Myrtle Beach – May 1997 (Part Four; Barefoot Landing)

BAREFOOT LANDING

One of the places we got to explore was a shopping area around a small marshy area, which was known as Barefoot Landing.  This wasn’t a mall, but an open-air area with a few stores, seating areas, and places which encouraged you to loiter and congregate.  It reminded me of the outlet stores near Lake George, but with a better layout.  There some eateries to get treats (taffy, ice cream), and places designed for light lunches (sandwiches, and such), in addition to the little boutiques.

Since it was a nice day, we spent a lot of time wandering about the area.  There was some shopping done, as it nice to get some small souvenirs for family and close friends, but I tend to buy more stuff for myself.  Hey, I’m selfish.  I went on the trip, and I have the memories of it, but I want the t-shirt too.  An area like this is geared towards the tourists, but it gets a lot of locals too, so it’s nice to mingle with the people that live there.  Stopping and getting a snack to nibble on as we went from place to place (me mostly window-shopping), made a nice leisurely day.

There was a mini-golf course nearby also, so we had to play a round.  I tried to play mini-golf where ever I can, because it’s fun no matter what your skill level is.  I spent a lot of weekends at the “Around the World” course (in Lake George), or even the “Hillbilly Holes” (in Hartford) keeping my game going, so I like to try any course I find.  While I’ll compete against those people I was with, I mostly compete against myself.  Yes, I want to do better than you, but I want to see how far under par I can come.

One notable difference here than any other place I’ve played were the warning signs spaced along the course.  The natural reaction when the ball goes flying off was to rummage around in the bushes looking for it, take a stroke penalty, and put it back on the green so you could continue.  Because Barefoot Landing was an establishment built up around a watery area, that meant there was a potential to be an alligator behind every bush.  The alligators might be hanging out nearby, but they’d generally ignore the people.  The issue happened when someone would put their hand into the bushes to reach for a lost ball, and not realize a gator was there.  Startled wild animals either retreat or strike, depending on their current mood.

I honestly doubt there’d been an actual person who had their hand removed in an attempt to retrieve a ball, as that would such an insurance issue and/or safety hazard.  The owners of the mini-golf course were probably just being cautious with the signs instructing visitors to use their clubs to clear the shrubs before reaching for lost balls.  It also may’ve a way to increase their notoriety with that “hint of danger.”  Still, we weren’t stupid.  The few times the balls were ejected from the course, we made sure to sweep around with the putters before reaching for them.

ALABAMA THEATRE

One of the places which was on Molly’s high list to go was the Alabama Theatre.  This was more of a concert venue dedicated specifically for the country band Alabama (which was one of her favorites).  I can’t say their music completely thrilled me.  It wasn’t twangy or reminded me of something from Dad’s Hee Haw show, as it had actual music and complex lyrics (similar to Charlie Daniels Band, just without the edge).  They were talented musicians that wrote and performed their own material (a rarity in the country genre) so I respected that, although it wasn’t my cup of tea.  I could listen to it without being driven insane, but it wasn’t something I’d willingly seek out.

From what she told me, the band Alabama cut their teeth in this area, and they’ve repaid Myrtle Beach by creating this venue for concerts to take place.  Many other bands and performers would play here during the year, but the highlight was when Alabama do shows here in between tours or studio time.  Molly found out they were going to be there when we were, and it was an assured thing we’d be going there.  I actually think she got the tickets to this, and then built the rest of the vacation around it.  The lobby to the theatre was dedicated to the history of the band, with copies of tour posters, album covers, and other memorabilia specific a particular period in their history.  The ceiling had a huge modern art rendering of a guitar (which blue neon lights accenting most of it).

Anytime you can see a band live, it’s always good, as it allows you to feel the energy of the crowd.  As long as the music isn’t an assault on your senses, you can have a good time.  While she’d played most of their songs at home, Molly knew every title as soon as they started.  I recognized a few familiar melodies, but they all sounded similar to me.  The reverse was true when she tried to listen to Manowar, as the songs were either too loud for her, or didn’t sound any different than the previous song she heard.

Alabama didn’t do any stage theatrics, other than some lights to enhance the beats.  I was thankful for that, because it reinforced to me that when a band is talented enough with their music, they don’t need anything else to hypnotize the audience.  They played roughly a ninety-minute set, with a short intermission between.  And since this place was designed for them, obviously the acoustics were very good.

