We interrupt this blog....

You might think I'd be interrupting my art blog to talk about the THIRTY inches of snow (so far) out my window. Or I could complain about the knitting class, cancelled, that I was supposed to start today....or the stack of manilla envelopes from my Blythe sale that I won't get to mail....but, I am sick of talking about the snow! Yawn. So six inches ago.

People have gone completely bonkers here around Washington, DC and Baltimore. The record snow is the only thing anyone wants to talk about. It's the only thing on the television and radio, and, well, it is the only thing I can see out the window. Any delineation of sidewalks or parking lots is long gone.

So. Let's talk serial killers. Nice segue, huh? I realize very few people will be able to fully appreciate this post, about a lovable serial killer. But you have to understand Tim Dorsey, or Serge, his protagonist, or both. (Can't you just hear Coleman asking what a protagonist is?) Yes, only Tim's fans will understand "lovable" and "serial killer" in the same sentence, but Serge is the Robin Hood of serial killers. And it's all in good "fun." It's sort of a giant tongue-in-cheek nod to the great madcap capers/detective genre/mystery/fiction/south-Florida wackos. You've just got to read Tim's books to understand.

I'm not done with Gator A-Go-Go yet. I've been moving slowly for me, because I've been busy. But so far, so good. Last year's January release, Nuclear Jellyfish, was a scream. I was lucky enough to attend a Tampa book signing the week of the release and meet Tim. That's me above (denim jacket) at Inkwood Books in Tampa on a warm and rainy night. I've been a fan of Tim's since early on, shortly after Florida Roadkill was released in 1999. You don't have to start there at all, but it's not a bad place to start. Might I also recommend Hammerhead Ranch Motel (#2)

I was a Carl Hiaasen fan (back when Carl was wacky and "Skinky") and Dave Barry (forget the middle-age-man-emoting, read Big Trouble) when I discovered Tim. I had also been reading all the "cozies": Carolyn Hart, Lilian Jackson Braun, Sue Grafton (yes, Sue and Kinsey are "cozy" to me). Then I found Tim. And I haven't looked back. In fact, I'm always looking forward. It's very hard to wait a year for each book. Meanwhile, if you like wacky with a message (not that Tim's don't have a message because they do) try Christopher Moore. He's a nut; just check his Amazon author photo. My fave is You Suck, but Practical Demon-Keeping and Island of the Sequined Love Nun just get me for their titles. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove was a fave, too.

Back to Tim. We exchanged a few emails. I love his sly little references to Indiana now and then. (He lived there briefly as a babe). Nice nod to Ball State in 'Gator'. I realized before we met that he used to work at the Tampa Tribune with someone I know well. Such a small world. And he's in the same journalism geography as Carl Hiassen and Dave Barry. Just another south Florida coincidence no doubt.

So, back to the review of Gator A-Go-Go. I'd review it, but I'm busy having a blizzard. Just read it; it's great. Anyone I've ever sent to Tim has thanked me profusely. But then, I only send "certain" people to Tim. You know who you are.

So What IS it About Myrtle Beach?

So just what it is about Myrtle Beach, S.C., North Myrtle Beach to be exact, that would bring a 40-something here nearly 40 times in the last 22 years? Uncrowded and wildly pretty beaches? Dolphin sightings? Pre-Civil War history? Low country food? Outlet shopping? I do love it all and think Myrtle Beach and South Carolina in general have long taken a back seat to Florida when it comes to southern vacations.

However, MB has enjoyed steady traffic since post-WWII as northerners came straight down I-95 for fun in the sun. Canadians made the trek, too, as evidenced by MB's salute to them annually in March called Can-Am Days. In fact, in the 1940s-1960s The Grand Strand had its heyday, with teens piling in cars to drive across several states to come to The Pavillion - an amusement park on the ocean's edge. That landmark was just torn down this year and the site remains vacant with no current plans.

I can remember coming to Myrtle Beach in the mid-1980s when one could not drive down Ocean Avenue in the late spring for all the foot traffic, cruising cars and general mayhem. Not long before that, Myrtle Beach was home to the now-famous band Alabama (who would have followed a band named South Carolina?), who in their early days played spots like The Bowery and The Spanish Galleon and provided accompaniment for couples dancing The Shag. Thankfully, I am too young to know what that is, but it was created and made famous on the Grand Strand. Alabama paid homage to their MB roots by opening The Alabama Theatre and playing here several times a year. At one point they also opened an Alabama restaurant, but that has since become a Nascar Cafe, complete with driving experience, go-carts, big-name cars on site and bungee jumping (not sure of the tie-in? death, maybe?).

