Charleston, SC - Hills Family Get Together and A Museum in Myrtle Beach SC

March 10th

My poor "little Mini" decided to not open the third door and there being only one Mini dealer for 100 miles in any direction, we had to take a trip to Charleston, SC.  We went down on March 10th only to have the problem diagnosed and the part ordered and not having a loaner car we were stuck most of the day at the Mini Dealer.  However, you know me, I made the best of a bad situation.  I spent the day reading and on our way back to Myrtle Beach we drove out to Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island to take in the view.  Knowing we would be headed back to Charleston the next week we arranged to have a loaner on our next visit.

Atlantic Coast Inlet looking from Sullivan's Island

Breach Inlet

We stopped in Georgetown to visit my Aunt Bev.  What a great visit we had and oh the memories of the home where my grandmother lived.  We ate pizza and drank beer and talked of old times.  On my next visit I'll be smart enough to take pictures of the house.

Aunt Bev & Glo

Wednesday night, March 11th, Glo enjoyed wine tasting at Boom Booms in Myrtle Beach with Pat Monico, Mom's caregiver.  Boom Booms is a unique restaurant where you get a "tasting card" on which you place money and then you go to the wine dispenser and choose your wine.  The menu consisted of tapas.  It was an enjoyable experience and very different from any wine tasting I've done in the past.

Thursday, March 12th, we went over to T's brother's house to enjoy a meal and visit with family.

Carolyn thought something was funny.

Carolyn is always smiling

T, Carolyn, Jennifer, Peggy & Craig

Craig & Jennifer

Craig, Jim & T in deep discussions

Jennifer's beautiful smile as she cooked.

Friday, March 13th, we headed over to Darlington, SC to spend the weekend with my sister Lisa.  Saturday, my brother Thomas came over and the three of us spent the day cooking Lebanese dishes.  The weather was awful.  It rained all day, but we had so much fun we didn't notice.  Though I took my camera, I was having too much fun cooking and eating to stop to think about taking pictures.  We made, tabooli, kibby, baba ganoush, stuffed squash and pecan filled cookies.  We ate and we ate and we ate.  It was wonderful!!!  I even ate some kibby, the first meat I'd eaten in almost 5 years.  Lisa's husband, Tim, paid me the ultimate compliment.  He said, "The kibby is better than your mother made."  Wow!  

Sunday, March 15th, we drove back to Myrtle Beach to stop at our camper to pickup a change of clothes and then headed to Shallote, NC to visit old and dear friends from our high school days.  We spent a glorious couple of days with Keith & Cherie Compton.  The weather was beautiful!! Sunday night we ate steamed oysters, freshly harvested from the creek. Monday we ate homemade scones for breakfast and grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade broccoli cheese soup.   We drove around Shallotte and looked at the homes around the inlet and saw the most magnificent live oak tree.

View from Keith & Cherie's backyard.

Keith & Cherie

Glo, T & Molly

T & Keith

Live Oak (over 2000 years old)

We went home Monday afternoon and on our way we stopped to buy T a Tilley hat.  Thomas and Brian say he looks like an Indian Jones kind of guy.  Glo loves his new look!!!!

Glo & T in their Tilley hats.

We  were up early Tuesday, March 17 to drive back to Charleston to have the Mini repaired.  This time we had a loaner car, so we were able to enjoy some sights in Charleston.  The old homes in Charleston are magnificent.  For lunch we went to the Okra Grill in Mount Pleasant.  Excellent food.

Rainbow Row

After a week of traveling and eating out everyday, it was good to get back to our "home."  It goes without saying that I've gained a pound or two while being here. 

Today, March 18, it was rainy and cold, what seems to be the norm here.  T went to help our nephew-in-law install a ceiling fan. Rather than stay cooped up I went to the Boroughs and Chapin Art Museum.

"The building itself dates to 1924, when it was built by textile industry mogul Eugene Cannon in the Cabana section of Myrtle Beach.

View from Burroghs & Chapin rt Museum
 looking at Atlantic Ocean

We'll be here, in Myrtle Beach, until Monday.  Our stay here at Pirate Land Family RV Resort has been fun, well sort of.  If the weather had been just a little nicer it really would have been fun.  We could have been outside meeting our neighbors instead of being cooped up in our camper.  We are looking forward to sunny days and new adventures in the coming months.  Stay tuned.

What Have The Rolling Hills Been Up To?

Most of you know the weather has been awful, just about everywhere in the US.  Myrtle Beach has been no exception.  It has been rainy, cold and windy with very little sunshine.  I've done my best to stay upbeat, though it has been tough.

In early February I met an old Mary Kay friend, Diane Heckatorne. for lunch and we caught up on what has been going on in our lives.  Diane always looks great!

Diane Heckathorne & Glo

T and I went over to Georgetown, SC for a day and strolled on the riverwalk, had lunch and drove back.  Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina.  In it's hay-day it was a large port city.  Today it is primarily a mill town with a lot of history.  The first seven years of my life I lived there.

In an effort lift my spirits, we drove to Lakeland, Fl, on  February 18th, to visit with my friend, Angie, the gal who sacrificed and took the road trip across country with me in December. What a great time we had while in Florida.  The weather was glorious while we were there.  Sun was shining everyday.  We walked around several of the lakes in the area with no coat and short sleeves.

One day we went to Oponay Farms and picked strawberries.

That evening we had a healthy meal with strawberries for desert.  I was so proud of the meal I made and pleased with how pretty it looked I had to take a picture.



We visited Bok Tower Gardens, just outside of Lake Wales, FL.  Bok Tower Gardens is a National Historic Landmark, contemplative garden and bird sanctuary.  If you are ever in the area, I recommend you take time to visit the gardens.  Everything was in bloom and it was wonderful to be outside in nature.

Glo, T & Angie at entrance to Bok Tower Gardens.

T enjoying the tranquility of the gardens

Bok Tower

After leaving Bok Tower, we headed over to the Cherry Pocket Restaurant.  T fell in love with the place.  T says, "It's just a fish camp dive with excellent chow and reasonable prices." We will go back there again if ever in the area.  

T entering Cherry Pocket

View from the parking lot.

To give you a feel for the place, there is a sign in the restaurant that says, "DO NOT FEEDTHE ALLIGATORS.  It is against the law.  Feeding the alligators also makes them less afraid of humans and more likely to attack people and animals especially small children and small animals. " Definitely, T's kind of place.

Sign in the restaurant.

While in Florida the temperatures back in Myrtle Beach dropped into the teens.  T was concerned that things may have frozen in the trailer.  So sadly, we left Florida and headed back to Myrtle Beach on the 25th.  

I posted this picture on Facebook with the caption, "What were we thinking?"

The first week in March, I had the opportunity to spend an evening with my cousin, Linda and her husband.  The guys talked all night about cars and the military while Linda and I talked about family and memories.  It truly was a pleasant evening.  Linda prepared Shrimp Grits and that made the evening even better.

Since we got back to Myrtle Beach, we've had rain and wind.  One day it did get into the 50s and I went for a walk with a friend on the beach.  We are projected to have about 4 days of nice weather with temps in the 50s and 60s and no rain.

Though I have painted a picture of dreary days during February, we did have one or two that weren't so bad and I took a few pictures of the beach and the birds.

Pelican, up close and personal.