Laurie Larsen - Pawleys Island Paradise: A Companion

RANDOM MOON BOOKS
A PHASE FOR EVERY FANCY

Pawleys Island Paradise: A Companion

Copyright 2016 by Laurie Larsen

Published by Random Moon Books

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this bookmay be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without writtenpermission of the author except in the case of brief quotationsembodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Content by author Laurie Larsen

All photographs taken by Laurie Larsen

Cover Art by Steven Novak

Formatting by Go Published

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9975630-0-9

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A breezy spring day on Pawleys Island. To getthe shot we had to curve around the bend, park the car illegallyand run back in the wind to get it.

My husband begrudgingly agreed. :)

In the Beginning

G rowing up, it wasa family priority to go on vacation every year. My dad was acorporate businessman and my mom was a first grade teacher, so ourvacations always occurred in the summer. I learned early on from myparents that the only decent summer vacation was to THE BEACH! Myparents loved the beach, and therefore, I love the beach. I dontremember going on a family vacation that didnt involve the beach.I immediately associated the sound of the waves, the taste of thesalt, the feel of the sand in my bare toes, as some of the mostwonderful and freeing feelings in the world.

Because I grew up in central Illinois, ittook a LONG TIME to get to the beach. During my childhood, we trieda lot of beaches. One time we took a 4-day car trip out west to SanFrancisco where we visited the beautifully chilly and rocky PacificOcean. One year we drove south and booked a condo for a week atbeautiful New Smyrna Beach, Florida. We were having such a greattime that we ended up extending our trip spontaneously and stayingan extra week.

But once we discovered Pawleys Island, SouthCarolina, we were hooked and ended up going back there time andtime again. I grew up in a family that, until late in my highschool years, we were isolated (geographically) from other familymembers. In other words, I didnt have grandparents, aunts, unclesor cousins in the same town as me. In order to see family, we hadto travel. And we did. We traveled to Ohio, Tennessee, Californiaand Massachusetts to visit family members and stay in their houses.But the best solution was for all family members to travel to thebeach and get a house to stay in together, and spend a week or twoor three, vacationing.

I dont remember how, but we somehowdiscovered The Old Gray Barn in Pawleys Island. Cousins from allover the country went there and we spent the vacation re-connectingwhile playing in the sand, swimming in the ocean, nursing oursunburns, and playing endlessly. And every year, we went back.

The Old Gray Barn met our needs. It was big,slept a ton of people, and sat right on the beach. No outsideentertainment was needed during the day. All the kids would justwake up, eat breakfast and head out the back door and entertainthemselves for hours at a time with the sand and surf.

It has not escaped me how unluxurious thesevacations were, especially compared to the beach vacations we takenow. Like my parents did, my husband and I take our own family on abeach vacation every year. But unlike my parents, we usually book a2-bedroom condo with air conditioning, two baths, a fully stockedkitchen and a flat screen TV! Not only is it beachfront, buttheres also a pool at our disposal, as well as usually an exerciseroom and hot tubs. We dont cook big family meals every night likewe did in the old days. We stock cereal and sandwich stuff to makeour own breakfasts and lunches, and then we hit the town to findthe ultimate seafood restaurants for dinner. I admire my mom and myaunts who worked so hard during these vacations of my childhood, tomake sure that everyone was having a good time, while not spendinga mint.

Oh, and did I mention that while drivingacross the country from the Midwest to the beach, my family wouldcamp at campgrounds at night? My parents would pack our stationwagon with a tent, sleeping bags, cooking utensils, etc., fornights spent camping. Yowza. My family now? We check into theclosest Hampton Inn!

When I was putting together my exclusivePawleys Island: Then and Now photo album for my Book 1 3boxset, I went over to my parents house and dug through boxes andphoto albums until I found what I was looking for. Here are some ofthe treasures I unearthed:

The Old Gray Barn circa 1965 from the back

This isnt the whole group that stayed in The Old Gray Barn butits close. I believe all were missing is my grandpa, who was mostlikely taking the photo.

Me with my grandpa and my cousin, David.

One memorable afternoon, we went fishing at the pier of the houseof some friends, in 1971. My cousin Cindy caught a huge snappingturtle on her crab line.

My brother Chris and my cousin Scott with the fruits of theirlabor.

Cousins digging in the sand, just like Stella (Tom andMariannes daughter) loves to. Im the blonde one in the front,turning around. I always loved that bubble bathing suit.