Hilton Head Day Four

Wednesday ended up being another quite day. I caught up on my writing, and Brenda worked on her jewelry. The radio announced that Wednesday was “Root Canal Appreciation Day” No one was too excited about that. Jerry and Vickie took turns napping in the morning. I did some prep work in the kitchen, planning sliders for lunch and steak for dinner. Once again we had intentions of going to the beach, but just about the time of day when it got warm enough for the beach, the afternoon rains came. So Vickie and I took off for the store to pick up a few things, and books and resting were the pastime of choice at the condo. Once again it poured rain for at least an hour. It was a little dry when we got here, but not now.

While we were sitting on the back deck, we saw a Red Tailed Hawk fly in and land in one of the trees close to the condo. Vickie went out and was able to get numerous pictures of the bird as it posed for her. Then while we were sitting there watching the one bird, its mate flew past with one of our local squirrels in its clutches. I’ll never forget the look on the squirrels face as he flew past dangling from the hawk talons. Sort of like---oh krap, guess I’m going to be on the lunch menu today for the hawk chicks.

One day this week the girls had a girley kind of day and put on long artificial nails and fixed their hair. Now all week Vickie is learning how to do stuff with long nails again. Another cool thing, we discovered an interesting new snack food at the Fresh Market. It is okra that has been deep fried quickly with no batter (like potato chips) in canola oil and then dusted with sea salt. It makes you think it is good for you because it is bright green. Somehow even though it’s fried because the color is green it seems healthy.

Later we decided to avail ourselves of the Club House activity opportunities, however when we got there we found the normally deserted building had been occupied by two other residents and the pool table was taken. The ping-pong table was available but there were only 2 paddles, and the only ball had a dent in it making it flat on one side. Jerry and Brenda tried ping-pong, but the square ball made for some rather strange bounces. Vickie and I attempted to play a game of plain old-fashioned checkers. So once again we headed back to the condo, but now since it was late and the rain had given up, we took Jerry’s Bocce Ball set out onto the 4th fairway, and had several spirited games of Bocce.

As it started to get late, we headed in and started dinner. Jerry and I walked over to the provided outdoor gas grills. These grills just happen to be on the shore of the Turtle/Alligator pond. What could possibly go wrong with the combination of impending darkness, alcohol, raw meat, and alligators. Well we survived and it was interesting watching the critters watch us cook. One particularly aggressive turtle chased me around I guess thinking I was going to feed him. We assumed that quite often these denizens get the odd piece of meat from the grillers. Even though the sign warns it is a $1000 fine to feed or molest the alligators, turtles are not specifically mentioned. At one point I counted 14 turtles and an alligator watching us cook.

We had a lovely meal of rib eye steak fixed to our special traveling recipe. When we travel I always carry my Rachel Wray Santoku knife and Lawry’s Garlic Salt Coarse Ground With Parsley. We buy a small bottle of olive oil, and Jerry usually brings gallon storage bags. We rub the steaks well with the oil, some pepper, and Lawry’s. Then put them in the refrigerator for at least a day, sometimes two or three. (we have used this recipe in numerous countries and states) We paired the steak up with some great corn nuked in the husk (Vickie’s special recipe) salad, and some very nice Shiraz Jerry scored at the Piggy Wiggly. For desert we had a great meringue topped key lime pie from the Fresh Market. Would have been a $150 dinner for four here in Hilton Head, but we eliminated the middleman and did it for about $40.

Once again we had a great evening playing many spirited games of dominoes until it was time for bed. Another very relaxing great day was in the books.
More later,
Wes

Hilton Head Day Three The Bike Wreck

Hello, more musings about nothing particular and everything in general.

Tuesday morning we all lazed about getting our individual breakfast choices, checking Email, perusing through the news on line, showering, watching bad golfers, and in general just living a relaxed resort kind of life. Brenda had started working on a bazillion piece jigsaw puzzle. Jerry and Vickie were helping and or kibitzing. Got me wondering who actually started calling them jigsaw puzzles? Did some guy paste a picture on a board and then cut it up with a jigsaw in little pieces for his kids to put together one rainy day? Sometimes you just have to think about these kinds of things. It is very nice to travel with our long term traveling companions. Over time we have learned to accommodate each other’s idiosyncrasies, and we can relax together with minimal stress.

