Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Try not to Be Jealous.

Ever since Turken and I got home from our little four-day getaway, I have been run ragged.   I don't want to go into the details.  They are boring to live, so I can't imagine they'll be any fun to read.  Let's just say that if instead of shuttling the kids around town for the last two days, I spent that same amount of time in the car driving south, I could have made it back to Hilton Head by now.

Indulge me while I take you back to the awesomeness that was our trip.  I need to go to a happy place for a bit.

First, I have to tell you about the trees.  This area of the country has the most wonderful trees.



They are huge, if you consider 40-60 feet tall and a canopy of up to 100 feet wide to be huge, which I do.

Many of these Live Oaks are made even more beautiful by the Resurrection Ferns that dress their branches and the Spanish moss which drapes down in gorgeous blonde curls. 



I see these trees as places to pull up a rocking chair in order to cool off in the shade while admiring the beauty.

Turken sees the trees as the best climbing opportunities in the entire world.



Climbing trees is exhausting!

Ok, one more, and then I'll move on.

On to the rest of our trip.

Can't go to Hilton Head without visiting the gorgeous beaches!  (We only went to one.  It really pays to visit a local who knows the best places to go!)


Turken love, love, loved playing in the waves.  As I watched over him, my thoughts kept going back to how small and insignificant we are compared to that never-ending ocean.

My sister taught Turken how to find crabs in the sand.  Too bad they never actually managed to catch one. 


After swimming for three hours straight, we had sand in every nook and cranny.  It bothered him not one bit, so he was content to play in the large tide pools


while I enjoyed a deliciously refreshing drink. 

 A good strawberry daiquiri really helps one forget all about the sand inching its way farther up into areas where the sun don't shine.
When you ask Turken what his favorite part of vacation was, he will answer that it was a three-way tie between swimming at the beach,

riding "his" pony at Lawton Stables,

his pony named Popsicle
 and going on the pirate cruise.

After getting the kids into character with the clothes, the face paint, and the pirate names (Angry-eyed Turken was his),  we were loaded onto the ship.

Angry-eyed's goatee melted a bit when he drank some water.

It was an awesome cruise.  I was expecting the usual cheesy ride around, but it was far from it.  The pirate leaders got the kids fully into their roles by hoisting the flag, finding the treasure map which had been stolen by one of the parents, then pulling things out of the ocean.  They actually pulled "grog" out of the ocean and let the kids have a drink.  And then, Stinky Pete, the bad pirate who took the key to the treasure, showed up.  The kids took to the (water)cannons and took care of Pete.

That poor guy was hit with water for three rounds, ten minutes each, ten cannons each time.  I have no idea how he didn't drown.  Or at least keel over from exhaustion.

The treasure was found, pulled out of the ocean, and divvied up amongst the eager kids.

The kids weren't the only ones who enjoyed the cruise.  My sister posted on facebook that she is looking for another little kid to go on the cruise with her.  Some of the parents really got into it, taking a water cannon for themselves.  And then there was the family with children named Murray, Oscar, and Ruby.  Everyone on the boat knew Murray, Oscar, and Ruby.  And everyone knew that Murray, Oscar, and Ruby had wimps for parents. 

And now, some random photos from the trip.

I have no idea how that goat got its massive horns back in the fence.

Top of a lighthouse that never actually functioned as a lighthouse.  It was simply built for decoration.

On a walk through the marsh, looking for birds.

We ate.  A lot.  Yes, this is at IHOP.  It was the only meal we ate at a chain, only because my sister didn't know of a local breakfast place.  Everything we ate was delicious! 

On the last day, we swam in the pool at my sister's place.  My niece has a cover for her iPhone to allow her to take it under water.  Don't think I'd be brave enough to test it.
I feel better now.  I just may have the energy to get all the potatoes and tomatoes COW harvested from the garden while I was gone into cans and on the shelves.

Have a lovely day!

27 comments:

  1. The trees are big and glorious and put me in mind of Chinese Willow Pattern chinaware, which is awesome. Thanks for including the names of the climbers.

    The trip looks completely awesome - look at his happy face (especially riding the pony) and please, please tell me you dressed as a pirate too?

    Glad the daquiri made up for the sand :)

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    1. I thought some of my nerdy friends would enjoy the details. :)

      No, I didn't dress as a pirate. We were going to dinner afterwards, and it's just not as cute of a look on a 41 year old. I did, however, shoot a water cannon.

