The story I am about to tell to you is not the whole story because I was only on the periphery for most of it. In the beginning, I was a babysitter; in later chapters, I was just a facilitator on the way to becoming a strong advocate. Forty years ago, six lovely ladies went on a special trip to a happy place and have returned every year since. Their most recent trip wrapped up last week.
What I know about the story is limited to what is shared with me every year—most of what happened in Hilton Head stayed in Hilton Head. Nevertheless, I can tell you that the framework of the story centers around six busy ladies wanting to get away from the demands of making life easier for husbands and young children and go to a place where life moved at a slower pace. I am confident that they let their hair down a bit, but, as you can tell from the pictures, they are mostly a short-haired bunch.
In 1980, Anne, one of six young Moms living in the same neighborhood, was offered the use of a beach house in Hilton Head, SC, owned by her parents. Her mother said she would babysit Anne’s three children while she and her husband, Ralph, went away for a long weekend. For reasons long ago forgotten, Ralph didn’t want to go and, Ralph never got another chance. Not one to waste an opportunity (or anything else for that matter), Anne invited five Moms to share the house, and, thus, a tradition was born.
I remember well that first trip. The moms gathered in Posey’s driveway all a-twitter with excited anticipation. Anne’s well-traveled Volkswagen van was filling quickly with luggage and “supplies” (code for wine). Standing alongside were several husbands and young children, some not yet informed that Mom was about to disappear for a few days. The Moms moved quickly lest a disgruntled babe cast a pall over the departure. Husbands held their breath—cancellation was not an option. The van pulled out. I’m not sure I even got a wave goodbye. I do remember what happened next. Within ten minutes, my youngest fell and received a cut requiring stitches. I spent the afternoon in the pediatrician’s office with a three-year-old screaming for Mommy. As a footnote, the van died every time they stopped and the ladies had to push it off before they could continue on their merry way.
After that first trip, I learned that Hilton Head was declared an annual event. I asked if this was open to discussion.
“Only among the six of us,” came the rapid reply.
Since that first pilgrimage, the only decision was not if Hilton Head was on, but when. The hard and fast rule was that the departure date became established once every participant had a clear calendar in the same week, usually in the spring. Over the years, many girl’s nights out were necessary to nail down the date of this event. The trip dates ranged from October to April.
There was one constant in all of those trips—lots of fun and lots of laughter. One of the stories I’ve heard often concerns the time that a generous soul paid for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. Suddenly, there were funds in the budget for another bottle of wine. I learned many years later that it was Helen’s turn to drive home that night and mistakenly drove down and through a grassy median instead of the proper access to the other side of the highway. Howls of laughter filled the rear of the van. Thankfully, Uber has taken Helen’s place at the wheel.
There was the day when all rode bicycles to lunch. A sudden downpour threatened to soak everyone to the bone on the way home, so the restaurant owner gave them each a plastic bag to wear in place of a raincoat. I have a picture as evidence. They still comment on how cute they were.
Many birthdays were celebrated on those trips. One year, they celebrated Conni’s birthday by hiring two young, handsome, kayak guides to lead them on a kayak expedition through open water to a house owned by Anne’s brother. When they arrived, Brother met them with a tray of glasses filled with champagne. Hours later, the float trip home was a lot more fun.
This year, they decided to add a small amount of levity to the seriousness of the coronavirus situation and decorate face masks should they be necessary. Here’s the picture of that undertaking—cuteness reigns.
There have been many changes in forty years. At first, the event took place over a long weekend. Not surprisingly, it has now stretched to a full week. A new rental replaced the Volkswagen van…still filled with luggage and supplies. Husbands are not required to babysit any longer. In the beginning, they always rented bicycles. This year, they rented tricycles for the first time. The word is, the trikes were a hit.
The changes didn’t affect every aspect of Hilton Head. Helen continues to take a jigsaw puzzle every year. Anne paints and shares her skill by giving classes to all who want them. Posey and Beth keep everyone in good spirits, and Priscilla remains the resident authority on sports and sends out an alert if a game or tournament is on television during the stay. Everyone contributes their favorite recipes and demonstrates their cooking skills on nights spent in the beach house.
I don’t know much more than what is shared here except that as soon as one trip ends, planning for the next one begins. I consider that a beautiful tribute to friends and friendship and the love, regard, and respect that each has for the other. Forty years is a long time, even for the happiest of habits, and I think each would agree that time sure does fly when you’re having fun.
One of the best stories ever! Big smile on my face.
Thanks for sharing
Hello, Dynamo,
This really is a wonderful story. Thanks for checking it out. Hope all is well. JCB
Well done. You captured it perfectly
Thanks! I love to be around Posey and I know that all of the HH “Gang” treasure her friendship.
