The Grand Old Time

It was in grand style that I headed off to celebrate a grand occasion at a place known as the Grand Strand.

So far as I remember, my cousin Laura took this picture of me by the Atlantic Ocean at North Myrtle Beach 

To celebrate my Abuela’s 80 years, my family planned a vacation for a few days in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with many of our Colorado-based family members joining us.

For me, the trip felt rather déjà vu, for we were gathering for a family occasion along the Atlantic Ocean in the Southeast United States, much like back in January when I went with my parents and Abuela to stay in Daytona Beach, FL, along the Atlantic coast for a celebration of the marriage of my brother and sister-in-law.  This South Carolina trip also took me back to the gathering I had last summer with the Aragon/Colorado family members at Cripple Creek, as we celebrated my Aunt Carmen’s birthday.  Now it was time to celebrate my Abuela Velia, the other sister.

I started my trip off on a delightful note on the evening of Saturday, May 6, 2017, when I boarded Amtrak’s Capitol Limited train at Chicago Union Station.  This was my 8^th ride on this route, reinforcing the record of this Amtrak route's being the one I’ve ridden the most number of times.

After a night ride through the Great Lakes region and a morning through the Appalachian highlands, I arrived in the illustrious capitol city of Washington, D.C. (WDC).  After parcel-checking my luggage and grabbing a quick Philly-style lunch, I went to the National Archives to view once again the Charters of Freedom and the 1297 copy of the Magna Carta.

Then, I traveled on the Metro Green Line to the Anacostia neighborhood on the Southeast Side of WDC to tour the home of Frederick Douglass at Cedar Hill, which is now a National Historic Site in this traditionally African-American neighborhood (please see the picture of his house below).

The ranger leading the tour did a wonderful job showing us what was in the various rooms, pointing out some of Mr. Douglass's personal effects, and embellishing the commentary with biographical anecdotes from Mr. Douglass’s life.

This is Mr. Douglass's study.  Towards the right in the picture, you can see some of the many, many books he owned.

Looking down from the top of Cedar Hill, with views of the Anacostia neighborhood, and further away, central Washington, D.C.

I enjoyed getting to know Mr. Douglass a little more through touring his home, and also getting away from the National Mall area to visit a WDC neighborhood that I hadn’t gone to before.  The hill on which the house sits had great views, too.

Following my visit there, I headed up to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to spend time in prayer.

Above: Zuchettos of various Popes on display at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Below: First-class relics of Pope St. John Paul II, also on display at the National Shrine.

It was then back to Union Station to get dinner and my luggage and board the Silver Meteor train #97, my fourth time on this route.  I enjoyed company with a fellow passenger in the café car, who, like me, was there with his computer using the train's Wifi as we headed into Virginia.

I was able to sleep a little longer the next morning because late at night, somewhere between Rocky Mount and Fayetteville, NC, freight train that broke down ahead of us, delaying the train for about three hours.  So I arrived in North Charleston, SC, after the sun was up and shining brightly around 7:15, about 2 1/2 hours late.

I went to Daily Mass at Immaculate Conception Parish in Goose Creek, before getting Chik-fil-A breakfast, and then headed to the Charleston International Airport to meet up with my brother.  I encountered a display honoring the victims of the tragic shooting in June 2015 at the Mother Emanuel AME Church, which was moving in its simplicity (please see pictures below).

To the left is the Bible Pastor Pinckney was using at the Bible study on that tragic June evening in 2015.  To the right, the Bible is open to the Parable of the Sower, the text being discussed at that Bible Study.

As soon as he got his rental car, we headed northeast toward North Myrtle Beach.  We stopped in a nice town called Georgetown for lunch at a sandwich place.

Between 2 and 3 o'clock, we arrived at the resort hotel where we were staying (please see picture below).  Driving in gave me a sense of how spread out the Myrtle Beach area is, as it took us nearly an hour from the time we reached the southernmost part to when we arrived at our resort hotel, which was on the north side--very close to North Carolina, in fact.

