Sadly the time has come for us to pack our bags and get ready to go home. Hopefully we missed the worst of the winter storms. I don't mind getting some snow but it's nice to have been away from the chilly days and slippery sidewalks.
We've had a wonderful time here. I can't believe how quickly the time passed by. It seems like just yesterday when we arrived and now its been almost 10 weeks since we left Rexdale.
Our plan is to leave early on Friday and we should be home by Saturday evening. We don't plan to rush and if the weather turns bad as we head north, we'll slow down and take our time.
As I look back on our time away, I smile at the memories. We had a fun time with Chuck and Claudia in Florida, enjoyed the birds at Huntington, the daily walks along the ocean and the great golf courses here. It was really nice to have John and Grace, Lawrence and Teresa, Harry and Marian down here during the month of February. It gave us an opportunity to play cards, settlers and of course many rounds of golf. We also shared a nice visit with Liz as well which was such a wonderful thing. It gave us all a time to catch up.
There were many seashells found, toes wiggling in the ocean and glorious sunset and sunrises experienced. God blessed us so richly with this opportunity to get away and we give thanks for this every day.
I've gone back and looked through the pictures that Ralph and I have taken. There are so many making it hard to select just a few. So I opted to select one a day where possible.
Our first sunset was the promise of God's amazing grace. It reminds us that he is in control and to trust him in everything.
The first morning we awoke to an amazing sunrise. The sky was painted a beautiful red colour. To simply stand by and watch as the sun comes up reminds us that God has blessed us with another beautiful day.
During our first round of golf we were greeted by our furry friend. While cute to look at, you have to make sure that your food is well hidden or it will be gone buy the time you are back at your cart.
Not everyday is sunny and bright, but there is beauty to be seen in the storm clouds as well. We just have to take the time to stop and look.
The ocean never fails to surprise me. One afternoon the waves were making these beautiful designs up and down the coast.
We were always on the lookout for alligators. This was a smaller one floating in the pond by Huntington Beach, but we saw some huge ones as well. They were out sunning themselves on the golf courses. Better to leave your ball where it lay, if it was too close to one. We heard a story about one gator snatching a ladies small dog while she was walking it. The PGA Superstore carries lots of balls, so no need to be brave.
I love watching the waves and on those really windy high wave days it was nice to go out and photograph them. It takes patience and timing,
One of my favourite past times is to go and watch the birds. We've spent many hours at Huntington Beach enjoying their antics. From fishing to doing their mating dances, its never dull at the park.
This year the beach had a lot of gulls and in so many varieties. Some days they stretched from one end of the beach to the other. It was amazing to see and fun to walk through. Very noisy though!!
The majestic eagle is seen a lot here in Myrtle Beach. They make their homes on the golf courses as well as at Huntington. We've seen both young and old. What a sight to see.
We took the 12 hour drive to visit with our friends Chuck and Claudia in Florida and enjoyed a wonderful weekend filled with memories. I'm looking forward to returning there in a couple of weeks.
Myrtle Beach has the most amazing skies. I never get tired of the beautiful colours. The sun is reflected in the water along the beach, warms up the sand and casts a beautiful glow on everything it touches.
Another bird that we love to photograph is the Osprey. These are great hunters and are often seen flying by with fish in their claws. They will stop and rest in a nearby tree and enjoy its meal before flying off.
Herons are also very good at fishing. They move quickly and spear the fish with their beaks. Very amazing to see.
The drive into the Caledonia Golf course is one of the prettiest that I have seen. I love the majestic oak tree's with the moss hanging down. It's a bit challenging to get a picture as you have to constantly move for vehicles and wait for them to turn and be out of sight but well worth the challenge.
We really have enjoyed our time together. Whether out on the golf course, photographing the birds, down by the Pier and getting in our footsteps, I can't think of anyone else I would rather be with. Ralph is a real blessing to me and I love him with all my heart!!
A little sunshine, lots of clouds and big waves make for an interesting sunset. It was beautiful standing on the beach enjoying the mixed weather.
Reflections in the water add a lot of interest. Some mornings the sky just exploded into colour, but you have to be quick as it doesn't always last long. 5 minutes later it can be all gone.
Beautiful blue skies with wispy clouds are always a distraction for me when golfing. I guess that's why my head always pop's up (lol) and I duff my shot. Oh well, it's just a game which I will forget as soon as I leave the course, but I'll sure remember what the sky looked like.
It's always fun golfing with the ladies. We laugh a lot and get plenty of enjoyment being together.
