Growing up on a dairy farm with pesky cows whose bodies demanded a milking twice every day lest they implode (or so I believed), our family was not able to take very many vacations. (That, and the fact that milking cows is not a consistently lucrative lifestyle.)
The family outings we did take, however, were memorable and exciting even though the location was a simple one - camping on the Bull Pasture River in Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley. We always stashed our watermelon in the creek, always took a photo by the swinging bridge, always brought inner tubes for floating, always ate pancakes cooked on a propane-powered camp stove. Our drive wasn't complete without a first stop at Vance's Country Store for maple candy and a little local-news-chit-chat. We used to always buy canned pudding at a local market until The Butterscotch Incident of 1983. (If you were in that pop-up camper, you remember. My apologies, boys!)
Although I have no desire to duplicate everything about those Eibert Camping Adventures, there are aspects I long for my own family now to enjoy and appreciate. Like anticipating return trips where you always discover something new along with the familiar. And hearing stories about the Year of the Flat Tire or the Year We Saw the Bear. Like recognizing landmarks that remind you that you are almost there. Like knowing one place, besides home, as "your" town.
Our family has been in search of a vacation spot like that for a number of years. And up until now, it seemed we still hadn't found what we were looking for.
Until last week.
Tybee Island is in a perfect location for us - only four and a half hours away. Even with a nursing infant, that's not a bad drive. On the island we discovered both a pizza place and an ice cream parlour to suit every family member's tastes. The beach front featured big waves for Riley and just down the shore next to no waves for Bergen. Plus, it is right beside Savannah, Georgia. And what's not to love about Savannah? Interesting history. Gorgeous hanging Spanish moss. Old mansions. Delicious restaurants. Cool riverfront. Beautiful garden squares. Mysterious mansions.
Yes. I think we have found "our" place.
Tybee Island - she's the one.
(And oh, the stories I have to tell you. A week of not writing has been great - ideas have filled up my super cute red and white dotted journal that my sweet Riley gave to me. Beach blog entries galore - you'll see.)
oh dear, so I read your blog and was surprised that the trip was only 4 and half hours. Then about 3 hours later it all of the sudden hit me that ya'll live in SC and not VA. Sounds like a great place. I have been wanting to go to Savannah for a long time. In fact, I forget I haven't ever been there, because when people say that they they like their visit there I agree to how nice of a place it is. I just invision it in my head to be such a lovely place.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lacey, how I have missed reading your blog! Savannah is "our town." In fact, we were contemplating getting married there at one point. We have yet to discover Tybee Island, but it's on the list of places we want to go. So glad you guys had a fabulous time and much needed quality time together! :0)
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