A 2013 Wish From Sam, the Hilton Head Beagle Blogger

I’m Sam. Standing in for HHBlogAngel Today.

Hi.  My name’s Sam.  I’m subbing for BlogAngel today, because she’s sick with something called blog-writer’s block.  At least, that’s what she calls it.  If you ask me, it’s more like, laying-around-in-my-pajamas-with-an-attitude-in-the-middle-of-the-winter-writer’s block… but that’s just me.  What do I know, right?  I’m just a hound dog she sprung from the can a few years back, and nobody asks what I think about anything.  Now, I’m no Einstein, but I can tell you one thing, you aren’t going to burn up the tar to riches, sitting around in your pink, checkered pajamas, while the early birds are out there catching worms, and you’re just catching some more zzzzz’s (Johnny D says stuff like that when Mom’s moping around, and it really ticks her off).

So, I thought I’d sneak up here on this fun, swivelling chair, and take a stab at this writing thing, which, by the way, looks really booorrrrring to those of us who’d prefer to run around in crazy eights on the beach.

Hey. How hard can it be, right?

This typing looks pretty easy…

You just sit here and push down on these keys, and you don’t even have to have opposable thumbs; I know, because when I need Johnny D’s attention, I have to stand on his desk and stare at him, and that’s when I see him typing with just his two index fingers, really slow-like (sometimes swearing in between the key punches, and sometimes shouting down to Mom – that’s BlogAngel – “How do you spell, mozzarella?“).  So I know, any idiot can do this writing thing.

Anyhooo… woops, i just hit an extra “o” on ‘hoo”.  Didn’t mean to do that.

So, I’m known around here as the Beach Beagle, but I didn’t start out as a ‘beach’ anything, because, well… I’m from Providence - which is a city in Rhode Island, a BIG city, the capitol city where Johnny D’s from, too – and to be truthful, I’m a beagle mix.  Which, really doesn’t mean anything, Mom says, except that the “mix” part of that label adds spice to my character.  She’s always saying stuff like that about me, because… well, Mom loves me.

I mean, REALLY loves me.  I know, I know, you think you love your dog as much as Mom loves me, but there’s no way… no.  She’s my soul mate.  I knew it the first day I laid eyes on her and she knew it, too.  We HAD to be together forever.  But, there was just one problem with our romance back then; see, I was living in the city shelter, on account of, I got cut loose by my hunting pack, and I kinda’ had a rough time of it for a while in those early years.  I got picked up a couple of times for stealing food, and both times, nice families came and bailed me out (with just a few dollars, called an adoption fee).  But, for some reason, I dunno… something about chewing, biting, baying (What the heck is baying anyway?), the families kept dumping me back in the can.  They were always sorry, but we had a good time, right?  Jeez!  How was I supposed to know that the rubber bone I was chewing while lying on Grandma’s lap, was an oxygen hose!  Who knew?  Why didn’t someone say, “Sam, don’t chew Grandma’s oxygen hose?” or,  ”Here Sam, have a treat, Grandma needs the hose to breathe.”  No.  They just all assumed that because I was housebroken, I knew everything already.

So anyway, Mom had a husband named Johnny D, who would never, never, NEVER, allow a dog near their apartment because he thought they should own a house before getting a dog, and…  Okay, so I guess that’s two problems we had with our early romance; I was in the can, AND she had a husband.  Oh boy, when I say it that way, I don’t know how we ever made it this far – wait… quiet… I hear the key in the door -

I’m Ready for My Goodnight Belly-Scratch & Smooch

Uh-oh, Mom’s coming, and I’m not supposed to be climbing up and all around the desk, so I’ll have to wind this up, quick;  I just want everyone to know, if you’re even thinking about a pet for your family, then please think about springing one of us out of the clink before shopping around the breeders and puppy mills.  We really appreciate it, and I was thinking last night while Mom was smooching my neck and scratching my belly (she does that after Johnny D. falls asleep on the couch while watching a movie), that if I had one wish for 2013, it would be that ALL my compadres from city shelters everywhere, could have what I have now.  Who would believe, after getting picked up for loitering in Cranston, Rhode Island four years ago, I’d be so lucky to be living here in the lap of luxury on Hilton Head Island, with a dizzy blonde cuddling me every night?

It just goes to show you – woops, here she comes.  Gotta go…

OKAY Mom, I’m done over here! … No, I wasn’t doing anything wrong, and I did NOT chew that yellow sticky-pad on the floor over there… No… it was there, all chewed up like that before I even came into the room…

Hilton Head Humane Association

10 Humane Way, Hilton Head Island, SC  29926

843-681-8686

Providence Animal Rescue League

34 Elbow St., Providence, RI 02903

401-421-1399

 

Great News for Hilton Head Porsche Lovers!

