I ended up taking time off of blogging while at the beach. Obviously I didn't intend to, but the week ended up being a busier one than I anticipated. I didn't even get any reading done! However, I did spend lots of time with a great bunch of people playing board games, card games, computer games, going on a double date night, having late night chats, making a trip to the outlets, and celebrating my birthday. I've been reviewing all the photos I took today, but also relaxing because I don't feel so hot. It's really rather nice to have an excuse to relax after such a busy week. I know most people don't feel like a vacation is work, but when I'm around a lot of people and get no real time to myself for a while it can be really draining.
Here are some highlights from the week at North Myrtle Beach:
I stayed up all night Tuesday because the air conditioning was out at the beach house, but in the morning when it was a bit nicer out (it was incredibly muggy all week and mostly very hot with the occasional thunderstorm) I went out to the beach and watched the sunrise with my camera and a couple of the guys.
And finally a little close up nature shot, my favorite kind!
As for the indoor activities I didn't take many photos at all. Just a shot of the tournament poster I made for our Magic: The Gathering tournament, which I did surprisingly well in.
On the way home we grabbed Michael to make things more fun and stopped at South of the Border, one of the kitschiest little bits of America that ever happened. There we saw:
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| A terrifying jaguar with an unhinged jaw, the horrors! |
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| Our brother Davey, flying his kite. |
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| A very fake shark. |
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| The sad mannequin, with tear stained cheeks, the poor limbless guy. |
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| King Kong and a menagerie of other fiberglass creatures, real and imaginary. My favorite was the lavender jackalope, I should have taken a picture of it and now kick myself for missing the chance. |
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| The giant sombrero tower. |
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| And the iconic sign. |
We also saw plenty of fiends of old corn, peanuts, and tobacco (what's pictured above). We got stuck in traffic on I-95 multiple times before and after lunch, and eventually got off of it altogether. But we did enjoy the side trip for a fantastic Cuban lunch in Fayetteville, NC at Habana Cuban Restaurant.
We may have gotten home Saturday, but Sunday was busy too as Allan (Bryan's dad) and I went to see Garrison Keillor on his Prairie Home Companion: The America The Beautiful tour. I had heard about it only a couple weeks before and near the same time heard of Keillor's upcoming retirement. Having listened to the show with my parents many Sunday afternoons I had fond memories of his show and wanted to be able to see a bit of it live just once, and thus asked for a ticket as a birthday gift. While the performances on this tour aren't all aired on the radio they have many of the same features as the show, plus some delightful sing along elements too. We had a wonderful evening with perfect weather, and a fantastic venue in the Koka Booth Ampitheater in Cary, NC. I'm hoping to take Bryan (and anyone else inclined to go) back this fall for some of their more moderately priced bluegrass concerts.
I'll be back Wednesday with another set of book reviews. Thanks for reading!
Love,
Lydia