Later as we all finished preparation, we loaded in Jerry’s Explorer and set out to explore (pardon the pun) the island. Jerry and Brenda have started a business distributing Kazuri Beads. While on their safari to Kenya they visited the Kazuri bead factory in Nairobi. Here they saw the process where Kazuri beads are hand made by the local residents. When they returned they decided to get involved in distributing the rare and unusual beads in the U.S.A year or so later they have a web site www.kakarjewelry.com and are attending bead shows regularly. That is actually how we came to be at Hilton Head this week. They had a local bead shop to visit along with a bead show this coming weekend in Charleston. I had to chuckle at the name of the bead shop, “Hemp Seed and High Tide Beads”. Even more entertainment was had as we actually visited the shop. Jerry and Brenda went into the shop to conduct their business, while Vickie and I wandered the little strip mall containing the shop. Jerry later reported the owners looked the part of creative artists.

First on the list of interesting stuff was a bunch of Yuppie women discussing their bead purchases on a bench outside the bead shop. Allow me to digress a minute about my use of the term Yuppie. Yuppie is not a derogatory term for me, but more a descriptive term. And to me the root term Yuppie has many sub types however most are unnamed. Let me say that I also consider myself the antithesis for some Yuppies. In my opinion they perceive my eccentricity as a threat to their very formal and organized rich peoples lives. I just find the whole mess entertaining and food for my ever-wondering mind. End of digression, oh and let me record it here: I just promised Vickie if she could get me a hotel room with a window overlooking a good view of Fremont Street, with my laptop, Internet connection, pocket tape recorder, and a good supply of liquor, I’d go with her back to Las Vegas. (I notoriously hate Las Vegas since among my many vices gambling IS NOT and the place bores me quickly)

Back to the strip mall: the ladies discussing their bead purchases gave the appearance of being rich and bored. In addition they looked suspiciously at me as I made notes on my pocket recorder and observed life. I moved on down the mall to “The Island Gold Works” looking in the windows at many beautiful items on display. I got to the door, and there was this sign with a new approach to business (for me). The sign said “Open, Please press buzzer and wait for assistance”. I didn’t figure they wanted to talk to me so I moved on down the mall. Soon I was standing in front of “The Encore Consignment Store”. I looked inside, and it was a Yuppie consignment store, which looked to me like a fancy women’s store. Vickie made a circuit through the store and reported it was stocked with all types of high end “stuff” there on consignment. From looking at some shoes displayed out front, according to Vickie, you could buy “used” $250 shoes for $45. Interesting concept, would be a shopping bonanza for folks who weren’t from here. Also in the strip mall was a cool looking bar---not open darn it. And on the end was a real tearoom with little old ladies drinking tea, reading books, and chatting quietly. Beside the tearoom was a Cat Clinic, and the “Dr. Is (was) In”. Everywhere at this mall Yuppiedom was in evidence especially in the parking lot. There was a preponderance of Mercedes, Exotic SUV’s and other high end transportation. While Jerry and Brenda finished their business, Vickie and I landed on a bench and perused the proffered free literature proclaiming the attractions of Hilton Head. Interesting reading. Vickie found a residence that was now down to $845,000 from it’s 2006 appraisal of $1.6 million. I read an interesting article by a guy who retired from “The War on Drugs” and was now a “Security Consultant” to a security company servicing the residents of Hilton Head. (think he was a high end security system salesman) I also read about this cool solar device that is supposed to be able to heat water even on cloudy days. Article says it is especially good for heating hot tubs and touted possible Federal Tax credits. I tore out the page and intend to investigate upon returning home.

We left the Yuppie strip mall and headed to Sea Pines Plantation. Sea Pines is the original development on Hilton Head Island. It was started and planned by Charles Fraser, who is buried under the Liberty Oak overlooking the harbor. His theory was build the attractions first I.E. the marinas, the golf courses, the swimming pools, and beach accesses, then plan the community around them gently preserving and working with the natural vegetation. The result is a beautiful blend of houses, condos, recreation, shopping, ponds, trees, alligators, birds, and bike trails. It was so successful Charles’s overarching plan of having restrictive development covenants attached to land became the standard of the resort industry. His tenants were used in the development of several other SC developments including Kiowa Island. He was a truly great man.

