Please welcome, Vincent Jacobs 7 '13

Great news, our 4th grandson, Vincent Jacobs was born to his parents, Bo and James Jacobs, on July 25th. Both Mother and child are doing well at their home in Sweden. Their first born, Valerie Victoria is thrilled to be a Big Sister. We will post a photo when we get one.

Oh the Joys of Summer 7 '13

Boy are the 'skeeters thick this year.  Bruce says he is going to buy me a haz-mat suit for my next birthday present, just so I can safely go for walks with him

Great article on "Myrtle Beach sun, sand, plantations (oh, and 100 golf courses)

I found  a very thorough  online article which gives an excellent over view of the area  where we live.

  It's titled:

"Myrtle Beach sun, sand, plantations (oh, and 100 golf courses)"

by Victor Block on July 6, 2013

The article starts out:

"When I told a friend I was going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he asked if I was taking golf clubs. After I reminded him that I don’t play golf, he inquired, “So you’re going to relax on the beach, right?” Wrong!

Most of the 15 million or so people who visit the Myrtle Beach area each year do go to golf and soak up the sun. Not surprising, because the destination has over 100 excellent golf courses and is bordered by a 60-mile stretch of inviting soft sand beaches. As I discovered, it also has history-rich towns, reminders of southern plantation life and intriguing cultural tidbits, any of which alone would be reason enough to go there."

Then continues to describe every aspect of the community .  To learn more, go to:
http://www.consumertraveler.com/traveler/myrtle-beach-sun-sand-plantations-oh-and-100-golf-courses/ 

If the Beach Erosion keeps up.... 7'13

This is how the far northern end of Pawleys Island looked a year ago last August ( 2012) at low tide.

This is how it looked this afternoon  at low tide.  Notice anything missing?

 Like a lot of sand?

Ever since the last Super Moon (3/19/13)  brought in a super tidal surge,  the North end of Pawleys Island Beach has been eroding away .  This is very odd.  Normally beach erodes from the South end of the barrier islands, is carried around  the backside of the islands by the tidal creek, and deposited on the north end.  In effect, the barrier islands inch northward a a tiny bit each each.  But this year, it is the north end of the island  that is dissolving. 

Here's another picture of the north end beach taken 1/6/12 at low tide.  At the far left  near the lower corner of the photo, you can see the jetty and the wide amount of beach in front of it.  The area has always had a small depression which sometimes left a very shallow tide pool ( seen on the right)  which was closed off from the tidal creek by a sand bar.. Usually the water dissipated quickly within the tide pool

This is that same area, but the sand bar barrier is gone, the beach is open to the outgoing tidal creek  waters and the-pool is now filled constantly with chest deep ( or higher) water.

The dunes themselves are also being effected, as are at least thirteen mansions on the north end that have had the barrier dunes  the sit upon being eaten away at high tide.

It appears that much of the sand that used to be deposited from the south end onto the north end by  tidal creek, is now being placed on a small sand bar that is building in the channel between Pawleys Island and Litchfield Island.  So far the sand bar is barely high enough to break the surface and allow a resting place for the sea birds.  But it has forced the channel on the Pawleys Island side to deepen and become swifter, which will only speed up the erosion.

If this keeps up, all it would take is one good tropical storm, and our barrier island could be no more, and we might find our home on beach front property.

Big Sky Day at Pawleys Island 7"13

We took a walk on the South end of Pawleys Island this  morning.  

The dunes and sand looked healthy at the south end entrance, but one could see from the moment we arrived, the real story today was going to be about the drama in the sky.

It was filled with  huge with sweeping lines of cumulus nimbus which led your eye on forever.  I've never seen the south end look so elongated.

The clouds were capturing so much of my attention I almost missed seeing the pelicans sitting on a sandbar in the channel entrance.

Even the creek-side of the island was picture perfect.

