More from the Beach

One of the things on which we all agree as being a highlight of our vacation was the evening we went to the fishing pier in Folly Beach. We walked to the center of town in search of ice cream. As we neared the end of Center St. I could sense some fear from the girls that their sweet tooth might not get satisfied. Megan spotted a multicolored cone in the distance and we headed straight for it. After each of us made our selection we went out to find somewhere to eat. The wind off the ocean was strong and the girl's long hair wound up in the ice cream. Mine included. There were lots of giggles. Bridget had a cup so she had the opportunity to savor hers while the wind and heat forced the rest of us to eat quickly. Grandma couldn't help but laugh as a huge chunk of chocolate blew off my ice cream. Jim walked the girls over to the beach showers to rinse off what they could.

We went up to the pier and were greeted with a color filled sky. Emma, Rachael, Megan, and Bridget all loved the ocean scented wind. Rachael hopped up on one of the seats, put her arms out and leaned into the wind. She had a great peaceful smile. Em and Megs climbed on seats as well to experience the sensation. PawPaw got a great shot of their profiles with his camera. We took our time walking to the end and saw some people fishing. Rachael was eagerly watching and hoping to see someone reel something in, but there wasn't much action. The grandparents were looking tired, : ) as well as the kids so after a stop at a souvenir shop we headed back in the dark to our condo.

We were drawn to the area because of it's history, so we decided to take a trip into Charleston and visit Fort Sumter. It was the location of the first shot of the Civil War, and despite hearing that over and over I wonder if the girls retained it. We try to include history and a sense of how we and our country have gotten to where we are, as we raise them. Having never been to the area we made some decisions that turned the visit to Fort Sumter into an all day affair, and although it didn't go as planned and the humidity was intense everyone was in good moods. We took a boat ride out to the Fort and we let them sit on the steps at the front of the boat enjoying the wind and view.

 
Jim was great and let me listen to the Park Ranger's talk as he walked the grounds with the kids. Grandma Kate and PawPaw were always nearby lending a hand or spending time with one girl or another. Rachael became enamored with a small cannon and had to show it to me and get a picture before we went. We stayed in Charleston for dinner and walked around downtown before heading back.

Grandma Kate and PawPaw offered to watch the kids one evening and gave us a chance to go out. Jim and I went back to Charleston and took a carriage ride around the city and then we enjoyed a relaxed seafood dinner. It was a nice treat. Back at the condo the girls and grandparents grilled dinner and went to the pool.

I also got a chance to spend an afternoon with Mom and tour Boone Hall plantation. The grounds were beautiful and we took a tour around the property. We toured the plantation house as well but as it was the 3rd or 4th on the property and not very old, I was much more impressed with the original brick slave buildings. In each building they depicted different scenes of slave life and chronicled to fight to abolish slavery and gain civil rights. On our trip to Fort Sumter I had gotten the feeling after reading the displays that there was still some kind of attempt to explain slavery. On the plantation though, slavery was shown for what it was. I am so grateful to have gotten the time with my Mother-in-law. It is a very different experience doing this kind of thing without kids, no being responsible for who needs to use the bathroom, or eat, or nap plus getting to read and listen and learn.

Jim did also get a chance to relax without the kids. One evening he walked down to a tiny local brewpub and spent hours talking with the owners and patrons while sampling local brews. We even made a point to bring some beer home.

Folly Beach

At the end of July we endeavored out on a road trip to South Carolina for a week at the beach. We picked the Charleston area because we had never been there before and after some looking around decided on Folly Beach. We rented a condo with Jim's parents, Grandma Kate and PawPaw, who turned the visit into a 3 week driving vacation visiting many along the way.

After a ten hour uneventful drive that was full of Taylor Swift songs, we arrived to the humidity, heat and breeze of the beach. The girls were eager to see their grandparents and to see the condo. Em, Rae, Meg and Bridge shared a room with 2 sets of bunks. Bridget was very excited to have a big girl bed and sleep with her sisters.

The beach was broad and not crowded. It was really nice to be able to see the girls in the waves if we were playing in the sand. Em and Rae spent most of their time in the waves on boogie boards. Grandma Kate and Megan hung around in waist high water where Emma and Rachael would wash in. Bridget was reluctant the first day to go in the ocean and after a short trip out with me she was ready to return to the sand. In turns Jim brought the girls out to the big waves on the raft which elicited many high pitched screams. Bridget was not interested. On our second day at the beach Bridget was ready to enjoy the ocean and would wade with us up to her chest.

At one point I waded out to tell the big girls they were drifting too far. I had left Megan and Bridge working on a hole but turned around to see Megan running into the waves and Bridget eagerly following. The water was up to Bridget's chest when a wave knocked her down and all that was visible were her toes and intensely large eyes. I got to her and after she blew some sand out of her nose she was ready to go back in. She had no tears from the event but I do think a new respect.

On the beach we built sand castles and got to use the new mold that Grandma Kate couldn't pass up when we went grocery shopping. She and I had a good time shopping together in the foreign land of a strange store. I discovered that they had Jim's favorite beer. We didn't bring beer to the beach but we hauled tons of other stuff. Each day we fought the wind to keep our umbrella and on the last day only set up the shade tent. It was good kite weather so Jim and I helped them get the 3 kites up. Bridget took a turn holding a kite herself as I helped Rachael get her kite back up into the air. At some point the wind pulled it out of Bridgie's hand and Megan went running across the beach after it. I joined in and was relieved when I saw the kite stop a ways down the beach. When I caught up to it, the handle had lodged in a volleyball net and I was able to retrieve it. After a few "Can you hold this for me?"', Jim wound up on his own winding the kites back in and packing them away.

Throughout out beach days Emma tried to negotiate with Rachael to build a sand castle with her. But Rachael never really did do much castle building with her, the finicky nature of sand was a detractor. Rachael was interested in learning to make drip sand castles by letting very wet sand dribble out of her hand. She made many runs back to the ocean for the more water. Meanwhile Emma constructed a whole town. She is quite the planner and builder. Bridget, Megan and I used molds to build castles but I think their favorite thing to do was digging holes. Each day we had a respectable hole and each day Bridget wound up in it. Jim even buried her in one.

I used to find beach vacations daunting but as we amassed beach gear, picked less crowded beaches, got better at packing and the girls have gotten older, I have enjoyed the beach more and more. I would even venture to say that it is relaxing. One day I even got to read my book as Bridget napped in my lap. Both of these were firsts.