I noticed right off that the beach front property and second rows from the ocean were elevated about 8 to 10 feet off the ground due to all the damages created by the hurricanes.  It had been over sixteen (16) years since visiting the Cherry Grove Beach area and much has changed since then.

After a few minutes of getting our gear into the villa, we quickly took in the views and wonderful smell of the fresh Atlantic Ocean sea air.  There was a slight breeze blowing with the sky overcast but soon the sun melted the haze away.  Sea Gulls and other birds were busy scanning the coast line for any food items to be had which brought about some competition to get their share of food.  Below view to the left of the Lemon Grove North Villa:

Laura and Shane set out three umbrellas and my bride and I spent several hours soaking up the sun while seeing and listening to the waves cresting and rolling in toward the shore line.  The beach had enough activity going on to keep one entertained.  The highlight for my bride was watching a small toddler around 18 months to two years old walking on his tippy toes while playing in the sand.  His parents had to keep a sharp eye on him because he would head for the surf in short order like a streak of lightning of which they quickly snagged him from going into the surf. 

Click on the thumbnail pixs below for a larger screen view:

Below pix taken of the beach area directly in front of the Lemon Grove Villa:

Vacationers that were not staying on beach front properties would weasel their way onto the prime real estate area of the beach if you didn't stake your claim out early....another grin if you must!  There was plenty of beach to ocean real-estate when the tide was out but another story when the tide is in and you would literally be against the sand and grass "yard" of the rental property.  In the back ground you can see a boat pulling a kite with a couple of people harnessed below it and they would seemingly reach an altitude of 80 feet or more and the average air time was around 17 minutes and this continued all day long with a jet ski pulling a "banana boat" ferreting clients to and from the boat. 

A pod of Dolphins put on a remarkable acrobatic show not too far off the shore line and would jump completely out of the water and remained airborne for a good while until gravity pulled them back into the sea.  One of the Dolphins did a complete back flip and I stated they had escaped from SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.  Small fish were feeding on top water insects and several birds would dive into them completely submerging themselves and would float around a few seconds and get airborne again to repeat the scenario again and again.  The birds would follow the schools of fish picking off a few of them until the fish submerged.  

On Wednesday, we had our evening meal at Flounders Fish House, Cherry Grove Beach and I had the Captain's Galley which is pretty much similar to a Seafood Platter.  Everything was good except the deep fried potatoes which were tough as nails and take a set of carbide tipped teeth to chew them.  We had lunch around 4:30 PM and the place wasn't crowded but on Thursday, both the outside seating area and upper roof level dining area were maxed out.  Below a pix taken as we drove out Friday morning:

The delivery truck ruined my composition but didn't wait around to see how long he would be there.

We did some shopping at a near by Boulineau's Foods Plus store and it is two stories high offering about anything you desire in the food line and also had a humongous gift store on the upper level.  It is not too often that you can find meat items like a Pork Crown Roast, Prime Rib, Lobster, etc and their restaurant was top of the line too.  I am speaking as a person that lives in a one-horse town.

Shane prepared breakfast for us each morning which consisted of scrambled eggs, grits, smoked sausage links, bacon, Mary Bee's Tea Biscuits and white gravy.  I had a pix of him while cooking but it was too out of focus to post/use.

Laura took her dog "Baby" on vacation and below a pix of Baby doing a little styling:

Early Thursday morning while sitting on the porch area enjoying the fresh sea breeze, Dragon flies buzzed by numbering in the hundreds heading South and looked like miniature helicopters flying a combat mission over hostile territory.  It appeared that a few of them were feeding off other small insects by the way they would dive down out of the regular formation to get a quick snack while in flight.  This continued for about ten or fifteen minutes and some flew by pretty close and looked extremely large.    We enjoyed another day of relaxation and Laura and Shane soaked up the beach sunshine and the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  Shane did some surf fishing but the fish were not in a feeding mood for his shrimp offering or at least getting caught on hooks baited with shrimp.

Thursday for the evening meal, we dined at the Outback Steakhouse on Highway 17 and had a great meal.  Laura ordered a Pork Porterhouse and when our waiter brought out her plate, the Porterhouse took up the entire plate/platter of which he brought out a Beef Porterhouse instead of the Pork...we all got a good grin and I told them, "That was the largest Pork Chop I had ever seen."  I ordered the Blooming Onion for us and we wiped it out along with the House Salad before our steaks arrived.  It was a great ribeye steak but I don't think they can top the steaks served at the Carolina Restaurant in Chesterfield, SC. 

After our breakfast/brunch on Friday morning, it was time to head back to North Carolina and below a pix taken:

A special thank you to Laura and Shane for inviting us down for a mini-vacation and it was wonderful to get away from our daily routine of retirement.  Someone asked about retirement and I replied, "There is only one thing wrong with it, you never get a day off."  Of course, this is a somewhat factious statement.  I am enjoying every day of my retirement and never run out of something to do to become bored as I have heard a few retirees state.  

As I continue to say at every opportunity, "Two of the Greatest Ships that ever sailed, Friendship and Fellowship" and Family and Friends makes life worth while.

While enjoying nature or anything that reminds me of God and the creation, it is hard not to be fully appreciative of how fortunate we are to live in a Country where Freedom abounds, however it is being eroded very fast by the self-serving bureaucrats in DC!  Read Genesis Chapter 1 to refresh the creative process and give thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior for our Salvation and promise of eternal life.  John 3:16 KJV Bible.

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-15-14.