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"!
 |
| Our travel buddies! |
 |
| The beautiful Myrtle Beach -a washed up jellyfish near Daisy |
 |
| The Riverwalk at Conway, South Carolina |
 |
| A ferry ride on the Cape Fear River |
 |
| The Ferry |
 |
| Enjoying wine at Silver Coast Winery |
 |
| The unassuming Scott's BBQ (the middle of nowhere!) |
 |
A reunion after 20 years and the obvious selfie!
|
 |
| Mark's Birthday at" Broadway on the Beach" |
 |
| Enjoying Mark's delicious stew |
 |
| Mmmm..there was dutch oven dessert as well! |
