We have now lived here for 17 months – where did that go? Our home is most likely ( hoping) our last major move.
We decided on moving here – near the borders of N.C and S.C. because it was still within 61/2 hours and 8 hours of our families in NVA.
We have close friends who live about 33 miles away and more close friends who are building in that same area.
We enjoy our location for the close access to the beaches and major shopping and golf while still having that country feel.
While we do have the threat of Hurricanes – we are not in a flood zone. Having gone through category one – we have decided on anything past an category two – we most likely will leave.
We enjoy the 30- minute drives to shopping at the outlet mall and the many offerings of shows and entertainment of Alabama Theater and Carolin Opera!
Sunrise on OIB with boats racing for a fishing tournament – warm weather – ocean breezes in summer-time
lead to what locals call down here “THE SALT LIFE”!
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Tough choice – made easier by the drop back in 2020 for our 401K –
but also the increase in the value of the housing market!
We decided to sell – our daughter and family had moved – not far away – about thirty minutes on a good day of traffic!
But – before they were a mile away – we would pick up the little ones from school and have the youngest sometimes also.
It was an easy walk to their home and we spent a lot of time with them.
But it was the 401K – losing 30 plus % – yet the house gained more than that!
Another door had opened – an adventure awaited – we disclosed our plans – and we said we would be within an easy days drive
6 to 8 hours – but someplace warm and near a beach!
We also wanted to golf – for far less expensive than it was in NVA!
After a couple months of searching – we found our beaches – Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach – one four miles and the other six miles away – we wanted to stay on the mainland – and not in a flood zone – we found Cameron Woods Community.
We built our home – six to eight hours from our NVA families – they have come to visit numerous times and we have been back the same.
We live right across the street from four 18-hole golf courses and are within 30 minutes of another twenty-five!
We have new friends and neighbors – and are close to dear friends we have had for 35 years.
Our life had changed – we went through that door – it was not easy –
now we are in the twilight of our years – but every day brings new adventures and experiences.
A new day begins – another day to explore and live the Carolina life – thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD – OUR LIFE!
PAPA’S WORLD my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog fitztdf@aol.com OUR CAROLINA LIFE!
We had 13 peole who made it – good time – was very loud with the music – hard to hear – and we were spread out!
The music was country western and very good – I would go again to just listen and watch them.
The venue here is impressive – but if we come back I would want to eat in the back room where we could talk and visit – and maybe in smaller groups where we could see everyone and hear them.
But – for dancing and or just listening to the band – AONE in my book!
Our little neighborhood group – plus several could not make it – good times – good company –
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PAPA’S WORLD – A little neighbors get together at Local on the Water – in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The parents – Mike and Debby – held a birthday party with a Halloween theme for their daughter’s sixteen birthday!
Sarah has always wanted to have a birthday party such as this and being so close to Halloween – they decided to do it!
THE SKELTON WAS THE FOCAL POINT FOR THE FOOD AND ALL OF THIS WAS SARAH’S IDEAS!
It was a hit and everyone loved it! The food was almost all gone by the end of the party and over in the kitchen were meatballs – mac-cheese – salads and rolls!
DECORATIONS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE AND OUTSIDE – Sarah worked for two days!
STAIRWAY TO THE DANCE FLOOR IN THE CELLER – BOOKCASE IN THE LIVING ROOM!
OUTDOORS IN THE FRONT YARD AND THE BACKYARD – THE FORTUNE TELLERS BALL OWL AND RAVEN!
The birthday party – Sarah – SWEET 16 – and Sarah 1-year-old – thanks for reading Papa’s World- livinglifedoingitmyway.blog
Our daughter Debby is a QMND for the Juice Plus Company
For almost fifteen years she has lived a healthy lifestyle – and guided her family to eat healthily.
Her mission is to help families and their children eat healthily.
With two daughters in college and both playing soccer – making sure they get the Fruits – Veggies and Berries their young bodies need to maintain that active life they lead in college.
Debby with Maddy ( University of Lynchburg – Ella ( Randolph College) and husband – Mike.
Feed your plants – feed your children – health – nutrition – care – love and gratitude.
The effect of whole food nutrition – nutrients in capsule form – Debby – QMND – The Juice Plus Company.
If you would like more info from Debby – use my email – fitztdf@aol.com and I will relay it to her.
Debby – QMND – The Juice Plus Company
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Sarah Maddy Ella – raised taking Juice Plus – Healthy Lifestyle – with Debby – QMND – The Juice Plus Company
What seems like only yesterday – has been 22 years in the making!
Early family picture before Bode and the twins not walking yet.
The three oldest are on the left with their parents – Maddy – Ella and Sarah – on the right – Taylor and Cassidy- the twins.
Maddy – now 22 – Sarah – now 16 and Ella – now 19
I remember all three – on Christmas day – early – sitting at the top of the stairs – giggling – waiting for their parents to wake up and go down for their stockings!
