Lens-Artists Challenge #97: Pastimes

20May
by Oh, the Places We See

Do what you love, and love what you do.

 Israelmore Ayivor

Guest host Sue (Mac’s Girl) who writes The Nature of Things threw down the challenge of pastimes — what we spend our time doing outside of our work lives for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge. Since we’re at the beach for a week at Pawleys Island, South Carolina, for a little getaway (that still ensures a bit of safety during Coronavirus times) we’re sharing how we fill our days, just the two of us in a rental house on the North End of Pawleys.

Beach watching

Mornings begin early at the beach — well, most mornings — when we wake, throw on something to keep us decent and head out to watch the sunrise. Even though we’re groggy, there’s an infectious energy among morning walkers that perks us up.

Just before sunrise – North End, Pawleys Island, SC

And so we greet the sun, wide-eyed and waiting for more, as we take pictures and talk about the morning show.

Sunrise on the beach — North End, Pawleys Island, SC

Later in the day, you can find us under or beside a tent on the beach, celebrating the mesmerizing movement of waves up and back along the shore. (It’s just what we do when we’re not reading.)

But we also love to watch others doing what they like to do: build castles of sand, dig moats to catch the ocean, ride waves on a boogie board, surf, swim, bike, or fly kites.

Windy days — great for kites!

Sometimes everyone on the beach watches the same event, usually in awe, before returning to life as usual doing something that requires little or no effort whatsoever.

Everyone turned to watch this kitesurfer, working with the wind for great rides.

Beach watching on cloudy days mimics what we do on sunny days unless rain threatens to shorten the time on the beach. What gets our attention? Dark clouds overhead and a rumble of thunder or two.

Then we have to weigh in on what to do. Head inside? Or stick it out under the tent to see how long the rain will last? If we think it’s just a long stretch of cloudiness, we usually tough it out. After all, cloud cover can be neat to see, and high winds are fun for bundling up and walking with the wind at our backs as long as we can.

Sometimes we think we’re on the Weather Channel imitating those crazy reporters who stay way too long out in the hurricanes! Sometimes, though, we just have to give it up for the day and head inside.

Clouds over Pawleys Pier on the North End of Pawleys Island, SC

Shell seeking

This year at the beach, we were on a mission: Find a Pawleys Island shell or two. These little gems of the sea (real name: Imperial Venus Clam) populate the waters in and around Litchfield Beach and Pawleys Island, North End. But try as we have, we’ve never been able to find one along the shore, even a shore littered with shells.

A heart-shaped arrangement of Pawleys Island Shells from Whitmire Fine Jewelry

So, what do you do if your pastime doesn’t yield the goods you expected? You go to an expert for advice. And John Henry Whitmire who founded Whitmire Jewelers in 1972 filled the bill. He told us the name, location, and unique habitat of the shells, and how he re-creates them in silver and gold for those who want an authentic souvenir of the island.

John Henry Whitmire, owner of Whitmire Fine Jewelry, discussing the origin of Pawleys Island shells

And so it is that we are still seeking these shells, but not as ardently as we did at the first of the week. After all, Mr. Whitmire included a real one in the box with my new silver Pawleys Island Shell. (Shell seeking pays off, you see.)

Time spending

And then there are other pastimes at the beach: Working jigsaw puzzles even when you can’t find that one last border piece . . .

and cooking shrimp (from Georgetown’s Independent Seafood) and grits from Kudzu Bakery. (Check out a great recipe from Chef Frank Lee on Discover South Carolina.)

Mostly our pastimes are these: sit, read, rest, repeat.

After all, we’re on island time!

Rusha & Bert

Be sure to check other posts on Lens-Artists Challenge #97: Pastimes.

42 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #97: Pastimes”

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      Bert just finished one with old cars and 50s signs. It was called “Clunkers”! I wish we would do something with them since they take so much time. But we just tear them apart and put the pieces back in the box. Do you do anything with yours? Thanks for commenting and taking a look at our posts.

