Putt Putt Golf at Myrtle Beach

When I was a kid we would go to Myrtle Beach, SC about once a year and camp at the Pirate Land Campground, first in our tent and later in a trailer. I remembered there were these awesome putt putt golf courses with volcanoes and waterfalls very elaborately done. We decided to drive back to my parents house through Myrtle Beach and see if things were as I remembered them. I thought maybe we could play a little putt putt golf if it wasn't too expensive. Paul (my pessimist, he calls himself a realist) was sure that my childhood memories were way overblown and I would be disappointed by the putt putt courses. The area had really changed. It was much more commercialized and very crowded. The putt putt golf courses, however, were even better than I remembered. We thought we would drive the strip once and then come back and play at the course that looked the best. As we drove the kids would holler out that's the one to every course we passed. They just kept getting better and better. We finally picked out one that we had two for one coupons for (a good thing with a family of eleven). It wasn't the most spectacular, but it was cool... Actually it was a sultry 97 degrees and us poor Alaskans were dying in the heat. I was ready to jump in the waterfall. We pretty much had the course to ourselves. I think everyone else was smart enough to wait till evening to play.
Sarah, Benjamin and I spent as much time as possible in this cave with a waterfall flowing over it. It was the coolest spot on the course.There was an East course and a West course each 18 holes. The boys went one way and the girls went the other and then we switched. The boys were taking way longer than the girls to finish the course and when I went to go take some pictures of them playing I found out why... They had to take time at every hole to figure out how it worked... why the ball kicked out in one direction while the water went the other, etc. Men... they're so curious and mechanical... and cute..

Deborah

Joshua

Paul and Quentin

Saying Good Bye...

As we got ready to leave the beach, my brother John Mark and his two daughters Elizabeth and Catherine left first. It was great getting to see them after so many years. John Mark's wife Sandy didn't get to come, so I'm hoping that it won't be so long until we see them again. Maybe they could come visit us in Alaska...

Next we said good bye to my sister and her husband Chris and their two daughters Callie and Carolina. It would be great if they came to see us in Alaska too...

It was an awesome week... Maybe we should make it an every 5 year event, instead of every 50...

We took the ferry as we left Carolina Beach, motor home and all...

The Family Picture

No Family Reunion would be complete without the Family Picture...

Below we got a good picture of my Mom and Dad with all 16 grandkids.

We tried several different locations...

Our family is in blue, my older brother John Mark's family is in green in the middle, my younger brother David's family is in white, and my younger sister Carole's family is in green on the right.
Since we were all so coordinated, we took the opportunity to snap a few photos of the family by the beach. I'm always looking for a really cool spot to take a family photo, so my family is used to it. They're really good sports about lining up and standing where I ask them to. One of these days I'm going to post a blog with all of my favorite family photos over the years.

The Men...

The Ladies..

David and Sarah, with Paul and Benjamin in the background.

50th Anniversary

My Mom and Dad got married 50 years ago June 20th, 1959. They look so young in their wedding pictures! They are just as in love today as they were then and they are still energetic and young at heart. Every year they travel to several places around the world doing medical missions work or rebuilding houses or churches. I thank God for my parents and the Christian home they raised me in... May God give them another 5o years together!

Mom walking the aisle with her Dad, Antoine Versteeg.

To the right of my Mom is my Dad's Dad, Bill and Bill's sister Catherine. Next are Mom's Mom and Dad, Antoine and Sarah.

We got Dad a new straw hat and Mom and new humingbird feeder for their 50th celebration.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Historic Wilmington and the NC Aquarium

We spent a morning touring historic Wilmington, NC. Below all the grandkids except Elizabeth and Catherine are posing on a huge ship propeller.

We took a tour of historic houses on the horse drawn bus.

The cousins have all been having a great time getting to know each other.

Another day we went to the North Carolina Aquarium. It was very interesting, but very crowded. I was happy to leave with the same nine kids I came with.

Paul's making sure Sarah doesn't jump in after the turtles.

The Pool

We had a pool with the house at the beach. It made it very nice for getting all the sand and salt off.

Below Uncle David is taking a turn at being lifeguard. He was always a fun lifeguard and stirred up lots of commotion in the pool.

Paul and Uncle Chris are using their turn as lifeguards to have a good visit.

Anna and Joshua especially liked the pool and turned into little fish for the week.

The tubes were terrific. We could keep a close eye on the little kids without carrying them around the pool. Sarah's even had a top for shade.

Quentin is relaxing.

The Beach

The trip to the beach was planned for over a year. With much anticipation we arrived totally excited. None of us were disappointed, the weather was perfect, the water was warm and we got to spend time with family we hadn't seen in years.

Joshua learning how to use the slide board.

Grandma taking a walk with David and Benjamin.

Below my brother John Mark's daughter Elizabeth is playing in the sand with David and Benjamin.

Below David is doing a little sand surfin'.

One day the waters were pretty rough. Abigail got a good scrape on her face when she got pounded into the shore by a wave. At one point my Mom asked me if the tide had gone down. What she really meant to ask was if the waves were any milder, I misunderstood and told her they were lower. Actually, they were still pretty wild. That's exciting if you're a 14 year old looking for a wild ride, for my Mom it was a little much. It's a good thing she's tough!

All the sun and wild wave riding were very exhausting. One afternoon the littlest kids passed out for a good nap. Paul volunteered to watch them.