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 now located 25 Bow Circle 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.