Southwestern Pa snowbirds flock to Myrtle Beach
There he was again, same time every Wednesday morning, standing in front of a copse of a 50-foot high, skinny-trunked Carolina Pine flanking the road to my house: the man dressed in a kilt, playing his weekly tunes on his bagpipe.
I imagine he蘑菇视频 out there because his wife told him, 鈥淕et that noisy thing out of my house!鈥�
My friendly neighborhood bagpiper is just one of many surprises I鈥檝e found since moving to the Myrtle Beach area.
The pristine golf courses and 60-some miles of endless beaches are just part of the draw. We live in a small community on Murrell蘑菇视频 Inlet, which feels like living in an aviary. I鈥檝e seen majestic snowy egrets fly over our yard and ducks and Canadian geese waddle across it, along with huge birds of prey I鈥檝e yet to identify, that could carry my cats off like Oz蘑菇视频 winged monkeys. (The cats, Ginger and Jinxy, stare at the birds in horrified fascination from behind the safety of the screened-in patio.)
The wildlife isn鈥檛 the only pleasant surprise. Did I mention that there are no potholes anywhere? I had forgotten what it was like to ride on completely smooth roadways.
But, one of the best things about Myrtle Beach is the friendliness of the people living here. I guess when you live in paradise, what蘑菇视频 not to be friendly about? In the first week here, I was invited to join a card club, a pickleball team, a line-dancing group and a neighborhood baby sea turtle watch to protect the nests of newly-laid eggs.
Everyone is from somewhere else, escaping the harsh winters, living their version of the perfect retirement, and most seem happy to make new friends.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is how many Southwestern Pennsylvanians have flocked here to live, either as snowbirds, or permanently. With an 80-minute direct flight to Myrtle Beach International from Latrobe Airport, or a nine- or 10-hour drive from Uniontown, many people like the fact that they can get back to Fayette County in one day.
Linda Murphy and husband Bryan, of Uniontown, originally purchased a condo in North Myrtle Beach in 2016. They recently moved to another condo overlooking a beautiful lake where they love watching the swans float by from their balcony.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 find anything I don鈥檛 like here,鈥� said Linda.
If you go to Oscar蘑菇视频, a nostalgic Pittsburgh Steelers bar and restaurant in North Myrtle Beach, you will most likely run into people from Fayette County, she said. On any given night when the Penguins are playing, you can find dozens of folks from the area gathering there to catch the game. It also seems Pittsburghers are well-represented everywhere you look. A Pittsburgh native owns an Italian restaurant called Alberto蘑菇视频 at Barefoot Landing. Two other Pittsburgh Sports Bars, Spencer蘑菇视频 in Myrtle Beach and Blitzburgh in Murrell蘑菇视频 Inlet, are happy to serve yins some of the best pierogies around. There蘑菇视频 also Pittsburgh Pizza Pub in North Myrtle Beach, which serves a pierogi pizza and Primanti Brothers-style sandwiches.
鈥淵ou always meet somebody who knows somebody you know,鈥� Linda said.
I tried that name-dropping game and discovered that a Westmoreland County native who used to bowl on a team with my sister and brother-in-law lives in my neighborhood. Kathy Jellison, who served for nine years as the union president for Pennsylvania Social Services, has been vacationing here with here family since she was 4 years old.
She enjoys the slower pace of life here, as well as the many activities in her community.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 miss the cold, ice and snow, and I live five minutes from the beach,鈥� she said.
The former Torrance State Hospital staffer stays involved with the community here as the president of the Coalition for Responsible Development in Horry County, and holds a seat on the county蘑菇视频 Open Space and Parks Board. Jellison also enjoys the many interesting consignment shops and great restaurants and the activities offered in the community, including bowling and trivia contests.
Dolores Brewer, who grew up in Irwin and lived many years in Monroeville moved to Murrell蘑菇视频 Inlet in 1997 following her husband蘑菇视频 retirement.
鈥淚t was the best move we ever made,鈥� she said. 鈥淣o matter where you go, or what day of the week it is, there蘑菇视频 always something going on.鈥�
If you would like to spend some time working at an enjoyable part-time job, there are plenty of options to do that, too. Former Masontown Italian Club president, Cesare Cicco and his wife, Sharon live in North Myrtle Beach, where Sharon enjoys working at a consignment shop on Main Street.
About 300 one-story houses make up our pretty 55-and-up community in Murrell蘑菇视频 Inlet, cozily surrounded by trees, ponds and canals. Flowers and trees are blooming everywhere right now, and there are so many activities to choose from that I keep tabs of my daily whereabouts on a calendar hanging next to my desk. Our clubhouse features a very well-stocked library, ballroom, kitchen, pool and tennis courts, and a social committee plans monthly luncheons and activities.
My husband is now obsessed with pickleball, which he loves playing three times a week with a group of about 20 neighbors. I鈥檝e been having fun doing line dancing, trivia nights and yoga, and look forward to trying 鈥渁quasize鈥� in the pool when it starts in the coming weeks.
There is a lovely lady from the U.K. who has invited me to join her card party, and I look forward to it every week. She married an American G.I. stationed in her hometown many years ago, and eventually found her way here after living many years in north-central Pennsylvania. The stories she tells are like walking through the pages of a history book written by a very lively author. She is one of many people who have made me feel so welcome.
As MaryAnn Poeschl, a native of Pittsburgh蘑菇视频 Mt. Oliver neighborhood, summed it up: 鈥淭his is as close to Heaven as I am ever likely to get.鈥�
I wholeheartedly agree.
But I have to close for now. It蘑菇视频 time to take a walk to watch the sun set over the lake.