Yellow Cabriolet Model is Newest Design in Carrera 911 Evolution; ie, 991 Series

‘Which one will I buy?’

What a relief for all my friends who have told me through the years that as much as they love Porsches, the reason they don’t own one is because there’s really no place on Hilton Head Island where they can open it up so the engine can get the exercise it regularly needs.  Apparently, they say, the frequent shifting of gears on paved, flat roads, with rotaries, and stoplights interrupting the flow of traffic, would simply be too hard on the engine of this Stuttgart-bred machine.  Therefore, their reasoning goes (usually after several Jaegermeister snorts, and loud interruptions), in deference to the well-oiled, coiled inner workings and pedigree of said Porsche, they’ve decided – somewhat magnanimously, I must say – to allow the next guy in line to buy it, and they would instead settle for the more eco- and island-friendly Fusion.  As you can see, we are careful to select friends whose priorities place the environment, and the feelings of German-made machines, well above their own selfish impulses to own them.

Well, good news friends!  Your sense of compassion and patience has paid off.  Now, you can sign on and drive off with a Porsche, with no ill-effects to the engine or the environment!  Yes!!  We just found out that there’s a racetrack nearby that Porsche-owners have access to, for stretching their little Turbo Olympians, without upsetting the local laws or noise ordinances.  Isn’t that great?  Located outside Savannah, the Roebling Racetrack is home to the Coastal Empire Region Porsche Club of America’s (CERPCA) quarterly rallys sponsored by Porsche of Hilton Head dealership.  And boy, they really know how to roll out the red carpet for their members, who are also very generous when it comes to sharing the joy with non-members,  the wanna-be’s, the maybe’s, and the can’t-get-out-of-our-lease-until-next-yearly’s.  Johnny D and I fall into the last category, but our good friend with a great sense of humor, Roy Stine (aka, Porsche Client Advisor, Extraordinaire), doesn’t let little details like contracts get in the way of Johnny D’s day on the racetrack.  Remember Ferris Bueller? No Siree, Bob, nothing’s getting in the way of Johnny D’s day to burn up the track.

And, especially now that Johnny D has been elected to President of the Italian-American Club, Hilton Head Chapter, for the next year 2013!  JUST YOU TRY TO STOP HIM! RUN FOR THE HILLS , if you think for one minute you will not be swept up in IL PRESIDENTE’s New Year’s wake as Johnny D shows us all how it’s done down here in the Lowcountry (more on this recent development in international political news will be forthcoming in an upcoming blog post. Stay tuned, breathlessly, and I will regale you with the details in a couple weeks. I know, you’re dying to know more right now, but I’ve already digressed too far.)

Going for a Ride, Clyde.

Back at the track; the New River Auto Mall catered this special day with a lunch buffet from Jim & Nick’s BBQ at noon.  Then, a presentation by industry professional race car driver, Andrew Davis (who recently won the Rolex GT Series), followed by an afternoon rolling around the track, test-driving the newest Boxster and Carrera S models, or as in my case, riding shotgun with Davis, while white-knuckling the little side handle-thingy’s.  After that, the Club members took their own cars out and yes, exercised their little protégés.

So, there you have it.  No more worries about where you can open up the engine and bust 130 mph, you can go buy that brand new Boxster Spyder, or Carrera 911, secure in the knowledge that you will be able to give it the exercise it needs.  Call Porsche of Hilton Head, 866-831-9008, visit the website, or just go there now and buy one. After all, it’s the New Year, we’ve survived the end of time, as the Mayans would have it, AND you can open up that baby at the Roebling Racetrack, with no fear of upsetting the very serious German automakers who worked so hard on it.  In fact, that is my New Year’s call to action to Hilton Head road lovers; GO BUY THAT PORSCHE YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED NOW!

And if you still need a little further motivation, check out the overview of our day in the video below.

Porsche of Hilton Head, New River Auto Mall, 107 Drivers Way,
Hardeeville, SC 29927 Phone: 888-370-3590

Porsche of Hilton Head was established at the New River Auto Mall in 2005. The dealership sells new and pre-owned vehicles, and has a service and parts department that is available to maintain both new and older-model Porsches. With many vehicles in stock, Porsche of Hilton Head has a wide selection from which to choose, and there is also the option of ordering custom vehicles from the manufacturer. The dealership also sells a wide variety of other pre-owned luxury automobiles. The sales associates and technicians are constantly trained and kept up to date on the newest technology and features that Porsche has to offer, so customers can be assured that their needs are met.

http://newriverautomall.com

Open M-F, 9 am – 8 pm, Sat, 9 am – 6 pm, Sun, 1 pm – 5 pm.

