living in the sun, dreaming under the moon: Vacation Time

Vacation Time Submitted by sherryfm on Wed, 06/27/2007 - 07:45. Neighbors It's that time of year when people around the country load the minivan, pack up the family and head out for points near and far. My family will soon embark on a new experience. We have been invited to attend Camp Debbie Lou in Latta, SC. This is a private camp devoted to kids that have survived cancer. My daughter, Bailey, has always wanted to attend summer camp, but I was never able to find the right situation for her. This place seemed ideal because it is designed for the family of the survivor to attend with the child. The camp director stressed the idea of sibling participation. They want all the kids to feel special, not just the cancer kids. Camp Debbie Lou offers horseback riding, go-cart track, archery, swimming and several other activities. I am looking forward to taking some time away to have fun with my kids. Who knows, by the time we get back, I may need a vacation. So lets see, does anybody have a secret vacation spot that they would like to share. I would love to read about your vacations - good or bad. » login or register to post comments \| previous forum topic \| next forum topic \| printer friendly version \| 39 reads Comment viewing options Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes. driving down the highway... Submitted by Jana E. Longfellow on Mon, 07/02/2007 - 21:11. After a long day of driving, this is the only view from vacation I have to share this far: Baltimore, MD seen from the car while stuck in traffic- click to enlarge. Anytime you live out of state, driving home is the boring part... looking forward to hugging family is the reward! We will post some photos from home soon. Sherry, hope your family enjoys your camp experience! It sounds like great fun for everyone. » login or register to post comments Camp Was Beyond Fun Submitted by sherryfm on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 07:49. Thanks for the comment, Jana. Maine is a long drive. Do you take it in stages or drive straight thru? I never made it to Maine. My husband & I once did a motorcycle trip up I-95 and ended up on the Canada side of Niagara Falls. That was my last motorcycle trip. It took us several days and stops along the way. One of my fondest memories is being carded at a Motel 6 on the way back home. As for Camp Debbie Lou, it was one of the best times I have ever had on a family trip. We met some great people and did alot of laughing. I have some pictures I'll try to post soon. » login or register to post comments Daufuskie Island Submitted by Beth Johnson on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 08:10. One of my most favorite places is Daufuskie Island, a small island between Hilton Head and Tybee Island, GA. It is the first inhabited Carolina sea island and the southern most tip of SC. I had the opportunity to live and work of Daufuskie for a while about two years ago and it is a beautiful island. You can only reach Daufuskie by ferry and there are only service vehicles allowed on the island. Thankfully, the island is still pretty undisturbed with eagles and black squirrels. You can rent small cabins or stay at the Daufuskie Island Resort. My favorite place is this little dive called Marshside Mammas located on the New River, the west side of the island. They have local musicians, the best boiled shrimp ever, a pot bellied pig, and no air conditioning. It is far different from it's neighbore HHI or Tybee, espeically if you don't stay on the resort. There is so much history on this island and you feel like you have just stepped back in time... Daufuskie is probablly most know for being the island in The Water is Wide, by Pat Conroy. » login or register to post comments Fill up the tank, and point me to a road............ Submitted by Sandy Sue on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 09:43. I just like to get the hell out of town, honey. Any place at all can be fun, when it is different than the day-to-day humdrum and the same old stagnant people we must deal with in our daily lives. SS » login or register to post comments Vacation Update Submitted by Jana E. Longfellow on Sat, 07/07/2007 - 05:12. Gee, I've been gone from HVTD for a bit and no new vacation updates? I cannot locate my camera cord, so no photos for now. Sherry, glad to hear the camp went well! Yes, we split our 1000 mile trek home to Maine up; on the first day, drive north of Washington DC on the way up, and south of DC on the way down... because no one wants to ever drive around the DC beltway first thing in the morning. Since this is my 12th year of living in SC, I am happy to say that I no longer drive white knuckled through the Fort McHenry tunnel in Baltimore MD.... but I am still a little relieved to get to the other side of ever major bridge (thanks to all the Hollywood special effects showing bridges buckling and breaking mid-drive!) Here are some common differences between my two hometowns: Differences between Bath Maine and Hartsville SC: Sunrise: Bath Twi: 4:34am Sunrise: 5:09am Sunset: 8:20pm Hartsville: Twi: 5:45am Sunrise: 6:14am Sunset: 8:36pm Temperatures: Bath: morning 61 degrees, high today of 74 degrees, tonight's temperature 57 degrees; tomorrow, 77 degrees. humidity: 90% Hartsville: morning 73 degrees, high today of 92 degrees, tonight's temperature 72 degrees; tomorrow, 90 degrees. humidity: 98% Most popular summer meal: Bath: steamed clams, lobster, corn on the cob Hartsville: barbeque, corn on the cob Distance to the Beach: Bath: 10-20 miles Hartsville: 90 miles Windows? Bath: Wide open, to let the cool breezes blow in at night, and to help the ever present fans do their summer magic. Hartsville: Closed at the first sign of pollen, and the AC on full blast! Everything else is really pretty similar. Both my hometowns are full of friendly, polite people that hold the door open for you and say "hello" to a stranger. Both have a deep love of their children and elderly, and have a lot of flowers blooming with avid gardeners to tend them. Of course, it's a lot cooler temperatures so you do see much more activity in the daytime up here vs. Hartsville, but all in all, it's easy to see why both cities are easy to call "home". Now, if I can just get used to the world waking up so early this far East again... the birds chirping and the sky lightening up a wee bit after 4:30 am takes a bit to get used to each summer...::yawn:: » login or register to post comments I remember visiting Submitted by Todd on Sun, 07/08/2007 - 08:37. I remember visiting