Winter In Myrtle Beach

There’s something kind of eerie about coming to the beach in the winter.

This is the first time that I can remember coming in the winter. Myrtle Beach is like a ghost town.

Used to when id come here I’d get a lonely feeling; ghost of beaches past if you will. This time is different. Maybe it’s because there’s not many people here so there’s nothing for me to miss.

This is also the first time I’ve seen Ocean Blvd with the Pavilion missing. Now there are just two empty lots, nothing but sand, grass and a few trees. It’s sad to see such a landmark get taken away.
I am reminded of the Jimmy Buffett song “When the Coast is Clear”.

I have so many memories of this place. Most of them are good, in fact, there aren’t many memories that I can recall that are bad. So much of my teen years were spent here, but if you condense it down to time it’s only about maybe five or six weeks total over a period of five or six years.

Those weeks, though short, were very important to me in those days and I guess they kind of still are. Those trips had some influence on who I am now.

Sometimes I linger on those days and find myself in a sad state because I miss them so much. This trip makes me realize that perhaps I’ve finally accepted the end of those youthful years.

I find also that I can’t recall too many of those old memories, just bits and pieces. The important ones I suppose.

Still, being here in winter is different, almost poetic. Empty memories from an empty beach.

 (just a reflection of sorts)

Richie Kelly
January 23, 2009 5:00 p.m. (rvsd. 4/13/11)
Springmaid Beach Resort
Myrtle Beach, SC