The Beach ~ 2010

Our hotel, the Marriott Courtyard in Carolina Beach, NC; a very nice, small hotel (160 rooms) with free internet in the lobby and a good breakfast buffet!

Oh, Look ~ Another New Creek

The last time I wrote about the creek that forms behind my house any time we have a storm, it was Hurricane Alberto's fault. This time, it is Tropical Storm Hanna that came to visit. She wasn't as hard-hearted as the weather people thought she would be, so the photos are not as dramatic today, but interesting, nonetheless. We had about 4-5 inches of rain; sorely needed and we are grateful to have it. Last year's drought must be almost abated by now.

I had to brave the light drizzle Saturday morning, to empty at least 4" of water from the pool, as well as a lot of leaves and debris. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, so we must not have had too much wind Friday night (no matter what mr. kenju says he heard). I saw one tree down in my neighborhood, but I haven't driven all the way through it either, so there could be more. With Ike and Josephine hard on Hanna's heels, who knows what we might have next week??!!

Driving to the airport Sunday morning, on the way to pick up my brother-in-law, I passed the small lakes off Airport Road and the water level was higher than I've seen them in almost two years. That's a very good sign! BIL had been on a golfing trip to Pinehurst with his coworkers, despite the threat of torrential rains. Hanna notwithstanding, they were able to play for four days (before, during and after the storm passed). We've had a good visit and I cooked a pretty good dinner: pork chops, crash hot potatoes (recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman) green beans, good bread and lemon cake and ice cream for dessert. Too bad he has to leave this morning, since we enjoy his visits very much.

Four Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

If you are looking for a good place to take your vacation, celebrate a special occasion or just lay about on the beach for a few days - this is THE place! Marriott's Grande Dunes Hotel and Spa (on the left) and the Grand Dunes Marriott Vacation Club (on the right and below), on the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, SC. (DO click to enlarge!)

All that is accompanied by miles of flat, white, sandy beach, sunshine and blue/green ocean ~ what more could you ask?

Two outdoor pools: a salt-water pool in the front and a fresh-water pool in the rear, with dozens of tables, umbrellas, lounge chairs and waitstaff always at the ready with drinks or munchies. I almost forgot to mention the outdoor hot-tub!

The corner of the building you can see on the right above houses the indoor pool and hot tub, and behind that - a spa with services to rival those of the best ones (not that I know first-hand....LOL.....we didn't get any massages or facials, etc., on this trip.)

Our bed, replete with mattresses to die for and feather duvets and lush pillows!

Our bathroom, with every convenience necessary, and some that are not necessary, but enjoyed.

We are extremely fortunate to have a family member who is a Marriott employee, otherwise, we might not be able to experience such a wonderful place. We arrived on Sunday, with our older grandson, our son, his wife and their girls and our daughter, Miss Kenju.

I didn't take photos of it, but I can highly recommend the breakfast buffet! Anything you might ever want for breakfast is there (even for Europeans) and it is delicious!

More photos tomorrow. I am tired, as you might imagine.

Norman Rockwell 5

Click to enlarge.

A boy and his dog.....and the old fishing hole. I'm not sure what C*ke has to do with it, but it was their ad...lol. I love the small details that Rockwell was famous for: in this one, the dragonfly, the old bait can and the boy's dirty feet. They add to the painting immeasurably.

My son loved to fish when he was a boy, and since mr. kenju never went fishing in his life, my dad used to take my son whenever he would visit. My grandson is positively crazy for fishing. He is the one who caught the baby sand shark last summer. His father used to take him fishing all the time, but now that his dad is out of his life (by choice), his aunt takes him when possible.

About the time I turned six or seven, my aunt took me fishing near her home on Lake Pymatuning in Ohio/Pennsylvania. It was beginner's luck for me; I caught five or six fish that day and you might imagine how thrilled I was with myself. The day was wonderful, sunny and breezy without being too hot on the water. We were out in a row boat, just drifting with the wind, and I remember thinking I could have stayed there forever.

Summer Camp.......

All three of my children attended a summer camp in Virginia when they were young, and now my grandchildren are going to the very same camp. How wonderful is that?

On Sunday, my daughter and her brother drove to the camp to deposit three of her kids there for two weeks. The older boy attended last summer - didn't want to leave then and couldn't wait to return. I think that speaks well of it, don't you? He is now joined by his sister and brother, and next year when his youngest cousin reaches the age of ten, there will be two more to join them. I pity the seven year old because she has to wait three years to reach the age limit.

My children have such fond memories of the camp, even though they found lots to complain about back then. The food was horrible. The cabins too rustic. Too many spiders. Dampness creeping into the sleeping bags. The smelly latrines. Ick. Not seeing mom and dad for two whole weeks. Not enough care packages or letters. But even with all those bad conditions, they find it necessary to subject their own kids to the same place. LOL

My son says driving down the road to the camp is like entering a time warp. A few of the same people are still there - as counselors or administrators, who were there as campers or counselors in the 70's. There have been a few improvements, of course, but it remains essentially the same as it was back then. One might expect a lot of changes over the years, but I think it is comforting to know that it is the same place. A tree house was built in the 70's. My son was instrumental in getting that started. I hear it fell down in the late 90's, but for many years it was a part of the camp that many kids looked forward to visiting, especially the boys. They have a campfire every night, and they all sit around it and sing and tell stories.

They grow a lot of the foods that are prepared for the campers, and the menus are healthy, no junk foods allowed. The children seem to carp about that for 2-3 days, but by the end of the 2 weeks they don't mind. One thing I noticed both in my children and in my grandson, is that at the end of the second week, they are different kids. They are calm, serene, and active but somehow quieter. They seem to focus on what is important in life - our relationships with each other - and forget about their video games and TV. Too bad we can't seem to foster those feelings on a year-round basis!

Some things never change. As my daughter was preparing to leave after making sure the children were settled in, she and the younger boy walked across the "big meadow" by the mess hall. He said, in a very loud voice....."Mom, my counselor is weird!" The meadow has a wicked echo, so everyone within 1/4 mile probably heard him. She told him to hush (and why) and his eyes got big as saucers. He asked "What if he heard me?" Poor baby, I am sure he isn't the first camp counselor who has been told he is weird!

If you are interested in a summer camp for your children, check it out here.

Danger, Will Robinson!

Click to enlarge.

Mr. kenju was afraid that the children had strayed too far from shore. It didn't matter that one of those children is 41, or that they were only waist deep.

(I guess we all need "Someone to Watch Over Me")

Consider the lilies.....

The promise of spring......





fulfilled in summer.

This is what greeted me as we arrived home from the beach vacation. A proper welcome, I'd say!

Thanks to everyone who wished us a happy anniversary. We had a quiet one; opting to go out to a nice dinner next weekend, after my wedding is delivered. There were no presents, only cards. We are well beyond the stage of giving each other anything, as the last thing we need is something to sit around here and gather dust. If we do gift each other, it is usually in the form of books or gift cards for spa treatments.

Mr. kenju did do a very nice thing, however. I came downstairs to a "big" breakfast all laid out for me, which he had gone out and purchased before I awoke. He made coffee, set the table and kept it all at the proper temperature until I got to the kitchen. He deserves a nice thank you, doesn't he?

Have a wonderful Fourth of July, wherever you are!