We had a great lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the harbor at Harbor Village. The food was great, I had a cup of (very good) Crab Bisque, and a Cuban Sandwich, Brenda had a Chicken Panini, Jerry had a Blackened Tuna Wrap, and Vickie had a Pulled Pork Sandwich. All came with Sea Pines Chips, which were great kettle cooked potato chips. We also ordered the special drink of the day a Bahama Mama. We figured the special ought to be special. We weren’t disappointed---the drink was especially ordinary and the price was especially ridiculous. All in all lunch reminded us we were in Hilton Head by being ridiculously over priced.

After lunch I wanted to tour the harbor and look at the boats. I stopped, just out of curiosity, at the fuel dock. The fuel pump had the most recent sales still recorded on it. The first one was “Off Road Low Sulfur Non Highway Diesel” $2.369 per gallon, last sale 395 gallons for $937.24. On the gasoline side $3.119 per gallon last sale 40 gallons for $127.24. It’s obvious the gasoline still contains “Road Taxes” which is pretty ridiculous for a boat. In VA there is some mechanism for recovering the “Road Tax” paid on boat gas. We have not explored it yet, but with the new boat holding 51 gallons of gas, we probably will.

After visiting the fuel dock, Vickie and I continued our tour of the harbor. We saw some beautiful boats, and wondered what the dockage must be to stay in this particular (very special) harbor. I say very special because the 18th green just across the harbor is featured in the PGA Verizon Heritage at the Harbor Town Golf Links. The boats (yachts) did not disappoint either. I made myself a note to look up Lazzara Yachts because that was the name on a very beautiful yacht we saw moored there. (which I did, and they are incredible)

After viewing all the sights at Sea Pines, we returned home via the Fresh Market and Piggly Wiggly to obtain sustenance for the balance of the week. After we got back and unloaded all our stuff, everyone settled down to do whatever, and Miss Vickie took her bike back to the beach to look for shells. I took the opportunity to explore a little, and found the “Club House” that is associated with our group of units. It has a nice pool table, ping-pong table, beautiful work out room, and a shelf of books and games. Amongst the games I found a box of very nice 9 spot dominoes, and we have passed the last two evenings with spirited dominoes tournaments. (don’t want to jinx things, but yours truly has won the last two nights)

After exploring the clubhouse, I went and soaked my lower legs in the hot tub at the pool for about 20 minutes. While soaking I watched the turtles and alligators in the pond next to the pool. Then I headed back to the condo. I hadn’t been back too long when Miss Vickie came in quite distressed. Seems as though she had lost control of her bike on the bike path, and rode down an embankment wedging herself between two trees and under the bike. She had to be rescued by 2 ladies. Good news is she didn’t break anything, mostly cuts and bruises, and no alligators or snakes got to her. Bad part is the unmerciful abuse she has had to endure from all of us. We took good care of her, and got her soaking in a warm whirlpool bath, and gave her some Tylenol for her pain. Cut on her finger required bandaging, and she had to get some dirt and blood out of her swimsuit cover up. Jerry wanted her to go back, lie down in the weeds and recreate the wreck so we could take a picture for the blog. (Vickie didn’t think so) By Wednesday she was doing better, but has not been back on the bike again yet.
More later,
Wes

Hilton Head Day Two

Well we got here Sunday afternoon, and now it is Wednesday morning. We have not done a lot of structured things, but have enjoyed our time greatly. This will probably be a Sienfieldesque blog, a show about nothing.

Monday morning, no one got moving too early, and those who did, indulged in nothing more than a good book or relaxing breakfast watching the golfers tee off on #4. (which is quite the entertaining pastime) Vickie and I took the complimentary bicycles that came with the condo, and rode down to the beach. Actually twice cause the first time we couldn’t find it, and had to come back for directions. After directions, the second time we made it to the beach and to our surprise found very nice facilities and a pretty beach. They had chairs and umbrellas for rent ($30 for an umbrella and 2 chairs for 1st day and $18 a day after that, payable in advance). The water was cool but not frigid I thought even warmer than Outer Banks in June.

