Sally and I parked our cars at Sara's, Susie's daughter's home. Susie was already there waiting for us. We quickly packed all our bags into Susie's trunk and headed South.
Our first stop of course was the Cracker Barrel in Virginia. As far as I was concerned we couldn't get there fast enough. We ate a hardy country lunch and back on the road again. Susie used her GPS system so I didn't need to look at a map. As a truck driver, I have read maps all my life. The voice came over the speaker, turn right here in about 200 feet, that was neat.
We stopped a few times for snacks and coffee, that's a nice way to say rest stops for our necessities. Sisters easily agree on those types of stops.
Sally booked a suite at The Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach. It was on the first floor and had a large bedroom, a sleep sofa in the living room, a huge bathroom, a kitchenette with microwave and coffee maker, and French doors that opened out onto the balcony overlooking the beach, WOW!
Sally, Susie and me in front of the resort.
We ate dinner at the restaurant in the resort and had a great meal. Then we went for a long walk on the sandy beach. When we returned Sally made a large pot of decaf. We sat out on the balcony watching the relentless waves washing up on the shore in the light of the full moon. What an exhilerating sight.
I didn't do any workshop on Friday, even though that was an extra day of training. I had just gotten the weekend package.
We had the breakfast buffet at the resort restaurant. We really like to eat, especially when the food is really great.
Sally has visited Myrtle Beach several times and has made many food friends there. She decided to show us around. She had Susie drive us to Murrels Inlet. She had called one of her friends and she was going to meet us for lunch. We parked at the Lazy Gator Gift Shop. We shopped there while we waited for her to arrive.
We left Susie's car parked there and walked a few blocks to a restaurant called The Creek Ratt. I objected to eating at a restaurant named Ratt. There we chose a table outside under the trees and watched boats sail up the inlet. There was a very friendly cat that approached each table and of course begged only the way a cat can, just sitting there staring up at you, until you have to just give in and give him something. Then he caused a commotion by chasing a squrrel up a tree. The food here was again very good.
We meandered down the dock and watched more boats coming in and going out, they were passing each other very slowly.
We walked back to the gift shop. There, lying in the tall grass was an eleven foot alligator lurking there to attack anything or anyone passing him. Susie jumped on its back, Sally grabbed Susie to keep her from falling off and I grabbed his jaws to keep him from biting Susie.
Of course he was a life size cement yard ornament for the Lazy Gator Gift Shop. After our battle, Sally said good by to her friend. Susie drove us to the Hilton, and dropped me off.
I had to register for my classes and attend the dinner banquet, meeting the faculty and all the 200 plus aspiring writers. Then they had an awards ceremony for The Petigue Review Contributors, The Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award.
I called them when the awards were over. They picked me up and we hurried back to our suite since Saturday would begin very early.
We got up at 5:30 a.m. With hurried showers we rushed out. I took all my potential stuff I wanted to discuss if given the chance, my tote bag was full of my stories. They dropped me off and went somewhere for their breakfast. I went inside and started my day with an enormous buffet breakfast prepared for the writers group.
My second class of the day, I chose Secrets to Non Fiction Proposals. I was having trouble with my eye. Two weeks earlier I had had cataract surgery, and I was having a terrible reaction to the eye drops and closed my eye. My instructor said, "You, you going to sleep in my class, (indicating me) and of course everyone turned around to see who "YOU" was. "You can't do that," he said. I ALMOST CROAKED!
After class I explained to him about the eye surgery. I don't think he believed me. But, that's o.k., I got a lot out of his class.
Next was lunch. I had two afternoon classes and then the buffet dinner. I got to sit with an agent who seemed interested in my memoirs. He advised me to finish it and email them to him. I'll probably do this when I get it completed. My memoirs about my life as a lady truck driver starting early 1970's is going to be a rather long story since I drove for over 25 years.
While I was doing all this learning, Sally and Susie were out on the town. They went shopping, swimming in the ocean (the water was still warm) and went on the water slide, the Indoor/Outdoor Lazy Rivers at the resort. They even took a NAP! They had dinner somewhere near the Hilton because when I called and said I was ready to be picked up, they were there in less than 20 minutes.
We went back to our suite and enjoyed a few quiet moments on the balcony, then went to bed. It seemed like 5:30 comes very fast when you're very tired.
Sunday we arose again and hurried about getting ready, but this time I opened the French doors and stepped out on the balcony and took a picture of the magnificent sun rise.
My Sunday schedule was light. There was a continental breakfast for the group, then critiques by appointment and my final class, The Non-Fiction No Hitter: Perfecting Your Pitch. I listened and took notes from the instructor, great training.
There was a long break with refreshment, a silent auction, which consisted of many books, several beautiful paintings and all sorts of writing helps, and then it was over.
I was overwhelmed with all this new knowledge.
They picked me up and we went directly back to our suite, packed up and checked out, our new destination, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Susie booked us a suite at the Hilton on the Cape Fear River. We were there in a few hours. We checked in and went up to our room on the 4th floor. This suite was very nice, 2 queen size beds and a large bath. We stashed our luggage on the beds and rushed out to see the beauty of the sunset.
Across the channel was moored the USS North Carolina, a battleship which saw action in the Pacific during WW II. It looked so peaceful there.
We walked down the dock to George's on the River Walk, for dinner. This time we chose an inside table. For their appetizer they chose "The George" Calamari. I'd had never heard of it before and when they told me what it was, OH NO, you two can share, I'll be satisfied with dinner. I'm not eating squid. Although it looked good and of course Sally and Susie swore it was delicious, I suddenly thought about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the giant squid. No, I just can't! We enjoyed our dinner and our long walk on the dock back to the Hilton.
We rested well, especially since we didn't have to be anywhere early, we slept in.
We were anxious to get home after such a great and busy weekend. We only stopped to eat once in Virginia at the Cracker Barrel. It seems like no time we were pulling into Sara's driveway.