View of the resort from the beach at sunrise time at a later date

I settled in, and then headed to the pool area, where some of my kinsfolk were already enjoying themselves.  I even went in the lazy river, per Mom's suggestion.

Dad got this picture of me in this lazy river at the hotel at a later date.

It was a pattern of the days to come, in which we spent so much wonderful time together in recreation and enjoying each other's company as we celebrated Abuela and her milestone.

For dinner, we walked over to Flynn's Irish Tavern.  My cousin John and I both ordered the Monday dinner special: all-you-can-eat beef with green beans and mashed potatoes--John took the picture of me below, enjoying the food.

A large part of our group gathered after dinner to view a video of pictures that were digitized from Abuela's large collection.

Tuesday was designated as Abuela's special day, on which we celebrated her birthday.  She opted to visit the Brookgreen Gardens, in the southern part of the Grand Strand, near Murrells Inlet.  So we headed south there, and enjoyed a nice time walking around the gardens and landscaped areas of what was once a plantation, all donning our specials shirts made for the occasion of this trip and celebrating Abuela.

the Palmetto Garden at Brookgreen Gardens

Our family group, from left to right:
Front row: Charlotte, Jenny, Aunt Carmen, Abuela, Laura, Mom, Cynthia
Back row: Doug, Mark II, my brother Eric, me, Dad, John, Mark I
All are my cousins unless other specified.
Thanks to the visitor we stopped who took our picture, and for Cynthia for providing it.

Abuela took this picture of me by a frog statue near the Visitors' Center as part of the Ribbit the Exhibit there

For dinner, we celebrated at Villa Tuscanna, an Italian place.

Abuela enjoying her birthday cake

Back at the resort, we played a Bunco tournament (please see the two pictures below).

Wednesday was the beach day, and it was a lot of fun spending time out on the sand and in the sun, and in my case, out in the Atlantic Ocean, way out from shore, where the water was up to my stomach, with waves lapping up to my chest.

Dad got this picture of me out in the Atlantic Ocean, on a different date

Abuela took this picture of four us sitting out in the water.  We appear close to the middle of the picture.
From left to right: Laura, Cynthia, me, Jenny

While I learned long ago that the ocean is salt water, it was really something to actually taste that salt in my mouth when the waves lapped up on me.  There was one particularly large wave that went over my head and knocked my sunglasses right off my face, and I was unable to find them in the water.  So a little later, I embarked on a trek to find a store that had sunglasses.  After confusing the location of a dollar store, I ended up at this great beachwear store that had sunglasses and some swell beach shirts that I have constantly been on the look out for.  We had our final dinner out at Filet's Waterfront, and then returned to the resort to put together a puzzle that my cousin Cynthia had made through Shutterfly.

The next morning, John and his wife Charlotte took Abuela and I out for breakfast at Waffle House, which I had never eaten at before, and which Charlotte desired to eat at, as she says it's a staple of the East Coast.  And it was a very nice waffle.

Charlotte took this picture of me right before I started indulging in my first ever Waffle House waffle. And yes, I'm wearing one of the shirts I found at that store where I bought new sunglasses.

Most of those in our group had already left, and so we said our goodbyes, concluding a truly fabulous time in North Myrtle Beach, in wonderful company with family, celebrating in the spirit of love that has flowed forth from Abuela to all us in the succeeding generations.

I went with Mom/Dad and Abuela to the Charleston airport, tracing the route Eric and I rode on Monday.  There, I bid farewell to all of them, and headed to downtown Charleston for some sightseeing.

I had been to Charleston before in October 2013, and was eager to spend some time sightseeing there again, especially to see some things I hadn't gotten to see when I was there before, especially Fort Sumter, which was closed due to the federal government's partial shutdown that month.  So I made a visit there my primary outing this time.  I spent plenty of time looking around since I booked my tour at 4 PM.  As I ambled around on a hot, Southern day in Charleston, I stumbled upon some interesting places, like Circe Grotto, a sandwich shop where I got a great sandwich for lunch with thick-sliced turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes.  Then I found a nice little park/plaza by a fire station at Wentworth and Meeting to eat my lunch.  I then walked down to the post office to buy stamps, which is housed in a historic building, and just beyond the service counter was a postal museum (please see picture below).

