Vacation Summation on New Destination

Vacations are wonderful things. You get to get away and think about nothing except what great restaurant to eat out at, or what fabulous and expensive site or activity you are going to undertake on that particular day.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect at this new vacation destination we were invited to by son and daughter-in-law. It was to be 10 days at a condo on the South Carolina shore at Myrtle Beach. “A condo?,” I asked. “Does that mean I have to cook?” I don’t cook on vacations. Darling Daughter promised to do the cooking, the driving, and everything else. So off we went.

Our usual vacation destination for the past 22 years has been The Mouse House and other theme parks in Orlando, Fla., a vacation I am particularly fond of, which others may guess at since we’ve done it for 22 years! But I will now confess I fell in love with North Myrtle Beach. I fell in love with the Atlantic Ocean. I fell in love with that condo, and no, I didn’t cook, thank goodness. Darling Daughter did. And she cooked really well.

There were a few drawbacks. I do not like sitting in a rental vehicle for 22 hours just trying to get to and from my vacation. I much prefer an aircraft. But we had so many going on the trip, the expense was prohibitive. So we looked at that long trip as an adventure, and it was. On one leg of that long trip out we stopped at a wide spot in the road labeled Saluda, N.C., where I found Atkins Orchard. If you are ever near there, stop, shop, buy and eat. Atkins Orchard offered me every kind of soft cider (notice soft, not hard) imaginable. I didn’t know there were such things. I bought a quart of peach cider, and drank every drop myself. And I bought strawberries and strawberry poppy seed salad dressing, and would have bought more if there had been room in our vehicle. But we were packed to the gills. (Four women, give me a break!) I’ve got to go back to North Carolina just for Atkins Orchard. And then there were the Appalachian arts and crafts, and Smokey Mountains, and homemade food diners. Wow!

And then there was the Atlantic Ocean. Darling Daughter and I both decided what we wanted was to lay on the beach all day and do nothing. We tried really hard to do that. I tried to just lay there and get a tan but I couldn’t take my eyes off the ocean and the waves. They mesmerized me. I was enchanted. I want to live there.

But here came what Carolinians called a subtropical storm. Then they took the sub off. Then they decided that another increase in the storm’s wind speed would designate it as a baby hurricane. It’s really hard to lay on the beach for a tan during a storm or baby hurricane. Oh we didn’t mind getting wet. It was the wind-blown sea spray and sand that ran us off.

Then, here came Oklahoma’s weather in the news. It’s a bit disconcerting when The Weather Channel has a split screen, one side showing where you live and plan to return to, and one side showing where you are living at the moment. Tornado? Baby hurricane? Take your choice. We watched The Weather Channel a lot. But hey, this was my vacation! I had a good book, a lovely balcony and comfortable chairs where I could sit, read, and take notice, or not, of whatever storm was going on at the moment. Even in the wind and rain, it was relaxing. And if I got bored, there was an outlet mall just down the street for mega shopping. It was wonderful!

It was so wonderful, I was back on the internet just this a.m. trying to figure out how to get back to Myrtle Beach. Oh yes, I would most certainly go back. The hustle and bustle of the Orlando theme parks are fun, and can generate excitement and laughter. But I found lying on the beach with absolutely nothing to do but watch ocean waves is great too. I will confess I did have to put my camera away at one point, telling myself it is nearly impossible to take a photo of every wave in the Atlantic Ocean. But I did get up close and personal with a sea gull who seemed to think I should feed him. Next time I’ll take him a few leftovers, and I may fly in myself. But then, if I did, I would miss the Atkins Orchard, and that may not be something I want to do on . . .for sure, the next time.