Hilton Head Off-Season, Beats In-Season, All Day Long

Hilton Head Sports Enthusiasts Prepare for Winter

We, here in Always Paradise Isle, have known all along that Hilton Head is tops when it comes to, well… just about everything to do with living life fully, stylishly, outdoors, under swaying palms, while slurping frozen libations, and wearing flip-flops, regardless of where we fall in the Conde Nast Travelers, Readers’ Choice rankings (#8 this year, for Islands in the United States, in case you were wondering).

And that’s because you can’t beat the off-season down here for motivating you to do just about anything outdoors (or, for seemingly endless good hair days).  Or, for meeting locals and running into old friends that you thought had moved away, died, or were doing time in the can, because you haven’t seen them out and about in so long.  This is the time of year to hook up with our old buddies and laugh (or cringe) about the old days on the island, and talk about how Hilton Head has evolved so well into the new millennium, while we, adjust ourselves to changing development, cultural needs, politics, and another huge growth- spurt in the vacation rental and hospitality industries.

The up-shot of all this is that, no matter what we are doing, or who we are bumping into from around town and around time, it’s happening on the beach, on the golf course, and on the tennis courts.  Where else, in America, say you, is hometown so much fun?

When I went to college in New England, lo, those many moons ago, my friends all wanted to come visit my family with me.  I was suddenly, very popular in the middle of snow-crusted winter, Rhode Island.  While my college friends from the mid-west, and New England, had to go home to… well the mid-west, and New England for the holidays (I can’t name a mid-west town for an example in this blog, because then it would be like I’m saying Hilton Head is better than that town, which it’s not.  It’s just warmer and on the beach, which to some people, may seem better, but that’s not what I’m saying, okay?), I got to fly home to a sunny resort, to visit my family.  Then, I started dating Johnny D, who seemed to relish telling his friends he was going to Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage Golf Classic presented by Boeing every year (back then it was simply the Verizon Heritage, but we won’t split hairs), and that he had a perfect back deck view of the 11th tee, and all the pros walking by because his girl’s family lived right there on the course.  And his friends would say, “Eh – oh!  Who’s better than you, Johnny D?”  And Johnny D would say, “Nobody, because my girl’s father also gets us passes for the tournament, and I get to eat beer dogs with Brad Faxon.  How’s that?” (That last part is rhetorical).

Clayton Lewis, Dean, Sea Pines Academy, Back in the Day

And while I run into old friends on the beach with my beagle, Sam, I also meet new ones, like Peter Cooper, headmaster of Hilton Head Prep, while walking his dog, Vicki.  This brings up great memories because Mr. Cooper is a friend of Clayton Lewis, who was the Dean of Sea Pines Academy, back in the day when Hilton Head Prep was known as Sea Pines Academy, which is a long way back and we don’t need to get specific about the years; suffice to say off-season on Hilton Head is not only great vacation time, it’s also great nostalgia for those of us who dare to look back.  And, if you do dare, that is, you can take a look at the video we made last year to raise money for the HHPrep Alumni Fund.

You may recognize some islanders, you may see yourself, you might even cringe a little.  Which is a good thing, because it means you cut your hair since then, and you probably don’t wear your add a bead necklace anymore.  We had fun making this, and if you are a Sea Pines Academy, May River Academy, or Hilton Head Prep graduate reading this, we hope you enjoy the video.

And if you haven’t already, please go to HHPrep.Org, click on Alumni and start filling in your information. Really, I know it’s annoying to create these accounts and write your bio and all this stuff, but if you don’t, they have no choice but to identify you by the worst high school picture they have on file, and take a blind stab at where you are today, based on what you wrote when you were seventeen.  It’s not always pretty, what they come up with, so do yourself and us a favor, and go to the Alumni portal (I know, it sounds like you’re going to step into a pod that shoots you backwards in time, like, “Step aside from the Alumni Portal, I MUST REVISIT the Christopher Cross years!”), and update your bio, so we all don’t think you really did peter out in rehab after chasing the Dead for ten years.  And then, connect with everyone on Facebook.  Yes, you must do that, too.  Like, Tweet, and Pin; yes, you must.

And if you really want to impress us with your achievements since high school, how about contributing a pile of dough-ski to the Alumni Fund and make us all jealous.  Like, wow, you made so much money, you can throw THAT much back at your alma mater?  Eh – oh!  Who’s better than you?

