For all the obvious reasons, last year's trip to the Myrtle Beach area for the Military Retirees golf tournament did not happen. But this year was on schedule, Les and I had both gotten the vaccine, and we decided to head out and be brave.
We are glad to be here! However, there have been some frustrations. All are understandable, but they are frustrating. We packed the car and headed out and went to have breakfast at a nice "old timey" diner that we like. It was not open. And yes, we had looked them up online and it seemed like they were open for business. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel. Food was good.
Back on the road the traffic was very heavy. It was bumper to bumper in some places. In one town where there is usually no traffic, it was sloooow bumper to bumper. Then an area where the Fire Fighters were have a fill the boot fund drive at every light. We donated at the first stop. The traffic continued to be heavy.
By then it was too late to go to the restaurant where we usually like to have lunch so we we went to another and it took an extremely long time. Then when we got to the hotel the lobby had closed early and had NOT sent us any directions on how to get our keys and check in. They had names and numbers on a note and we called them. One had a full mailbox, the others took messages. No one called back. The guard in the parking garage couldn't help us but said go up to the room and look under the door mat. Nothing there. We went to our friends' home and visited and calmed down.
Eventually one of the hotel people sent me a text on how to find the lock box and a code to get into it. Let me just say, there is no excuse for them not telling us all this before they left. They have all our email and phone numbers. So we headed back to get in and unload the car. Then back to our friends for dinner they were grilling. When we left their home, we stopped for some groceries. We were both exhausted at that point and went to bed.
The suite is nice, but obviously someone is not taking care of it. There were no lights working in the kitchen, the bathroom fan doesn't work, the microwave had no power, and a couple other issues. Eventually after a couple days a nice man with a happy attitude came and fixed most of the things.
The first couple days here were very cool and there was no going out to sit in the sun then. And honestly, I didn't want to anyway. I have never seen the beach so crowded. Butt to butt people down there, even in the cold air. And still crowded when it did warm back up. But I am enjoying the ocean and watching and listening to the sounds of the waves.
Les and T played golf on Sunday and Monday; the cooler weather did not affect golf. 😊 Tuesday Les and I went to our favorite breakfast place here and it was disappointing. He got checked in for the tournament and got the "goody bag". That's a bit disappointing, too, since the shirt is a long sleeve one. Very nice, but long sleeve. ???? We did a little bit of looking at the Tanger Outlet and then just rested and relaxed.
We tried to get Grouper at our favorite Bimini's, but it was packed and the wait time was at least an hour. We ended up at a favorite Italian place and had a very nice dinner there.
So, we are having a good time, being patient, and adjusting. Everywhere we go there are help wanted signs. Every restaurant and store are short staffed. Not everyone is being as careful as I think they should be, but we are taking care of ourselves and trying.
Life is good. Stay safe and God Bless America!
p.s. I would love to post some pictures here but that will wait until I get home. For some reason I can't get to them on my tablet.
