Now we come to our exciting vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina! We left to drive down to SC on Saturday July 16. It is a very nice, 10 hour drive(once you get past the DC area). The crape myrtles(flowering trees) were exploding with blossoms along the highway especially in the south. We stopped for a bit of outlet shopping in North Carolina and for dinner in South Carolina, so we did not arrive until after dark.

Linda Seitz had rented all 13 of us a large house on the beach, complete with 7 bedrooms with balconies, and a pool, jacuzzi, outside bar, formal dining room, kitchen, living room and family room/play room upstairs. We were vacationing with the Seitz family and celebrating Mom and Dad Seitzs 50th Wedding Anniversary. After a tour of the house and hello to all the family, we settled down for the night.

We had all done quite a bit of on line research on activities in the area and planned at least a summer's worth of fun that we would have to squeeze into a week's time! Sunday started off with church at St Francis of the Sea and a quick hunt for alligators in their pond(didn't find any-must have had the day off). After a quick grocery store stop at the Piggly Wiggly, we decided to spend the day at the beach. I packed up all our toys and out we went to bounce and boogie board in the waves and hunt for shells and critters. Scott enjoyed trying his hand at crabbing in the bay with several other boys also from Maryland. South Carolina has the same blue crabs that we have here in Maryland. Sunday night the whole family enjoyed a great big dinner together at the house.

On Monday we all headed to Savannah Georgia for several different types of tours. Mom and Dad Seitz, Mark and Linda Seitz and Susan and John opted for a riding trolley tour. Our family opted for a hop on and off trolley tour so we could visit our GS founder Juliette Gordon Low's home.I also had Allison working on several badges-one all about Juliette and one that focused on the history of Savannah. We also visited Leopolds, one of the oldest ice cream shops in America that made Tutti Frutti a household name. And even had a song sung about it from Johnny Mercer- (Tutti Fruitti oh Rudy). Johnny Mercer was a Savannah boy. He was also known for the song 'Moon River' named after the river that Savannah is built on (and also the name of a haunted tavern-more later). At the end of our day, we ran into Tom's sister Susan and husband John who were getting ready for a Ghost Tour. We tried to join them, but the tour which actually goes into the haunted houses was full. We decided to try another tour on another night. They seemed to enjoy the house tours although they were very crowded and both wished they could have spent time learning about the history of the cemetery(which is closed and locked after dark).

Tuesday morning half of our group hit the horseback riding trails and visited a beautiful stable. We all enjoyed a great ride through the woods and around small lakes in a private estate. The stables were immaculate and the horses well cared for(although maybe a bit spoiled). Nephew Eric's horse Cajun seemed determined to scrape him off his back on every turn. Good job showing him who was boss Eric! The other half of our group went shopping and sightseeing in the local town while we revisited the beach in the afternoon. That evening we all dressed in khaki pants and white shirts for a large family photo out on the beach. After many many shots, I think we managed to get a few keepers, regardless of the wind, squinty eyes and biting ants at the seashore. Who knew family photos could be so challenging! Or maybe it was just us! Anyhow, we had a wonderful rib dinner that night and got our white shirts all dirty! (some of us)

On Weds it was time for water sports. I went out first for a bike ride on the beach with Scott. When the tide is low, you can ride along the beach as the sand is solid. I could have ridden all around the island. Earlier in the week, Tom and Scott took a bike ride on the very convenient and extensive bike trails on the island and stopped in for a game of putt putt golf. This afternoon, half our group tried out parasailing off the back of a boat in the bay, and the other half toured the bay by kayak. We kayakers spotted a dolphin and lots of birds and oyster beds during low tide. The parasailers spotted sharks from their high vantage point.

Thursday I managed to get in a little souvenir shopping. The kids got tshirts, Allison- a Henna tattoo that washes off in a week, and I got a live turtle! We also brought along our hermit crabs on vacation. They loved digging in the beach sand we placed in their tank. Sadly Cookie and the other dogs could not join us, but they were all in good hands while we were away. That day I also spent time making a peach pie from a Southern Living recipe magazine(thanks to some great peaches provided to us from a run that John did in Georgia on their way down and great pie making tips from Mom Seitz). Thursday night our family headed back to Savannah with Eric for a walking Ghost tour. We enjoyed learning even more history of Savannah, especially on a leisurely stroll in the evening when the sun was setting. And we especially enjoyed catching ghost "orbs" in our digital pictures at a few of the haunted houses. After our tour we stopped in for ice cream(again) at Leopolds, and then off to dinner at a haunted tavern named Moon River. Scott wasn't too thrilled with eating in a place that advertised ghosts in the basement and on the second floor. We were allowed to tour the basement, but you had to pay for a tour of the second floor(we opted for the free tour, but did not spot any ghosts).

Friday was our big fishing day. Half our group took out our chartered boat and tried their luck at deep sea fishing. They caught mackerel, rock fish and shark! In the afternoon, the rest of us went fishing in the bay. Not much edible, but truly an experience as Scott and Allison pulled in baby sharks and I caught a huge stingray. We also had a dolphin tour as the dolphins were busy swimming and jumping around our boat. We loved the boat ride and sight seeing in the bay-lots of activities like pirate ship rides, parasailing and jet skis. Even Susan and John spent an afternoon jet skiing in the bay. We probably would have done the same if we had more time.

On Saturday everyone had to head off home. We made it back home SAturday night.

It was certainly an incredible vacation and we have Mom and Dad Seitz to thank for it. We loved visiting with the family and trying new things(like eating alligator and shark fishing, riding bikes on the beach and hunting for Savannah Georgia ghosts!). We are looking forward to the next 50th Anniversary!

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