So Long, Tybee!

Thanks, Nana and PopPop, for bringing us all together on Tybee Island! Some stayed for a little more pool time on our last day on Tybee Island, but we headed out early on Wednesday to pick up Olive from a pet boarder just off the island and continue on south to my parent's house.  It had been a while since we'd visited my parents at their house and we figured we were half way there already, so we extended our vacation week for the rest of the week.  We also planned, after a few days at Casa de Slaton, to meet Jacqui and her fam in Gainesville the following Saturday before heading back home on Sunday.  So, goodbyes were sad, but at least it would just be a few more days before we saw some of these sweet faces again. 

Savannah: July 16

On Tuesday, our whole crew headed down to Savannah and signed up for a hop-on, hop-off historic trolley tour.  This was a great way to cover a lot of ground in Savannah.  We ended up riding the complete tour twice, getting off and on at several different stops.  We explored the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, walked through a few of the many squares in Savannah, checked out The Pirate's House (not worth the stop), snagged a couple of tables for our large group at Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons restaurant for lunch, and ooohed and aaahed at a lot of beautiful architecture along the way.  Jonathan and I had both just finished reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and my mother-in-law had read it many years earlier, so we wanted to explore the Mercer-Williams House while in Savannah.  Aunt Jacqui, Uncle Randy, and Uncle Chris took Ella and the younger kids to explore Forsyth Park while Jacob joined Jonathan, his parents, and I on our tour of the Mercer-Williams House (no pictures allowed).  It was interesting, but you don't get to see some of the more interesting spaces in the house, like the upstairs ballroom or basement where antiques were worked on to be restored, so it's a definitely one-and-done kind of tour. 

Savannah is a photographer's delight.  I hope to return one day and slowly walk the streets, toting my camera and taking in all of the details--and preferably in the spring or fall when it's not so dang hot and humid!

Tybee Island: July 15

On Monday, July 15th, we were up early and out of the house to explore a little more of Tybee Island.  We headed to downtown Tybee and walked out on the Tybee Beach Pier.  It was fun to see some of fishing off of the pier and seeing the crowded beach near the peer made us thankful for our quiet North Beach, but it was H-O-T hot out there.  After stopping for some ice cream on our way back to the north side of the island, we went to the Tybee Island Light Station and Museum.  Most of us just explored the grounds, but Aunt Jacqui, Uncle Randy, Harper, Hundson, and Ella were all brave enough to climb to the top of the lighthouse.  That's them at the top of the lighthouse in the last three pictures I posted of the lighthouse below!

A few of us (Uncle Chris, Ella, Jack, Jacob, Noah, and I) spent some time in the afternoon at the public tennis courts.  Ella enjoyed playing with former collegiate player Uncle Chris while the boys all mostly goofed off.  That evening, another group of us (PopPop, Jonathan, Aunt Jacqui, Uncle Randy, Harper, Hudson, Jack, Noah, Ella, and I) headed to the Savannah River side of the beach which is apparently the place to go for fishing and cast netting.  We saw one gentleman pull in a shark and Jack caught his biggest fish yet in his cast net.  Jack enjoyed this part of the trip so much he went back a few more times with Noah for more cast netting over the next few days.

Tybee Island: July 14

Just a little over a week after returning home from HHI, we headed to Tybee Island with Jonathan's extended family where his parents had rented a beautiful house near the North Beach, where the Savannah River meets the Atlantic Ocean.  On our first full day on Tybee we spent a lot of day on the Atlantic Ocean side of the beach, but the best part of our day was probably the parts I didn't photograph--card games, cousins hanging out, adults having a beer tasting contest (for two of our four nights, although there was plenty of drinking the other nights), and delicious food.  Unfortunately Aunt Chrissy couldn't join us on the trip, but we're so thankful for our time spent with the Williams clan this summer.  Thanks, Nana and PopPop, for bringing us all together! 

