Tuesday, September 23, 2008

HILTON HEAD


Ever since my mother's death in 2000, my birthdays have not been the same. It's not because she died anywhere near my birthday, she didn't. I can't explain it; it is what it is. But because of that, I always make it a point to be distracted by new and different surroundings on that day.

So one birthday, Sarge and I used our timeshare to take the Diva and the Doc to Hilton Head Island, #64 on my Bucket List. None of us had ever been there before, but had heard a lot about it. We decided to check it out for ourselves.

The first thing we learned at our inaugural dinner was that Hilton Head is a dry place. I said to Sarge, "How can a place surrounded by water be dry?"

Our waitress explained that they do not sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays, and on the other days of the week, they only sell those tiny miniature bottles of spirits that they serve on airplanes. Oh, well.

The next day, our mission was to buy the Diva a swimsuit because somehow, in six pieces of luggage, she forgot to pack a swimsuit, although she did remember to bring a bottle of Patron Tequila. All was not lost, after all.

Diva bought her swimsuit; I shopped at the Piggly-Wiggly, something I'd been wanting to do ever since I saw Driving Miss Daisy. My needs are simple. Sarge disagrees.

That week, the guys grilled dinner for the ladies a couple of times. We took long walks on the beach behind our timeshare, visited quaint little shops, had she-crab soup, and climbed 114 steps to the top of a lighthouse. Whew, hard work.

Hilton Head has a work program where they allow Jamaicans to earn their way to U.S. citizenship. They are too busy to chat with tourists. But I noticed that the original inhabitants of the island, the Gullah people, were very standoff-ish, too. Maybe it's a cultural thing. Surprisingly, the Gullah's are outnumbered by the Yuppies.

Not much nightlife to speak of on this island, either. I don't think I saw a club the whole time we were there. This is a low key, laid back kind of place, so if that's what you like, Hilton Head is the place for you.

2 comments:

PatriciaW said...

For some reason, I can't get your blog to come up in Google Reader. (Do you have a feedburner?)

Anyway, that just means I have to remember to hop over here.

And everytime I do, I visit such interesting places: The Rock of Gilbratar, Spain, Savannah, Hilton Head...

I'll have to remember that monkey thing. How wild is that?

Can't wait to go to Spain.

Savannah is just as I picture it. Might get to that one sooner. It's only a few hours drive.

Never knew Hilton Head is dry. Probably because I've never been. Works for me though, because I don't drink. LOL!

MsALWalker said...

Thanks Patricia, I'm glad you're enjoying my little stories. I try to find that one little thing that's interesting everywhere I go, and there's always something. And yes, I do have FeedBurner , but it's all the way at the bottom of my page! Feel free to subscribe, and thanks for stopping by!