Written by July 2nd-6th, 2019
Age: 15 Months
Mom & Dad have me on the go again (this trip marks 15 flights for me or a flight for each month I am old)! This trip also allowed me to break 20,000 air miles to date.
We flew down to Myrtle Beach and got picked up by Gramma & Ed just in time to grab dinner at Clark’s before the sunset on our way to Southport. I had fun diving into shrimp and seeing all the boats in the marina before bedtime.
The next morning we ventured by ferry to Bald Head Island, where Dad participated in a local 5K (The Turtle Trot) in support of the sea turtles to start the day. Bald Head Island is the northernmost subtropical island on the East Coast, and the weather during our visit certainly reminded us of this – mom couldn’t believe how quickly my hair was soaked from the humidity, but it was in the upper 80’s with an extreme heat index. We’re all so impressed that Dad could complete a race in these conditions, that also included over a mile running on sand. Despite the heat, we had fun climbing the sand dunes and exploring the turtle conservatory! The intertwined trees paired with beaches really make this a unique place, and 10,000 of its 12,000 acres are protected as preserves. My favorite part of this island is that cars aren’t welcome – so I got to learn to drive a golf cart as we cruised around to various shops, saw the golf course on the island and had a nice, waterfront lunch at Mojo’s before returning to the main land.
Later in the day we visited a fun playground within St. James & enjoyed catching the sunset at the docks along the Intercostal. While there, we witnessed a family fishing and I thought it was neat to see their daughter catch a little crab – it was dancing in the air as she pulled up her line! Watching the final hours of the sun glisten across the waterfront made for a nice evening before my first taste of sorbet & bed.
The rest of our visit was full of fun at the St. James pool, beach, and downtime around town [including ice cream]!
Dad & Ed golfed to kick off 4th of July, while Gramma & Mom took me to the pool. WOW! The pool itself was cool, but I LOVED the fountains at the entrance of the pool! I could push the water down or make it grow, splash, and even make it my very own fire hose when putting a pool noodle over it 🙂 Mom & Dad weren’t sure if I’d stay awake for fireworks, so we kept an eye on the weather as the time got closer and ultimately that prevented us from going to Southport’s show…which, ended up being canceled. Instead, we took in the Macy’s firework show on TV and I enjoyed my light up star wand!
Nearly a year ago I had the chance to dip my toes in the Pacific, and on this trip we got to check out the Atlantic Ocean while visiting Oak Island! I had a blast playing on the beach – Gramma taught me how to build sand castles and I tried my best to help fill/carry buckets of water to fill the moat around it. Although the water was warm like the bath, I was so sure about it…I sat in the tide as is rose and Dada carried me in until the water was up to his chest; but, after that I was good sticking to just the sand. Everyone kept laughing at me as I “ran away” from the currant, but staying in the sand allowed me to discover turtle nests nearby! Oak Island has over 90 identified nests thus far, and it sounds like I’ll have to come back here during boil season to have the chance to see the turtles make the trek into the ocean (Mom & Dad say this is pretty cool to see!). Following our morning at the beach, we visited the Oak Island Splash Pad. Another fun treat for me – seeing the fishy sprinkler, more water jump up from the ground and explore some new fountains made for a nice way to cool off from the beach before lunchtime and nap. There was even a giant bucket of water that filled up…I wasn’t so sure about that even after watching it dump on Dada while he laughed.
When I woke up from my nap, we headed to downtown Southport and enjoyed checking out some of the local shops including the Christmas Store …I liked the collection of stuffed animals sold here and seeing all the sparkling Christmas lights/ornaments. Mom & Dad picked out a variety of flavors of a sticky candy (Salt Water Taffy) – I tried a tiny bit of it, but didn’t care for the texture. A little bit of lingering rain prohibited us from being able to dine at Provision Company (outside dining only), so I gobbled down lobster Mac & cheese next door on the covered patio of Fishy Fishy while we awaited the quick passing rain. The boats & birds were fun to watch & the umbrella we used to dodge the rain was pretty cool to operate, as well! This night also ended with some delicious ice cream!!!!
I’m becoming quite a fishy in the pool (swim lessons have prepared me well) & will look forward to more visits south! Before departing for our trip home, we also had a great meal at Southport Smoke House and the adults enjoyed trying a local, Veteran owned brewery.
As we departed for the airport, we also got to make an extra special ice cream stop @ Kirk’s Ice Cream Parlor in Myrtle Beach (Mom’s maiden name/my middle name)!
Until next time, I’ll enjoy more summer fun in my hometown [CLE]!
Most helpful products for this trip:
- Baby Bum SPF Stick – we love more heavily Zink based sunscreen, but this little guy was great for a mid-day reapplication. I also loved using the lid as a finger puppet monkey 🐵
- One Piece Wet Suit – so many options, even ones that have built in SPF/UV protection; but, the long and short is this was great for time at the beach or pool to fight against some extra rays of sun and keep me a little cleanse in the sand! Mine also buttons at the legs like a onesie, which made diaper changes quick and easy.
- JIASUQI Aqua Socks (water shoes) – these polyester/spandex shoes with rubber bottoms were perfect for an easy fit and kept my feet protected from hot sand and/or pool surfaces. There is also a ton of prints to choose from – I love my fish bone design 🐟 They’re returning to daycare with me for water play days!
Miles Logged to Date:
By Car: 3,507
By Plane: 20,735
By Train: 104
Scenic Seitz 