Darlington & Myrtle Beach South Carolina

We spent a week with my sister Lisa in Darlington, just visiting and eating. Because everyone was working or in school during the day, we took the opportunity to take in a few sights.

Darlington Raceway- Darlington, SC.

1950 Plymouth- won 1st Souther 500

Some of you may know and some of you may not, Darlington is the home of the Southern 500.  The track had an unusual design when it opened.  It was an egg-shaped oval with one corner tighter, narrower, and more steeply banked because the guy who bought the land promised the farmer who sold him the land that the new  track would not disturb the farmer's minnow pond at the west side of the property.

The first race was held on Labor day in 1950 and a was won by a driver using a 1950 Plymouth, bought from the dealer without any modifications.  The configuration of the track has changed through the years.  The track allegedly earned the moniker The Lady in Black because the walls around the track are always painted white prior to a race, are always largely black by the end of it due to a profusion of tire contacts.  Darlington is also know as "The Track Too Tough to Tame," and racers hitting the wall are considered to have received their "Darlington Stripe."

The Hudson- this car was featured in the movie Cars.

As many times as I have been to Florence, SC in my life, I never knew there was a National Cemetery there.  Most of you know I have a thing for cemeteries.  At this cemetery there was a a unique tombstone of the remarkable Florena Budwin.  She successfully disguised herself as a Union soldier during the Civil War.  She was hoping to find her husband who had joined the Union troops.  She was found out when she became sick, and when she died, they buried here with full military honors.  She eventually found her husband, but both ended up in the notorious Andersonville Prison.  She is supposedly the first woman to be buried in a national cemetry.

We arrived in Myrtle Beach last Thursday and are spending time with our mom's.  Checking out their health and have been pleasantly surprised at how well they are doing.

Come on in!  The water is great! - Myrtle Beach and the Atlantic Ocean

We went over to Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet to meet our "boss", JW, the guy we will be reporting to when we do our volunteer gig there later this year. We are also connecting with some high school friends and other family members.

We plan to be here until June 13th.  We will then head to Charleston, SC for a few days before flying to England to visit Thomas and family.  We'll spend two weeks in England and then we are off to Venice for a few days and then to Carmine, a little village about 3 hours from Venice and not accessible by car, so I'm told.   My son has planned the trip and we are looking forward to the adventure. T & I will return to England to decompress for a few days before heading back to the US July 15th.  I'll have lots to write about when we get back.  Stay tuned.