I Survived!

Some of you know that we had Baby M overnight last night. She arrived at 7:30 AM on Wednesday and stayed so her parents could go to a concert in Columbia after work. They came and picked her up around 1:15 AM today.

18 hours with a 9-month-old is not for sissies. No matter how cute they are.

Of course, she did nothing that her sweet mommy said she would do. When you're at Grandma's you do whatever you want to do. That includes exhausting Grandma.

We did survive! And I did have help as Baby M's Auntie Breezy was here all day. But let me just say that the admiration I have for single parents has grown tremendously. I don't know how they do it.

So, the next two pictures mean someone is sleepy. But this is not equal to the act of actual sleeping. Because Baby M is highly allergic to daytime sleeping or, as I call it, napping. Which is very important when you're the grandma because you aren't as young as you once were and tired comes much earlier now.

Auntie Breezy and I figured we'd get Baby M nice and tired by taking her to Shem Creek Park.

We went out around 9:00 while the weather was not yet sweltering and before the people came out. You can see the triangles on the Ravenel Bridge in the center of the next picture.

It was a nearly perfect morning. Why nearly? Because it was still a bit warm for me. Otherwise, gorgeous!

The scenery is pretty nice out there. Can you see the Ravenel Bridge triangles on the right?

We enjoyed ourselves.

So did Tucker who met some new friends in between sniffing and peeing on everything we passed. He thought it was a bit warm, too. Don't worry, I forgot my water but brought plenty for him and Baby M.

But this little stinker never showed one sign of tiring out.

We thought about sticking around and hitting one of the restaurants for an early lunch but the two grown-ups were ready for a nap. Which never happened. Except for Tucker who takes a nap whenever the spirit moves him to do so.

Even though our attempt to tire out Baby M failed, it was quite a nice morning. Shem Creek Park is a good place for grandparents to take their grandchildren. It's not usually crowded out there and the people who do frequent the boardwalk are, for the most part, quite nice and engaging. There are plenty of coastal birds to watch and, on a lucky day, maybe a dolphin or 5. You can watch the shrimp boats come and go depending on what time you go and, since Charleston Harbor is at the end of the boardwalk you might even see some big ships headed out to sea. All of the restaurants on Shem Creek are family friendly and provide outdoor seating which is my favorite because we always see dolphins. There is also indoor seating by big windows so you can enjoy those frolicking dolphins while sitting in the AC. But seriously, every inch of the boardwalk is in FULL SUN (there are two covered areas with seating, though) so remember the SUNSCREEN and know that it will be HOT even in the morning most of the year. Oh, and there is a nice little (and I mean patio sized) 'park' area with seating and vegetation that is nice and cool about halfway between the beginning and the end of the boardwalk.

And yes, I'm still alive. But I'll be tired for a week.

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles!
There's a special running through the month of April!
$10.00 OFF your purchase of $30.00 or more! 

On the Boardwalk

Today's the day I announce the winner of the coaster set! I'll do that at the end so, if you can't wait, scroll on down and see who it is!

It's nice to have a walk after a meal, don't y'all agree? I find it especially nice when I am lucky enough to share the walk with a good friend.

After our lunch on Wednesday, friend Stro and I headed to the boardwalk at Shem Creek Park for a nice walk. I brought along my camera in hopes of spotting some nice, photogenic wildlife. I was not disappointed. Well, except that it was 76 degrees and HOT. Thankfully, there was a lovely breeze. Ok, wind, but it was nice.

We were greeted by Pete the Pelican who was created by a student out of the plastic trash and debris found in the marshes in an effort to raise awareness about the amount of marsh debris and the dangers of littering. I think that's at least partially correct. I took a picture of the sign but I can't read it so...

If you look in the center and to the right in the picture, you can see the two diamonds of the Ravenel Bridge.

This the beginning of the boardwalk. It looks really LONG, but it isn't. It only takes about 20 minutes to walk. Unless you're looking for wildlife. That's Stro trying to get out of the picture. She didn't make it. :)

Can y'all see that monstrosity in the background of this picture? I can't begin to tell you the controversy over that parking garage. It's as hideous as we thought it would be and shame on town council for the sneaky way they pushed it through. That's all I'm saying.

The shrimp boats are always a nice feature on Shem Creek. These are facing Charleston Harbor to the right and the Atlantic Ocean to the left. The sunshine was sparkling on the water surface.

Most people think everyone in Mount Pleasant is rich and live in houses like these. We are not. We do not. There are 2 or 3 of us that the rich people have yet to run off. The same dang thing happened on Sullivan's Island years ago.

I always enjoy seeing the pelicans. Look at the patterns in his feathers!

Not the best picture ever taken but I think it's good enough for y'all to see him heading straight for us. Or so it seemed. He cut just to the left.

Egrets were the bird of the day. This one was standing on the boardwalk rail hoping a fisherman would share his bait. He did.

 This white snowy egret decided to work for his meal.

Aren't they pretty? I have a few others that y'all will probably see on some coasters in the near future.

It was a lovely day on the boardwalk at Shem Creek Park.


OK, now for the most exciting part of this post! The winner of the coaster set is: 

APRIL who is the blogger at STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART. If you've never visited April before, hop over and share some blogger love with her. She's one of the sweetest people y'all will ever 'meet'. 

Congrats, April! I just need your mailing address and I'll get the coastal birds coasters in the mail to you! I hope you will enjoy them!

Stay tuned, y'all! I'll be hosting a few more giveaways soon. Next, it's a set of note cards from CoasterDoodles! After that a couple of products from Lovely2's business, Twigs and Roots ! Last, but not least, we may have a giveaway from NuNaturals! Though the last one requires me to get off my lazy bum so, we'll see. LOL 

Have a wonderful weekend!