Beachy Family Fun Time Haiku

Gulf summer breezes

White, sandy beaches shine on

Warm, laughter-filled hearts

[pictures]

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June came and went without one post to my little failblog. Winslow was lost, Greg had sinus surgery, Winslow was found and Greg went to the ER for the most massive nosebleed ever. I managed to schedule two girlfriend getaways within days of each other and that's what I'd rather focus on. Shall we?

Trip One:

A co-worker shares my love of horses and bookish things so we hit the road in her sweet MINI Cooper. Our first stop was in Milledgeville, GA at the home of Southern Gothic Queen, Flannery O'Connor. After exploring the property and main level of the family home in the scorching heat, we set our course for a nearby horse ranch/B&B. The B&B was a tad dated, but the ranch itself made up for it with the abundance of baby animals: foals, fawns, gosslings, bunnies and puppies. Seriously. The cute o' meter was on overload. I also managed to fall in love with Madison, GA.

At some point during our planning process, it came to my attention that said co-worker had never been to Charleston. As any good Carolina girl would do, I made sure to include Charleston (specifically Folly Beach) to our road trip. We enjoyed a few days lounging around and we left Folly Beach knowing I would return in 2 days.

Trip Two:

There is a group of women that I exclusively belong to that share for the most part a single defining trait with me. We dated our husbands for at least 10 years before we got married. I call them the Greenville Girls and we had our first girls only weekend in Charleston this June. The highlight of the weekend by far was the Palmetto Ski and Outing/Greater Charleston Ski Club joint beach party on Folly Beach. We were the youngest *adults* by a good 20-25 years, but these people know how to throw a party! It rekindled my love for beach music after watching couples shagging on the beach. The dance, people. Add to that, a charming gentleman (probably close to my grandparents age) mingling among the beach umbrellas with shots of Almond Joy or Jell-O shooters from giant syringe. We ended the day watching a wedding on the beach topped off by a dinner of local seafood at Bowens Island. Well played, ladies.

Click for pictures and one quick video.