Travels with Edna and Papi: Myrtle Beach, Conway, Good Friends, Dueling Pianos, and......"Shaggin"!

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.

Myrtle Beach was a destination we had looked forward to for awhile because we'd be meeting up with friends we hadn't seen since 1998. Mark and Debbie were our neighbors in Marietta, Ga. who first greeted us with friendship bread upon moving there in 1995. An instant bond formed and they became life long friends of ours, though we hadn't seen them in many years. Like us, they also had a fifth wheel and together we found a KOA not far from the beach. Perry and I arrived a couple of days before and instead of pizza on our first day, opted for a local seafood restaurant where we could sit outside with the dogs. He chose something called SHE Crab soup ( a South Carolina soup) which is rich with its cream base. I hadn't heard of it and had to try it, finding it sweet, rich and delicious!

The RV park had a lot of sites surrounded by tall trees, several cabins, a dog run, and a pool. It was definitely geared towards families but yet close to the beach (rain and cold were in the forecast for the upcoming week). The first couple of days the weather was warm with a few puffy clouds but we heard a storm was coming. We went to Lee's Farmers Market just outside Myrtle Beach, a family owned country market. We found fresh seafood, tomato pies, Polish food (we'd later share with Mark and Debbie), and good ol' southern grits! There was a large sign on the side of the road that read "The Commons". In California, this means a mall so I was excited to check it out (it was that time again to get the hair done)! We entered the Commons and realized it was a development with lakes, ball fields and new homes. It was a very nice area but not what I expected and certainly there were no hair salons! The beach beckoned us and we found a place where we could take Daisy and Gracie off their leashes. They enjoyed their temporary freedom until Daisy came upon a washed up jellyfish. She wanted to play with it and as cute as it was to watch her, we figured it was time to put her back on the leash! Nearby was a small pier with noticeable damage from Hurricane Matthew of 2016. Looking for a place for lunch and thinking the boardwalk was close by, we walked at least 2-3 miles only to find we weren't even close! It was driving distance, so eventually we found an outdoor place to eat on the boardwalk with the dogs sparking many conversations with strangers. By the end of the day we figured we had walked at least 4-5 miles.

Prior to Mark and Debbie arriving, Perry and I drove to the cute neighboring town of Conway, took a ferry to Cape Fear and stopped at a winery on the way back. We're so spoiled enjoying California wines, but the views and the hospitality were immeasurable. Supposedly the best South Carolina barbecue was a spot called Scott's in Hemingway, S.C. a tiny population of 600. The beautiful country drive took us along roads with an occasional shack for a house, dotted among plantation type larger homes. Smoke billowed along the way from controlled burn sites. I sat outside on a picnic bench across the street observing cars driving by with an occasional car honking at the gentlemen standing on the corner that were obviously locals. We did enjoy their food as most of the BBQ sauces are vinegar based as opposed to a sweeter sauce.

As predicted, the rain came in the middle of the night and the next morning I drove to Church only to get stuck in traffic. The rain was coming down hard on this early Sunday morning, where were all the cars going? It's getting close to Spring Break , maybe they were vacationers like us, maybe they were late for church too like me, or maybe they wanted to try one of the many pancake houses (one on every block)? I was fashionably late for church so I stood in the back causing my mind to wander. I was anticipating the arrival of our friends we hadn't seen in nearly 20 years.

Mark and Debbie are a fun, lively couple and once situated in their site across from ours, we spent the evening getting caught up on the last twenty years. We planned our week which included eating at a popular local place called Drunkin' Jacks, going to some local clubs and "shaggin"?! I had never heard of it, but Debbie loves to dance and wanted to teach us (I have two left feet!) the two step Carolina shag with a slide! They were as much fun to be with as they were back in the 90's. We visited with friends of theirs another night, enjoying a tour of their beautiful home in North Myrtle Beach after a fun dinner out. The next day was Mark's birthday and we found a place to celebrate at a club with dueling pianos. Song requests were always welcome (with a tip) and my request of "California Dreamin" was played recognizing Mark on his birthday. It was more than the talented and funny musicians just acknowledging Mark's birthday, they aimed to embarrass him with their rendition of "itsy, teeny weenie, yellow polka dot bikini" and sang to him as he sat atop one of the pianos. What a good sport….we never laughed so hard! The four of us stayed out late that night and probably could have used a couple days to recover, however we had limited time together and the fun continued….. Mark impressed us with his outdoor culinary skills as he prepared a stew in a Dutch oven. The weather didn't cooperate most of the week, but it never slowed us down from having an amazing time!

Time and distance doesn't get in the way of a good friendship. We hugged as we parted ways the next day vowing to get together again with our mobile fifth-wheels! We were off to the primitive place of Lake Wateree, near Camden, South Carolina.

NEXT- LAKE WATEREE, RUSSELL'S BBQ, COLUMBIA AND RENOFEST (fancy fiddlin') and "GO GAMECOCKS"!