It was really nice to see Liz while we were here. We enjoyed a wonderful potluck dinner at the Simonse's and shared plenty of laughter. We don't often get this opportunity to be together when Liz comes to Canada as it's over a short period as her family is pretty spread out now. We hope we can do this again next year.
Not pretty, I know. Early one morning I was out taking some shots of the sunrise (at least that was what I had hoped to do) when I slipped off the stair and twisted my ankle. Yikes, the pain was excruciating when it happened. Thankfully, I didn't go down as I had my tripod and camera in hand and could have damaged them. I did however hurt my ankle quite bad. I wasn't initially sure that I would make it back to the room unassisted. Icing it every couple of hours for the next few days most certainly helped. I only missed 2 days of walking which I am thankful of. The pain is minimal and I am only reminded of it when I step on something that isn't flat ie. a pinecone or shell. Sometimes it hurts when walking on the beach because of the angle of the sand but I am so thankful to God that it was nothing worse.
The magnificent eagle. I sure wish we had more of these around Toronto. They sure are beautiful!!
Every sunrise brings different colours and you always have to remember to look both ways or you will miss part of it. I especially love it when there are clouds in the sky. Thats when you see the drama.
While out golfing at The Witch we saw this grouping of trees. I just loved the colour variation and had to take this shot.
This course also had plenty of turkeys on it. They don't look like the ones we have at home and their feathers are quite pretty.
We got to see the beautiful moon a few times. I am always amazed at how quickly it rises into the sky. Some evenings it was huge as it came up over the horizon.
Changing temperatures bring fog to the beach. Over the last two months we have had several foggy days. Its a good opportunity to practice new skills as fog can be a challenge. Ralph would drive me to the Pier and while I was out shooting he would take his walk.
I sure will miss this when I am back in Toronto. Waking up and drinking coffee from our balcony enjoying the beauty all around us is such a blessing. Looking out our back window at home, I'll see tree's and birds. While not the same, I love the birds as well.
Having family who enjoys golfing is a real treat. We sure got a lot of games in while they were here which was great.
One morning, just before leaving for church, there were many seagulls flying by the balcony and looking in. I wonder if someone was feeding them. It was really fun to watch them fly towards us.
Storms come over the beach very quickly sometimes and they can leave just as fast. I love to watch them from our balcony.
From the smile on this guys face, I'm sure he was dreaming about dinner. This gator was lying on the side of the green. Our guys up ahead had spotted him and pointed it out to us. Thankfully our chip shots landed topside and didn't roll down to the water.
Not a cloud to be seen except on the horizon. Many days were like this with the sun shining brightly. We certainly were blessed with beautiful weather.
With mating season upon us, the birds were really frisky. It sure was fun to watch them chase each other.
We always talked about staying at the park to photograph the sunset. One Sunday evening we went later in the day and brought along our tripods in the event that we would have a nice one. The sky had some nice clouds and it looked like we might get some nice colour. Forgetting that the park closes at 6:00 pm Ralph and I were happily taking our photos until the sun had set. By this time it was 6:15. When we drove up to the gate it was "padlocked" closed. Now what?? How do we get out? This wasn't something that we expected. It sure helps to have a 4Runner during times like this. Ralph found a way to navigate the gates by going through the tree's. Phew, it was close but we made it. Another exciting memory that we made together hah hah.
Yesterday morning, the sun started to show colour at 6:15 already. The sky was changing incredibly fast. I think we enjoyed the beautiful red for only about 20 minutes before it completely went away. I am glad that I had my tripod and camera all set up and ready to go as it's so easy to miss sometimes. As I was downloading my pictures I looked out at the sky and it was still amazingly beautiful with the darks and greys. You never know what you will see. A storm was rolling in yesterday, however we got lucky and only had a very small amount of rain. Thats the way it usually goes, a little rain, but most of it happens during the night time.
Later yesterday afternoon, we had John and Grace, Mark and Katrina and Elis over for "Happy Hour". While celebrating the end of our holiday Mark spotted some dolphins swimming by. How exciting for everyone to see. The ocean was pretty calm so it was easy to see them as they swam up the coast.
And finally a few of the treasures that we see from the ocean. Over the course of the 2 months we have found plenty of sharks teeth. These are just a few. We've seen so many jelly fish this year as well. Thankfully these don't sting but they are all over the beach. I learned how to "despine" sea urchins which have resulted in some beautiful shells.
I'm sad to leave but looking forward to seeing our family. It's time to say goodbye and thanks for the memories.
