

This small island in the marsh is home to a couple cattle, a goat or two and a peacock.      Locals told us that these animals live here for about 9 months out of the year.     Not much roaming space!

There were several seafood restaurants along a boardwalk.     Very laid back and so different from the crowds by our condo.      We had a great shrimp lunch here.