Staycation: Day 4

On the fourth day of our staycation, we headed two and a half to three hours southeast to Hunting Island Beach. We got there about lunch time, ate subs, and then headed to the sand! We swam, soaked up (too much) sun, and collected shells. The boys got stung by jellyfish for the second summer in a row, but they sucked it up and got back into the water. When we got ready to leave, there was a little afternoon shower (around five or so), and as we were leaving St. Helena's Island, we had to stop to let a gator cross the road! Can you believe it? We asked the park ranger to recommend a good seafood place and then headed to Steamers Crab and Steakhouse. I don't usually do seafood, but I wanted Ed and Jonathan to be able to eat it. So I ordered grouper (it was recommended as a nice white fish without the fishy taste). It was excellent. The food was good, but the service was a little slow. I would still highly recommend this place if you are ever on Lady Island in SC. Below are some of the highlights in photos.

We love that the beach at Hunting Island is seldom crowded. And this was the week after July Fourth! We nearly had the place to ourselves.

At Steamers, Ed enjoyed Frogmore Stew (no frogs in it)! Jonathan enjoyed an appetizer of grilled shrimp.

We plan to do this at least once more before the summer ends.

Beach Trip day 2

On the second day of our trip, Sunday, we had breakfast and took our time checking out of the hotel. We decided at the last minute to drive a half hour away to Hilton Head. It had been several years since we had been there.
Boy, was that not the best decision! We had some fun...don't get me wrong. But Hunting Island was way better. Hilton Head was very crowded. Plus, we were already sunburned from the day before, despite the fact that we had used SPF 45 sunscreen and reapplied. My shoulders were the worst! Anyway, we got to the beach and spent a little money to rent an umbrella. I couldn't have stood it otherwise. Then the water play began. Only....it didn't last long. We spent more time on the sand than in the water. The JELLY FISH didn't want us there! Jonathan was the first to get stung, on the leg. After I finally talked him into getting back in the water, he was stung again, this time on his back. When he reached back to get the thing off, it got his hand. And mind you, we were NOT in deep water at all. Maybe knee deep? Then Ed got stung next on his leg. Matthew was next. Me? Well, we joked that either I was very lucky or the jelly fish thought I was too mean and feared me! LOL!

Here are some photo highlights from the day. The first set is a collage of a water fountain for kids just as you approach the boardwalk to go down to the beach.

Finally, this is a photo of Jonathan's jelly fish sting! It actually broke the skin a little. You can still see the mark 4 days later. The lifeguards sprayed it with a mixture of diluted vinegar. Helped with the pain a little. Needless to say, that was Jonathan's last time in the water....and many other folks felt the same way too. Apparently, July and August are the months when the jelly fish are plentiful there. It's funny that 30 minutes back up the coast, we didn't have the jelly fish problem on Hunting Island. :)

Beach Trip day 1

This past Saturday, we packed up the car and headed to the shore. We spent a good part of our day at Hunting Island, SC. We spent the night in Beaufort--beautiful place if you've never been.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Here are a few highlights.

Obviously I played with the color in this one to make the sky seem so blue! It WAS a gorgeous day!

I loved taking photos of the lighthouse at Hunting Island. Our other favorite excursion was walking downtown Beaufort by the river. Just Gorgeous! Augusta could take some lessons! :) Here are some photos of those places.

Loved this mermaid we passed on the way to the river walk.

This is the very bridge Tom Hanks ran across as Forrest Gump!

LOVE the Spanish moss everywhere.

On the second day of our trip, we drove a half hour down to Hilton Head. I'll share that with you in a day or two. :)