HHI Week: July 5

This year's HHI week taught me an important lesson--don't save the beach portraits/group picture for the last night!  Oh, and also don't forget to pack your tripod.  Oops. 

A huge storm was moving in by the time we made it out the beach and I set up a make-shift stand for my camera for our group shots.  We got the shots, smiling and goofy, but in all of the rush and looking at the ever-graying skies I had an aunt fail.  I forgot to get a portrait shot of Drew.  :(  I don't think he minded all that much, but it's nice to have pictures of the kids each year to compare how much they've grown through the years.  Luckily he's in many group shots.  I'll do better next year!  ....but, the moment we stepped back in the house after coming back from the beach the torrential rain began.  So, I guess I'm glad we captured them at all.  

The next morning, we were up early to pack our cars and double check the house was clear and then headed to Stack's for a filling breakfast thanks to Nonni and Papa.  They do spoil us!  Tracy and I hit the jackpot with them as parents and as our kids' grandparents.  

HHI Week: July 4

On the 4th of July, we always plan our day around being on the beach at around 1pm when the Salute From the Shore military aircraft flyover begins.  My dad, a retired Air Force Colonel, was a fighter pilot for the nearly 30 years of his military career, so I always enjoy any kind of flyover (makes me feel nostalgic to living on Air Force bases and hearing jets take off all of the time) and I love the visual to give the kids of just how cool Papa has always been.  So, on this day, we took our daily long bike ride in the morning (and conscious that I never get photos of such a big part of our week--bike rides--I made sure to capture some this year).

Other 4th of July traditions we've kept through the years, in addition to catching the flyover, is watching some of the hot dog eating championship on ESPN, eating our own hot dogs, hamburgers, and watermelon for dinner or late lunch, spending several hours at the beach, and then heading back to the beach at dusk, donning our glow necklaces and bracelets, to catch fireworks that people and hotels set off up and down the beach (and sometimes even across the water at Tybee).  Happy 4th of July!

HHI Week: July 3

It's fun to watch how the beach fun evolves with new games as they become teenagers.  They took advantage of the tide pools to play some chicken fights.  I think Drew's wrestling skills gave him an edge!

Our late afternoon fun was a long, scenic bike ride to South Beach for ice cream.  We probably went to see the Stoney-Baynard Ruins because ice cream is just about the only incentive we can use to go there so that this site doesn't "ruin" their vacation (cue the eye roll).

HHI Week: July 2

The whole crew's here!  Our caravan of 11 bikes (Ivy attached to a bike) rode to Harbour Town and, after exploring in small groups, enjoyed some time in the shade of the big trees on the playground (always a favorite to climb).  After our bike ride and lunch, it was a lovely afternoon at the beach. 

HHI Week: July 1

Jack had been wanting a good cast net for ages so while Ella was at Wake Forest Tennis Camp last month and Jack and I had a Jack and mom day planned, he made certain a trip to Walmart to select a cast net was in the plans.  It took a little bit of time for him to figure out how to cast it correctly, but he was a pro before long. 

And a windy day at the beach calls for some fun with Papa's fighter jet kite!  Ivy chased Ella all the way down the beach because she wanted a chance to hold the line, too.  We're looking forward to Jake, Zane, and Uncle Drew joining the fun tomorrow! 

HHI Week: June 30

2019 is year seven of the extended Slaton family reunion at the house in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island--one of our favorite weeks of the year!  We can't thank Nonni and Papa enough for committing to this vacation year after year.  It truly is such a special time with them, with my sister and her family, and with my own little family.  And I love how close my kids are to their cousins because of all of the HHI memories they share together.

This year our week started off a little quieter than usual because Uncle Ken, Jake, and Zane were all off on a Boy Scout adventure that overlapped with HHI week a bit, so they didn't show up until late on day two.  But, quieter or not, we maintained the relaxed HHI week rituals of beach, bike, cocktails, snacks, and repeat that fill our days.  It's truly VA-CA-TION (just a little inside joke with my dad) while we're there.