Saturday, July 25, 2009, came up pretty quickly. After all I had only been home for a total of five days from California when it was already time to leave again for my last week-long vacation of 2009. The week in between was maddening as I struggled to both catch up and get ahead at work and home. But Friday the 24th rolled around and it was crunch time – time to pack and head out to Mom’s for the night. 5am, Saturday morning arrived and I was up and loading up the car along with Mom, Bob, Ashleigh, and Briana.
My original choice for this fifth week of vacation was a trip to Disney World, seeing some other sites along the way. But Mom talked me into joining them on one of our patented Myrtle Beach trips. While this trip is always fun, I really hoped to incorporate at least a few locations from my bucket list into our travels. Amazingly, both she and Bob agreed – so I was happy to make yet another trek to the Links condo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
We set out at about 5:45 and drove it in one day, with Bob and Mom doing most of the driving, and I contributing a couple of hours. I hate to drive, preferring to sit in the back with Ashleigh and Briana. It was also great to be on another trip with both of my girls, for the first time in three years – when we all went to Myrtle Beach during the Summer of 2006. The drive was pleasant, with our first stop being at Burger King around 8:30.
Briana and Yaht during the first stop of the trip: Burger King!
Lunch was at the North Carolina border welcome center. Mom had packed coldcuts and snacks and we had one of our traditional family travel picnics. I always think it’s easier just to get fast food, but sitting at one of those cement picnic tables make it feel more like a traditional vacation.
En route munching at the North Carolina border
The next two stops came relatively close together once we were south of Charlotte, North Carolina at around 3:30pm. These were the two biggies that I was looking forward to: the birthplace of President James K. Polk in Pineville, North Carolina and the birthplace of President Andrew Jackson situated in the Waxhaws right on the border of the Carolinas. The two locations were only about twenty minutes apart and weren’t too terribly far out of the way.
I thought everyone would be impatient being dragged to the historical spots, but everyone was a good sport, and Bob actually seemed very interested. You can read more about the two locations in the President specific postings for Polk and Jackson. But here are some additional photos of the fam hanging out at the sites.
Ashleigh and Briana do their best to enjoy their first Presidential birthplace – the James K. Polk pyramid
The girls get funky in the Polk museum
At the Boy of the Waxhaws statue at the Andrew Jackson birthplace
Stick-em-up in the Jackson museum
Briana clangs the bell outside the representative schoolhouse at the Jackson state park
Mom and Bob as Laura and Albert Ingalls
Briana takes a seat amidst the desks from every generation. Class is beginning.
Showing off my cursive. I didn’t draw that shoe/ship/frog thing, just for the record
Ashleigh crams into one of the smaller desks
We arrived at our condo – the famous room 19 – at about 8pm. Denise and Aaron and the kids had arrived about two hours earlier than we did, having left on their own from Westerville. Denise had already ordered some Pizza Hut, and we picked it up on our way in. Somehow they charged both Denise and my Mom for the pizza but they ended up getting it rectified.
We like pizza
Aaron takes a second to glance up from his pizza at a smiling Megan
Yah-Yaht and Addie
The pizza hit the spot, and then we unloaded the car, unpacked, and I set out to find the internet connection in the clubhouse. After I had successfully connected, Aaron informed me that our room actually had wireless internet as well. Things were looking good at the Links! I drifted off that night to the sounds of my new-found love, Panic at the Disco’s newest album Pretty. Odd., which became my constant companion throughout the week.
Sunday morning, I lingered in bed until about 9am. I opted to listen to my iPod and play on Facebook rather then eat breakfast and go grocery shopping with Mom and Denise. Once I got up and moving, Briana and I went to the clubhouse to play some ping pong. She beat me the first game but then I came back and demolished her. I later coaxed Adam to call her a ping pong flop – and he happily obliged.
Then it was time for some laziness at the pool, laying out, jumping in, drying off – the usual drill, followed by a turkey sandwich for lunch back at the room. This was the cue to bring out the dice for a game of Farkle. And as if you didn’t already know, Mom beat me yet again, although I had been quite a bit ahead at one point.
I’m such a glutton for Farkle misery
Despite the occasional smiles, Megan was grumpy for the first half of the week. Let’s just say, the prunes helped free her up to be happy again.
Adam is caught with his hand in the cookie bag
I babysat a sleeping Adam for a bit while Denise was at the pool and when he woke up, I took him to join her. It was a lot of fun playing with Adam at the pool, watching his trepidation of the water at first, which soon gave way to boldness as he walked in water up to his neck – back and forth between Denise and me. He loved passing the sponge football too, which had deteriorated to a clump of cotton by the time we were done.
We then went back to the room for some pre-dinner Facebook and Panic at the Disco. We ate homemade tacos for dinner and played another game of Farkle (which remarkably, Yaht won) in the condo and then headed out to Barefoot Landing, another Myrtle Beach tradition. We got there about 8:00 and stayed for about an hour and a half.
Rest time in the Ockerman master bedroom
In the smaller room, which was my room, Ashleigh makes a face
As usual, we mostly just walked around in the Summer air, enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, and free samples (the candied pecans and mango slush merited repeat visits). Adam had fun riding the merry-go-round with Denise, and feeding the fish with Bob. I merely contributed to his delinquency by playing ‘speed stroller’ through the crowds. Ashleigh and Briana alternately wandered off on their own and re-joined our group throughout the visit. However, they missed the shoe store and tigers that were made so famous in this posting in 2006. Mom bought taffy. But the most interesting thing was when we were heading out, we saw a live, wild alligator in the water. Although it was small, I don’t think I’d ever seen one that wasn’t in captivity before.
This isn’t one of the fabled meltdowns. It’s just Adam having a cow.
Why should two-year olds have all the fun?
Aaron, Denise, and Bob assist Adam at feeding the fish. Mom was on her way over, leaving Megan sitting alone in the stroller for a few seconds. Panic ensued.
Mom and Megan stay out of the lady parade apparently going on behind them
Posing on an outer animal, though they rode on an inner animal
Stroller Speedway
Crocogator in the wild. I was nearly killed.
It’s not a shoe store picture, but it’ll do
When we got back, we had ice cream (mine with peanut butter inserted). Facebook. Panic at the Disco. Sleep. I’d have one more day in Myrtle Beach before I was on the move again…
The trip will continue…
Bypass the trip and continue with 2009…
I must say that your daughter Ashleigh is gorgeous! Oh, and who has the nickname Addie? That is the nickname MY daughter (Ashlyn) has…pretty ironic!
staceysoleil
August 21st, 2009
I’m disappointed that you didn’t insert “grandpa’s toe jam” to your ice cream. Maybe that will be another day.
Darlene
August 22nd, 2009