Dear Reader:

None of us wanted time to fly by…in fact the Saturday evening after arriving it was like none of us wanted to go bed because we would have, then, spent one day at Pawleys already…and we didn’t want time to keep moving…instead…to somehow freeze it for a little bit… so we could just be lost in a never never land for a few precious days.

The secret really is relaxing...time will still march on…but without stress or anxiety…just fun and laughter…and making the most of each moment together.

Brooke took me to Chico’s to pick up a jacket I got using my Chico gift card the Ya’s gave me for my birthday…(there is a funny story behind the jacket…but I will have to wait to tell you that one at another time.)

On the way home we decided to take the South Causeway (instead of the usual North) into Pawleys to check on the little chapel there. You might remember they were moving the Pawleys Chapel off  the moors in the water across the street (temporarily) to fix the foundation of both the chapel and the moorings.

So on our adventure to find the chapel we came across a lot of fun and or unusual surprises…like driving across parts of roads that looked like the beach…covered in sand from earlier recent storms that swept the sand from the beaches over the dunes and homes/properties onto the paved streets…covering them.

 We were delighted when we found the Pawleys Chapel sitting right back out in the waters….prettier than ever. Oh the stories that little chapel could tell!

What got us laughing and nodding, however, was reading the different names of the beach cottages along the “South” end of the island….creative, funny, and wise….a diverse array of names.

We loved the idea of mixing two names together…like this cute example: “Chillaxing”…the perfect word for what the Ya’s did at Pawleys!

I, especially, loved this house sign located near Linda’s beach house…it is so true. Sometimes we just have to physically get away in order to truly “get away.”

What can you say about “Beach Nuts” except that the name defines how we all should act at the beach…let the walls come down and the child, inside each of us, come out…. just be funny!

And there is always time for a little cocktail at the beach…a toast to each other for another year together…”tottering” on a lifetime of friendship.

Some of the smaller historic houses…almost lost among the newer big houses that have gone up recently…still show their pride…small but mighty…they survived the storms when some of their big neighbors didn’t!

It was a fun afternoon just “chillaxing” in the car and slowly driving to the very end of the island before slowly turning around…and taking some photo shots to remember the time together.

*I got a text ping one morning from Libby…who was already out on the porch… to let me know Sammy the Cardinal was looking for me…she included the picture. Later that morning I walked out on the porch and there was Sammy behind me on a bush…he stayed there as I crept closer and closer before flying away. It is nice to have someone checking on me… even while I am away.

The end is getting closer…with my foot wound…Dr. Stroud told me that that sooner than later…he would be telling me good-bye. So I stay in suspense…but hopefully the end must be in sight…in someone’s eyes. It will be a surprise.

Before I left to head to Mt. Pleasant for my appointment…I drove to Hutchinson Square and took pictures of the last minute arrangements for the official opening of the square later yesterday…everything looked beautiful! History and charm intermingled and I felt it quite longingly.

So until tomorrow…There are still island stories left to tell…especially one that was hidden inside Whitmire’s Fine Jewelry Store…home of the Legend of the Pawleys Island Shell…you just never know where a story will pop up…

…Like the story of one Ya who saves the day with….?

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I stopped by Walsh and Mollie’s house after my appointment to give Rutledge some more Magic Tree books (in the series)…he is really into them and loves hearing them read each night…but now he is starting to read his own classroom books too…He wanted to read to me…kindergarten…wow! He did a great job reading the entire little book…in fact two books. Rutledge reads…and Eloise walks! 🙂