Fun at the Beach

Recently we took a family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC. We had not been there in 9 years and this was Matthew's first time. A lot has changed and it is definitely a big tourist attraction. We rented a tiny condo on the north end of Myrtle Beach, away from all the lights and action of the big fancy hotels which worked out great for us.

The kids loved the big ocean waves where they (along with Ted) boogie boarded.

Sophia did a great job making this sand sculpture of a dog.

In the evenings they also enjoyed being poolside.

I was able to find a boat cruise from Georgetown, about an hour away from Myrtle Beach. Georgetown is the 3rd oldest city in SC and is a very quaint seaport. The boat cruise took us on a ride on the Winyah Bay which is the 2nd largest watershed (next to the Chesapeake Bay) on the east coast. We landed on an uninhabited island called North Island. The whole purpose of the trip was to take the kids shelling which is what the boat cruise advertised. We purposely planned the trip at low tide thus making it easier for the kids to find shells. Having the tide out helped and the skipper actually told us where to go on the island to find the best shells. We found quite a few beautiful whelk shells.

Now what would be a boat cruise without getting to view a lighthouse, right? O.K., I'll admit, the kids didn't give a damn about the lighthouse but I was happy to see the Georgetown Lighthouse. It is maintained by the USCG and is solar powered.

After the boat cruise we stopped at Murrells Inlet. The inlet is surrounded by marsh and had a nice wooden pier to view the sights. Apparently this inlet is known as the "seafood capital" of SC with restaurants lined up along the waterside.

The family enjoyed the usual mini-golf and amusement park outings that can be found in most major beach towns.

We also decided to visit the Ripley's Aquarium (there are other Ripley's Museums to visit in that area). It turned out that the aquarium was open 'til 10 p.m. during the summer. It worked out perfect to visit after dinner one night. The day crowds were spilling out and we took our time in the aquarium. The cool thing was that the main part of the aquarium was a walk-thru tunnel. So we got to see sharks swimming above and all around us.

The week went by so fast. We all had a great time and the weather was very warm but the ocean breezes made it bearable. When we finally arrived home we got to deal with temps well over 100 deg. over the weekend. Thank goodness for central air!

Now it's time to face the realization that the kids will start school in about a month. Sad but true. At least the majority of the school shopping is complete and we'll still get to enjoy these hot, hazy, and lazy days of summer.