chuckography

"...with my hat in hand."

A nice Wednesday spent walking around Folly Beach!

Temps in the low 70s, sunny, small crowds.

A quiet little pub crawl perhaps.

Uh oh. Leaving one beachfront place, heading for another, and my Smartphone starts ringing. It SOUNDS important.

"We have your hat," a pleasant voice says.

Thank goodness Tilley Hats have a large label where you are encouraged to write your name and phone number.

I hustled back, thanked the nice people at Rita's Seaside Grille and resumed my afternoon stroll.

The surf was really small this day.

But, some people keep their boards handy. Hey, conditions could suddenly change.

Sunroofs and surfboards work great together.

So many places to stop and relax at the bar for a while. Some have been there forever and others opened just recently.

Did I mention it was a sunny day?


Not completely cloudless, but very close.

Technically, I was BORN on Folly Beach.

I can show you my long-form birth certificate.


Actually I was born at the old St. Francis hospital on Calhoun Street but the documents in those days listed where the mother was living and that was at the beach.

Saw a vintage poster in a window on Center Street that probably went back a little further.

Bet my Mom and her sisters looked a lot like that when they played as island girls growing up back in the dunes in the 1920s.

Compared to Myrtle Beach, the 3 and 4 story condos do not dominate the skyline. The newly-named TIDES hotel appears to be the tallest place around.

Sitting at the outdoor bar at Blu in the former Holiday Inn, it was easy to spot the pale visitors who were determined to work on leaving with a tan from their time here on holiday.

Not too many hills in the Lowcountry but I saw a painted mural that included a cute takeoff of an iconic California landmark.

Inside Follywood looked about how I remembered wolfing down a Sunday morning brunch or stopping in for a killer hot dog.

But, this evening, I sat down to a tasty meal of skewered steak and shrimp at The Grill ..on the edge on Center Street.

It was opened last August by a trio of noted local restaurant owners and appeared to have a steady crowd coming in.

Looks like another success story on my favorite island - Folly Beach.


(Click twice on the pictures for more details. Recovering my $70 Tilley hat - with a $20 bill tucked inside - equals about 4 months of what I pay for my Smartphone. Good ROI.) Thanks for beach combing with me today.

Labels: Blu restaurant, Follywood, long-form birth certificate, Rita's Seaside Grille, Sand Dollar Social Club, St. Francis Hospital, The Grill..on the edge, The Tides Hotel.

posted by chuckography @ 2:35 PM