For current information on the places visited:

Barefoot Landing:  http://www.bflanding.com/

Dixie Stampede:  http://www.myrtlebeach.com/blog/post/curtain-to-close-on-myrtle-beachs-dixie-stampede/

Alabama Theatre:  http://www.alabama-theatre.com/

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Myrtle Beach – May 1997 (Part Three; Medieval Times)

MEDIEVAL TIMES

We headed towards one of the dinner theaters that dotted the landscape around Myrtle Beach.  These are establishments designed to provide a live-action show for their audience, who gets to eat while watching.  Usually the menus are pretty basic, as it tries to follow the theme of the show.  We were on our way to Medieval Times, which would be my (belated) birthday dinner.  Considering I’d done medieval re-enactment with the SCA before, I was pretty sure my meal would be some sort of hearty stew.  I like thick stews, especially when accompanied by a good hunk of bread to sop it up with.

One of the places we passed on the way there caught my attention.  I asked Molly why she didn’t mention there was a House of Blues in the area.  That would’ve been a great place to visit, even if we weren’t going to eat there (and just poke around inside, like we did with the Hard Rock Café).  She commented that she didn’t think that would’ve been something I was interested in, so she never thought to get a brochure on that.  The rest of the week was pretty planned out, so we wouldn’t be able to hit this time.  She commented we’ll remember it for when we come next year.

The building for Medieval Times was rather hard to miss, as its huge white castle structure.  This was far larger than both House of Blues and Hard Rock Café combined.  From the outside, to me it looked roughly the size of the field house where my college hockey team played, or even the Glens Falls Civic Center.  Upon entry, this captured every positive-aspect of the “knight in shining armor” ideal of the Middle Ages in Europe.  Tapestries and replica weapons decorated the walls.  All the employees were dressed in some period manner, like scullery boys and bar wenches.  You even got to have your picture taken with the King, which you’d purchase upon leaving.  We were all given different color paper crowns (one size fits all), and it was suggested to wear them, in order to join in with the fun.

Dinner was set for a specific time, so we all gathered in the lobby area until it was time to go in.  We’d purchased tickets ahead of time, although some could be gotten at the door.  We were lead into a large arena, which was the size of a hockey rink.  The arena had a dirt floor, and a “castle gate” to one side (which was like the service entrance the zamboni uses).  There were about a dozen tiers of seats which circled the arena, and they were designed with a table-like shelf in order to put your food.  There was a narrow space in front of that, but before the next set of seats (set a bit lower), which allowed the staff to travel along the rows.

All the place settings had pewter plates and bowls, but plastic mugs.  There were no utensils.  Soft drinks were free refills, but beer was extra.  Once every one was seated, the servers brought a small whole chicken (perhaps a Cornish hen) for you, and some rolls.  This was designed to eat with your fingers, in the medieval style.  Give in to your inner barbarian, and rip it apart you’re your hands.  I was famished, and finished mine a little sooner than the others around me.  One of the servers (who referred to the guests as “m’lord” and “m’lady”) asked if I wanted another one.  It was tasty, and I probably could’ve consumed it, but I didn’t know what the subsequent courses might be, so I declined.

Each of the sections of the arena were color coded, and the crowns worn by the guests match the area they were in.  We sat in “Red Sector.”  There were also black, green, yellow, white, and blue.  Each section had a knight who was the champion, and you root for your guy to win.  The king announced this would be contest to “entertain his subjects” (read: guests).  It was a tournament style contest, which displayed both horsemanship and combat skills.  The knights would try to lance hanging rings, and do dexterous maneuvers while riding, in addition to jousting with each other, plus some one-on-one combat on foot.  Each champion had a couple squires who picked up fallen weapons, shields, or whatever, and scooped the horse poop when one decided it needed to go.

These were showmen, entertainers performing a routine.  The knights were people who did this every day, and I could tell.  There was no “randomness” that an actual battle would have (as witnessed by skill-driven SCA tourneys), but a scripted sequence which they followed.  Even pretending, un-sharpened blades or lances with the force of a charging horse behind it could still do serious damage, so these routines allowed the show to appear as realistic as possible and still keep the performers safe.

