Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 33 Monday

Angie & I left Nick & Judy's in the morning and drove back roads getting back to Myrtle Beach.

We took our time and enjoyed the South Carolina countryside. Outside of Dillon we picked a little cotton. We got back to our hotel around 3:00 PM.

We had been going at a pretty good pace for the past 4 days, so it was nice to kick back. We ate in and watched the UConn women on TV (while we were gone, the hotel expanded the cable channels).

We reflected on all that we have done during our Myrtle Beach visit. Our daughter Heather once said:
"Don't go on vacation with my parents - they'll kill you". But we have had some down time between adventures.

We have done and seen a lot - I don't know what we would have wanted to eliminate. We know there is a lot more to see and are fairly certain that we will return next February.

We're about ready to come home, but we're not quite done yet!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 32 Sunday

Nick & Judy took us out to breakfast in the morning, and then we returned to their condo to look at some of the Cato family photos that Angie & Judy had  (mostly thanks to Neesie).

They took us out for Pizza at Brixx in Birkdale village, and on the way back we stopped at an old timey ice cream shop in Lincolnton.

The place had skeeball and pinball machines. We all got into it.

Then they took us to their trophy/framing shop - it's pretty neat.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 31 Saturday
We shoved off from Neesie & Tommie's house around mid morning and drove up to Lincolnton, NC. Since we  took back roads, it took us a little longer - we arrived at Judy & Nick's house around mid afternoon. (Judy is Angie's older sister).

We caught up for a couple of hours, and then went out for an early dinner.

They had worked Saturday morning (they own a nice trophy/framing shop) so they were tired and of course we had been going strong the past few days. So a nice relaxing evening at their house was much appreciated.

I will have photos to post tomorrow.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 30 Friday

Neesie & Tommie took us on the grand tour of Angie's home town  of Chester and the surrounding area. First stop was their childhood home on Deaver St.

The house is in rough shape - it's been abandoned since Angie's sister Dee passed away a few years ago. That had to be bittersweet for Angie. We then visited the cemetaries where Angie's folks are buried.

Angie's Dad is buried in Chester Memorial Gardens.

Angie's Mom is buried in Blackstock along with Angie's grandparents.

We then visited her grandparents' farm in Blackstock. It's now a hunting camp and is quite beautiful.

Later that evening we gathered at the Catawba Fish Camp for a reunion with all the S.C. Cato's. Good times! 

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 29 Thursday

Angie & I drove up to Tommie & Neesie's today. We took back roads since Angie was driving.

At lunchtime we looked for a "home cooking" restaurant in Bennettsville , and our GPS took us to Genesis Family Restaurant.

It didn't look like a restaurant from the outside. This elderly lady told us to come in, and sit with her.

Ella Grace (in pink) was a hot ticket. She introduced us to everyone in the restaurant (including the cook!). The food was great - home cooked southern food.

Later on we drove through Ruby, SC. We had to take a picture - that's Angie's Mom's name. 

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 28 Wednesday
Angie & I drove back down to Georgetown to visit Hobcaw Barony.

Hobcaw Barony used to be a huge rice plantation (16,000 acres). Bernard Baruch bought Hobcaw as a winter hunting retreat. His influential friends visited Baruch there, including Winston Churchill and FDR. His "cabin" is shown below.

We were driving by Murrell's Inlet around 4:30 PM, so we decided another visit to Lee's Kitchen was in order. It was closed so we went to Nance's.

Here was the view of the Inlet from our table.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 27 Tuesday

We needed some down time after a couple of hectic days in Raleigh. Angie did a little shopping in the early afternoon; I was a "slug".

The winds seemed right so we tried flying kites again.

Angie got her Nemo kite to get up fairly high (pretty good for a $1 kite); I was not so lucky.

That evening we went out to Steak and Shake - we had to go at least once while we were at Myrtle.