Dinner at Hog Heaven 7'13

We had dinner at Hog  in Pawleys Island  last night.  Hog Heaven is widely know for having some of the best Barbque in the low country. Neither Bruce nor I are a big BBQ fans. Yet WE BOTH LOVED THIS PLACE.

Trust me it is not for the ambiance,,,On the outside, it looks like a  red-neck biker bar, and during  Myrtle Beach's motorcycle rally weekends it really is one..  The interior looks like a county western bar,  complete with a bandstand / dance area  and parking lot that spills over into the woods.  The tables are loaded with plastic squirt bottles of barbque sauces and a roll of rough paper towels for use as napkins. On the weekends, when the bands are playing, its a setting straight out of a Clint Eastwood meets Blues Brothers flick.

Despite its honkey-tonk appearance, the place  is packed every night with locals of every class and color. And huge crowds queue up around it's big mobile smoker at every local out of door festival.

 Each loyal  fan will  claim on of the menu item is the reason for Hog Heaven's success.  (Although in all fairness to other Southern eateries, I 've never heard anyone mention any of the Hog's side dishes). Some fans name the Barbque  pulled pork or the ribs; others cite one of the Hog's local seafood specialties . 

For Bruce it is their all you can eat shrimp dishes.  Last night he ordered a plate of it blackened, then another barbqued, and then some  buffaloed shrimp to go.

For me, its always the fried chicken. They ran out  just as we arrived and I had to wait for them to fry up another batch.  Bruce was working on his third plate of shrimp before the chicken was cooked. By then I had eaten a heaping plate of vegetables ( collards, black eyed peas, mashed sweet potatoes, succatash) and  I could only eat two pieces, but I swear it was worth the wait.   Hog Heaven makes THE BEST SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN I've ever eaten. 

Dinner at Quigleys

Dinner at Quigleys with the neighbors

Wilting at Willbrook 7 '13

 We played the last 9-18th holes  at Willbrook Plantation in 90 degree (+) temps  & 90 % (+) humidity, and we both scored exceptionally well.  Could it be we just wanted to get it over with and find the 19th hole?

In Appreciation 7 '13

Boy did CC  get a pleasant surprise at the July 7^th SAG General Membership Meeting. Our Guild's President, Woody Bower presented  out-going SAG Board Members, Eugenia Tribett  and CC each with a Certificate of Appreciation in expression of the Guild’s  appreciation for all of the hard work, long hours and late nights they put in to  making out Guild a success.  

CC's new handmade pot 7"13

This morning, we bought this beautiful little Green Glazed stoneware bowl from potter Bill Maurer who was showing at the SAG tent sale outside of Applewoods.  CC loves the color and all the incising on the side.

We should visit these tent sales more often.

Beaver at Plawleys Plantation 7 "13

This evening, we watched a beaver eating willow and bamboo growing in a freshwater pond here on Pawleys Plantation. It's the first live beaver I've ever seen that wasn't on exhibit in some man-made enclosure. So cool.

Unfortunately the Golf Course maintenance people say they will kill it if they see it because beavers damage trees and eat vegetation. That's the pot calling the kettle black.. The golf maintenance people must have taken out a hundred trees since they took over the course last year, and last spring  their workers have taken out most of the bushes and rushes in the saltwater marshes that border the course ( eliminating habitat the marsh birds rely on for nesting). They even took down the bald cypress and other trees along the marsh that the endangered American Wood-storks and egrets used for a rookery. They said that the birds droppings were too unsightly and their noise was annoying the residents of the Wood-stork Condominiums units ( how ironic ). Those last two stunts cost us our Audubon habitat rating. Real Conservationists, that crew!

CC's Paintings are now at The SAG Applewoods Gallery 7 ' 13

July 1st was art change-out day at the SAG Gallery at Applewoods. Applewood's owner, Amy Vlahos, is a great supporter of local artists, and has provided wall-space for thirteen of SAG's artists. CC replenished her wall space with lots of paintings of local landmarks.