As expected, some of the champions had to be “bad guy” and act “less than honorable” than the other knights.  After being censured by the King a couple times for “not fighting fair,” he would be ejected from the tournament.  This was the Green Knight.  Before departing, he’d have yell at the other champions about how “this stain on his honor will not go un-avenged,” and ride out the “castle gate” in a loud and showy manner.  As the contest progressed, some champions would yield, thereby eliminated.  Everyone cheered when their guy scored points, and booed when their guy was taken out.  There was the same energy as people supporting their team at a sporting event.  I peppered my cheers with appropriate Monty Python quotes from Holy Grail (variations of “It’s just a flesh wound,” and “The Black Knight always triumphs!”).

When there was only one remaining (the Red Knight), the banished Green Knight rode back in to demand his right of vengeance, otherwise there’d be war in the land.  The remaining knight, now acting as the King’s Champion rose to the challenge, as the events took on a more dramatic flare.  At that point I had to yell “Kick Gawain’s ass!” (which I’m sure not everyone got the literary reference).  In the end, as expected, the King’s Champion wins, the bad knight surrenders, and peace is maintained in the land.  Then all the performers then come back in for their bows and applause from the audience.  While that’s going on, the servers come by with warm towels for all the guests to clean their hands.

There are other locations of Medieval Times across the country, with the closest one to our home was in Toronto.  While I expect the shows to be no different than here, this would be a great thing for the gaming group to go together.  This was a fun experience which I certainly look forward to having again.

ANIMAL PRESERVE

Remember the cactus guy on our antenna I mentioned earlier?  We came out that morning to find he was gone.  Nothing else was done to the car; tires were okay, no scratches on the door.  But some asshole had pulled him off, which would’ve been quite chore due to the rubbery material it was made of.  Okay, perhaps he was cut off, but still, he was kidnapped.  The antenna wasn’t damaged in any way, but it was still annoying that someone felt they needed to abscond with it.

We set out to find this animal preserve Molly had read about in a brochure, which was called the Waccatee Zoo.  The day was a little overcast, so we didn’t spend as much time on the beach as we did other days.  While being billed as a “zoo,” this was more of an area which held animals that used to be kept by private individuals.  Some millionaire will by a tiger cub because he thinks it’s cool, and then tries to give it to a zoo when it grows up (and the food bill becomes too high).  Zoos often don’t take these animals because they may not have been properly socialized.  So they get placed in these rescue preserves, and then smaller (more docile) animals get brought into turn this more into an attraction.

The route took south of the main Myrtle Beach area, out into an area which was way past the residential section.  We were starting to think we’d gone in the wrong direction.  The sign to turn into this place wasn’t well-marked, and the main entrance had a tree in the middle of the road.  The diameter was that where at least four adults would have to stretch their arms around it to cover the entire girth, and you could swing the road around this damn thing?

When we wandered around the area, we didn’t see any starving animals or any real bad conditions, but some of the enclosures were not the best construction.  Some of the smaller animals had more room to run around, but the larger pens looked far tinier than they should for the animals they contained.  It was nice to see a tiger in the area, and he looked friendly enough, but he should’ve had a larger area to run around.

There were some areas which had goats and smaller herd animals around which acted as a petting zoo, and also had a bird sanctuary.  From looking at the strictly nature aspect, it looked nice, but from the angle of a thriving zoo, we found this to be lacking.  We still had fun looking around the area, but this wasn’t as near as good as we expected it to be.  Perhaps a serious infusion of cash and/or support for this place will allow it to be better in the future.  Depending on what information we hear will depend if we go to check this out on the next trip.

For current information on the places visited:

House of Blues:  http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/myrtlebeach/

Medieval Times:  http://www.medievaltimes.com/myrtlebeach.aspx

Waccatee Zoo:  http://www.waccateezoo.com/home.html

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Myrtle Beach – May 1997 (Part Two; Hard Rock Cafe, and Aquarium)

HARD ROCK CAFÉ AND AQUARIUM

After we showered and got cleaned up, it was time to head out to see the sites.  The main drag in the area is known as King’s Highway, and it run the length of this coastal region.  We went up the highway to where the local Hard Rock Café was.  We weren’t planning on eating there (as Molly commented that it was over-priced), but we just wanted to look at the architecture.  I loved the pyramid shape, and Egyptian motifs (completed with a couple sphinxes out front).  Considering how the humidity was now building, it seemed rather fitting to be sweating under a bright sun and standing in front of a pyramid.