Angie's on a roll - during this trip she has outdone me in putt-putt, bowling and kite flying. And she's a much better dancer than me!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 26 Monday
Before we left Raleigh, Angie & I went out to breakfast at the Flying Biscuit.

Their biscuits (the "fluffy flying biscuit") and grits ("creamy dreamy grits") are hands down the best that this Yankee ever ate.

Since Angie was driving we once again avoided the highways and took the "scenic route" back to Myrtle Beach. The only thing of note was that we got behind a truck carrying hogs, they stunk to high hell (we were starting to get nauseous), and the truck was emanating a fine mist of pig juice. It was so bad that we stopped in Elizabethtown and ran the car through a car wash!

We were tired after our whirlwind tour of Raleigh, but we mustered up enough energy to go to Fat Harold's for a shag lesson. They had promoted us to an "advanced beginner" class and we struggled (especially me). We're not ready for the Shag Nationals yet! 

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 25 Sunday


Angie & I went over to our old buddy Steve D's house for breakfast.

I've known Steve since high school, and he was best man at our wedding. He took us on a tour to show us what's new in Raleigh. It was a short but great visit.

Angie & I then went to the newly renovated Reynolds Coliseum on NC State's campus to see the State women play Wake Forest.

It was the annual "Play4Kay" (Yow) game and we proudly wore pink. Kay was a long time beloved NCSU coach who like Jimmy V fought cancer and set up a cancer fund before she passed away in 2009. State lost, but the atmosphere was great and Reynolds is beautiful.

We later went to Tim & Elaine's house. They were Angie's old neighbors in Cary and are great people.

Their son Eric stopped by. He was our daughter Lisa's buddy and classmate. 

Our Raleigh trip was short but very sweet - we got to see all of the people we love. When we lived in Cary, it had a population of around 10,000; Raleigh had 150,000. Now Cary has 150,000 and Raleigh has a half a million. We got lost a lot, and the traffic is a little frustrating. But we will return again soon - it's one of our favorite places. 

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 24 Saturday

Angie & I went to PNC Center in Raleigh to watch the Notre Dame vs NC State men's basketball game.

The Wolfpack lost, but it was a good game. The weather was great so we went next door after the game to the giant flea market at the Raleigh fair grounds.

It brought back some great memories.

That evening we picked up Angie's old friend Melba (she was the maid of honor at our wedding) and went out to dinner.

We went to Jimmy V's in downtown Raleigh. Melba is one of those people who you might not see for a few years but you just pick up right where you left off. It was a  great visit!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 23 Friday

Angie & I took a road trip to Raleigh today. She said she'd drive, but she doesn't like driving on crowded interstates. So a three and a half hour drive took all afternoon. But it was a relaxing, scenic drive.

We stopped in Smithfield because we knew of a barbecue joint there. What we didn't know was that Ava Gardner was born there, and we stopped in a museum dedicated to her.

It was actually an interesting stop. We then drove on to Raleigh and got to our hotel shortly after check in time.

We went out for a quick dinner at (where else?) the K&W at Cameron Village. We drove around Raleigh a little bit and then called it a night. We have plans to visit our friends in Raleigh this weekend, and to watch two NC State games.   

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 22 Thursday
Angie is good at finding stuff to do that I wouldn't even consider. The hotel next door had organized an appetizer tasting at Carrabbas restaurant. Even though it's a chain, the appetizers were really good. I would eat there again and just order appetizers.

We stopped by the convention center which houses the South Carolina Hall of Fame. It was pretty impressive. Except Vanna White has not been inducted.

I feel like I owe Angie because I was so cranky during my UTI. We went bowling (not my favorite) and she beat me. We only bowled one frame and I demanded a rematch next week.

I also accompanied her to bingo (also not a personal favorite). Instead of playing I helped the caller Don - checking the cards, handing out the cash prizes, etc. Don says I should call next week. I have fulfilled my bowling obligation and will go into hiding next week. 

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 21 Wednesday

It rained pretty much all day so we didn't do too much today. We did have a couple of shag lessons at the MB Senior Center  in the afternoon.