This picture would have been about that time!
Now today – Ella – Maddy, and Sarah.
Ella and Sarah are tall like their grandma – Sherry who is 5’9″ – both Ella and Sarah are as tall or taller.
Maddy is 5’6″ – like her mom.
Maddy is a senior in college – Ella a Sophomore in College and Sarah is a Sophomore in H.S.
The time has gone by so quick – the little ones are all grown up and now are SISTERS!
By that, I mean confining with one another – all there for each other –
although years separate them – bonding keeps them close.
Sarah Maddy Ella SISTERS
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The reason why for the granddaughters – Sherry – grandmother.
From LITTLE ones to YOUNG LADIES – OUR GRANDDAUGHTERS – now grown up!
Never the selfish one – always the one who gives – both in life and college and on the pitch in soccer.
She works hard – her degree will be in Engineering Science – a 3.85 GPA.
Maddy is on the right with her teammates and roommate.
She is up early before sunrise to hike and run – when she visited us this last spring – she was on the beach for sunrise – capturing pictures and filming – her minor is Photography.
She runs – she hikes mountains – and most of all – a team player.
Maddy – not celebrating her own goal – but that of a teammate – that is Maddy!
This is her and her life.
She distributes the soccer ball from the left wing position – pinpoints passing and so fast in doing so.
She loves to score – but she loves to see others do the same.
Number 13 Maddy – celebrating teammate’s score.
Dedication for four years straight – a team award for going above the recommended physical fitness regimen for her team. The BELL AWARD was given to those players pictured here and for four straight years, Maddy has achieved that award from her coach.
Maddy was second from left – four years straight given this award from the coach and team captain her senior year.
The four years have gone by so fast – she has done this on her own since she was a sophomore in H.S.
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Papa’s World – The joy of college and soccer – MADDY!
Randolph College – the University of Lynchburg – one a sophomore – the other a senior.
Both colleges are in Lynchburg, Va. Ella is a sophomore, Randolph – and Maddy is a senior.- Lynchburg.
Both start on their teams – Maddy a wing and Ella midfielder.
Sad this most likely will be the last game they play against each other – but as a family – MEMORIES!
Captains meeting midfield – Ella middle on left in white – Maddy on the right – middle in black.
Shaking hands
And then THE HANDSHAKE AMONG SISTERS! MEMORY!
And then the procession out onto the pitch – Number 10 white – Ella and number 13 black – Maddy.
For us as grandparents and as mother and father – there is no winner and no loser !
For the granddaughters – bittersweet as for the second time – Maddy’s team has won.
Ella never came out of the game – and she has now started and played every game as a freshman
and now as a sophomore – the only freshman to accomplish that.
She will be a very good player when it is all said and done.
Maddy is ending her career for a third straight year as a starter.
Lynchburg has gone to the NCAA tournament for 16 straight and won a national title in 2016.
Wearing the same numbers all the way through – youth – travel and HS teams.
Since they both could walk with their father working with them on ball handling and passing – shooting and footwork – they both take the corner kicks for their teams.
Today Ella has grown so tall – almost 5’10”
Maddy will graduate in Engineering Science with now a 3.85 GPA!
No one lost here – proud parents Debby and Mike – the tradition of the family – love of soccer and life.
Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD and WHEN SISTERS MEET ON THE SOCCER PITCH!
We play scrambles with other couples – friends – guys vs. gals!
You take the total of your 18-hole score – then you get deducted one stroke for every par the other team made – and two strokes for a birdie and so forth.
Surprising – most scores then come down to one or two strokes – or even.
Buck Dottie Cindy Jim Papa Sherry – all these years friends.
We have tried other ways – giving and taking strokes – handicaps, etc.
And it all is in fun – but I will tell you – we tied the first nine and the guys won the second nine by one stroke while carding a 35!
THEY ARE THAT GOOD!
OH YEAH – I KNOW THE LAST ONE SO WELL!
DOTTIE
CINDY
SHERRY
Friends are priceless – all these years – song on 40-plus years.
We later went on the ICW on a pontoon boat – cruising up and down – a few drinks –
a lot of laughs and some singing.
Papa and Cindy – on the ICW – OIB to Holden Beach back to Sunset Beach and then OIB!
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Stepping out the front door of our house in Cameron Woods to the morning sunrise!
We choose this lot because of the sunrise and sunset from our driveway!
You look right to the East and left to the West!
Looking out the front door to the West!
We have been here going on fifteen months – and have had numerous sunrise and sunset skies
that is absolutely beautiful!
This is us! No snow or ice!
View of the front and looking SW toward the ocean some 2 to 4 miles away!
We are in OIB but on the mainland side – six miles to Sunset Beach and four miles to OIB.
The sunrise from the backyard – all the tree line to the right is protected!