      The daiquiri (one each day, thank you very much) was fabulous.

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  2. Okay, I want to go on a pirate cruise. Will your sister take me?

    Is that you holding Turken under water?! Once again, gorgeous legs!

    How did the goat get his horns back in the fence? Verrrrrrry carefully!

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    1. "Moms - the new form of super-effective discipline will require you never to smack them again! Guaranteed to work every time"

      XD

      (holding him under? Srsly?)

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    2. I'm sure she would be happy to. You will need to have someone younger than 10 with you, though.

      Yes, tis me. Enough with the legs! *blushing*

      Indeed. :)

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    3. Oh, and Lizzi, I though the same thing. :)

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  3. That underwater photo is awesome!!!! We did that same pirate cruise when we were in Hilton Head. It's a great place!!!!

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    1. You did!?! Did you like it as much as we did?

      The quality of photo from an iPhone is astounding. Actually, all the photos in this post were with my phone.

      It is a great place to visit.

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  4. As you already know, I LOVE "The Island"...and clearly you two had a glorious time. And now I'm even more jealous of your kiddos. What fabulous parents they have. :)

    BTW the goat got his horns through the fence because I'm certain he practices. A lot.

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  5. Your Murray, Oscar, and Ruby comment made me laugh. You managed in three short, vague sentences to tell a complete, detailed story. Despite Murray, Oscar, and Ruby (and their parents!), it sounds like the pirate cruise was a blast!

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    1. Ha! I am sure any parent who has ever been in a group setting with other families has seen her fair share of Murray, Oscar, and Ruby. :)

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  6. What a fun time indeed and I'm hungry for a big old pancake now.

    Have a terrific day. ☺

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    1. It was fun. Head to IHOP! They've got lots. :)

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  7. What a blast!! I am definitely jealous. Especially of his pony ride. I miss pony rides!! And swimming! And climbing trees!

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    1. Can't say I ever went on a pony ride. I have ridden a horse a couple of times, but I doubt it's exactly the same. I say head on out and climb a tree right now!

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  8. There's no help for it... I'm jealous!

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  9. I wouldn't be brave enough to test it either but NICE shot! Oh I love the first picture. That's all I had to see and read about to be jealous. We lived 3 hours from HH growing up. So it would be a day trip. Imagine riding back home with sand in the nooks and cranny's.

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    1. Oh, no! I told my sister that while Hilton Head was a great place to vacation, there is no way I would ever want to live there, or any beach community for that matter. I would not handle the sand well at all.

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  10. Those trees are gorgeous! I love the Grandfather's Whiskers on them (what we call that fern here).

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    1. They are the prettiest trees I've ever seen. I love the term you use for the ferns!

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  11. Looks like you guys had an awesome trip! Yup, I miss the live oaks form living in New Orleans, but then I didn't get to look out the window to see the beautiful birth trees when I was living there. I want to go on that pirate ship!!!!!!!! Sounds like lots of fun. The horns through the fence remind me of a rid through a wildlife reserve when a longhorn kept sticking his head inside the wagon to get to my mother for some reason. I miss that place! I think my favorite picture is the one at the marsh. It looks like you could step right into it and join him. :)

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    1. We really did. Now I'll have to look up "birth trees" Or did you mean birch trees?

      Oh, I would have laughed my head off if that happened to my mom. She didn't get hurt, did she? Was she scared?

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  12. Ok YUM for the food and BOO for the spanish moss it kills trees and i pick it off our trees until they are too tall and I can't reach it anymore. I do not see the beauty. But the pirate ship ADORABLE!!! glad you had such an amazing time. I do think Oscar Ruby Murray have been many places I have been at. Yikes!
    Tell Turken he looks just like a real pirate to me!
    Excellent iphone pictures, have resorted to that too since little A broke my camera. "helping"

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  13. Holy crap that sounds like an awesome vacation! I love those trees. I don't think I have anything like that nearby my area :-( I used to love climbing trees, but coming own was an entirely different matter.

    I really really REALLY want to go on a pirate cruise! That is crazy awesome! Totally jealous of that one... I want to blast that evil Stinky Pete to high hell! I've a feeling I'd be viewed as a little too old to participate in most of the offered activities :-( but Id have fun, nonetheless!

    Some great pictures and so I honestly believe all you described took place ;-)

    Jak at The Cryton Chronicles & Dreams in the Shade of Ink

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  14. How fun for Turken (and you)!!! Looks like you guys had a blast!

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!