Chirstmas Eve PI Beach Walk: 12 '19

We've been pinned down in the house for most of the past week by a series of rain storms, so when we woke to sunshine today, we decided to take advantage of it and go for a walk on the beach.

On the down side it was a bit tough  go getting there.  

The storms had  eroded away the dunes

and deposited the sand from the dunes in new places which buried a lot of the  entrances .

And there were new tidepools blocking  access the north end of the beach

Plus, a cold wind was whipping us with  lot of sand.

But, on the plus side, we had the beach to ourselves, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.  We were glad we made the effort.

Chag Urim Shameach, 2nd Night of Chanukkah: 12 '19

  

Bruce lit the candles  for the second night of Chanukkah

 on the Menorah he has used since he was 18 years old.

Their light offers such hope for  a joyous New Year.

And of course,the candle lights

added to the ambiance of our Chanukkah dinner.

 Our 2nd Chanukkah holiday dinner consisted of:

 mango coconut curried squash  soup,

Stuffed Cabbage rolls with ginger snap cookie topping,

maple glazed  sweet potatoes,   

and a desert of fresh oranges.

Chanukkah Snowman: 12 ' 19

Bruce Got this Chanukkah Snowman complete just in time for the first night of Chanukkah.

Santa's Comin' to Town: 12 '19

We are proud to announce that Bruce's newest wood-working masterpiece 

 is now on display in the front yard.

This was a joint collaboration.

Bruce chose the design, did the layout, and woodworking,

then painted all the base colors.

I did all the detailing.

We are both really happy with the result.

Kitchen Countertop Art: 12 '19

I guess Bruce couldn't sleep last night. I got up this morning to find he'd cleaned, and re-arranged all the objects on our kitchen counter-tops. Like I said, I am one lucky woman.

Potato Latkes for Dinner: 12 ' 19

Bruce and I watched a PBS special on Chanukah this morning. I guess it set off a craving, because Bruce made us a big batch of potato latkes (from scratch) for dinner. 

I am such a lucky woman.

( Original recipe can be found at : 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16073/potato-latkes-i/?fbclid=IwAR1_U3uaDQDZglecbfgX0BOfWBm3sPrRvWydk2WUeqSPnmixdaUtQ0ywVAs)

Bruce's Snowman: 12 ' 19

Bruce's latest wood-working creation is an advent calendar. He set it up on the front porch so we can  easily change the days to Christmas count-down carrot.

Christmas Tree's Up: 12 '19

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas around here.

New Year's Day Walk on the Beach 1 ' 19

 We  were blessed today with clear skies so we were able to continue our tradition of taking a walk on the beach on New Years Day .

It was  perfect  beach walking weather

Temperatures were in the low 70F s and there was a light refreshing breeze 

Other than a couple of other people, 

 

we had almost the entire beach to ourselves

 I said 'almost' because there were a hundreds of terns, skimmers, gulls, pelicans and other shore birds lining the edge of the water awaiting the next incoming tide.

The tide  was lower than either of us could remember it ever being. It felt like we were walking to where the sky met the sea.  It was the perfect start for the new year.

 

Happy New Year' Day Brunch 1: '19.

Bruce surprised me with  a special New Years Day brunch for us this morning.  He made us a Bacon, Brussels sprouts, and Goat cheese tart.  Oh, sooooo good ...... paired with a mango mimosa... it was to die for.  

PI Christmas Selfies:12 '18

  No doubt you have heard the proverbial expression

'the best laid plans of mice and men .., which is used to signify the futility of making plans when the ability to execute them is beyond one's full control.

Once Again....the proverb holds true ...

 

Our plan was to take advantage of a brief break in the rain 

  and  take some selfies on Pawley's Island Beach

capped in our Santa Hats

 for posting  Christmas morning.

The wind was so strong and sand so biting,

 that we couldn't keep our eyes open,  

much less keep the Santa Caps on our heads.

LOL!  

Merry Christmas, everyone

PS  We still had a great time on our favorite beach.

Baby It's cold outside: 12 '18

Oh, My.  We had a very early hard frost last night. (first of the winter season). I was supposed to start on decorating the outside back yards today ( or at least the deck and back porch),  but everything is frozen solid.  Even the birdbath.

If I try to  touch any of my plants right now, I will damage the foliage, not to mention risking frost bite because I don't own any winter clothing. 

So  I focused  my attention today upon lighting up the inside of the Carolina Room (which is indoors but visible from the  outside) with icicles lights and snowflakes.

Neighborhood Holiday Decor Competition 12 18

Time's are a changing.

This year has seen several new people move onto the street. AND, one of the HOA Board member's has her family spending Christmas with here in South Carolina.  The visiting relatives brought with them early Christmas gifts of lighted  yard ornaments.

As soon as the board members lights went up, the newbies began decorating their front and back yards  as well.

There are now 6' snowmen  street side

along with  golfing pink flamingos

  and with life size alligators 

swallowing Santa by the golf course.

Bruce calls it the Christmas decorating competition. That may be true, but I love it. It feels like a fresh breeze has swept through this rather stodgy neighborhood leaving a most welcome bit of whimsy and fun in its place.

Hanukah Holiday Decor 12 '18

 Throughout all of the years we have lived here, most of our neighbors  were away visiting their relatives in other states at Christmas. The few who remained, did little to decorate the exterior of their units other than hanging a wreath on their front door and stringing a few lights around their doorway.

Our front yard has what Bruce calls our Hanukkah Holiday theme.  Other than maybe a blue six-sided star in the upstairs windows, and a menorah in the kitchen window, there isn't any decorations to be seen from the exterior of the house.

Still Frozen: 1 '18

This mornings view of the house from inside my car.

 Bruce cleared  all the snow off the SUV yesterday evening so he could make a run to the store.  By this morning it had iced over again.  Those ice crystals are pretty but hard to see through.    In a day or two  it is supposed to warm up a tad. Hopefully the ice will melt and  everything will thaw out.

View of our  house from the street

Still Icy Here in the Low Country: 1 '18

Pond Adjacent to Fairwayt 3

We're still iced in!

Based upon prior years records, for this area at, time of year, the snow should have melted days ago, but as you can see, it has not. Worse yet, everything has turned to a dense layer of ice

... including all the retaining ponds.

Pond adjacent to 6th Green

Bruce took these photos this afternoon when he did a  supply speed run.

Pond adjacent to Pawleys Plantation Way and PP Way looking east

 Most of the streets are clear of snow and ice, but as you can see there is still snow everywhere that does not get a full sun. 

 DUH. Its the South. Most folks here thinks that global warming  means its going to get hotter.   It is already 'Hotter than Hades' here in the summer, so of course   all development are built in harvested forest area,  where the developer attempts to preserve as many  of the remaining shade trees  as possible around the homes to shelter them from the summer sun's rays.  

What's that you are saying?  Global warming doesn't mean that every place will be equally hotter ? Huh... it means that as the global average temperature goes up,  our  jet stream based climates will change dramatically,  so stand by, we could be in for more weather extremes. 

Really??? Oh No!

Tee time availablility: 1 '18

 Twelfth fairway looking east toward the  green near the marsh

Better hurry up and book your tee time. 

The rush is on at Pawleys Plantation.

 Twelfth fairway looking NW toward the tee off