Wednesday 31st July

We spend the day shopping, then packing, ready for the start of our journey South to Florida tomorrow.

We go to bed feeling excited!

Tuesday 30th July

We go to the beach for a couple of hours in the morning, before it becomes far too hot. The parasol gives welcome shade from the burning rays. The sky is a beautiful blue, the sea is warm, and life is good.

A wedding party arrives on the sand, and all the guests go down to the water’s edge for photographs.

We return to the hotel for a shower, visit our yacht broker to pick up some wooden boat pulleys my father had made, and then cool down in a shopping mall!

We end the day having dinner with a great group of friends.

Monday 29th July

Early wake-up this morning as we have an appointment at the bank.

Then it’s back to the Tanger Outlets looking for Vans shoes. We end up having an epic messaging and photo session, so that son can choose his particular shoes! We finally have success, and buy a powder blue pair of canvas high tops!

We then decide to hit the beach for a couple of hours. Sunshade, sunhat and sunscreen make for a really great afternoon. Slowly the clouds build, and as we pack away, the thunder begins to rumble.

We arrive back at the hotel just before it begins to pour with rain. Baths and showers all round then an early dinner at Applebees is followed by a mega laundry visit to clear up the backlog of grubby clothes.

Everyone and everything ends the day fresh and clean.

Sunday 28th July

Today starts cloudy and a bit rainy, but very warm.

We drive to the Tanger Outlets for a bit of retail therapy, checking out the shoes in Vans, for our younger son.

Lunch is at Wendy’s ~ trying to stay healthy with a grilled chicken salad.

The afternoon is spent beside the pool, taking a dip, and resting my foot which does become quite swollen in the heat.

We drive to Fuddruckers for dinner, loading up with lots of salad.

A fairly relaxing day was had by all.

Saturday 27th July

Another morning spent sorting out problems . . . . our hire car had begun to flash a warning light on the dash: oil change. So, here we are at a garage, informed it will take an hour, told to go and grab a coffee at Krispy Kreme: it’s right there, just over the road. The three of us hold hands, and cross the six lane highway as quickly as we can! The coffee is actually rather good, and there’s free wi-fi.

An afternoon of retail therapy follows; so good for the soul.

Friday 26th July

Today we visit the medical centre, as husband has an ear infection. With the forms duly completed, we sit and wait our turn. $103 for the consultation, $69 for treatment, $30 for antibiotics. Wowwzz, an expensive morning!

The afternoon is spent relaxing by the hotel’s pool, complete with Factor 50, and a rather splendid, new, straw sunhat. It is very warm, even at 5:30pm.

Thursday 25th July

Having had a very comfortable night’s sleep, we enjoy breakfast overlooking the marina.

Our first stop of the day is the airport’s car hire desk. When we arrived yesterday, there was a problem with the contract, so we changed providers, and saved just under $1000. Smart move.

Our evening is spent with great friends, and the best pecan pie ever!

Wednesday 24th July

We begin our summer holiday with an overnight train journey to London, arriving at 5:15am. A quick transfer to Heathrow airport, through check-in and passport control, and we’re ready for a wake-up coffee.

The flight across the Atlantic is smooth and trouble-free; two Gerard Butler films ~ Chasing Mavericks and Olympus Has Fallen ~ make the flight a little less tedious!

I wear my wonderfully fetching flight stockings, but my foot has become quite swollen. I need to find somewhere to sit and elevate it.

We find our departure gate at Charlotte Douglas airport and settle down to wait for our onward flight to Myrtle Beach. Suddenly the air is filled with the ear-splitting sound of dozens of fire alarms!

The moving walkway is burning, and giving off dense smoke. Steel shutters are lowered, and the concourse is in shutdown! New planes arrive, disgourge their passengers, but they have nowhere to go. Seemingly trapped! Plus, a storm approaches, with lightning preventing the travellers from transiting to coaches to bus them to other parts of the airport. Chaos ensues!

Eventually we are allowed to leave the airport and climb up the ladder to our plane. However, as soon as we sit down we are told we are not going anywhere because of the lightning. We remain in limbo for another hour! When we do finally take off, it is dark, raining, lightning, and very bumpy. Yikes.

Some forty minutes later we land in Myrtle Beach. We collect our hire car, drive to the hotel, a quick shower to wash away the grime of two days travel, and then a very welcome sleep zzzzzzz.