      Reply

      1. M.B. Henry

        I do the same, actually. Then since puzzles are a bit hard to come by now, I like to let people borrow them who need something to do. My neighbor and I especially have begun swapping puzzles!

      5. M.B. Henry

        One of them is still electronic only and the other one just opened for curbside pickup only this week. I sure do miss them!

  3. Ross Lenhart

    For nearly 80 years, I have been “a PI northender”. I loved your blog ~ thanks so much for posting. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      And I love that you’ve been a PI northender for a gloriously long time! I must admit, I’m not a fan of the new sand at the south end, so we may try to rent north from now on. We love strolling the beach, picking up shells, reading, and watching the sun make the water sparkle. Thanks for visiting my blog. Check out Lens-Artists #98: Delicate Colors for sundown on the marsh. 😘

      Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      We love the houses on the beach. In fact, we play a game by asking each other which one we would like to have. Of course, we’ll never have one, but our answer is usually this: I’ll bet I could make do in that one!!! Thanks for taking a look.

      Reply

  6. Amy

    Thank you for taking us to S.C. beaches Rusha! Enjoyed the beautiful beach watching with you. Gorgeous photos!

    Reply

  8. Miriam Hurdle

    Such an enjoyable and relaxing trip you had, Rusha. We love walking on the beach to watch the sun going down slowly. But when it reached the horizon, I realized that it’s actually going down quite fast. We went to SC right after Katrina and my husband went diving. It didn’t have the weather for us to see too much. Thank you for sharing all the lovely activities you had.

    Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      You are quite welcome. It is relaxing here. And a time to appreciate nature. We leave in two days, and although we’ve been here a week, I feel that there’s never enough beach time. Oh, well. Maybe next year! Best wishes for some quiet time for you as well.

      Reply

      1. Miriam Hurdle

        I’m happy that you got to travel during this time. We still have to be careful in CA. The cases and deaths decreased a little but we’re still #5 on the stats. Thank you for your best wishes, Rusha!

  9. Anonymous

    This looks so relaxing that it gave me an idea 🙂 Are the waters warm enough to swim mid-June? We were hoping to go somewhere for a bit of mental break, but still avoid the crowds. Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      It’s my experience that the ocean is usually chilly; however, many kids and their parents are swimming there as we speak. I think you just get used to it, and on a hot day, it feels really good!! Hope you get a place. The ocean really does restore my soul.

      Reply

  11. Tina Schell

    So nice to see you enjoying the beautiful S.C. beaches Rusha. I’m a bit surprised you were able to rent this year. Many of the beach towns including ours were closed to renters during pandemic times. The shells are gorgeous and your cloud images are wonderful

    Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      Pawleys just re-opened, and, as you can imagine the beach was packed both Saturday and Sunday. Cars were parked everywhere there was even a tiny bit of space. We’re enjoying the North End — a first for us. Thanks for the compliments.

      Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      So glad you said this. I was afraid everyone who wrote using this challenge word would be much busier than we are. But somehow the hours are slipping away, and our week ends Saturday — pastimes or not!

      Reply

  14. kzmcb

    Oh, how wonderful. I feel so envious. seeing your gorgeous sunrise shots over the beach and those unusual shells. What a well-earned break for you. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      Thanks for taking a look. It may not seem that we are accomplishing anything, but my appreciation of nature is way up on the spectrum. Hope you are well and enjoying the last days of May.

      Reply

  16. Sue (Mac's Girl)

    Wonderful pictures for the challenge, Rusha! What could be better than spending time at the beach. I always loved collecting shells and it looks like you found the ideal person to tell you all about them. I know what you mean about finding that last piece of the puzzle. For us, it’s usually on the floor somewhere. Thanks so much for participating in the challenge.

    Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      Thanks so much. I was afraid that I wouldn’t have much to share because we truly don’t do much here but relax. However, soaking up beauty takes skill and time, right? So, I guess that is a pastime I should have included! Good choice of prompts, in my opinion. Thanks.

      Reply

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