On the road, blogging in the car. Heading home from a few days away with our “original three”: Ron, me and Joshua, plus 5 month old puppy Moose. It had been years since we went away, just us with no friends along for the trip.
We planned the trip about a month in advance, picking a small Airbnb at Ocean Lakes campground in Myrtle Beach, S.C. We figured the campground would be more pet friendly, besides we camped there when Josha was little. It was a different kind of fun but we enjoyed it. The thing about planning in advance, you never know what the weather is going to be like. Last week as I checked the weather, rain was forecast for every single day. Half of me wanted to just cancel and plan again, but coastal weather can change so quickly. (And praise God, it did!).
You know how first impressions can set the stage? Thus was the case. As we pulled into the property we were greeted with an overflowing trash can, with several bags of trash laying beside it. The people that had been there before us had a lot of trash. Wow! We walked up onto the front porch and noticed the ash tray and the smell of cigarette smoke. We were not happy with the place at all but I told the guys we would make the best of it. The cleaning service dropped off a quilt for a bed at 8:30 p.m. that first night and it was damp, not completely dry and useless as there was no dryer in the place. So the stage was set, and it took a positive mindset to push past it.
We rented a golf cart and took Moose cruising around the campground. There is evidently a “boulevard” that everyone cruises in their golf carts, up and down. Some people decorate their golf carts and as you pass each other people high-five everyone. I saw small inflatables attached to many golf carts; a shark, duck, flamingo, to name a few. It was very family friendly and pet friendly too. Although all the noise, headlights and people were a bit much for Moose the first night but he did really well.
We found a dog park inside the campground on Monday and Moose loved that. There were a variety of breeds and ages there and they all played and chased each other. That was Moose’s first experience being around so many dogs and it wore him out. We put him in his crate at the house and took off for the beach.
I had prayed for some non-rainy weather and God answered. Our first full day was cloudy but we still went to the beach. The surf was very rough and wave after wave knocked me over. One big wave knocked the hat off I was wearing. Coming up from the wave, I caught sight of it and went after it, but another wave crashed on me and the hat went churning further in the surf. Sad thing, it was my Dad’s golf hat. (He passed away in 2021). Tuesday we woke to sunshine and I was so thankful. It was short lived but again no rain until later that evening. Again we took Moose to the dog park before heading to the beach. I was satisfied having prayed for some non-rainy weather so we could enjoy the beach, we had two. Our last full day was forecast for 75% chance of rain. We figured we would find something else to do.
Our last day we woke to clear blue skies and a perfect beach day. We went to the pool then went to the beach. The beach was perfect and the surf relatively calm. We all went out in the water together and the guys even saw some nice size fish jumping in the surf. Joshua said that was a sign he needed to go fishing. We did head for the pier after dinner but rain and lightning had set in. Slightly disappointed we stopped at a gas station for some bottled water and the guys bought lottery tickets on a whim. Ron had never bought one before. I was sitting there laughing and shaking my head as they scratched away on the cards. Joshua won $5 and Ron won $200. We had to go to a Food Lion to exchange the card for cash and the guys split the money.
Moose was a good traveler. Joshua had wanted to see how he would do on the beach but there was really no place to give him a good bath so we stuck with the dog park, which he really enjoyed. Everywhere we took him, he was a people magnet. He did well with the attention and even the little kiddos wanting to pet him.
One of the t-shirts I wore this week says “”Grow in Grace”. I told Ron it was a reminder for us all to not complain about disappointments but to show grace. We tried to refrain from complaining about the Airbnb and instead found something to compliment on. The beds did sleep very well and that was the perk of the place. One day we drove the golf cart to a place within the campground to get hamburgers and brought Moose with us. The hamburgers were cold and I do mean cold. It was like it came from a refrigerator but the cashier was a “ray of sunshine” and that made the experience better. I just laughed as Ron commented on the burgers. I said “ that’s some good lettuce and tomato on that burger. Find the good and it changes the outlook.
All in all, it was a different kind of fun family trip. We enjoyed our time together and are thankful to be heading home to our elderly dog Joy. Mom was so sweet to stay with her while we were gone. Joy is 14.5 years old and has arthritis. I know Moose will be so happy to see her. Mom texted me saying Joy was carrying her turtle toy through the house. Moose loves that toy and she was likely looking for him. She will see him soon.
Thankful for time away with my blessings and thankful to be heading home to our own home. Vacations are nice but there’s no place like home.
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