Vernon Volumes text

Vernon Volumes text

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Montage Palmetto Bluff with Grandma Alice and Grandpa Rick

We arrived Thursday at Montage at Palmetto Bluff in SC with Grandma Alice and Grandpa Rick for a 4 night stay. We stayed in a house that happened to be right next door to the house we stayed in last year and since this house had a detached bedroom above the garage Grandma and Grandpa were able to come and join us. On Friday the kids had their virtual schooling and I did my work and then the rest of the time we goofed off together and enjoyed the slightly cooler weather. 







I hurt my back playing tennis on Tuesday last week so there was no tennis for me, but Paige did one clinic on Saturday morning and Andrea did a clinic on Saturday and Sunday morning. Thankfully I was still able to play pickleball with the family and we played together every day. It was fun mixing up the partnerships and we had some pretty entertaining and challenging points. Everyone's improved quite a bit and we got a lot of exercise together. 









Of course we enjoyed some good food as well. On the way to the resort we stopped off at McAlister's Deli and once we got here we ate at Fore & Aft by the hotel pool on Friday and then we ate at Buffalo's for lunch on Saturday and Sunday. We enjoyed the s'mores in the evenings and we also went to "Melt" the icecream shop a few times.






We swam at one of the pools and it was nice and uncrowded so we were able to spread out, throw some frisbees and hopefully didn't bother anyone with our wilding out.













Overall, it was a fun time together with everyone and we're enjoying the slightly cooler weather. 

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Surf lessons with Cierra


Connor and Paige had their second surf lesson with Cierra on Friday. They had better waves this time around and both were able to catch some pretty decent ones. The last time the waves were actually too strong and they were only able to go out one at a time. This time they both had boards and were able to try and catch waves together. There was a big blue foam longboard and a smaller wooden white one. They both tended to do better with the blue board, but it was a nice opportunity to practice with each.



Paige's "behind the mask" art project

 


Paige did an art project for school and it turned out super cute. It was called "Behind the mask".



Canceled Tennis tournament and cleaning in the rain

 

On Saturday September 12th, Connor and Paige were both scheduled to play in a tennis tournament in the neighborhood. We got them to the courts, put on sunscreen, took a pre-match picture and got Paige's court assignment. As Paige walked to her court with her opponent, it started to pour rain and we realized pretty soon that the tournament was going to be canceled for the day. It was rescheduled a few times, but as of today it doesn't look like we'll ever get it scheduled because of the weather.

We got home and during a lull in the rain we decided to do some work on the lanai. Just as we were finishing up, it started pouring rain again and I took a video of Andrea working with the kids. It actually felt better than when it's too hot.






Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Sea Island with kids - Labor Day

 


For Labor Day we went to Sea Island in Georgia with the kids. Andrea and I have been twice and it was the first time to bring Connor and Paige with us. The weather was pretty warm and the resort was more crowded than in our previous visits, but it was still not too bad. 

On Friday night, September 4th, we had dinner at Rainbow Island. The dinner was kind of like a buffet, but due to the COVID pandemic they had staff serving and handing out the food. We tried all kinds of yummy stuff Southern cooking. Andrea and I loved the Mexican street corn and the pulled pork and brisket was amazing.








On Saturday we had lunch by the pool and then we went to the beach for our Hobie sailing guided tour. We learned some sailing techniques and sailed North for about 30 minutes before turning around and sailing back. We saw a bunch of jellyfish and dolphins and we learned quite a bit about the area from our guide Ben.












Andrea and I played an hour of tennis each morning at 10am, and the rest of the weekend we spent mostly at the beach and pool. The waves were pretty intense and we saw a waterspout tornado near the beach. We ended up getting a little wet a few times, but overall the weather was pretty cooperative for our visit.





We went out to the Lodge twice during our visit. Once to see the bagpiper for dinner and once for lunch on the way out of town. We discussed our favorite foods at the Lodge and I wrote them down so we'd remember.

Andrea favorites: Pretzel and tomato caprese, Banana gooey cake. Least favorite: brocolini 

Paige favorites: Tomato caprese and Banana pudding. Least favorite: bacon cheese muffin

Connor favorites: sliced chicken “pork” and the Pretzel. Least favorite: pimento cheese biscuit 

Shawn favorites: Mint chocolate chip ice cream and Brocolini with meat loaf. Least favorite: tomato caprese











Wednesday, September 2, 2020

First day of school 2020 - Connor in 8th grade and Paige in 5th grade - remote learning

Monday, 8/31/2020, was the first day of school for Connor and Paige. Connor started 8th grade and Paige is starting 5th grade. We've committed to doing the first quarter remotely with the kids enrolled through their same schools. They both loved their first days and so far they're off to a great start. Connor liked that he didn't have to get up as early to catch the bus and he enjoyed seeing some of his friends that were in class through the teacher's webcam. Paige loved her teachers and her first art assignment she drew on her computer.