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The next leg of my adventure was a trip to Myrtle Beach. I have been there before but we had access to a semi private beach. We drove down to the public beach one day during that trip and the people were packed like sardines. After walking for about fifteen minutes and still not finding a place to lay a towel, we gave up.
So, when we were talking about going down there and remembering my last trip, I wasn’t too enthusiastic. However, when we arrived, I was in for a pleasant surprise. We found a place that had public access to the beach and since we arrived around noon, we found a great spot.

My family was used to traveling and had all the necessary gear for a fun beach outing. My ieces rushed into the water, we sat back and watched them frolic. After a few minutes, the girls came back and gave a water report that it wasn’t too cold and headed back out followed by their dad.

I wasn’t convinced yet so I sat there watching everyone and looking for the overweight people to see what I would look like in a bathing suit. After asking me if I knew how to swim my sister said, “You aren’t gonna ever see these people again, so you need to go on into the water.” I started to protest but I was busted and after a while I walked along the shore edge getting my feet wet looking for some intact seashells. I realized as I splashed water over my body that the same calming fascination I always have with moving water was at work. This was my downtime and I was determined to enjoy every minute of it. I had to remind myself of this thought later.

I enjoyed Myrtle Beach and the seafood buffet where we ate. It wasn’t fancy but the food was good and the service was good. In a minute alone, I thanked my sister again for inviting me to go with them. She must have known how much I needed the stress relief.

Aftershocks

We planned to leave early Sunday afternoon although I wanted to leave earlier; I didn’t fight it because this was vacation. As we headed north, I thought to myself that this ride was bouncier than I remembered coming back last night but I didn’t say anything because we had already discussed the vehicle needed new shocks or springs or whatever. We were barely on the road when we heard this strange sound and my sister’s husband said, “Is that us?”

Unfortunately, it was us. The van blew a tire. Later, her husband would say, “I saw this woman pointing at me but, I’m vain, so, I thought she was just saying how good looking I am; here she was telling me my tire was about to blow.” We laughed. Luckily, AAA was efficient and we didn’t have to wait too long to get a new tire on and get back on the road.

The next aftershock was due to a problem with the coolant system; he said there were actually three things happening all at once. I think I heard him say something about a fan belt. I still wasn’t worried because I had prayed before the trip like I always do and felt we would still get home safely and without a major mishap. Prayers were answered Sunday because though we had to make extra stops to keep the coolant system happy, none of the other molehills grew into mountains.

Although, the trip took much longer than expected, it was not only vehicle problems but l learned that when you travel US I95 and you get to Virginia, Maryland and DC, the cars come out of every nook and cranny road surrounding it and the traffic bottlenecks and is slow going. Add to that the slowdowns where there are police involved and I see why although it is a straight shot it can also be a long haul.
I changed my return date by one day because I wanted to hang with my sister a little longer. Overall, I have enjoyed my travel adventure so far and I have my extended family to thank for it.

If you are a WISE woman or want to become one, please sign up to receive updates by RSS or your Email inbox and leave your comments. Please keep your comments valid to the posts.  You can also reach me at onewizeone@yahoo.com. I will reply to you.  If you have a blog leave a linkback so others can visit your site as well. 

Tags: Myrtle Beach, Vacations

We left Philadelphia on Thursday and I was a bit disappointed because the weather didn’t cooperate with my plans.  I wanted to take pictures along the way but it was rainy and overcast for most of the trip.  Also, we traveled highway I95 which doesn’t have a lot of scenery but there were a few interesting sites that I would have loved to snap.  I listened to music most of the way.

Still the ride through Virginia and into North Carolina was remarkable.  The deeper we traveled south the more beautiful the scenery became. I thought about what I had left behind; my mind began to contemplate changes and differences. 

I have gone through some changes over the past few months and any time there are changes you will naturally see differences, in most instances.  An example; I had to change my living quarters and as a result it also changed my ability to maintain my established work schedule, work environment even my work focus. 

As time has gone on I have become aware that changes will also force you to reevaluate your lifestyle and your goals.  So, as I traveled down the highway, I became aware that things would not be the same and I should not expect the same attitudes, standards, accents and functions that I was used to in Pennsylvania. 

I believe I know why this focus on changes has occurred but I don’t want to share it right now.  However, this awareness of differences became a very interesting and exciting process as I met new people.

There is an older couple I met today who were graciously entertaining to me and my family who already know them.  The warm embraces they greeted me with was refreshing.  The woman hustled us into her large house with lots of welcoming chatter.  She was a nice looking woman with the North Carolina accent.  Her home was large and beautiful and she told us a bit of her history.

The man was a wealth of knowledge.  He knew what lakes met and the water system that was in place.  He knew the history of the land that the woman owned and it was quite a bit; he knew many other land sites and their history.  I sat there amazed that he remembered so much.  I could tell it was a source of pride for him and he deserved the praise.  He was quick to find pictures and show them but he didn’t live there.  He said they were “dating”; his explanation for knowing his way around her house. 

He also invited us to tour his home several miles away.  Though it was not as large or as grand as the woman’s home, it still was a comfortable, neat and clean space inside.  Outside, the grass was neatly mown and he said it was an acre.  He had various projects in progress and gave us a run down on most of them, I suspect. 

One thing that he talked about repeatedly was his love of flowers.  I think I won points with him when I told him that I love flowers too; I pointed out how nice his gladiolus looked and he advised me he was going to cut them tomorrow and take him to his lady friend.

He gave my younger family members tips on how to build strong friendships in Durham, “please and thank you; yes ma’am, yes sir; no ma’am no sir,” apparently is well received.  Hmmm…imagine that.

A glaring difference that I noticed while in Durham was how polite the men were when it came to opening or holding doors for me.  I was so appreciative that I had to stop myself from saying more than a polite, “thank you.” True southern gentlemen were standing up and being counted.

Early this morning, I visited a thrift store because my family member is a big EBay seller and wanted to explore for goldmine finds.  We were disappointed because other than a nice vase and a few other items there were no great steals. 

Land exploration and history was the name of the game today and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the adventure.  There is a lot of land for sale in this area and those in the know like the gentleman I met today, can give you tips that will help save you money. 

I am exhausted and so is everyone else; we are resting up for tomorrow’s adventure, Myrtle Beach!

If you are a WISE woman or want to become one, please sign up to receive updates by RSS or your Email inbox and leave your comments. Please keep your comments valid to the posts.  You can also reach me at onewizeone@yahoo.com. I will reply to you.  If you have a blog leave a linkback so others can visit your site as well. 

Tags: Land Roving, Please and Thank You, Souther Gentlemen