Dock/Boat House Stay-cation!

I absolutely LOVE Tampa!  I literally live where people save up money to come for vacation.  I love the saying that the journey is part of the destination.  But, sometimes...it's ok to just skip the journey.

I grew up in a small Kentucky town just outside of Cincinnati, OH and going to the beach was a yearly Mecca for our family friend group:  The SOC (The Same Old Crowd).  We piled kids, dogs, bed sheets, towels, no AC style clothing and pajamas into a convoy of 1970s and 1980s era station wagons with CB radios connecting the cars for 10+ hours of quasi-Hell.  We'd get to a gas station a few hours from Pawley's Island, SC (our final destination) and begin exclaiming how we could *SMELL* the beach.  We'd huff that in and hunker down for the remaining torture car-ride.  The smell was so distinctive.  Sweet...sickly sweet.  Breezy and warm.  Core-memories like none other!

Pawley's Island branded itself at the time as "shabby chic". (Loooooong before shabby chic was even a thing!)  Shops had Pawley's Island postcards with the tag-line, "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined". (Also, loooooooong before Hooter's adopted the slogan!  Wait.  Is that possible?)

Turns out I was mixing my marketing campaigns.  Forget what I said.  It was "Arrogantly Shabby" which is kind of better!  https://www.pawleysisland.com/faq/#:~:text=What's%20with%20the%20“Arrogantly%20Shabby,that%20residents%20and%20visitors%20enjoy. 

What’s with the “Arrogantly Shabby” motto?

The phrase originated in reference to the many Cypress-sided cottages on the island that were less than pristine in appearance. Some might say it’s also an accurate representation of the lifestyle that residents and visitors enjoy.  

I mean, the iconic Pawley's Island Hammock is included as standard-issue for an idyllic beach scene.  We had no air conditioning, no TV, an old AM/FM radio, heaps of books, craft/stitching projects, several decks of playing cards, and two weeks to be semi-feral.  This home, these families, this time of my life, the low country, her history and ghost stories, screened sleeping porches, and being "Arrogantly Shabby" made their way into the fabric of my being.  (Sadly, Mother Nature replaced that home with an inlet between the single-house-deep sand bar, a single lane road, and the tidal creek between the island and the main land.  The toppled, water-logged house was photographed in a book about Hurricane Hugo circa late 1980s.  My heart has forever been bruised with the knowing that location can never exist again.)

HOWEVER...

As an avid kayaker and lover of back-woods exploration, I may have found a very close second!

Meet "The Boat House"! Click below for the AirBNB direct link.  I had my husband book it for a week!  The Boat House Staycation fell perfectly within an open window for the house, my best friend, and me!

Samples, travel sizes, face and feet masks were the first things I packed.  Self-care isn't selfish.  Rinse and repeat as necessary.  

Word puzzles, coloring, historical text about the Hillsborough River, cards, games, and my computer were next on my packing list!

All of my toiletries for my Girls' Trip 2024:  Hair extensions/tinsel ('Cause...why not?), charcoal foot detox pads for sleeping, C-pap, Tervis (ALWAYS Tervis), Crocs, spa treatments, and an array of first-aid goodies.

Hat, 3 bathing suits, PJs, lounge wear/house dresses, work-out clothes, chargers, and a cuddly light-weight blanket (a recent Teacher Appreciation Week gift).

Gated entrance to the main house that is also on AirBNB.
  Downstairs and a separate unit upstairs.

Adorable and accurate artwork adorns the whole property.  
Check out the artist, Helen Miskimen

To the right of the property is a dock almost the same length as ours.  Continuing down the river a few docks is Rick's on the River.  

To the left is the main house, a vacant lot, another home, and up to the Columbus Street Bridge.

The main front door.  

Remember how I was talking in slogans?  Nowadays... #shabbychic #delightfullytacky #unrefined #arrogantlyshabby  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  This structure has been here since the 1940s and is the ONLY boat house/dock house on the entire Hillsborough River.  In fact, I've never seen any boats for rent on AirBNB or VRBO.  I knew when I opened the door, this was everything I had hoped it would be (and even more).

 

I teach ELA for a living.  
So, I may be off on my math...  
But, I'm guessing the floors slant at about 10 degrees. 

The first door on the left opens to a sink.  Around the corner is a toilet. (And, an outlet on the ceiling.  This place has more outlets per square foot than any house I've ever been in!)

The next door reveals the master bedroom with its striking view and ceiling fan + window AC + central AC vent.  Sleeping with circulating cold air, a just-right-mattress, and north facing window meant we slept like queens.

Closet, bathroom, and stacked washer/dryer on this wall...

The bathroom is huge but hilly-floored.

View from the hallway into the main living space.

Standing at one intersection of one nearly floor to ceiling glass window and the over-sized sliding glass door, looking at the comfy hide-a-bed couch, dining table, and well equipped kitchen,

The view to the south from the sliding glass door.  Note the fishing gear that came with the rental.

A basket of flyers, magazines, and a binder of FAQs was a handy addition...even for a local!  Behind the basket is an electrical outlet for four.

Standing at the end of the hallway looking back to the front door.  

You can sit on the couch and enjoy a 180 degree vista!  We watched TWO Starlink launches FROM the couch.

Very tidy and yet well provisioned.  The house had a blender, two (or three) coffee makers, a toaster, plates, pots, pans, mugs, glasses, spices, and kitchen linens.

Ice trays, ice bucket, and ice scoop...Check!

View from the front door looking back at the main house.  Note the boardwalk that lead back to the parking lot.

We were here for extreme tidal shift period.  The high tides just kissed the bottom of the dock and the lower tides revealed hidden underwater creatures and oyster clumps.

I love when trees fuse!

There were a few of these fellas hanging out under the house.  Yum!

This is the welcome sign from the main house.

Our boardwalk entrance was gated.  We felt very safe.

Let the spa treatments begin!

View from the couch looking north and east.

Another AirBNB across the river.  But, the property is for sale.
FOR FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!  

The Hillsborough River isn't perfect.  It's murky and looks like tea sometimes.  From this barstool and bar height table, I saw dolphins, manatees, catfish, snook, blue crab, an alligator, and... what happens during a massive rain event.  Trash filled water blasts into the river from just below the Columbus Street.  We saw countless styrofoam cups, plastic bottles and bags, toys, and other icky things.  That's part of this SHABBY life. 

 

Arrogantly shabby.  Yep.  That's this.  I can't imagine this property will survive many more storms/real estate developers.  I highly recommend vacationing in your own town.  Do something special.  It doesn't have to be lavish and posh.  In fact, in this case, we were visited by our families, enjoyed/shared the views, and truly relaxed without anyone else except two extroverted introvert school teachers off duty, disassociating and patting ourselves on the back for booking a staycation in this epic little hidden gem!  

If you're still reading...

#1. That Pawley's Island beach smell was really the paper mill in the town below.  It is associated with a  core-memory and I weirdly like a tiny whiff of sulphur now and then.  Eww.

#2.  I taught at the school down the road from this AirBNB.  E.E. Just Elementary is now closed and is slated to be rebuilt once the gentrified neighborhood can support this school again.  Researching the land around the home and the school filled my first two days in the Boat House.  The wifi was fast and worked on the dock.  As per this rental, there was also an outlet handy!  So, running out of battery wasn't an issue.  The dock faces east and after about 10:00 am the sun can't reach.  Hours of spa treatments, coupled with internet research, aquatic animal encounters, and various beverages led me to trace the lineage of the land from the original Benjamin Family to present.