A great start to another Lowcountry summer

Going into it, the weekend appeared to have a "low-key" vibe ....and I guess in many ways, it still was....but in a much more FUN way than I would have predicted. And don't get me wrong - I do love a "low-key" kind of weekend....especially considering our laundry room is in the middle of a major overhaul and well, let's just say the weekend could have included some carpentry work by the man of the house and some -re-organizing on my part and I would have been happy with that too.

Joe and Winston were a bit pouty over Saturday's mid-day dance recital photo session for our little blonde prima ballerina....Lilly's pictures were scheduled for 11:45 which ruled out the "Be At Kiawah by 9am" plan that is quite typical for us in the spring and summer months. Once Joe saw the extended forecast mid-week last week, he had already started packing the umbrella and wagon for a marathon Kiawah day. When I broke the news, there were some sad faces here....we could still head for the beach but getting started after the lunchtime hour was not quite as tempting.

We decided to at least enjoy the beautiful blue skies and postpone the continuation of the Laundry Room Project....and believe it or not, after 5 years as Lowcountry residents, we have never been to Folly Beach so we decided an afternoon walk on the pier might be in order.

First, Lilly's pics seemed to go just great - although I wouldn't know for sure as the parents were not allowed in the room. Interesting but understandable I guess...they are 3 and 4 year olds and perhaps a bunch of doting Mothers was not what the photographer wanted to be dealing with.

After the pics, we hit the road for Folly....and after a 90 minute crawl in major traffic, we arrived at Folly to ZERO parking places near the pier. Bummer.....as we were driving down a side street searching for a space, we ended up at the gates of the County Park and public beach access....so....we were in fact going to have a beach day after all.

The day ended up being great fun. We went very low-key...didn't have the first snack ....only a few towels to share....NOT EVEN A BOTTLE OF WATER PEOPLE....but you know what - we loved the time together. Lilly even got to test drive her shiny new boogie board but ocean temps kept her surf time short. Winston and Joe braved the MUCH TOO COLD water and headed out for some serious wave running.




We were a stone's throw from the snack bar which proved very helpful. My favorite part of the day....sitting in the beach chair snuggling with my girl, telling stories and singing songs. She had gotten so cold in the water that she wanted to head for home. The only idea that seemed to hold any interest for her was snuggling under a beach towel in my lap...and I have to say, it was the best idea we had all day. I know those moments will not last forever and I so enjoyed those moments with her.

Late afternoon, we packed up for our trip back to Summerville which appeared to be everyone else's idea too....traffic once again....NOT FUN. We decided to turn left into Andolini's for dinner and yes, again, after 5 years here...we've never tried Andolini's pizza (It got 8 thumbs up from the Grant Family). We sat outside enjoying the last few hours of sunshine and decided that yes, our Saturday was the perfect way to usher in the warm temps of the Lowcountry.

And next time.....we will be beach bound by 8am!!