Angie went "next door" to play cards - I didn't feel like going. So I worked on the Cato geneology and hit the jackpot. On Angie's paternal Faulkenberry side, her

Great  Great  Great  Great Great  Great Great Great Grandfather Hendrick Jacobs Falkinburg  was born in 1645 in the Schleswig Duchy in Denmark.

On Angie's paternal Cato side, her  Great  Great  Great  Great  Great  Great Grandfather

John Cato was born in 1710 in  Brunswick Virginia.

I've been looking at my geneology for months and haven't had near the luck that I had with Angie's in about an hour!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 20 Tuesday

After our morning exercise we drove down to Pawley's Island to visit Brookgreen Gardens. which we had visited many years ago.

Brookgreen has a few distinctive areas. The first is a small zoo of native S.C. animals.

This alligator is over 70 years old and is huge.

Brookgreen used to be a rice plantation, and slaves did the hard work of growing the rice.

This huge ponded area used to be a rice field - now it attracts  a bunch of waterfowl.

Brookgreen Gardens was founded in 1931 by the Huntington family.

It contains over 1400 outdoor sculptures in a garden setting. Definitely worth a visit!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 19 Monday

I had been promising Angie a round of "putt putt" (miniature golf) for a while, so we played a round at Treasure Island today. Putt putt is so much better when it's not 95 and there aren't a boatload of people.

It's been very windy the last few days but it was calmer today so we tried to fly our $1 Nemo kite. It was actually not windy enough - we'll have to try again.

Monday evening meant another shag lesson at Fat Harold's. The instructor told us we're ready to graduate to the advanced beginner class. I may learn the sugar foot move yet!

At night we watched the UConn women beat South Carolina for it's 100th victory in a row. We're glad we're going to the Final Four in Dallas.

   

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 18 Sunday

Sunday has become our day of rest.

We were going to fly kites but it was too windy for the cheapo kites we had bought.

Instead I went in the hot tub and then tried to lay out by the pool - it was sunny and warm (mid 70's) but it was like being in a wind tunnel. Angie caught up with some reading. I went upstairs and took a nap; Angie took a walk on the beach.

We went out for an early dinner at K&W (thank you Lisa & Heather) and then came back to the room. We tried to watch the Grammies but realized we don't know who most of the singers are, so we watched s documentary about OJ.

Angie's ear is better, and so is my back. I'm going to try to go back to the gym on Monday.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 17 Saturday

We had heard that Conway was pretty cool so we drove up there after lunch today.

We visited the Conway Historical Museum and it was really interesting, especially for such a small town. We also checked out the Conway Riverwalk.

The Riverwalk is along the Waccamaw River and is in its nascent stages - definitely worth another visit in the future.

The main reason we went to Conway was to attend a Coastal Carolina basketball game.

Coastal Carolina is a small but up and coming school. Their baseball team was the Division 1 champ last year, CCU won yesterday, beating a favored Georgia Southern team.

Go Chanticleers!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 16 Friday

We had heard that Georgetown is really nice so we drove down there after lunch today. We had driven through the town several times in the past on the way from Charleston to Myrtle on Highway 17 and it didn't look like much. What a pleasant surprise!

Front Street has a bunch of restaurants, shops and museums.

We took a tour of the Kaminsky house (above) and we really enjoyed it.

Georgetown is located on Winyah Bay. and is an active seaport and fishing village. The Harbor Walk has a bunch of restaurants overlooking the bay.

But we headed back to Murrell's Inlet for dinner.

Lee's Kitchen had reopened the day before, and it wouldn't be a trip to Myrtle without a visit to Lee's!

We also made another trip to the walk in clinic - this time Angie had an ear infection - probably from all those water aerobics.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 15 Thursday PART 2
I decided to review my earlier blog postings today, and noticed this early entry:

We don't see ourselves living part of the year in a warmer climate - we like the variety of seeing new places. So we agreed the best thing for us (at least for now) is to spend part of each winter in a different place.

