Back at Huntington Beach State Park – Wed, May 7 to Wed, May 21, 2014

On Wed, May 7th, we arrived at Huntington Beach SP, site 103 for two weeks.
 
00 - Campground - Site 103 Huntington Beach  SP
 
We came back to the area to help mom, visit friends and celebrate Mother’s Day!
 
 
Last week, our daughter decided to rent a house at Ocean Lakes Campground just north of here.  Yes, they have their own motorhome, but sometimes they enjoy staying in a rental house.  This was a real surprise for us as we are headed towards Raleigh to camp with them in two weeks.  Julie said she wanted to spend time with Grandmom and me for Mother’s Day!!  Well, that’s great… you just can’t get too much family time:o))
 
They arrived on Saturday, May 10th and we set a plan to surprise Grandmom.  Bill and I told Mom we would come down and have Mother’s Day Brunch with her so she should make a reservation at the dining room for the 3 of us.  In the meantime, I contacted the dining room and changed the reservations from 3 to 9.  She had no idea. 

On Mother's Day, we let the great-grandchildren ring the doorbell and surprise her:o))

01 - Mothers Day - Surprise
 
I forgot to take the camera to brunch,
but when we got back we made sure to get some pictures!!
 
Mom and her Great-Grandchildren
01b - Mothers Day - Grandmom and the Great Grands
 
 
Bill, Andrew, Mom, Daniel, Steve                Nancy, Emily, Mom, Samantha, Julie
01c - Mothers Day - Grandmom and the Guys  01d - Mothers Day - Grandmom and the Girls

It was a great day and Mom loved the surprise!!
 
 
During the next week, we spent time with Julie and Steve’s gang at the beach!!
 
80b - Beach with the kids80e - Beach with the kids
80d - Beach with the kids
80g - Beach with the kids80h - Beach with the kids



 
We managed to get Great-Grandmom to join us for a Pizza Party…
 
70 - Pizza Party    70b - Pizza Party
 
followed by a wild evening of Ocean Lakes Bingo!!
 
72b - Time for Bingo
 
Andrew was the only winner from our gang :o))
72c - Time for Bingo
 
Of course, the grand finale for the evening was ICE CREAM!!!
73c - Ice Cream Time
 
Family Time is SOOOOO Special!!!

 

During our time here, we had some additional fun with our friends Bill and Cris.  We went to see the Myrtle Beach Pelicans play baseball.  It was a beautiful evening for baseball and always fun to be with Bill & Cris, but the game was rather boring… a 1-1 tie… until the bottom of the 9th.  The game ended in an exciting fashion as the Pelicans hit a 3 run homer to win 4-1!!  On another day, the two Bills managed to find time to play golf which they both really enjoy:o)
 
When I found time, I did get out on the causeway to see what was going on.  One day, I got to watch as an alligator cross the road.  It made several attempts but was stopped by traffic each time and would head back to the water.
 
Click on any photo to enlarge or hover your mouse on any photo for a description.
03a - Causeway- Gator crossing - up the bank03a2 - Causeway- Gator crossing - rest03a3 - Causeway- Gator crossing - retreat
 
 
Finally, the gator made a break and decided to stop traffic himself;o))
 
03a8a - Causeway- Gator crossing - Gator moves to Gazebo  03a8b - Causeway- Gator crossing - heading toward the road03a8c - Causeway- Gator crossing - I'm gonna make it  03a8d - Causeway- Gator crossing - I can beat the traffic03a8d - Causeway- Gator crossing - Hope they slow down  03a8d2 - Causeway- Gator crossing -They'll just have to wait03a8e - Causeway- Gator crossing - Duck!!  03a8f - Causeway- Gator crossing - Gator made it across
 
For the record…
I have no idea why the alligator crossed the road ;o))
 
 
While the gator took center stage this day,
there are always amazing things to see along the causeway!!
 
Click on any photo to enlarge or hover your mouse on any photo for a description.
 
03a7 - Causeway- Gator crossing - Clapper Rail    03a7a - Causeway- Gator crossing - Clapper Rail
03a4 - Causeway- Gator crossing - Juvenile Red-Thoated Loon
03a7b - Causeway- Gator crossing - Little Green Heron    03a7c - Causeway- Gator crossing - Little Green Heron
03a7e - Causeway- Gator crossing - Osprey
03a7i - Causeway- Gator crossing - ANhinga    03a7j - Causeway- Gator crossing - ANhinga
03a7f - Causeway- Gator crossing - Great White Egret
03a7k - Causeway- Gator crossing - Great Blue Heron    03a7l - Causeway- Gator crossing - Tri-color Heron
 
Our two week stay flew by,
 
but what a great time we had with all our family and friends!!!

12 comments:

  1. What fun!! Isn't it amazing how quickly time flies when you're with family. That was a very cool surprise for your mom on Mother's Day. She looked pleased :)
    How long did you hang out with that alligator before he got brave enough to cross the road??? :)

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    1. It was close to 3 hours;o)) There is so much traffic here this time of year!! I even tried to stop the traffic for him twice, but he wouldn't buy it. But when he made his mind up...there was no stopping him!!!

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  2. Mother's Day is definitely meant for family time! It's great that you were able to surprise your Mom.
    I was driving the car in Bridgewater, VA today and traffic had to stop because three Mallards were crossing the road. Made me smile.
    Syl

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  3. Good stuff- glad you got some good family time.

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  4. Love the smiles in all those pics -- especially the first one of your mom. Wonderful family time!

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  5. What a nice blog! What are your impressions of Ocean Lakes CG? If we don't come back to Wyoming next year we are tossing around that area to work in....I believe they hire workampers. We are also looking at Camp Hatteras RV Park. Just curious what you thought of the campground.

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  6. Great family pictures, and it sure looks like you had fun at the beach! Love those pictures of the alligator crossing the road!

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  7. LOL over your not knowing why the alligator crossed the road. I just love the freedom to stay as long as I like and watch. That's when you really see things. Your causeway pictures are terrific as always. Great shots of the little green. So wonderful of Julie to come make it a triple mother's day. Your family times are just jewels. Everyone is laughing and smiling all the time just as it should be. What wonderful memories. How I wish everyone could have and come from a family as loving as yours.

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  8. Loooks like Mom had a great time. Fun to see such a happy family.

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  9. How terrific of Julie and family to come and surprise everyone. I bet your Mom loved that :) Always enjoy your pictures of the wildlife on the causeway. That alligator was brave!

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  10. You certainly made your mom's day bringing the whole gang to visit her. A special time, for sure. Great that Julie was able to rent a place at OL. You are right, nothing better than family time!

    I've looked and looked for that gator that lives at HBSP, but he always eluded me, yet you got to spend "quality time" with him. What's your secret? ;c)

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    Replies
    1. Don't tell anyone, but I am the Gator Wisperer ;o))

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