Friday, July 12, 2013

Over the river and to the shore.

From Beaufort, I crossed the Harbor River to my destination, Harbor Island. My condo came equipped with its own golf cart. I've never golfed, never liked watching golf, but I was weirdly stoked about getting to drive a golf cart around.
Okay, the thrill wore off after the first couple of outings, but still it was a bit of slow-paced goofy fun. I actually found myself laughing out loud as I drove. It really doesn't take much to amuse me.
Because I stay off the beach between 10 or so in the morning and 4 or so in the afternoon (peak sunburn hours), I decided to first drive around a little and get a feel for how the island was set up. On the side facing the mainland were wide expanses of marsh.
I liked the curvy, shaded roads through the neighborhoods, some of which had golf-cart-only parking areas.
On my way in, I'd stopped to pick up some boiled peanuts, a treat I always get when I'm in the Low Country. I was chatting with the man at the store where I bought these and told him that my ex-husband, who was from Detroit, thought Southerners were crazy for eating them. The man and I both laughed at my ex's foolishness. This salty treat was brought over from Africa (where they are called groundnuts), and they are delicious and best with cold beer. But only the fresh ones. Canned boiled peanuts are an abomination.
When it had cooled down a bit and the sun wasn't so high, I headed out the door and over the boardwalk through the dunes.
It's the kind of place where you can leave your flip flops by the end of the boardwalk and know they will be right there when you get back.
Because on the beach, who needs shoes? Just me, the sand and the water that seems to go on forever. This is my idea of heaven.
Each night I was there, I stayed put until it was dark. Each night when I walked back to my temporary home, I felt a little lighter.

29 comments:

  1. What do the boiled peanuts taste like, are they similar to the roasted? Crunchy, soft? It's something I've never had but want to try.

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    1. Soft. Best when they are still warm. They actually don't have a strongly peanutty flavor and are often made from unripe peanuts.

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  2. not a huge boiled peanut fan...but beer would def make it better...smiles...and how can you not feel lighter after a bare foot at the beach day...smiles.

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    1. I could eat boiled peanuts until I fell over, with or without beer.

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  3. ", but I was weirdly stoked about getting to drive a golf cart around."

    Like you, I'm not interested in either watching golf or playing golf. But when I was a kid, my father would take me golfing with him and allowed me to drive the cart, which was like the ONLY the loved about golfing - whizzing about.

    Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Hey, once again....FAB photos! Love the one of the boardwalk over the dunes. And that sunset shot is stunning - WOW!

    "Each night I was there, I stayed put until it was dark."

    Is there not anything more beautiful than watching the sun set on a beach?

    And you're right, boiled peanuts taste best when they are still warm.

    X

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    1. If I lived in a place like that, I'd definitely invest in a golf cart.

      Sunsets and sunrises - I love them both at the beach. So gorgeous.

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  4. There are some Lake Erie islands where only golf carts are allowed. It always sounds like fun to me,....cause who doesn't like drinking and driving legally?

    I remember you talking about boiled peanuts before. When you eat them warm, does the steam when you open them burn your fingers just a bit? I am very intrigued by this!

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    1. This place did have cars, although it was so small that everyone parked at their place and then walked, rode bikes or used golf carts. But they made it clear that drinking and driving even the carts was illegal.

      There's no steam. If you eat them fresh out of the water, they might drip some hot water on you, but I've never burned myself. Usually, they are just warm instead of hot.

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  5. Awesome mini vacation! Just lovely and relaxing and rejuvenating. Yay for you!

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  6. I'm with you in thinking a golf cart could be good fun. I'm envying your get-away!

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    1. It was. But I found myself wishing my owners had an electric golf cart. Those were quieter and faster than my gas-powered one.

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  7. As lovely as it looks it also looks really hot and probably humid. I'd die in a heartbeat regardless of how many cold beers I had on me.

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    1. Now, why jump to a negative assumption> The weather was, in fact, perfect.

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  8. I've never tried boiled peanuts. Never even seen any boiled peanuts. A taste that hasn't yet crossed the Atlantic.

    Trivial I know, but I love those blue toenails as well....

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    1. It's really a Low Country snack - you see it mostly in coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

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  9. One of the best parts of a vacation, mini or otherwise, is remembering the fun. Looks like a good one.

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    1. That's mostly why I do exhaustive blog posts on vacations - so I can go back and remember.

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  10. Goodonya, SAW, I have my ocean every day but never, ever get used to it.

    Enjoy...

    XO
    WWW

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    1. I am a fan of virtually any body of water. Lake, ocean, river, waterfall - I'm not picky!

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  11. Boiled peanuts are a delicacy here too and we too call them ground nuts. The best are when they are fresh out of the ground and boiled when they are still damp and earthy. We do get the dried ones in shells which can be boiled but taste better when roasted in a bed of sand in a huge cauldron.

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    1. I have read that green raw peanuts make the best boiled peanuts. I also like roasted peanuts, but the boiled ones taste like the ocean to me.

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  12. I like the idea of getting around little roads in a golf cart. I used to love to hang out at the beach during the heat of the day...yikes! Now my favorite time to be there is very early or towards dusk.

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    1. I know - i can't even imagine being out there in the full sun anymore!

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  13. Sounds perfect and looks heavenly! So glad you had a nice trip.

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