But, I don't come for any of these things. In fact, I've never been to any of the attractions I just mentioned. I do love the history. It's not hard to imagine shipping captains stopping here for the white sand beaches, and from there it's a short leap to thoughts of pirates, mermaids and all sorts of ghost legends, which run rampant here.

South Carolina in general also has plenty of Revolutionary and Civil War history, and although I haven't done it, I would love to visit some really old cemeteries. It's also not hard to see how South Carolina could have gone the way of the Confederacy and become it's own little country. The really old folks seem to recall those days fondly. The roadside shacks, although today a sign of severe poverty here, seem to harken back to those renegade times.

One place I have visited on several occasions is Brookgreen Gardens, one of the largest American sculpture gardens if not the largest US collection. Brookgreen Gardens was founded by sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband and their former summer home/mansion can be seen at Hutington Beach State Park. At Brookgreen, which I last saw in March, I particularly enjoyed Frog Baby, whose Baby cousin (I guess) is a famous statue full of lore at my alma mater, Ball State University. I also really liked AHH's huge aluminum sculpture of Don Quixote, which appealed to the Spanish major in me, having read that a time or two and doing a couple papers on Miguel de Cervantes' hero/anti-hero.

Shelling is not the best here, at least not anymore. Twenty-five years ago we could find whole, large sand dollars and starfish, best found after a storm and more likely up the coast in North Carolina, at Sunset Beach or Holden Beach. It has been so long since I have found a whole shell bigger than one inch! Certainly, shelling is better in Florida, at places like Sanibel, Bradenton and others.

South Carolina also seems to have a more specific "menu" than the melting pot that is Florida. Low country cuisine includes very certain things and preparation styles. When I'm here, I say, bring on the cold boiled shrimp, the hush puppies and honey butter and those with a stronger constitution will add the collard greens, fried green tomatoes, crawfish, sweet tea and key lime pie (also a Florida specialty). Dining in MB is so popular there are caution lights and warning signs for driving on "Restaurant Row" during the dinner hour. Now, there is every possible chain restaurant and fewer and fewer famous local spots. Ella's in Calabash, NC, "just up the road" remains open for glorious fried seafood.

Sitting on the beach is of course a favorite and famous past-time here, made more enjoyable by the fact that the beaches are usually not too crowded, except during high season of June-August. Even then, it is not as elbow-to-elbow as Hilton Head, four hours to the south, or anywhere in Florida for that matter. But, in spring or fall, my favorites here and at home, one can sit on the beach, lie in the sun all day and not be bothered by anyone near. There are relatively few boats, fishermen, no motorized traffic allowed, no vendors hawking anything and only the occasional airplane with an advertising banner trailing after.

When I first came here, I used to think Myrtle Beach was only for "old" people. Now that it appears I may be one of "them," I see the last 22 years have taught me a lot about this favorite second home, and it is also much easier to see MB offers a lot for young people, children, adults, seniors and even late-night bloggers and artist wannabees. Something for everyone.

Hello From Sunny Florida

No pictures to post; no camera here; but I feel incomplete if I don't blog regularly! I am in sunny Florida, from sunny Indiana, for a week of work. My base is Orlando. Today I saw a power station and one of the towers of wires and such, out of many, was shaped like a mouse head with the famous ears. I wonder how Disney arranged that? Today was spent seeing clients in Tampa. Did not spot a single art-related store, although an ARTchix pal told me a couple exist. We were going to meet up, but she teaches school, and I was in and out of Tampa during the day. Being in ZNE and ARTchix and other groups makes it kind of fun to know there are kindred souls all around. In fact, I recently mailed an art card to an Artchix chick in England who is sending me one in return. I was a little skeptical when the post office charged me only 90 cents, but Charline in Lincolnshire tells me it arrived, finally. Can't wait to get home to work on my 27 skinny book swap pages (front and back!) and I have one 4 x4 page due in Oct. for breast cancer awareness. I want to get all this done before vacation beckons!

Travel ATC Swap-Off to 1950s Florida!

I am so excited about the cards I finished last night for my ArtChix travel ATC Swap. These were so fun to do with the vintage images I had from ArtChix Studio plus bits of nautical ephemera I had. I am waiting on a great batch of old Florida postcards from ebay (16 for 99 cents!!), so I can make some more. Upcoming projects include a sepia swap, Art and Scent swap (hmmm), pet faux postage creations contest (time for Larry and Lester to get famous) and, yes, a Halloween witch hat swap with Heather of speckled-egg.blogspot (check out new link at right).