Our backyard borders a protected area – it can not be developed or cut down – the second reason we chose this lot to build our new home!
Looking out at the backyard and treeline.
As we progress into the future – we have carefully had the landscape done – replacing pine straw with stones and mulch – eventually going to all stones and borders.
We also wanted an open patio and a firepit – along with a place to grow our own organic veggies – which we have done now year round!
This is now our third harvest since early spring – and are going on our second harvest of cucumbers!
She finally talked me into purchasing a grill and we often grill out here – we have no gas and the house is all electric – and electric stove tops we have found are hard to keep clean – thus I grill! LOL
Our little flower garden next to the treeline – now if we can keep the deer from munching the leaves! LOL
Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD and SUNRISE FROM THE FRONT DRIVEWAY!
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A call came on Wednesday – can you make 4:30 pm. if I make tee times on Friday?
Of course, we can – make them and we will be there – and so we did.
Sherry and I left early as we wanted to do some things in Wilmington, N.C.
Unless we go for a certain thing or event – we do not get there all that often.
We were golfing at Magnolia Greens located some eleven miles from the city.
Our friends live there and I think it to be one of the better courses down here.
Twenty-seven holes – and we were playing just nine this late afternoon.
Now it looks like we are looking for balls in the water – but we were in a huge sand trap on a par three – Cindy was raking the sand and Buck and I were picking up my ball and going to play his on the grass.
LOL story of my life!
We once again played a scramble against the ladies and once again we lost!
We had a couple bad holes – but we also played well – here we are on in two – par four hole and a putt for a birdie – which we did not make and ended up with a par.
You can see where Bucks putt went and I had still had to putt – did not make it and we settled for a par.
I love golf on TV!
It turned out to be a great day – beautiful weather – no humidity – 80 degrees!
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Papa’s World – Magnolia Greens – golfing with friends on a late Friday afternoon.
This time it was our home for one day and a day on the ICW – and then golfing.
We gathered at our home for an overnight – then on to Magnolia Greens to the McBrides for three nights.
Last two years we made the trip to WNY to stay with our friends back home.
We golfed on Friday – then picked up our WNY friends at the airport. Golfing is always a competition –
ladies vs. men!
And it is always too close to call after 18 holes!
The airport run was made and we moved to the McBrides just outside Leland, N.C.
We rehashed old times – had a few drinks – listened
to music and the next morning drove back to OIB to show our friends from WNY our home.
Later – we all went to OIB Fish Company to depart on an afternoon pontoon boat ride.
Papa shedding his shorts for swimming trunks – a good thing because of all the boat traffic – we hit waves that washed up and over us – getting wet was part of the fun and cool off!
This day it was a swimsuit!
Papa and Sherry – Jim and I traded off on steering the boat.
Jimmy steering the boat.
We were out there for four hours – going North to Holden Beach and then back South to Sunset Beach before returning to OIB!
Nature’s resources on the ICW – are awesome!
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PAPA’S WORLD – when friends come together – boating the ICW!
We got together with six other friends – all of who had or live back in WNY and WPA – for an afternoon of boating on the ICW from OIB to Holden Beach back to Sunset Beach and ended up back in OIB!
We planned this as a long Labor Day weekend – friends from WNY flew into Wilmington, N.C where they were picked up and we all stayed on the golf course of Magnolia Greens at our close friend’s house.
Friends for over 36 years and some over 40 years!
We try to do this at least once a year and two couples live close so we get together almost every week.
The afternoon boat rental was ideal although it was crowded out there on the ICW!
Carol and Mike who still live in WNY – run a family business that sends painting crews all up and down the Eastern seaboard and out to the midwest.
Me with Dottie whom I have been friends for 40-plus years.
Jim with Sherry – 40 years of friendship.
Cindy and I after singing “CAN YOU HEAR THE RAIN”!
A grand day to be on the ICW!
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Eating dinner after our four-hour boat ride on the ICW at OIB Fish Company – OIB
The four couples have been friends going on 35 years and some over 40 years.
We try to get together at least once or twice a year –
made more difficult because some still live in WNY and another couple in Va. Beach.
While Sherry and myself live 32 miles from the McBrides now.
A little humor to start your day!
Sherry and Papa steering the pontoon boat on the ICW from OIB to Holden Beach
We all rented a pontoon boat for four hours to cruise up and down the ICW from OIB – to Holden Beach and back to Sunset Beach – where we saw a lone Dolphin for over 15 minutes diving for food in 8 feet of water.
Jim Papa and Buck
It was really busy being labor day weekend – countless boats going both ways and creating waves!
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To be continued with more pictures of the ICW and friends.
Papa’s World – about to depart on the ICW with a young man getting us out of the crowded dock area.
PAPA’S WORLD – FUN TIMES – OLD FRIENDS – GETTING TOGETHER!
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