After scoping out the facilities Vickie and I headed back to the condo to report. We checked in with our friends, and after some research found we could hit the main pool bar for a hot dog for lunch. Vickie and I rode the bikes back, and Jerry and Brenda walked, opting for the exercise. We soon were parked at a pretty much deserted pool and pool bar. We ordered (from the very unpersonable bar lady) some of the proffered tropical specialties, to go with some dogs and burgers. In a little while our lackluster food arrived, essentially plain but with a basket containing little plastic packets of condiments. We built some quasi-palatable creations, and washed them down with reasonably good drinks. The whole thing introduced us to the Hilton Head motto: If it isn’t overpriced, then you’re not in Hilton Head. Apparently in this area of the country, the economic downturn is not being considered. (although the occupancy looks to be about 30% but that may be because it is still May)

After our mediocre but at least properly overpriced lunch, we retired to the condo intending to hit the pool. But Mother Nature had pretty much decided that was not to be. The skies began to blacken, while we watched and listened to a thunderstorm roll in. (like we hadn’t had enough rain last week in Martinsville) Checking the weather on the Internet, we found we were in the path of a severe thunderstorm warning. We opened the bar or should I say reopened the bar, and settled down to watch the fun.

Golfers are a curious breed; they just will not admit that it is really going to storm until it is raining so hard they can’t see the ball. And then what is this whole thing of holding a metal rod in your hand on a flat grass field while it is lightening? Seems like a death wish to me, but then this is Hilton Head, and I’m sure they don’t refund those overpriced greens/cart fees once you have paid them.

We watched the golfing ramp down as the rain ramped up. The rain continued to RAMP UP. Pretty soon it was raining literally in sheets. We could look out across the golf course and see sheets of rain moving down the fairway. Then the golf course began to look like a pond, and after a while the whole fairway was under water. I reminded my compatriots that this was a swamp until they decided to fill it in and build stuff on it. We had a couple funny events happen during the storm. It was raining so hard Jerry and I could not resist standing out on the front porch and watching. The lightening/thunder was loud, but by time differential not all that close. All of a sudden the lightening struck something close by and issued forth one of those giant SNAP sounds that scare the poop out of you. Everyone in the condo screamed, and Jerry and I bumped into each other getting in the front door. We had a good laugh about it. It was even raining so hard at one point; I put on my new prescription snorkeling mask just to try it out. After we were back inside from the lightening scare, we were watching the waterfall coming off our upper roof, when we noticed a drink cup Brenda had left out on the patio table. She had had water in it on the way back from lunch, and had left it empty on the table. Well now the cup was full to within 1 inch of the top with rainwater, all in about 30-40 minutes. After the storm abated, Vickie took her bike back down to the beach since it was low tide to look for shells. When she returned we decided to go with a rerun of last nights dinner and polished off the second half of Jerry’s lasagna from the previous night.

Our condo comes equipped with many games, puzzles, and movies. One very cool entertainment feature of the condo is the step on the stairs to the second floor that at the quietest unexpected times sounds amazingly like flatulence when trend upon. This has been the source of untold verbal sparring and laughter. Of course this is from the same crew (missing Jimmy and Judy) that almost laughed themselves silly in a cabin at the North Rim of The Grand Canyon on the last night of the season when Miss Brenda produced a secretly packed whoopee cushion. This same Miss Brenda conned us into a game of Trivial Pursuit for the evening. Only problem was this particular Trivial Pursuit box contained a game based solely on the 80’s. Due to some marital discord and/or relationship issues (for most of us) the 80’s were better forgotten, and that is about what we all did. Therefore trivial questions based solely on events from the 80’s were daunting for us, to say the least. Trivial Pursuit turned into Trivial Pursuit of a Coma. Finally we all conceded and allowed Brenda to win (since she was whipping our butts anyhow). As we carried over our Trivial comas everyone drifted off to the beds with the lure of another relaxing nights sleep.
More later,
Wes

Hilton Head Day One

Well hello again from the road. After what seems like a forever hiatus, for my knee surgery, we are traveling again. My total right knee replacement was a tough and painful procedure. The therapy following surgery gave me new definitions of the word pain. I now have more respect for folks (and there are many) who share with me that they too have had knee replacements. Mine happened on March 3rd and I am just now feeling like tackling the world (albeit in smaller pieces). But one thing is for sure, my leg certainly works better than it did pre-surgery, and I can’t say enough good about the medical team that made it happen for me. Thanks to Dr. David Martin and Crew at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.