Election Day, Hilton Head Style; Vote, Then Get TJ’s Take and Bake and Watch the Returns

Sea Pines NasCar Circle, Sponsored by TJ’s Take & Bake, Summer 2012

Of course, voting day is not the only day to enjoy my favorite take-out food, but it’s as good a reason as any other to NOT HAVE TO THINK about what to prepare for dinner.  Another good reason to not want to think about cooking dinner, would be jury duty.  There are plenty more good, solid reasons for not wanting to think about cooking dinner, but I will digress rapidly if I start down that road.  And speaking of roads, this is the best time of year to get back outdoors on the road, if you’re an islander and have been hiding out for a few months, after having suffered whiplash at the Sea Pines NasCar Circle during the summer, along with getting the finger gesture (because apparently, whiplash isn’t punishment enough for attempting to merge in or out).

Pie Prepared for You to Bake

Yes, getting the finger and then whiplash, are early signs for islanders to shutter ourselves in for a few months, till the commotion dies down, going out on strategically planned days that don’t conflict with check-in/check-out.  And for those of us really in the know, we take the back roads to the 1st TJ’s Take and Bake south end, beginning its 10th year, in the Island’s Crossing Plaza around the corner from Starbucks.  Locally known as the best-kept secret around for incredible, fresh-tasting pizza, where you can get in, get out, dodging the traffic, sneaky-like.  And during the season, if you’re a well-trained, covert islander, you’ll call in the order from Reilley’s Triangle while watching the Yankees take another inning on the chin at the outside bar, then zip across the street, grab your pizza and head home, still avoiding the Sea Pines Racetrack; like a stealth-bomber, nobody saw you coming, and you made it home with a pizza and maybe a buzz, and no one’s the wiser (and being a well-trained, covert islander, I will not elaborate on the back roads to avoid NasCar Circle here – ONLINE – for just anyone to see).

TJ’s North End Restaurant, Menu Board

If this is the first time you’ve heard of TJ’s, you may be reminded of early Seinfeld episodes, in which Kramer has the big lightbulb idea, that people want to pay to bake their own pizza.  Okay, but that’s where the similarities begin and end.  TJ’s menu reads like a delightful, gourmet pizza menu.  The difference is that they do everything, except bake the pizza for you.  You call in the order, pick it up, take it home with ‘Baking Pizza for Dummies’ directions stuck to the plastic, and you’re eating a delicious, hot pizza in about the same amount of time it would take a delivery person to bring you a not-so-hot pizza, already baked, maybe more or less than you would have liked.  And TJ’s is more than a novelty, the pizza is really superb, because a.) they use fresh ingredients, 2.) there are no chemicals in the dough (I know chemicals, right?  The other guys put chemicals in the dough?), and c.) 100% extra virgin olive oil.

Sam Will Have the Chef’s Special, Thank You.

And now, there are two ways to enjoy TJ’s Take and Bake.  The 2nd being the new, north end full-service restaurant, located in the JBanks Building at 35 Main Street, where they have a lunch menu that includes pizza slices, salads, and awesome butternut squash soup.  This novel idea has been so unique and successful, that the owner, Jay Conrad, along with the original owner, Tom Jans (TJ’s), also have a consulting division for start-up take-and-bakes in places like Texas, Iowa, and Minnesota (Poppi was Kramer’s New York consultant on Seinfeld, right?  In case you were wondering, I even quote Seinfeld one-liners for everyday events, like when my dog Sam, doesn’t  deposit his business during our morning walk, I run in the door, yelling – with the Soup Nazi accent – “NO POOP FOR YOU!”… I know, there’s probably a 12-step program for this).

Back to TJ’s; so now, you can lay low during the summer months like the rest of us, waiting patiently for the fall months, grateful that the economy is humming along nicely (depending on who you voted for; one side says the economy’s in the tank, the other side says it’s climbing back with substance.  All I know, is that this island gets more bloated with each passing year, and if this is a down economy, we may all have to move, if things start looking up around here).  Because, where would we be without our summer season, right?  You got it; NOT living on Hilton Head with our small tourist-dependent businesses.

The point is (yes, there is a point to this), you can enjoy TJ’s Take & Bake any time of the year, with or without traffic, no matter who’s sponsoring the Sea Pines Circle Race. And if you check their website, you can print out coupons, and Like them on Facebook.  So, go do that now… Like and get coupons for great pizza! Click here for directions, or call, to place your order – South End, 843-842-8253; North End, 843-681-2900

A Vacation From Our Vacation; How Does One Leave the Best Place in the World, Even for a Week?

