My sister has always wanted to do a weekend retreat with me and our mama to peacefully plan our homeschool years. This year it worked out and she found us the best ocean front Airbnb on Harbor Island where coffee was sipped, sweatshirts were donned in evenings and swimsuits by day, barefoot beach walks, treasure hunting, book reading, seafood eating, and bonding as three strong Clardy women.
Being my child is a kindergarten student at home with myself, I haven’t much to plan. Things are easy right now. I don’t even have to report this year. But we are already off to a great start with lots of reading, math, art, Bible, nature, music, and just too much to list. I love our curriculum this year. However; my sister has four kids. Two of which are on middle and high school levels academically and she has a literal trunk full - yes - my entire trunk - full of bags of books to go through to plan and prep.
Friday, we hit the road, I drove because I live the closest to the coast. We went into Beaufort and got lunch at Fishcamp then went for a carriage ride for some history. Then we checked into our Airbnb and relaxed on the wide balcony overlooking marsh and ocean and soaked in a salty breeze and wind chimes. Hawks, herons, pelicans, and seagulls all around. We talked a while all of us together there before our stomachs started to rudely interrupt us with their snarling growls begging for dinner. So to dinner we went on the marsh. It was blissfully cool and breezy; I pined for a sweater to cover my chili bump arms!
We caught the colorful sunset just as we were heading back to the car. Later, we went barefootin’ in the dark of night on the beach. We came upon 4 or so beaten, abandoned, desolate condemned beach houses stuck in the sand and drowning below as they washed away, eroded, and crumbled into the sea. Coming upon this at night and with a pink hue to a couple of them, I was haunted eerily looking at them with the writings of Stephen King from “Duma Key.” Read it!!! If you’ve read it…..it was brought to life before my eyes on the dark night of the beach. Totally creepy. By day, the houses just seemed like sad old broads who’d given their all to their families and were full of life lines and age spots that told happy tales of memories past but with a short knowing future of end in sight- waiting to succumb to the relentless sea and her fierce enveloping strikes.
We discovered whelks, coral, stingray, horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, sand crabs, deer tracks, bioluminescence, and so many fabulous things that our trip to plan escalated into a plan for another trip with all the kids for fun and nature study.
Dinner at Dockside for ALL the good seafood- helloooooo Island life!
Hunting Island state park to show my sister the lighthouse. A year and a half ago I visited and shortly after, it was closed for repairs and currently it remains closed until August’23. But we still went out there so she could see it and we walked the beach scoping out treasures and soaking in the views. Then we left and went to Boneyard Beach which is part of the state park. Then lunch at Marker 244. What a great atmosphere and good food! Then home we went. It was such a fulfilling weekend of respite, laughter, bonding, and planning. So thankful to be able to be friends with my mama and my sister.