Today finds us at Hilton Head SC ensconced in a lovely 3-bedroom condo on the 4th tee of one of the many golf courses here. Previous to this we had only ever spent 1 night on Hilton Head Island, and really didn’t understand too much about it. We are guests of our frequent traveling partners, Brenda and Jerry Williams. You may recall from past musings, Jerry and Brenda are Miller (nowadays MillerCoors) retirees like Vickie and myself. We all worked at the same plant for almost 30 years, so have much in common. In addition, Jerry and I are both ex-Yankees, while Vickie and Brenda both grew up in Danville VA. The condo is one of the bazillions on Hilton Head nestled in amongst the pine trees, creeks, golf courses, swimming pools, alligators, and private homes. We were talking yesterday; this development really is a mature endeavor. Jerry remembers coming here on a sales pitch tour, over 30 years ago and some of the earliest development started in the early 50’s. Thanks to wise and carefully planned development, however, the island recognizes over 35,000 permanent residents, and has become a year round resort destination for millions.

We drove down from Martinsville on Sunday via Charlotte NC and Columbia SC. Jerry and Brenda stuck to the Interstates and Vickie and I drove the Vette via Rt. 321 through the SC back country. It was a beautiful day and we all arrived safely. Vickie and I had an interesting trip, especially south of Columbia SC on Rt. 321. Rt. 321 must have been a main route prior to the Interstates. It reminded us often of the little town “Radiator Springs” in the movie “Cars”. There were old strip motels, old Stuckies buildings, and old gas stations most of which were abandoned or closed. We left Columbia around 11:30 am. Vickie suggested we might want to get something to eat, as there might not be anything soon along the way. I thought it was a little early for lunch so pressed on. Turns out she was very right. We ended up not finding anything to eat till 12 miles from Hilton Head on the route we took.

Along the way on our trip (about 380 miles) from Ridgeway to Hilton Head, we had a few interesting moments. First happened on I-85 near Charlotte: out of nowhere a tractor-trailer tried to pass me in the right lane whilst both of us were doing about 73-75 mph. In front of him was a white van that was going about 65. He was determined to pass me, and had I not slackened speed, I guess he would have run me off the road or rammed the white van. It was a scary moment. He then proceeded on to tailgate one of his brother truckers at about 80 mph. The next came as we used the Interstate System to by-pass Columbia SC. We came in on Rt. 321, and had to head west on I-20 (briefly) then cut south on I-26 (briefly) then turn off again on Rt. 321. This particular grouping of roads makes for some harrowing lane changes and abrupt off ramps. Oftimes stellar braking or light speed acceleration was required to accomplish the desired trajectories. Further down Rt. 321 we were riding along, heading south and approached the town of North. Off in the distance we could see what appeared to be a huge airliner, but it was way too low and was banked at a very great angle. I commented to Vickie that it looked like the plane was going to crash. We lost sight of the plane, but as we passed through North (South Carolina) we once again caught sight of the plane, and there appeared to be not one but 2 planes. This time I recognized that they weren’t airliners, but very large military transports. It appeared as if they were on some type of maneuvers, but were flying awfully low. Vickie studied the map to see if a military base was near, but the closest was the Department of Energy installation at Savanna River. A little while later when we were crossing the Edisto River south of North, all of a sudden this giant plane crossed over the road directly above us nearly at tree top height. It was very loud and exciting. A few more interesting items of the day were as we left Neeses, the road sign read Norway 5 miles Denmark 15 miles so on we went. Later in Fairfax SC we found out we had missed “The Cooter Fest” by just one day. Wonder if Ben Jones (the original Cooter from the Dukes of Hazard) was there? Google tells me he even has a book out.

We arrived in the vicinity of Hilton Head and made contact with Jerry and Brenda on the cell. Turns out they were about 45 minutes behind us so we looked for something to eat. Ended up at O’Rileys Irish Pub, where they were advertising Mother’s Day specials on Mimosas and Bloody Marys. I had a nice 3 salad plate with chicken, tuna, and egg salads on a bed of lettuce, and Vickie had some potatoe skin appetizers that were loaded with cheese and fresh bacon. The food and drink was great, and the very nice owner, (a yankee according to Vickie) spent a considerable amount of time locating the whereabouts of our destination. Hilton Head is a veritable rabbit warren of lanes, culs de sac, and dead end resort only roads. Mapquest and his brothers know little about exact locations on the island. With directions in hand, we reunited with our companions at the check in office. After check in, several wrong turns and dead ends later, we arrived at 335 Carolina Club. The place is beautiful, and we are glad to be here. The heated outdoor pool is just 400 yards away, and the beach is a 5-minute bike ride. Brenda and Vickie took the Vette (top down) to the fresh market, and picked up a few necessities. Jerry brought lasagna he had previously made and frozen for our dinner, the bar is open, and we are camped for the night.
More later,
Wes