South Beach Sunset, Hilton Head

Good day to you from cloudy, rainy, chilly, Providence, Rhode Island.  The worst thing about living in Hilton Head, South Carolina (not that there are any other bad things to compare it to), is traveling away from the island to vacation someplace else.  It’s really a tough call.  There is no place like Hilton Head, and to spend money traveling elsewhere just to take a break from… from what?  Warm days all year, wide, sandy beaches, gorgeous natural land/seascapes, painted sunsets, scenic bike trails, year-round tennis & golf, and frolicking dolphins?  We need a break from that?  When I go online to look for places to go on vacation, they all list the things I just listed here, as fabulous one-of-a-kind amenities that usually cost additional fees.

So, now what?  Well, we plan many of our trips around friends and family who live in other places, so that when we get there, if the flora & fauna doesn’t quite do the trick, the company more than makes up for it.  And this always works.  We come back home, feeling suddenly very popular and appreciated, and well-fed.  Now that’s a vacation!

The second worst thing about traveling away from Hilton Head, is trying to explain to Sammy the Beach Beagle, that it is only for a short while, and that, upon our return, we will once again romp and play in the sand, scare up some squirrels, and roll in all things dead and stinky (Sam, not me, will roll in dead, stinky things).  After which, we will boldly go to Red Rover on New Orleans Drive, for a massive power wash, that leaves Sammy somewhat befuddled since he has just taken great care in applying Eau d’Ecomposing Horseshoe Crab to his entire body (several times he must swivel his body into the shell’s innards, because the first roll doesn’t always take, as you may know), and then within a mere two hours of washing, scrubbing, conditioning, blow-drying, defurminating, and spritzing, he now smells like a pinch of vanilla-laced lavender.  The look on his face after this sudsing is, as you can imagine, totally worth it.

Sudsing Up at Red Rover

Red Rover is a blast, by the way.  The owner Paige, is as nice as you’d want your dog’s hairdresser to be.  She owns a couple of dogs who also work very hard with her at the salon, greeting humanoids and welcoming stinky beach bums like Sam.  They also sell super premium dog food, and keep treats by the door for all good little boys and girls.  Sam likes the Lucky Dog meals and we buy a couple bags every so often, which helps him like the place a little better than when I dropped him off – me handing him to Paige with one hand, while my other hand holds my nose.

The best thing about Red Rover, is that you can join in the fun yourself.  The friendly staff helps you into your apron, and helps your buddy up to the platform, then they show you how to use the hoses, which shampoos to use, how to scrub him and massage him (the massage part makes the experience less annoying to Sam, who by then starts looking a bit dopey), and how to blow-dry his fur completely.  After you get the hang of it, the assistants wander over to other clients, yapping and licking and sniffing (like the salons we go to), leaving you to bond with your sweet angel of the sulphur-swamp. Sam and I like this part, because I sing to him and tell him jokes and scrub-a-dub, while he starts to unwind after his hard morning coaching seagulls to fly away all at once in a panic.

The fees at Red Rover are very reasonable, and are adjusted to less, if you like to do the washing, drying, brushing, scratching, singing, and smooching all by yourself without any help.  And they will still help you at the end or the beginning if you need it, and charge you less; that’s how phenomenal they are. For information or a grooming appointment, call: 843-671-9274 (WASH), or visit their website or Facebook page.

Now to give you a full idea of how our trips away from home effect Sammy, you may enjoy a little video called, How I Can Make Mommy Stay.  It’s a tear-jerker, so make sure you have a kleenex box next to your screen.

Forget Polo; Our British Mates Want to Fish When They Visit Hilton Head, SC.

Four Horsemen of the Bayrunner

After an exciting summer of spine-tingling activities like ziplining, parasailing, and dining out, on Hilton Head, I couldn’t wait to share my new extreme sports repertoire with my friends from Great Britain when they came for a visit.  Except that, they weren’t interested in being very extreme.  No, far more preferable to flying through the air while hanging from buckled straps attached to something you hope will carry your weight, they thought that offshore fishing would actually be, brilliant.  

A Happy Bayrunner Customer

Now, if you’ve ever heard an English teenager say the word brilliant with genuine emotion, you know it sounds a whole lot more inspiring than some of their American counterparts who might say, “cool,” if they can hear your voice over their earbuds plugged into iPods, while glaring at you through half-closed eyelids; or maybe a whole thought will come out like, ” Zipline?  Big deal.  You have to do the stupid ground-school thing, and then you have to go the  whole two hours without texting… like, Dude, what if something major happens, right?”

To which, we American parents, respond by hanging our heads, sadly realizing how totally uncool we are as parents, and wondering what made us think, after the hundred and fifty-seventh time of getting excited about something we thought our kids would like – and showing way too much emotion when making the offer to “HAVE FUN, OUTSIDE, ALREADY!” –  did we ever think that ziplining through trees from eighty-feet up would be remotely fun to our teenagers?

