I’ve been away for a while.  I didn’t go far, but things are finally settling down after a difficult and hectic August.  Kathy has gotten her Dad’s affairs pretty much in order, and to the extent that I’ve been able to help I have helped.  Work demands have taken some of my attention too, so there just hasn’t been a lot of time for writing and creativity.  The blog got pushed to the side for a little while, but here I am.

Kathy & I spent Labor Day week at the beach.  Besides all the hoopla that was already playing out in Charlotte (the DNC, for those who pay even less attention than me) it was time for a break.  Kathy was just about wrung out and so was I, so it was perfect timing.  A trip to the beach was definitely in order.

Our “beach of choice” is Hilton Head Island, SC.  We’ve been going there for years, starting with a weekend each year, then a week, and now we try to get there for a week and several weekends each year.  We like it there, the beach is beautiful, and it’s generally quiet.  There is plenty of activity for those so inclined, but this year we literally rented beach chairs for 7 days straight and sat on our backsides.  We walked, talked, read and just generally chilled.  And I took a few photographs.  Not many, but I managed to haul myself out for sunrise a few mornings, and even got Kathy to come with me for one (I promised her breakfast!).

One of the best things about “going to the beach” for us is the state of mind we go with.  We don’t live hectic lives by a lot of peoples’ standards, but it gives us a chance to “put it all away.” And yes, while the DNC was perhaps a historic event, just because it happened to be in Charlotte didn’t change my lack of interest, and it certainly didn’t give me reason to turn on the TV.  We don’t watch TV anyway, so we certainly don’t do it at the beach.  I guess we had a TV, but I never opened the doors of the entertainment center to look.

I do very little blog reading or Facebook on vacation.  I don’t have a need to post constant “jealousy updates” that my friends can “Like” and tell me how lucky I am.  I do some photography but that is not the focus of our time or attention there, and unless I have a rainy day with nothing else to do, I’ve gotten completely away from processing photos.  I prefer to live in the moment, and the minute I put my nose into the computer screen “the moment” goes away.

The same holds true with writing.  I sometimes think I’d like to spend some time writing while I’m at the beach, but instead what I do is think and take notes. For the same reasons I don’t like to process photos, I don’t want to take time and attention from being there.  In many ways I write for escape, and when I’m already “escaped” I want to keep it that way.  So I think my thoughts and make my notes to refer to later when something sparks the need to write.  I plant seeds.  I like it that way.

We don’t completely escape from reality on vacation.  Hilton Head has numerous wonderful restaurants.  We have a number of “have-to” favorites and always like to try some new places.  This year the new ones were about 50-50 successful, some of the old ones are getting a little old, and a few places we had been to only a few times but tried again were worth a visit.  We sometimes get out to do some shopping or visit a gallery or two, but this year the weather was so beautiful we didn’t have a reason to leave the beach.  We do more of that in the winter if we visit in January or February.

But we’re here now, back to “reality” for a little while.  I’ve got some photos to share and a few stories to tell.  And we’ll be back to our usual traveling routine after a few weekends at home.  So, sorry if you missed me, but thanks for sticking around.