Portland, Maine many years ago. We stayed near the beach where the water temperature was a mind boggling 55F. In August, mind you. Brrr! I just checked the water temperature now, and it is a bone numbing 44F! Obviously, beaches aren't the main attraction when visiting Maine. One of my favorite Carolinas vacation spots is Ocracoke Island on the southern end of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Accessible only by ferry -- a 50 minute ride from the north or a 2 hour + from the south -- the island was an old fishing community that was also once home to Blackbeard the pirate. Ocracoke has some of the most pristine beaches on the entire Atlantic coast, and was named best beach of 2007 by a professor at Florida International University. The beaches are protected as a part of the National Seashore, so they will remain undeveloped. Quite a departure if you are familiar with Myrtle Beach or Folly Beach. Another unique aspect of this island -- at least for history buffs -- is that the island has a small parcel of British territory. During the Second World War, German submarines operated offshore, sinking dozens of ships. The HMS Bedfordshire, a British armed trawler, was torpedoed and sunk offshore and a few members of the crew washed up onshore and were buried on Ocracoke. Although the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the small cemetery, it is still considered British soil. More information, via Wikipedia: Ocracoke Island » login or register to post comments No swimming in Maine! Submitted by Jana E. Longfellow on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 23:13. Very astute point, Todd! It is so chilly in those waters, there were no Longfellow's brave enough to jump in this summer! Okay, Beth, here's the photos per your request! This is the Alliquippa Harbor in Phippsburg, Maine. There used to be a summer camp here that ended in 1982. It's a secret little hideaway that we love to visit each summer, and my Dad's favorite place in the world. Where else but Maine can you find old wooden lobster traps and buoy bird houses for sale on the side of Route 1? These were spotted in Wiscasset. We've all been to the infamous "South of the Border", here is the Northern Version...looks a wee bit different, don't you think? Buoys are just for lobster traps anymore, these are a decoration on a restaurant in Boothbay Harbor- I saw a professional photographer take photo from this angle, thought I'd try my hand at some "fancy photos": My mother's favorite pasttime, shopping...it's awesome here in Boothbay Harbor. I immediately thought of "The Kayaking Latham Family of Hartsville" when I saw this young lady preparing the kayak rentals: It's good luck to kiss this fish in Boothbay, you may find the man of your dreams... here's my Mom giving it a try: It worked for me, here's me with my new Maine boyfriend! On our drive home from Maine to Hartsville, this was by far the most interesting site we saw on the highway... this was the topic of much conversation at a rest area in Virginia: Nothing woke this guy up, even the crazy folks like me that whipped out cameras and cell phones to capture his unusual snooze! We drove to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina to see the eldest Longfellow boy, taking summer classes and working an internship at ropes course. The mountains are just gorgeous! We took a bunch of photos at the Smoky Mountain Parkway, then at the Dry Falls on the way to Highland NC. To describe how it felt to have your kid drive STRAIGHT UP A MOUNTAIN to feed his friend's two dogs (a Great Dane and 1/2 Wolf, 1/2 Alaskan Malamute) could be summed up as "terrified". He told us, "Buckle up, I have to gun it to keep traction when headed up." When I looked out the passenger window, all I saw was how far down I'd be falling, and ahead, nothing but a trail almost 90 degrees pointing up, gravel flying, a few little ledges to the right and left.dotted with a few cabins here and there. Here is my proof that I actually made it to "Lauren's Cabin" in my kid's car and back in one piece. I've enjoyed catching up with all the happenings on this site, you Hartsville folks have been very productive here on Hartsville Today! I'm already missing my family wicked bad, it'll take me a while to start talking Southern again. Thankfully the temperatures were a bit cool today to allow me time to acclimate! (Try out Photobucket.com to load up your photos a little easier. e-mail me at: HartsvilleMatters@gmail.com for directions. Now, the hardest part about loading up photos is trying to get access to a computer with a house full of teenagers) » login or register to post comments yay!!! Submitted by Janice on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 14:17. It looked like the best trip!! And having family there made it lots more special too. Thanks for bringing all your friends here along for the virtual ride. It's my first time "seeing" Maine. I loved reading it all. Welcome home Jana!!! » login or register to post comments Thanks--I needed a vacation! Submitted by Caroline Privette on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 14:43. Jana, thanks for taking us all along on your trip. Your photos are fantastic! Viewing them was, indeed, like taking a mini-vacation. I love seeing different parts of the country. I hope that you are into scrapbooking and that you will get the hard copy of these pics into some albums. What great memories for you and your kids. » login or register to post comments Glad y'all liked 'em Submitted by on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 14:56. Thanks for the nice comments, it's always fun to share your hometown with others. If you didn't catch the first photos, here's the ones from Bath. Now I'm just trying to get used to the temperature here all over again! :) » login or register to post comments Welcome Home and thanks for the photos Submitted by Beth Johnson on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 07:32. Welcome Home and Thanks for the photos! They are great and they make me want to visit Maine even more than I did before...especially the blueberry shortcake sign. Thanks for sharing Jana! Life won't always be easy, but it can and should be rewarding. » login or register to post comments Scintillating pics, all, Jana ... Submitted by JobsportPilot on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 08:26. with one exception which could be titled, "Baltimore, yuk"! "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the places and moments that take our breath away." -Anonymous » login or register to post comments