vacation (I)

We’re staying at the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina. This place is less touristy than I thought it’d be; the island seems to be composed of various resorts and plantations off-limits to everyone except those who’re paying to stay there. All the beaches are private, which is good, because our beach is never too crowded. I’m not a big fan of the “Spring Break” touristy places, and Hilton Head’s much more relaxed and at-ease. I like this. And this vacation came at just the right time, too. The last month of my life has been chaotically stressful, to say the least, and now I can finally just sit back, have a nice cup of coffee, and enjoy the sunrise on the beach. We really don’t have much planned, just relaxing and going with the flow (minus Tuesday, Mom’s birthday, when we’re going to Savannah and on a “ghost tour”, because Mom’s all up in that stuff). The highlights of vacation thus far are as follows:

Sea Turtles. It’s nesting season here, and when night falls and the low tide reaches its zenith, baby sea turtles hatch from their eggs and scurry across the sand and plunge into the water. Amanda and I went searching the other night, but all we found were the dug-up nests and baby sea turtle tracks leading into the water. Tonight we’re going to be biking along the beach at sunset. Perhaps our luck will be better?

The Beach. Every day we go to the beach for a couple hours. Prop up the umbrellas, lay out in the sand, wade into the surf and try to ride the waves on little foam boards we found underneath our beds. Dad’s a pro at it, and emulating him, I’ve been able to pull off a couple good rides. Most of the people at the beach are older folk and families with children; there’s hardly anyone my age, at least anyone single. We’ve sure got a lot of honeymooners running around out here, and I don’t blame this. Getting a condo, having sex with my wife, enjoying good food, and going to the beach. All of that sounds pretty great for a honeymoon (especially the sex).

Writing. I haven’t written much over the last several weeks, due mostly to the overwhelming stress. I’ve finally been able to relax, and yesterday I started a possible story by hammering out 30 pages of original text. I gave a possibly synopsis to Amanda and she seemed interested. It’s weird, dark, funny, disturbed. And awkward. Hell, it’s written by me, so it’s bound to be awkward.

We’re about to go to the beach, so I’ve got to get off here.

And then dinner’s going to be spaghetti.

And then I’ll watch “Lie to Me” on my netbook.

And maybe even write a few more pages.

Another good thing about Hilton Head: there are plenty of Starbucks around. I’ve gotten my iced soy latte every morning, laden with raw sugar. Really, there’s nothing like it. The prices are expensive around here, unfortunately. But my partner card still works, so I’m still banking 30% off. I’m not sure how long the card will work; I’ll just ride it out till it’s dead.