Final Beach Days

This was our last day at the beach. We had the pleasure of going out to breakfast with our Roanoke buddies and walking the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach.
Our dear friends, Charlotte and Phil, from Roanoke. We were very fortunate to meet up with them again this year. We first met down here in 2008 and have been able to stay in touch through e-mail. They have a bassett hound named Sadie with the saddest eyes and the biggest feet. She loves to ride on the golf cart and visit the little island here where several goats live.
Isn't the beach and ocean awesome. We took a walk on the new boardwalk---really nice, not as nice as Virginia Beach but very nice.



As we were walking back to the truck, we spotted a "flock" of orange butterflies. I was only able to capture 2 but they were just beautiful.
We come home tomorrow. I look forward to lots of hugs and kisses from our grandkids and children. I do miss them, and my Maryland kids and grandkids....I don't get to see them enough. We have had a wonderful trip, met so many memorable people and seen more of this country of ours. We live in an amazing land...lots to see and the freedom to do it! More later from your Happy Traveler's....coming home but planning the next adventure.

Plantation River Tour

The Happy Travelers took a tour of the Plantations located on the Waccamaw River, old rice plantations. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the plantations, how much rice was produced, how many slaves were required to plant and harvest the rice, etc, as well as how they dug trenches around the fields and flooded them. Really remarkable.


There were many lovely homes along our tour of the Waccamaw River and the Great Pee Dee. Some you had to peek at through the trees and Spanish Moss but they were all quite impressive.





This area is called Sand Island, you can tell why.
Your Happy Travelers had a relaxing trip on the water ways....more later. Next week is the Greek Festival in Myrtle Beach.

The Man and the Boggie Board

My dear one just got a new boggie board. The day was beautiful -- surf was up so what better time to try out the new toy.




One done and more to follow.
Well, more later from your Happy Travelers, all wet but smiling ear to ear.

The Beach

We have been at the beach, Myrtle Beach for one week. The time is slipping by too quickly. The weather has been beautiful. The sand castle was constructed one morning by some young men. It is quite impressive and even more so in person.



More later from very Happy Travelers applying lots of sun screen and floating daily on our noodles, as well as spending time in the Hot Tub!!!

Sycamore Lodge, Jackson Springs, NC

We arrived at Sycamore Lodge on August 23, our sister camping resort in Jackson Springs, NC. We have had a wonderful 2 weeks, except for the gnats and flies. The weather has been hot but we have also had some delightfully cool nights. We have had campfires, done a good bit of walking, made a number of trips to the local Wal-Mart in Aberdeen, and spent time in the pool, floating on our noodles. We have also done a bit of exploring of Pinehurst and Southern Pines. These 2 pictures of flowers don't do Sycamore Lodge justice. They have lots of Lantana.

This is the Hen House where lots of activities occur. There was Bingo and on Sundays, it transforms into the church complete with a Pastor, deacons and a song leader. The last Sunday of the month, they even have communion, and that is a first in any camp ministry that we have attended.
This is the General Store and the Lodge. The Lodge is a beautiful building with an area just for adults. There is a lovely library with a book/magazine exchange, as well as a flat screen T.V. We were there for a social one Saturday. I also did laundry on afternoon so we could watch T.V. while the clothes got cleaned.

These are the backsides of the Lodge and General Store--very interesting buildings, buildings with character.

Perhaps the very best part of traveling is meeting new people. Dea and Ellie, Carol and Jeff, are couples who were our camping neighbors. We spent countless hours swapping stories and experiences. They enriched our lives and hopefully, we will be able to stay in touch, with the use of e-mail.

Tomorrow we head out to Myrtle Beach, hooray!!!Your Happy Travelers are looking forward to "toes in the sand".

Smokey Mountains

We stopped in at the Sugarlands Visitors Center at the entrance of the Smokey Mountains that housed a museum, theater and a wonderful display that included this beautiful quilt done by a lady from the nearby town of Sevierville, TN. It was an amazing piece of work with excellent stitches.
Several pics of the mountains....the gorgeous Smokey Mountains....the day we were there is was cloudy, in fact, the higher we got, the cloudier it got until we were in a down pour.







Could not help but take a few pics of the wild flowers we saw on our journey in the mountains.




While we are here in Sevierville, down the road from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, we plan to do a little shopping. More later from your Happy Travelers.