I'm not so sure that statement totally holds up any more. While we will continue to travel and visit other places, we both agree that coming to Myrtle Beach every February would not be a bad thing.

The weather is moderate. The people are friendly - both the locals as well as the "snow birds". There are tons of things to do - I doubt we will see everything we hoped to see during this visit.  We can use Myrtle Beach  as a base from which to visit family and friends who live in the Carolina's. Its close to our favorite southern cities - Raleigh & Charleston.

There are many reasons for us to return. And it looks like we are becoming Myrtle Beach snowbirds.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 15 Thursday

After our morning exercise rituals we drove up to Cherry Point with the thought of fishing off the pier (we would prefer the Springmaid Pier but it's destroyed). Although it was a beautiful sunny day, it was so windy that fishing wouldn't be that much fun so we decided to come back another day.

We went out to lunch at Sam's Corner HotDogs (Heather & Rob will laugh). We do like an occasional hotdog and Sam's is pretty good in our estimation,

We then headed down toward the old Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, which was redeveloped as Market Commons after the AFB closed.  It's described as a 114 acre lifestyle center with shops. restaurants, homes and apartments.  

Market Commons is almost like its own little village. It's definitely worth a visit!

PS our son in law Chris was stuck snow blowing our CT driveway (it was a major storm - 16 inches. Bad timing for us to be gone - we will have to do something nice for him when we return!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 14 Wednesday

Ang did water aerobics in the AM; I spent some time in the hot tub and then did some stretching in the pool.

We drove up to the Myrtle Beach Mall later in the morning. We both wanted to walk around Belk's - we did a lot of shopping at the Raleigh Belk's when we lived there. We also wanted to check out the Bass Pro shop. We're not hunters and just barely fishers, but what a store. It makes me want to buy some camo.

After lunch we went to the MB Senior Center for our Wednesday shag class. The instructor says we are decent shaggers so she lets us stick around for the advanced beginners class after the beginners class.

We then drove up to the "710" bowling alley to join the Senior group that has adopted us. My back wouldn't allow me to participate, so I was Angie's cheerleader.

We've been watching the weather back home. Though we're OK with missing the blizzard "Chris" we are hoping that our family stays safe and warm.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 13 TuesdayThe weather at Myrtle Beach in February (so far) fluctuates between decent (sunny and 50's) to pretty durn nice (sunny and 70). Today was one of those pretty durn nice days. We took advantage by taking a nice long walk on the beach in the morning.

After lunch we went back to Broadway on the Beach and saw "Hidden Figures" - it was really good. Angie &I couldn't remember ever watching a movie in a theatre on back to back days.

We stopped by "Little Pigs" for same takeout barbecue. It's hard to believe that it took us almost 2 weeks before we had some of that southern "health food".  😎

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 12 Monday

We finally ventured put of our room after a few days in solitary confinement.

We went back to water aerobics and it felt good.

After lunch, we went to Broadway at the Beach and saw a matinee of the movie "Lion" - great story. We walked around Broadway a little bit. It was eerie virtually having the place to ourselves  -there were at most a couple dozen people walking around. The place was busy in terms of the construction going on - a lot of changes are planned for 2017.

At night we went up to Fat Harold's for another shag lesson - it's finally starting to sink in.

I think we're ready to start doing more again on our vacation.  

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 11 Sunday

I spent the another day in our hotel room, letting the antibiotics do their thing. By the end of the day, I started feeling better internally. My back is still sore and I can't get enough good sleep because it hurts.

Angie was able to get out for a little while. I'm hoping to do something with her on Monday.

We watched the Super Bowl and it was awesome. We're still in shock how far the Pats came back to win.  

I will continue to wear my Pats hat proudly in the coming week.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 10 Saturday
I spent the entire day in our hotel room, impatiently waiting for the antibiotics to kick in. I'm on a pretty high powered one - Ciprofloxacin - which is used for some heavy duty infections, including typhoid fever. Even so, I probably had this infection for more than a week, so it's going to take more than a day to cure.

