The Beach

The Beach. I honestly don't think there is a better place to be on earth. A lot of people I know would disagree with me and say the mountains are better. I walk out of my front door, at home, everyday to see the Massanutten Mountain range and don't ever even notice them. I do, however notice the smell of the salt water, the feel of the ocean breeze, the squish of the sand between your toes, and the relaxing sound of the waves as they break on the shore. I would live at the beach if I thought I could make a living while still coming to the beach on a regular basis. I even love watching all the people play in the surf, walk along collecting shells, taking family walks, and reading in their sand chairs while sitting right in the most shallow part of the surf--keeping themselves cool while getting completely lost in their book. My mom used to do that. Well, she still does that, but I don't get to be with her as often now, so I am not able to notice.

Mike, the kids and I are in Myrtle Beach this week. I have been coming to Myrtle Beach (North Myrtle) since I was about 8 years old. May have been longer--I can't remember not coming, but I think 8 is about right. My parents would bring my brother and me every year. My parents brother and I have come by ourselves, with family friends, and as we got older, mom and dad would let each of us bring a friend. My parents are pretty cool that way! My mom taught us how to build drip castles in the sand (no one else EVER knows how to make those!) and how to fish on the pier. My dad would take us putt-putting and out for ice cream. We would go to dinner most nights, but as I got older mom and dad would let us stay in the condo and order a pizza for us while they would go out. At the time I thought it was something special for us, but now know it was something special for all involved :).

We are staying in a different area in Myrtle Beach this year. It is called Cherry Grove. It is the northern most tip of Myrtle Beach and is just a few miles from the North Carolina border. It is a little smaller and a little less busy in Cherry Grove which has been quite refreshing. During our stay I have been noticing a lot of cottages and not so many high rises. This has been creating some breathtaking views from our high rise condo!

As we drove down Highway 17 (the main drag through Myrtle Beach) today I was saddened by all the changes that have taken place over the years. Where the Jungle Golf putt-putt was, is now a CVS (I always got a hole in 1 there). Where we used to ride the Water Boggan water slides over and over again for our 1 hour paid time slot is now a bank (the Water Boggan was so great! There were no steps, you climbed a ramp to get to the top of the slides. Though much younger and thinner , I don't remember it being a big deal to do. My dad would take us and sometimes I think he had more fun than we did. :) During the days of us driving the "submarine" we would get in that car and our exposed legs and backs would literally melt on to the vinyl seats :). To this day, that car is the reason why I will never own anything but upholstery in my vehicles!) Ole King Cole's Ice Cream, which was better known for its water, is now another random putt-putt place. But I the saddest change has to be Outriggers. Outriggers is a family restaurant where we would eat each year on our first and last night in town. We noticed they closed down a couple of years ago. We can only assume the owner passed away (he was an old man 20 years ago), but we were surprised no one else took it on because you never went by it in the summer months that people were not waiting outside. Since we were here last year, it has been torn down and a Bargain Beachwear has been built in its place :(.

Now, to finally bring me to the conclusion of my story . . . in the midst of all these changes, there is one thing that has stayed the same. There is a fishing pier in Cherry Grove that has not been ruined by all the hurricanes. I have been fishing on this pier as a kid, as a teenager, as a young adult and as a parent with my children. It is called Cherry Grove Pier and we are staying at the Prince Resort at the Cherry Grove Pier. I have been to this pier 100 times, but have never stayed here. The resort is only 3 or 4 years old, but there were cottages and houses here for years.

Even though I do get excited to think about what the future holds for my family and me and love the idea of creating traditions with my children, I think I will always be a sucker for memories!