Edisto Island, South Carolina

 This past week Andy, Sarah, Elizabeth & I joined my sister's family on Edisto Island for vacation. It has been a while (15 years) since I have had the opportunity to vacation (beyond just day visits) near the ocean, but I knew that I would not be disappointed by an extended stay with the mystery and beauty of the surf and sand. 

It was a pretty rainy week with Friday being the only day in which there was no precipitation, but I made the most of every opportunity that I could to be at the beach. I walked in the drizzle a couple of times and it was cool to watch the rain and the ocean join forces. 

Elizabeth ended up getting stung by a jellyfish on Friday which kind of dampened the rest of the day. She ended up with welts up and down both legs. The jellyfish was either huge, or there was more than one as she had welts from right below her bum on down to just above her ankles. Elizabeth is 5'10" and has long legs. I can only imagine how big the jellyfish was if it was indeed a single creature that stung her. 

I found myself drawn to the beach and was either in the water, walking along its shores, or sitting on a blanket listening to it talk and watching it move from low to high tide and back again. 

I found some pretty cool shells on my excursions and some neat sea life as well (baby hammerhead sharks, jellyfish, fiddler crabs, regular crabs, hermit crabs, and fish). 

It was nice to get away with the kids. I was able to spend some time alone with my girls, but especially with Sarah as she stayed with me on the beach when the others had had enough and went to do other things. I had fun with my girls and liked having them to bounce my thoughts off of. 

 I missed Bobby and Josh a lot though (Bobby had to work and Josh is still in Ohio)  and cannot wait to go on a proper vacation with all six of us. I know we would all have a nice relaxing time by the ocean. 

High tide during the middle of the week. There was no beach left. 

A storm had just ended and the sun peaked out for a bit before setting

A dead jellyfish

It's always neat to see the different kinds of animal warning signs around the country.

Me and almost all of my people. 

One of my all time favorite pics of Elizabeth. 

Andy was in the water almost the whole time he was at the beach. I can only imagine what he is thinking about in this pic. He is probably creating something in his mind's eye.