Explore!

Location | Bluffton, South Carolina

This year I decided to spend my mom’s birthday, December 23rd, until January 2nd in South Carolina. My parents live in Bluffton, right outside of Hilton Head Island, so besides being in a resort area, it’s warm during the winters… well, except for this year. Not only was it cold, but it also SNOWED. Ok, I went down south to escape the cold weather, but unfortunately, it followed me.

Cousins digging into the food

First we had a really great Christmas dinner. My cousins had all come down from Michigan, Taiwan and California. They had gone to Disneyworld the week before, and then drove up to my parent’s house. We had a traditional Thanksgiving!? meal. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, candied yams and various other dishes. I love Thanksgiving food!

Cooking crab. He look so sad.

The last day of 2010, my parents and I went to a seafood purveyor and got a dozen blue crabs and a lot of shrimp. We brought them home and steamed the crap out of everything. Above is the sad crab.

My dad pulling stubborn crabs out of the bag.

The crab’s claws weren’t tied together, so they were really stubborn when we tried to pull them out of the bag. We required my dad’s assistance in getting them into the pot.

Steamed Shrimp.

The final dish was the steamed shrimp. Doesn’t it all look good?

[Flickr Set]

Location | Charleston, SC

Today we decided to go to the oldest plantation in the Charleston area – Magnolia Plantation.

Old Slave Quarters

We took a tour by tram that basically took us through A LOT of swamp, but what used to be rice fields.

Do you see the ducks?

We also walked around their garden path – it’s the oldest garden in America. Um, it wasn’t very impressive, but nonetheless, it was relatively enjoyable.

Boat for pretty photos

I'm not really smiling, oh well.

Pretty bridge

It was an expensive tour, but it gave me and my mom something to do. Plus I got to take photos – always a bonus.

Flickr set.

Location | Sun City, SC

The retirement life here is simple. After working your butt off during your formative years, then save enough money to move south where it’s warm all year round and live the rest of your life in the glory of sun, other retired people, and a lot of other fun activities.

Ok, so my parents aren’t retired yet, but they are living in a community made primarily of retirees. It’s 6000 houses, with a population of 10,000 people. More houses to be built soon, with new facilities and just all around other great stuff.

For under $300,000 you can find a great 2BR house, with sun-room, giant chef’s kitchen, etc that’s nestled on a lagoon or golf course (or both). Then when you want, you can go to the marina where your boat/sailboat/yacht (let’s hope for a yacht) is docked to go on a trip. If you want to be active, there’s tennis, softball, swimming, ping-pong, badminton, golf… there’s also arts & craft rooms, cards & other games, pool… so much to do!

Ah, the retired life is great! Once I retire I’m gonna buy a small house somewhere cheap, get a boat and spend all my time traveling. Which will in turn dry up my funds… but oh well! THAT’S the life!

Location | Model Home – Sun City, SC

Taking a tour of this retirement community makes me realize that one day I’d like to retire somewhere as nice (ha, if not in the countryside in Europe). With kitchens larger than my apartment in NYC, closets bigger than my bedroom (imagine how many shoes I could fit in there!!) and backyards filled with silly little birds… Could I ask for anything more?

There’s tennis courts, pools, golf courses, gardens, nature walks, bocce ball, club houses and to boot it’s gated and a house is less than $300,000.

6000 houses + 1200 currently being built… Talk about huge! Retirement here is good.

Location | Astoria, NY

Heading down to Savannah today. Excited to take a lot of pictures and share the beauty of old Savannah with ya’ll. Not only that, since my parents moved to Bluffton, South Carolina, outside of Hilton Head, I’ll hopefully have a lot of nice resort-y pictures to post.