We did briefly go inside so we could hit the gift store and grab a few things.  I took a moment to scope out the menu and saw you’d be paying dinner prices for lunch-sized items.  No, I don’t need to shell out $12 for a hamburger, thank you.  There are more economical local venues we could go.

The interior didn’t continue the Egyptian decor much, but instead there were music-theme items displayed on the walls.  Guitars, pictures of artists, and sheet music were among some of the things placed through out the establishment.  It was interesting to a guitar which was played by Eric Clapton, but not very as it was one of many guitars played by Slow Hand.  Other than a small descriptive card (“Used in concert in 1983” or some such) there wasn’t much to get excited.  It would’ve been nice to have a small video playing which showed the item being used.  That would’ve meant more to me.

Nearby was the Ripley’s Aquarium, and there was a short walking path to get over there.  Designed for foot traffic, there were benches and other things present meant for people to sit on.  Molly sat on a low orange dinosaur, in response to me playing with the motorcycle out in front of the Hard Rock Café.

As we got closer to where the Aquarium was, we noticed the parking lot was a lot emptier than we expected it to be.  It was towards the middle part of the day, so it should be open.  We were able to go inside the lobby and learn it was currently undergoing renovation, which wouldn’t be completed for a few weeks.  The area was covered in scaffolding and tarps.  Most of the animals which could’ve been moved had been temporarily re-located to different places.  Many of the tanks containing smaller fish were still here, as it was less traumatic to move them.  I’m sure the sounds of power tools weren’t very traumatic in any way.  >grin<

The Aquarium was technically still “open” as there was still some research and minor things going on, but it ended up not being worth the time to check out.  Molly had been there the previous year, and had talked about how good it was, so she was bummed out for hyping this up to me.  We couldn’t have foreseen a remodeling project going on, so it wasn’t that big of a deal (although I still would’ve liked to see it).  She commented that we’ll just have to come back next year.

ALLIGATOR ADVENTURE

If you want to see alligators in South Carolina, you really don’t have to go too far.  There are some marshy areas nearby, as well as a number of streams and ponds in the vicinity.  Anyone who lives here knows that they could walk out in the front yard and find a gator eating the morning paper.  For the tourists, and as part of a scientific preserve, a large number of these reptilian beasts are gathered at the aptly named Alligator Adventure.

Spread out over a couple acres in North Myrtle Beach, this was a man-made habitat for these gators.  It has channels which they can swim in, and shores where they can lay in the sun, without the danger of accidentally stumbling upon a human.  Like most wild animals, they will defend their territory if people get too close, but try to shy away from people as much as possible.  They’re meat eaters, so small yappy dog that’s gotten loose is as prey for gators as other feral creatures are.  Unlike their larger and meaner crocodile cousins, alligators don’t actively hunt humans, but if you tangle with one, chances are the reptile will win.  As a species, they predate the dinosaurs, so they have done something right to survive all this time.

On the shore area, there were dozens of them all lined up, being pretty lazy.  When one would move, either to enter or exit the water, there was only the minimal movement necessary, and they had a slow swinging gait.  Don’t be fooled by that.  As the guides explained to us, alligators are capable of quick bursts of speed on land.  These bursts don’t last very long, but it’s usually enough to capture prey.  If you encounter a gator in the wilds, if you’re a really good sprinter and can stay ahead of it, you’ll be able to outrun it.  Like most things in the wild, it’s smart enough when to try for something easier.  My philosophy for situations like this are that I don’t have to outrun whatever’s chasing me, but just the people I’m with.

The jaws of the alligator have an interesting muscle structure.  They’re designed to bite down to break whatever gets in their mouth, whether it’s animal bones or turtle shells.  Their jaws can clamp down with an average of 200 pounds of force.  But the muscles used to open their mouths are far weaker, only exerting about 10 pounds of pressure.  Don’t believe the stories about someone putting a stick in the gator’s jaws to hold it open, but do believe that an average person can hold a gator’s snout closed with their hand.  Okay, a gator’s not going to stand there and let you do that, but you get the idea.  If you wanted, you could pry an alligator’s mouth open.  Then be prepared for it to spin at you in a heartbeat and snap at whatever part of you it can get.