Very sweet tradition. My Bearden High School friends and I spend every spring in a cabin in Townsend. We cook and eat and laugh and sometimes cry. It’s good for the soul.
Hi, Phyllis,
I’ve seen a few pictures on FB of those cabin trips and it warms the heart. Everyone looks great. Hope you all continue the tradition as long as you can. Great hearing from you.
Joe, you are a wonderful story teller and this is one of your best.You did a good job for a fella with no information.
Helen and her friends are so lucky to have each other and to celebrate their friendship in this way. All the ladies giving the van a push reminds me of a scene from Little Miss Sunshine. I had to laugh out loud at that one.
Cheers to friendship and may they celebrate many years to come!
Good morning, Suzanne,
Thanks for the kind comments. I had to work hard to obtain what I was allowed to know. Usually, I would just listen to the conversations when know one knew I could hear them sharing stories. The dead battery in the van story remains one of my favorites. It just shows how determined they were to begin this tradition. A lot of the chapters in this story have faded, but that one lives on!
What a wonderfull tribute to friendship and the importance of cultivating relationships.
Great photos, Helen. Beautifully told, Joe.
Hi, Donna,
Life is about making memories and these ladies have made some great ones. Helen treasures these trips and time with her friends. They’re already talking about the next one!
A beautiful tribute to good friends !!! I’m so glad I got to know these ladies when we lived on Forest Brook!!! Love the stories !!!
Hello, Luanne,
They’re a wonderful bunch, and have a lot of fun together. And to think, it all started in Forest Brook where memories were made for all of us! Thanks for stopping by. Joe
Great story. I’m envious of people who remain friends for so long. Keep enjoying each other. I can relate to going from bicycles to tricycles.
Hey, Michael,
I haven’t made it to the trike yet, but with knees like mine, it won’t be long. May have to invest in a Vespa. Thanks for stopping by. These ladies know how to have fun!
Great Job Joe,
Friends are the best and the stories that go with friendship. We think of you and Helen often. We drove back from Key West for a number of reasons and on the map was a town named Tylertown, MS. We remembered this as the hometown of Dwight and Ellen Luther whom you may not of known, but were the prior occupants of your apartment in Germany. Anyway, we drove to Tylertown and Sally saw a sign for Luther’s Supply. We stopped and sure enough it was Dwight’s familys’ business and we now have their address in Dallas. It is a small world….
Regards to all, you do a wonderful job of story telling.
Thank you.
Rod Thompson
Hello, Rod,
Wow! It really is a small world. I remember Dwight, but I had forgotten his last name and I’m sure I never knew his hometown. Good find! Hope Key West went well, and that you had some good wind for sailing. Stay in touch. Joe
Great story this week! Girl’s beach trips are the best!! I’ve been going on a trip very much like this for around 15 years…my friend, Leslie ,included me and several other ladies on her annual high school girls beach trip. We now do monthly dinners and call ourselves the “beach girls”(even though we’re not girls anymore all in our 60s). These trips are like hitting a reset button on the computer… refreshing. Making beautiful memories with friends and family is what life is all about. I look forward to your weekly “easingalong” very much! Thanks for making me smile.
Good afternoon, Kathy,
It is great that you have a beach trip with your friends and that you gather to talk about it. Making memories is what life is all about and I’m certain you have some to treasure. Glad to have you along with us and I hope you will stay in touch.Joe
I’m smiling, you captured the fun times! Great story of our friendship!
Anne
Hi, Anne,
Well you set this in motion and we’re all grateful. The husbands all agree that this tradition has done much to keep all of us together. We’re blessed!
Joe, I absolutely love your blog and while all are very interesting and fun, this touched my heart! What a gift these ladies have had over these 40 years. Love the stories and pictures! Makes me wish I had lived on that street long ago and could have been a part of this group! Blessings and keep up the blog, you are a fantastic writer and it often makes my day! Miss you all.
Hello, Catherine,
It is so great to hear from you and thanks for the kind comments. We miss you and Steve muchly, and talk of you often. Would love to have an opportunity to get together sometime this year. We’re blessed to have great friends. Helen treasures these ladies and every one of these trips have been special. Life is about making memories and they have made a bunch. Please stay in touch. Joe
so sweet – and very special these ladies keep their relationships and times together!
Good afternoon, Jeanne,
They’re very blessed and so fortunate to have this friendship that goes back so far. Great to hear from you and thanks for stopping by. Joe
“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” (Khalil Gibran) It sounds like Helen and her friends nailed this one a long time ago. Delightful story, Joe, lovingly told.
Good morning, Mary,
Beautiful quote, thanks. I think it’s a great story as well. So happy I could share it. Have a great week.