My biggest complaint is the back pain - I hope to resume my hot tub visits tomorrow and those should help.

I feel bad for Angie - I told her to get out and do something - the only thing she did was a trip to Food Lion.

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and that should be good. I'm hoping that we can start getting out again by Monday or Tuesday.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 9 Friday

We finally figured out what was wrong with me.

I just didn't feel right in the morning, so we went to a walk in medical clinic and they did a urine test. The nurse told me that I had a "flaming" urinary tract infection. They put me on some high powered meds, and supposedly I should feel better in 2 or 3 days.

This explains the urinary symptoms I had been experiencing (which I won't go into detail) since the cystoscopy. It also explained the back pain I was feeling. This infection had been "cooking" for quite some time.

I'll have to sit back and relax all weekend - at least we're in a nice place to do that. I'm hoping that Angie feels comfortable to get out and do something fun while I recharge my batteries.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 8 Thursday, continued

On the way back from visiting Coach we stopped at Calabash for some seafood (Captain Nance's).

It doesn't get any fresher than off the boat!

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 8 Thursday


We took Pilates class in the AM), followed by a walk on the beach on a crystal clear 70 degree day.

After lunch we took a ride up to Ocean Isle Beach to visit my old high school basketball coach.

Coach Mularczyk has been through hell and back health-wise. He became diabetic about 30 years ago. About 20 years ago he developed cancer in his jaw and was given a 40% chance of surviving. Then he came down with Huntinton's disease,  a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia. Coach has a lot of  involuntary writhing movements called chorea.

But every time I visit him, he always smiles and laughs. He's had excellent care at Duke and continues to go to the gym, play golf and just loves life. I think he'll be with us for quite a while.

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 7 Wednesday

After our water aerobics class, we took a walk on the beach to take advantage of the sunny 70 degree weather.

In the afternoon, we went down to the Myrtle Beach Senior Center to take another shag class. After the beginner's class, the instructor let us take the advanced beginner's class. We ought to improve taking three classes a week.

We recognized a couple from Connecticut at the shag class - they used to take ballroom dancing with Al Boudreau when we took lessons from him. They moved down to Myrtle a couple of years ago.

At night Angie talked me into going next door to the Long Bay to play cards. Angie loves playing cards; I do not. But I have to admit, it was fun. They taught us a game "Hand and Foot" and the people there couldn't have been nicer (They let us in on the Super Bowl Pool - we have New England 6/ Atlanta 7).

The people who stay at Long Bay organized a whole bunch of activities - exercise classes (water aerobics is one), game nights, etc. And they're really a fun group of people - almost like young people trapped in old bodies. Angie is going over for Bingo on Thursday night (that's where I draw the line!)

Myrtle Beach 2017 Day 6 Tuesday

After another beautiful sunrise, it was a nice, sunny cool day. It's like we have Myrtle Beach all to ourselves. We drove down Ocean Drive again, and then the 5 miles on Hwy 17 down to Murrell's Inlet. We had been down there a few days ago with hundreds of people for the annual Marsh Walk. Today we virtually had it to ourselves.

If you get past the houses that have popped up all along Mickey Spillane highway (I kid you not) there is some beautiful marshland with tons of birds (I am particularly fond of pelicans).

We drove by Lee's Kitchen and they reopen Feb 9th. That gift certificate from Heather & Rob is burning a hole in our pocket!

One funny thing.... I've been treating my sore back with a lot of stretching, along with time in the hot tub. I got out of the shower and Angie offered to put some liniment on my back before we went out for a walk. I got as far as the elevator and started my "back's on fire" dance. We had to rush back to the room and Angie tried to take as much of the stuff off with soap and water. I looked at the bottle and it had capsaicin - the same stuff as is in hot peppers. Never put capsaicin on skin when the pores are still open!