Alligator’s are ambush predators, and do most of their hunting in the water.  The placement of their nostrils and eyes on the very top of their arrow-shaped heads means they can stay submerged and hidden.  I’m sure many critters’ last thought was it’s just a log floating near them.  Gators swim by moving their tails from side to side (unlike aquatic mammals, which do up and down).  They can cut through the water with minimal resistance, so don’t think you’re able to out-swim them.  Those who had tried have earned themselves a Darwin Award.

As we were wandering the area, the loudspeaker announced that it was feeding time.  This wasn’t as much as a spectacle as you thought.  Someone stands at a location slightly higher than the fence of the compound, and one-at-a-time heaves in a dozen whole chickens (plucked and beheaded, just like the kind you’d buy for the barbecue).  The chickens land, and make a small bounce, before a gator leans over and snaps it up.  After one or two jaw motions to crush them (with very audible bone snapping), the chickens are swallowed.

One of the other spectators asked how do they know that every alligator got fed?  There was a funny response first to get a chuckle from the crowd, but then the guide gave a serious answer.  Basically, if a gator was hungry, it’ll move to get food that comes by.  And because they’re cold-blooded, reptiles don’t need to eat as often as mammals.  With twelve feedings a day at the top of the hour, everyone’s bound to have something to eat.  A couple of the more enterprising ones knew who was throwing the food out, and swam over to meet him.  Once the guide did one or two “hand feedings” (essentially dropping a chicken into an awaiting maw), a bunch of other gators would then congregate in the area in order to get their share.

This area had things other than reptiles.  There were some smaller animals around, too.  What was interesting was they didn’t necessarily fit with a marsh or swamp theme, or “other native critters.”  One was the giant rodent known as a capybara, which is native to South America.  It looked like a larger version of that damn guinea pig she had (that somehow I got stuck cleaning the cage of).  It made me wonder if this was the reserve food for the gators.  This was a real interesting find, as it was informative as much as it was entertaining.

For current information on the places visited:

Hard Rock Café:  http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=107&MIBEnumID=3

Ripley’s Aquarium:  http://www.ripleyaquariums.com/myrtlebeach/

Alligator Adventure:  http://alligatoradventure.com/

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Myrtle Beach – May 1997 (Part One; Arrival)

BEGINNING AND PLANNING

“It’s going to be a trip for us, as much as it’s going to be to celebrate your birthday.”  That’s what I was told, and since Molly had been there a few times before, it made sense for her to plan our week-long trip to Myrtle Beach (we’d be there from the 8^th to the 14^th).  She had some brochures and such, and set out a plan of things she thought would be good to do.  I gave my input based on the information available as to what I wanted, but as she knew the area (and was content to do most of the planning), I let her make most of the arrangements.  A couple of the things I saw looked interesting to me, and some of the others were “either or.”  To me it didn’t matter if we went to Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede or the Alabama Theatre, let her choose the one she wants, as long as I got to go to Medieval Times.  Compromise is key.

We got an early start from Glens Falls, but it was still about a two day drive down.  In order to make the best time as possible, we bypassed the NYC by cutting across the Catskills to Interstate 81, and then skirted around the Washington, DC, regions in order to get I-95.  When it was time to stop for gas or food, we’d then switch who had the wheel.  Part of her planning (and knowing the route) was a good guess of how far we’d get the first day, and make hotel reservations.  I’m sure we could’ve driven through the entire night, but sometimes it’s worth the extra cost to stay in a motel along the way in order to be refreshed for the second leg of the trip.  We spent the night near Richmond, VA, and breakfasted near their visitor’s center.  We’d be on I-95 most of the remainder of the trip, until we crossed the South Carolina border.  At that point we’d grab Route 501, which would take us southeast to our destination.

Molly had gotten this squishy plastic cactus (complete with cowboy hat, sunglasses, and smiling face) which was made to fit over the antenna of her Neon.  It was about six to eight inches high, and it’s rubber-like consistently kept it in place (so it wouldn’t start sliding up the antenna when driving).  The thing was a bitch to get on, but it was a fun little accessory (and would help us pick out the car easier in large parking lots).  As we drove down the road, I could see its little green arms flutter in the wind.  Not necessarily important to the trip, but an interesting little tidbit (and I’ll come back to it later).