Okay, back to my point about how fun it is to entertain kids from across the Atlantic who think that off-shore fishing from a boat for three hours with a cooler full of bait, sunscreen, and soda is quite, actually brilliant!  To which my response was, “cool!”  With real emotion, because my friend from way back years ago, Miles Altman, has a fishing boat right here in Shelter Cove Marina, called the Bayrunner, and he knows how to fish these waters better than anyone.  He also knows how to clean and cook the catch better than anyone because Miles also owned, for many years, a restaurant called Captain’s Seafood Restaurant on Mathews Drive AND he supplied most of the restaurants with their fresh fish catches of the day for more than twenty years, back in the day.  In short, Miles knows his stuff.

So this day, my best mates from England (and one from Seattle, named Michael) took off at around 8:45 am from Shelter Cove on the Bayrunner.  Captain Miles had already been out catching live bait (big, crawly looking shrimp) before we arrived, and off they went.  It was very hard not to sing, “on a three-hour tour… a three-hour tour,” over and over because they were indeed going out for “a three-hour tour… a three-hour tour…” but I managed to keep myself in check for the most part. Except, when I left a message for their grandfather on his phone and I sang the entire Gilligan’s Island theme song, laughing like an idiot.  I’m sorry, I’m way too immature to let some things go, unacknowledged and unsung like that.  But I think it’s all out of my system now.

Circle Hook Used on the Bayrunner

They returned at noon, having had a wonderful morning, trolling the island coastal waters, catching all matter of species, small and large (for more pictures of what you might catch with Miles on the Bayrunner, check out his website and Facebook page).  And, in case you were wondering, Miles uses a circle hook to catch fish, which is designed to be less painful to the fish.  So, if you decide to throw it back in the water, you can pull the hook out of its mouth without hurting it too much.

The lads were definitely ready for lunch, and had plenty of pictures on their smartphones to show me. They were also ready to go out again on a shark-fishing charter, which Miles explained, has better results in the evening, when all manner of predators awaken and feed, like raccoons, vampires, and lycanthropes; aka, werewolves, to the uninformed.  No, Miles did not say this.  I just happened to make the connection while looking up some other things online.  You know how that happens.

In closing, I hope you enjoy this video story we created for your viewing pleasure and enjoyment. And, if you want to go offshore fishing, lowcountry style, with Captain Miles and the Bayrunner, call: 843-290-6955, to charter a trip.  You won’t be sorry; in fact, you’ll feel brilliant!

Parasailing Above the Calibogue Sound of Harbour Town, Hilton Head Island.

Hello from Above! Carmen & Jesse Parasail Over Harbour Town

Hello again. You’re probably wondering where I’ve been for the past few weeks (or maybe you’re not, and now you’re thinking, “Wow. Is she full of herself or what, if she thinks I’ve checked here for a blog post in recent memory. I sure have lots more things to do than see what trivial minutiae Blog Angel is yammering on about.”), and if you are, I’m sorry to be remiss lately in reporting on the many extraordinarily fun things there are to do on Hilton Head Island.

But you see, in order for me to write about these extraordinary activities, I have to experience them myself first, while collecting information with note-takings, research, picture, and video-taking, and/or, chasing down other people’s smartphone pictures who were enjoying the activity with me and had to take the pictures (because I couldn’t take a picture of myself at the same time as holding onto the straps of a parachute with both hands). Then, I have to edit the notes, pick the best pictures, and/or edit the video and then search iTunes for suitable accompaniment to the visual art.  It takes alot of time and painstaking thought to intertwine this multi-media feast into a coherent blogpost, and I can’t just go into my own playlist and throw up any old Velvet Underground rockin’ song that I happen to like with a video that may not speak to Hilton Head Blog Angel‘s audience demographics.

All of this investigative journalism takes great time and care and fact-checking, and so that’s why sometimes a few days or weeks go by between blog posts. I know that’s a bit more information than, “the dog ate my homework,” but I like to explain where I’ve been, so you all don’t think I’m just kicking around down here, lollygagging on the beach days, with an umbrella drink in my fist, laughing my way to the bank.  Which, by the way. is something I’ve never seen anyone do (laughing their way into a bank, that is). Real artwork is always in progress, and sometimes I have to wait a little extra for the content to be workshopped at the Boston area’s Exclusive Writer’s Forum, a very elusive group of elitist-type writers, who critique one another’s work with filet knives and switchblades, thereby rendering you a sobbing, insulted artiste, with nowhere to go but up.

