(a little tangent) Minnie! You own a vacation home in Hilton Head?! How do you ever get the time to spend down there when you love Disney and SoWal so much? I mean, we try to go to Europe every fall to visit with Merman's family but even still, there's a little part of me that resents chipping away at the time I get to stay in SoWal every year (even though I absolutely adore Europe). I couldn't imagine "dividing" myself between three vacation spots. Two is hard enough!
South of Broad - Pat Conroy
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(a little tangent) Minnie! You own a vacation home in Hilton Head?! How do you ever get the time to spend down there when you love Disney and SoWal so much? I mean, we try to go to Europe every fall to visit with Merman's family but even still, there's a little part of me that resents chipping away at the time I get to stay in SoWal every year (even though I absolutely adore Europe). I couldn't imagine "dividing" myself between three vacation spots. Two is hard enough!
We stop at SoWal on our way to and from Orlando, as we always drive. Since it is only an 7 hour drive for us we also just pop in at times for a long weekend to SoWal. I also come to the beach with other family members when my husband can't get away.
We go to HHI once or twice a year in the off seasons. Our HHI home is a time share so we are only there about one or two weeks out of the year. We can also trade it out and then book something else either at Disney World or the beach.
It helps that I do not have a full time job, and my husbands has 6 weeks of paid vacation.
So we have great flexibility in traveling and my hubbie is wonderful about sending me on a girls trip often. It must be wonderful to have family in Europe, and visit regularly.
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We stop at SoWal on our way to and from Orlando, as we always drive. Since it is only an 7 hour drive for us we also just pop in at times for a long weekend to SoWal. I also come to the beach with other family members when my husband can't get away.
We go to HHI once or twice a year in the off seasons. Our HHI home is a time share so we are only there about one or two weeks out of the year. We can also trade it out and then book something else either at Disney World or the beach.
It helps that I do not have a full time job, and my husbands has 6 weeks of paid vacation.
It must be wonderful to have family in Europe, and visit regularly.
The first time my brother-in-law brought his family to the US, we took them all to Disney (that's when we were living in Atlanta). And then to SoWal. They don't drive great distances like that in England and my BIL was dead beat from being on the highway so long. He was wobbling all over the lanes. I felt bad about it. We really should have brought them to Sanibel, which is so much closer to Disney. On the other hand, though, SoWal got a new fan when we brought the English contingent to its beautiful beaches.
The first time my brother-in-law brought his family to the US, we took them all to Disney (that's when we were living in Atlanta). And then to SoWal. They don't drive great distances like that in England and my BIL was dead beat from being on the highway so long. He was wobbling all over the lanes. I felt bad about it. We really should have brought them to Sanibel, which is so much closer to Disney. On the other hand, though, SoWal got a new fan when we brought the English contingent to its beautiful beaches.
I have dear friend from outside of England, in Croydon and she came over to visit for a couple of weeks and was amazed at the distances we go for weekend trips. As you said they don't travel long distance for short getaways, due to the roads.
No, not because of the roads, but because they have excellent public transportation. Why drive if you have someone to drive for you?
Back to the topic~
I haven't read this book yet but I really ought to. I like books that have a sense of place to them, even more so when it's about a place I am fond of, as I am the Low Country. Such a beautiful part of the South and it's wonderful to see it through Conway's eyes, as you invariably do when you read his novels.
Palmetta Dunes
I adore Beach Music. It really makes one think about life and death and enjoying life to the fullest.
BTW HHI (Sea Pines) used to be our hangout when we lived in SC and even after we moved to GA. So many great memories there. Then when daughter was born we started going to The Cloister -- the kids' camp there was such a great break for us because we could dine without a screaming toddler, and she had fun being with kids. But we always wondered why everyone here in GA went to the Gulf instead of the Atlantic. We tried the Destin area and loved the water and the beach (both are awful at The Cloister). We stayed in beachfront condos in Sandestin, and two summers in a row the pool had to be closed because a kid pooped in the pool. Not happy about that. We had visited Bud & Alley's for dinner and liked the non-high-rise ambiance of the area. We rented a house with a private pool in Seagrove the next summer, and that was it. We started looking for property, and the rest is history -- house with pool, a one-minute walk to the beach walkover.
I finished South of Broad. Beautifully written - he has a way of describing places that makes you feel like you are there. But overall, I thought the book was just ok. It was unbelievable that some of these characters remained friends after some of the nasty things they did to each other. Lots of darkness and tragedy in this book. There was also a surprise near the ending that was disturbing.
Perhaps my expectations were too high after reading Beach Music!
Perhaps my expectations were too high after reading Beach Music!
I find interesting the evolution of Conroy's treatment of fictional fathers ... from tyrannical Bull Meecham in The Great Santini to sweet, nurturing Jasper King in South of Broad . I've read in interviews that Conroy eventually found peace with his own father, and the eulogy he delivered at his father's funeral was beautiful. I came across it on-line once - very touching.