Vacation, all I ever wanted...
Monday, August 08, 2005
So I'm back from the reunion-slash-wedding, and actually feeling pretty good about my re-immersion into normal life. I'm in a much more positive "place" after having had a week (plus) of rest and relaxation. I don't think I've ever taken a full week and gone somewhere -- I'm more of a half-day here, Friday there type of gal.

One of the many activities to do in Seabrook, SC, is take a sunset cruise on the inlets and tributaries of the Atlantic. Basically it's brackish water, which apparently means that the ocean saltwater is meeting up with the river freshwater. So my parents, my sister (and family), SMD, and I packed up some scrumptious goodies and hit the road.


This photo does NOTHING to properly display the ghetto-ass boat that we were on. I don't know who the pirate's lady is, but I'm pretty sure that if she ever saw the boat bearing her name, she'd be back in 5 with a can of industrial grade turpentine and some steel wool.

Nine dirt trails later, we were at the weirdest looking "harbor" that I have ever seen. As I remarked to my family, I felt like I was going to walk down the pier and see Gary Sinise (a la Captain Dan) hanging from a mast in a fake beard, wielding only an eye patch and a shrimping net.



We set off on a sunset cruise, and it was surprisingly cool-- we saw pelicans, dolphins, and learned some of the area's history. That is one thing about the South that I am jealous of -- they have such a colorful history. The midwest is a bit plain in that regard.





As we started to head back to the docks, the rain started up and would continue intermittently for a couple of days. Say it with me now, "Boooooooooooo, Hisssssssssss!" Either way, I got some beautiful and memorable shots...click to enlarge.


My niece Bri looks over the side of the boat for dolphins. The dolphins managed to be on whatever side of the boat that the people were not -- clearly they are far more intelligent than we.




There's really no explanation for this photograph, given that my father was completely sober (evidence A: Diet Coke can in hand). But they look like they're having so much fun, so I had to include this shot.






This is an abandoned shrimping boat -- made mostly of steel and such. According to our guide, it was more expensive to haul it out of the inlet than to clean it up and let it sink into the silt. I think it looks a little weird, but what do I know?!

More stories later...