Digressing, again…

Back to parasailing. My cousins from Virginia were in town a couple of weeks ago and 17-year-old son, Jesse, had not experienced this exciting watersport activity before, so we scheduled a trip for him to join me and get an aerial view of the gorgeous, lowcountry seascape for which Hilton Head is so famous. Leaving out of Harbour Town on  an H20 Sports boat with two, rather buff-bod parasailing experts to hold our hands, we trolled out into the Calibogue Sound with all the other fun, outgoing, watersports-lovers who were going out on paddleboards, pirate ships, sportfishing boats, and kayaks (and sort of rolling their eyes at us novices giggling our way out to sea pointing, at every stupid thing that jumped, swam, or flew by),

Sean, our gentle leader, explained in a very relaxing voice, with cool undertones of been-there-done-that-please-don’t-worry-and-enjoy-this-fun-ride, what we would be doing before and during our delightful journey floating above the beautiful, scenic, southern end of Hilton Head Island. While, Jesse, my astute companion wondered aloud, what those dark, swirling clouds were doing a little over there, off in the distance above the vast Atlantic ocean, and asking, “isn’t this hurricane season down here?” To which we all responded, firmly and with courageous contempt, “Oh don’t be so alarmist, Jesse, they are just a few clouds that are blowing our way, and will pass by us with no drama. Please, can’t you enjoy yourself?”  To which, he just looked at us quizzically, and saying nothing, looked down to make sure the life-preserver jackets were indeed under our seats, somewhere.

Jesse & Carmen Ready for Anything

No, we did not get caught up in a hurricane later that morning, but my clever young cousin was later fully vindicated, by news reports in the local paper the next day of water spouts (hurricanes’ ugly and dangerous second cousins) that did encircle Hilton Head at exactly the same time that we began heading back from our trip.  The moral of this tangent in my story, being, “listen to your teenagers and don’t write them off with scornful ha-ha’s, when they notice odd, weather patterns in the sky”.

So, to make this long story just a little longer, I want to say that we had a marvelous ride for about twelve – fifteen minutes, rocking quietly with the breeze and looking out over God’s blue earth from a comfortable, secure five hundred feet or so, while the boat pulled us lightly through the sky. It was a truly joyful experience and I thoroughly recommend this activity to anyone visiting Hilton Head and who would like to get a different angle on our little oasis along the southeast American coastline. H20 Sports did a great job explaining everything to us, and if we wanted to explore the area by kayak, or paddleboard, or simply cruise around the sound (among their many other watersport offerings), at a later time they were there to accommodate with similar experience and USCGA-licensed staff, secure equipment, and professional services.

Give them a call, 1-877-290-4FUN (4386) or check out their website.

Adios, and have a great week on Hilton Head!

Blog Angel signing off.

China Looks to Hilton Head for Resort Development Ideas

Harbour Town’s Liberty Oak Tree Graces Us Nightly While Gregg Russell Sings to the Children

It seems the Chinese have cottoned on to what we already knew about Hilton Head, SC; it is a gorgeous island with high, environmentally sensitive, building standards to which developers must adhere when beginning construction on any kind of building or attraction. Last week - reported the Island Packet on July 10, 2010 - several representatives from two development corporations in China and Thailand, came all the way across the world to Hilton Head and toured Harbour Town, with Ed Modzelewski, Chairman of Applied Technology and Management Inc. (ATM), which has offices in Hilton Head and Charleston.

Apparently, they had all first met each other earlier this year in Shanghai at a boat show (go figure) and the Chinese representatives wandered up to Mr. Modzelewski, and said, “Hello. We are corporate partners developing a twenty-two mile stretch of land along the pacific coast where, up to now, we do alot of shrimp farming. But we want to turn this beautiful coastline into an economic stomping ground filled with marinas and condos and beachside towns and hotels and vacation rentals, but we’ve never done this before and do you know somebody somewhere on this green earth that could show us a model or something of how to build such a community without tearing down every single tree, blade of grass, coconut grove, and rubber plantation?”  Or maybe, something similar to that, and in the Chinese language.

To which, Mr. Modzelewski probably responded, “Duh. Hilton Head Island, SC, on the other side of the world, was built up in the 1970′s by the Brothers Fraser, Charles and Joe… and some other people, but the Fraser boys were the ones who were adamant about leaving the wildlife and trees and marshes right where they started and we would just have to put our little roads and restaurants and houses in the little spaces in between the trees and the beaches,” is maybe what Ed Modzelewski said to David Zhidong Li, the head rep of the Vanion Group from China.

Hilton Head Island, SC

All of which led to this great visit from our Chinese friends who want to see how we shake things up in Harbour Town with live music under the Liberty Oak tree, and cocktails, yachts, charter boats, condos, shops, a lighthouse, a golf course, and everything highlighted in lowcountry style. Well, I imagine they collected alot of good notes and tips from all the realtors and builders here, and will be able to use that information when they go home to China and start building their own marina resort development project.  I hope we can visit this new place when its done, and maybe get a ‘locals’ discount on a dinner or charter boat or something.

