We are just back from a summer get away to the beaches of Hilton Head.  A few days of putting our feet in the sand and cooling off in a pool was just what we needed to get the summer officially kicked off.  All has been “off” during these past few months because of the Coronavirus.  It felt good to be back to somewhat of a normal life.  We wore our face masks and my paper towels and disinfectant were in hand… but honestly, we had a pretty easy time social distancing and keeping to ourselves.  Emily and I would head to the pool right before it opened for the day and she and I would get a good hour of pool fun in before others wandered in the gate. By that time, Phil had picked out a good spot for us in the sand, so off we’d go to the ocean waters.  During one of our after dinner walks along the shore we heard some stirring around a couple of girls fishing– they’d caught a baby shark!!! OMG A baby hammerhead shark.  Emily couldn’t wait to touch it.  I kept wondering where the baby shark’s mother was. EEK.

We took advantage of the short ( 1-2 hour drives) to both Savannah and Charleston. We enjoyed walking from park to park in Savannah’s historic district looking at the fountains ( threw in a lucky penny or two!) and beautiful homes surrounding the squares. The continued downpours, thanks to tropical storm Cristobal,  kept the crowds away.  Lafayette Square is home to a glorious cathedral and the most darling little cafe right across the street.  In Charleston we enjoyed a delicious fried green tomato BLT for lunch and a walk to the famous Pineapple Fountain to take in the view of Charleston harbor. Lastly, we hopped a ferry ride to Fort Sumter for a history review on where the first shot was fired in the Civil War.

Leaving Hilton Head, the long drive home brought a quick stop in Asheville, N.C.  where we social distanced our way through the Biltmore Estate.  The Vanderbilt’s 250-room castle did not disappoint!  No, the tour isn’t all 250 rooms, but we sure saw enough to get a feel for how those fortunate ones lived back in the day.  The grounds and gardens are fabulous too but I have to admit, Phil and I left extremely disappointed that we didn’t have time for a taste testing at the estate winery 😉  Maybe next visit.

At the end of the gallery are photos of Emily from the last five summer beach vacations. I love looking back to see how she’s grown.  The first photo with the rainbow will always be my favorite.