Additionally, at one location we’d stopped to get grub, there were some small shops she wanted to check out along the way.  Sure it was a way to get some circulation back in the legs.  I still thought driving through with as little stops as possible would be nice, but sometimes it was interesting to make a short exploration to see what an area has (besides the required bathroom).  One place had a record store, and I happened to see the newest album by Manowar was out (called “Louder Than Hell”), so I got it as a birthday gift to myself.

We’d had a bunch of CDs already with us, and Molly thought it would be nice to hear some fresh music (even though this was a band she’d never gotten into).  I like the band because they have quite the range of blazing metal with forceful lyrics and shredding guitars to piano-driven ballads of hymn-like qualities.  The first track was far louder (and filled with screaming verses) than any of their previous work had been, and not the best music to drive to.  Listening to remainder of the album at a later time showed it got much better after the first track.

In the afternoon of the second day of travel, we reached the high-rise resort where’d we be staying.  The building was designed with a parking garage (a couple levels high) next to it, and the spot we got we could look out at the tan beach beyond.  The weather was comfortable, and a slight breeze removed the humidity of the air.  Our room was on the 8^th floor, and we and an unobstructed view of the ocean.  There were many resorts up and down the coast here, and I really don’t think there was much difference between them.  I’m sure ultimately the final choice of where to stay boiled down to cost, and what was available.  Apparently Myrtle Beach was a popular vacation spot for New Yorkers.  If that’s true, then I never noticed it before.

PLAYING ON THE BEACH

Because the weather was calm, the water was a blue sheet stretching eastward as far as we could see.  All the resorts set back a little bit, so the beach area was pretty deep.  After getting dinner, the sun had dropped below the horizon, and the area was in shadow.  We couldn’t really hear the traffic sounds of the busy streets behind us, but the sounds of the waves gently crashing against the sand made some nice backdrop noise.  It was very enjoyable to sit out on the patio and listen to them.  Molly commented that resort employees go out early in the morning and comb the beach to pick up seaweed and the other stuff which gets washed in overnight, so the guests get to see pristine sand in the morning.  That scene of “combing the desert” from Spaceballs came to mind.  She added if I wanted to look for shells and things, we’d need to get up earlier than the resort combers.  It was my 27^th birthday today, but I see no reason to be up before dawn the following day.

The next morning after a birthday breakfast, we planned to spend some time frolicking on the beach to enjoy it.  Since it was early, there weren’t too many people there yet, and the sand wouldn’t be hot.  The sun shining across the water was beautiful.  Looking down from our balcony, most people that had come out had come to the pool.  You’re staying in a resort which is on an ocean beach, and you decide to hang out by the pool?  I didn’t understand that, but it meant more room on the sand.

Before we went down, I had to take a fun picture of my feet stick through the balcony overlooking the pool.  When I could, I’ve always liked to take pictures of my feet over water.  I don’t know when that started, but it was something fun to do.  The shot turned out to be perfect with the way my feet were placed.  When I got the film back and first glanced at the picture, I thought there had been a giant laying next to the pool.  I could take a marker and draw in some shadow underneath my feet, and really make it look more like that.

The water was cool, but I found it refreshing.  In addition to catching some rays, we also built some sand castles with some buckets which were stored at the resort.  Okay, I’m sure those were meant for actual kids, not adults acting as kids, but it was fun.  After spending some time enjoying the sun, we decided to take a short walk before getting cleaned up.  Along the beach is a path known as the Boardwalk.  It’s a nice leisurely stroll, and designed to walk along the beach without actually being on the beach.  It keeps sand out of your shoes if you don’t want it there.

We followed the path down a few city blocks to a pier which jutted out to the ocean.  The pier was about as long as a city block, and there were people who fished off the edges.  Looking further southward, we could see what appeared to be an amusement park area on the beach.  This was called Family Kingdom, and we saw no reason to head further down.  Molly said she’d checked it out on a previous trip, and anything that was there wasn’t better than Great Escape.  Looking back northward, it was fun to try to pick out the tiny building in the distance which was our resort.  It was a good walk.

For current information on the places visited:

Myrtle Beach:  http://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/

Myrtle Beach Tourism Board:  http://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/

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