Traffic? What Traffic?

Traffic Jam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Reminding Us It Could Always Be Worse.

Okay, I am here to address an obvious issue that no one wants to talk about, but it’s important that we acknowledge it for the good of all our guests and residents so that we, known collectively as, LoversOfHiltonHeadIsland, can continue moving forward in a positive, happy, progress-oriented, development & tourism-friendly, direction with an ear towards the welfare and betterment of this precious coastal community.

No, I am not running for office.

Just thinking out loud about how to handle this wonderful problem of abundance, that is impeding everyone’s steps to realizing their joyous, family, fun, relaxing, vacation week, for which they have all worked so hard all year, and for which buoys up the entire state of South Carolina’s economy as well as the small businesses lining the highways up and down the eastern seaboard.

It is to our visitors’ advantage to take a vacation by enjoying the beaches, entertainment, watersports, tennis courts, golf courses, restaurants, boutiques, and marina sunrises/sunsets, and ocean breezes on the rooftops and sailboats under the palmetto fronds and stars, allelujah.

It is to the residents’ and business owners’ advantage that visitors can enjoy the aformentioned amenities so that they can stay afloat during the off-season (of which beautiful temperate months like October and April go by, without crowds, when you can run all day long on the beach with your dog off-leash, schedule tennis court & tee-times the same day you want to play, and walk into a restaurant without a reservation and not worry about getting soused at the bar beforehand because your group is the the last on a two-and-a-half-hour wait-list for a six-top at the Blue Marlin, and, oh by the way, “the kids want to sit outside to watch the boats docking”…), on this incredible, unsinkable, environmentally-sound, cruise liner, known as Hilton Head Island, if you will pardon the ongoing, nautical metaphor.

It need not be said that we all need each other and care for each other and want one another to have a great day plowing through whichever category of LoversOfHiltonHeadIsland, in which we may fall. So, in the spirit of lets-just-laugh-and-relax-at-the-island’s-growing-pains, remember that, before you get angry, and throw eye-daggers, and certain specific hand signals, or growl, snarl, and honk, the person who is slowing down, may just want to say, “Welcome to Hilton Head,” or, “How may I help you?” Or, they may be a local in need of roadside assistance, for example, as depicted here:

Hilton Head Wrack and Roll!

Seaweed, known as “wrack”

We are ever grateful that this island is home to so much carefully preserved and honored wildlife that we, the domesticated, evolved and reasoning creatures that we are, tend to step back on occasion screeching thusly…. “AAAGH!!! DID YOU SEE THE SIZE OF THAT SNAKE?”, forgetting for a moment that we have intruded upon their (their, being Nature that was here waayyyyyyyyy yonder before us), territory in recent years, which, if you measure in geologic time amounts to about the size of a quarter against the globe of 4.6 billion years, which is how long the earth has been in existence.  Apparently, they say we (we, as in humanoids) have been here only a short burp compared to the earth’s raging gastrointestinal offspring of dinasaurs, ice ages, and meteor she-bangs, and I believe them, (“Who?” You might ask is saying we are only a blip on the earth’s radar screen, if eons were measured as blips on radar screens, and I will answer, “people who have made it their business to research and dig in the dirt to prove and make us feel like we are an ego-driven, selfish race of species that will self-sabotage before any asteroid comes close to the widening hole in our ozone layer.”)  

I mean really, we’ve got alligators (prehistoric), enormous, birds of prey that spread their wings and you think a seven-forty-seven is taking off from the lagoon at the 16th tee of the Sea Pines Club Course, some days. Turtles get bigger and bigger, and forget sea turtles… have you ever seen a loggerhead up close?  You’d think you maybe took a step back to the Pleistocene age sometimes when walking around our pristine and scenic sand dunes.

Which brings me to my point, believe it or not (I know you’re thinking, ‘is she ever going to get to the point, or what?’), which is that seaweed – also a prehistoric life form, but has not evolved much from then to now – a natural and necessary feature of our delicate ecosystem, sometimes crowds the beach after a super moon tidal party that does not involve us, except as spectators.  Having applied all my literary skills to describing this beautiful ocean algae that sustains invertebrates such as crabs and insects, as well as providing nesting for shorebirds, I shudder to call something so essential, accenting the beaches like eyebrows, gracing our shorelines, and harmless, as ”wrack”, but there you have it.  That’s what it is called. Wrack.

Having said all that above, I and my dog Sam, know the true purpose for wrack; Beach Beagle Back Scratcher!