I then wandered over by the marketplace and went to see the pineapple fountain, which I had missed the last time I was there (please see picture below).

Finally, it was time to head to Liberty Square, where I boarded a boat that journeyed through Charleston Harbor to Fort Sumter.

The boat I rode on out to Fort Sumter

There was such a pleasant breeze blowing throughout the seating area on the boat as we made our way through the harbor, with narration telling us about what we were passing, which happened on the way back, too.

Charleston as seen from onboard the boat in the harbor

Approaching Fort Sumter

Upon our arrival at Fort Sumter, we went to an area at the top of some fortifications constructed well after the Sectional War.  The ranger led a flag-lowering ceremony.

Here the flag is being lowered

What a wonderful opportunity it was to participate in this solemn act of respect for the United States and its flag.  The ranger pointed out that the flag is folded into a triangle to represent the patriots who fought in the American Revolution against Britain, and wore tri-cornered hats.

We then had some to look around the fort area, which included a museum with historical items on display.  I was very glad to have had the opportunity to finally visit the fort.  Seeing the place where this great conflict between North and South began, especially in regards to the military movements that occurred in the months beforehand, and seeing the physical spaces added an extra sense of depth to my understanding of that first battle.  And it enhanced my understanding of that piece of the history of the United States.

Thanks to the kind person who got this picture of me inside Fort Sumter

Someone in a group of people kindly took this picture of me outside the fort, near what was once the entrance.

Someone sitting in front of these seats got this picture of me enjoying the boat ride back to Liberty Square with a pleasant breeze blowing.

We then headed back, and upon arrival back at Liberty Square, I headed for Harris Teeter, a grocery store chain in the region I had never heard of before, to get a sandwich for dinner.  And then I made my way to the North Charleston Amtrak station.  I was delighted to have had the opportunity to do the sightseeing as I did in Charleston, which is a lovely city, and has a pivotal role in the whole narrative of the United States.  And I was also delighted by its sense of Southern charm.

After lingering in the pleasantly warm night, and watching the moon rise up in the sky, I boarded the Silver Meteor train #98, headed north.  We arrived shortly before 8 AM in Washington, D.C., the following morning, Friday, May 12.  I went once again to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for Mass, with a couple of school groups attending Mass as well, and then had breakfast in the cafeteria there.  After some more prayer time, I got back on the Red Line, got off at Union Station, and headed for the Russell Senate Office Building, where I got pictures by the office of Senator Marco Rubio--thanks to the staff person who was kind enough to step away from his desk to get the picture of me that appears below, in which I'm wearing the other of the two shirts I bought at that store where I got new sunglasses.

While exiting, I stumbled upon the cafeteria, where I decided to get some of the good eats there for lunch and dinner.

It was then time to get back on the train:  I boarded Amtrak train #51, the Cardinal, which pretty much left spot on time.  It was another wonderful opportunity to travel through the lovely Virginia countryside, and then take in the spectacular views of the New River Gorge in West Virginia, since it was lighter out later this time, unlike when I rode that route back in January and it got dark around 5 PM or so.

Farmland in western Virginia, with animals grazing on the grass

Above and below are pictures of the New River Gorge corridor in West Virginia

I awoke in sunlight just east of Indianapolis, and the sun bathed the wide fields of Indiana as we made our way north towards Chicago, arriving around 11 AM.

This trip was indeed a grand time to take in the Southeastern United States once again, this time at the famed Myrtle Beach area.  It was certainly a relaxing time, and the company of family was great.  I was also delighted to extend the experience of the trip into the journey, which gave me more opportunity to see the sights of this country.  Indeed, I can say from the experience of this trip that there are so many blessings for me to behold, and I am grateful for the chance to step back and savor the beauty of them.

I took this picture of my feet in the surf of the Atlantic waters

The sunrise at the Atlantic shore at North Myrtle Beach

Sisters enjoying the sand and sun:
Abuela, left, and Aunt Carmen, right.
This picture was on Abuela's camera.