A few photos

It's been a while since we've posted (we've been enjoying the new website), but since many parts of the US are experiencing cold wintry weather, we thought it was time to share some bright photos:

 the most relaxing place on Earth

 guest accommodations at The Pelican Inn

the dining room at The Pelican Inn

Add your own Pawleys photos to our facebook page and check out more photos of the Pelican Inn on our website.

"Under The Tuscan Sun"...With 'Possum...

Operating an historic Inn with more than her fair share of patina requires a real sense of adventure and a very healthy sense of humor. I love the charm and beauty of the old building but, much like me, she requires a whole bunch of upkeep as the years go by. There are wonderful craftsmen and repair services available on the island but things always seem to happen at night or on weekends. Help is available if you really need them but, come on, I know how to use power tools and a drain snake.

To start off my week, I stopped up a drain in the kitchen peeling peaches for home made ice cream. The clog simply would not budge even after Old Man Taylor threw some testosterone and few expletives at the problem. The next morning our plumber removed 6 – count ‘em – 6 ancient cocktail forks from the sink trap. How does one get 6 cocktail forks down the drain and how many years ago did that happen? Well, it boggles the mind. No wonder I couldn’t shake that clog. The plumber just kept laughing and pulling out forks.

Next a thunderstorm knocked out the air conditioning in the staff wing of the building. After my knowledge of HVAC was exhausted, Jeremy, our commercial appliance repair hero, came out on a blistering Friday afternoon to replace a part. Everything seemed to be back to normal on Saturday when one of our friends called me in to look at something down the floor vent in the office. The “something” was looking back. It was the sweetest little baby ‘possum but unfortunately, he was inside the duct. Super- just super. Old Man Taylor was gone and it looked like I was in for a ‘possum rodeo and duct repair. When we were reasonably certain that the little fellow had gone on his way, my sister-in-law and I patched the broken ducts. She was most helpful in holding both the flashlight and my margarita and cheering me on in the basement gloom. I really needed a pal and bartender at that moment and she kept a look out for mama ‘possum . We agreed that it was probably the first time in our lives that we had ever used duct tape on an actual duct.

Somehow all this seemed more romantic when Diane Lane did it.

August 2010 Update

Many of you have asked if The Pelican Inn has an official website. We're happy to report  pawleyspelican.com is officially up and running. Head on over and let us know what you think!

Also, we are currently accepting reservations for the 2011 summer season. Flip us an email with your availability requests.

Enjoy these last weeks of summer!

The Pelican Inn in the News & Happy Birthday Corinne

Today is Corinne's birthday.
Although not intended as a birthday present, yesterday's edition of the Emory Report included a feature on Corinne and the Pelican Inn. You can read the article online here to learn a little more about the birthday girl and her love for the inn.
Oh, and happy birthday!

The Right Kind of Crabbing

It's a wonder that crabs come anywhere near our dock. The constant thunder of bare feet up and down would surely deter the hungriest crab. The draw of the crab trap is a magical thing though. As soon as the smell of pluff mud reaches their nostrils, my kids cast aside the ipods and texting for another obsession: hauling in crabs. It is the first move of the day when still in pajamas, they drag in the trap to see what scuttled in during the night. It is also the final pass before bedtime when they hang over the water with flashlights and hope for some "keepers" to delay bedtime for boiling.

I am truly fortunate that the older kids, Emma and her friend Colin, enjoy picking out the crab meat. They sit on old stools at the big kitchen sinks, crank up the music, and pick crabs for hours while they cut up and enjoy the marsh view. Old Man Taylor's crab cakes are legendary

and crab cake night is the high point of our culinary week. Fresh crab cakes, "cold" slaw, corn muffins, and Bud-out-of-the-bottle...I'd better go get some more chicken necks for bait.

The big blond crab in the net is Colin. I think he's a keeper.

A little more on what's in store

As summer nears we have received several inquiries regarding availability and our plans for the Inn.  We are running it as a bed and breakfast, and aim to continue the charming, hospitable tradition of the Pelican Inn that so many families, including our own, fell in love with many years ago. We do have availability a few weeks this summer and would love to accommodate you—just send us a note: pawleyspelican@gmail.com.

Updated (5/26): currently, our first availabilities are in August

The Taylor family will constitute the staff, including my two younger sisters, Emma and Caroline, who couldn’t dream of a better summer job. Breakfast and midday dinner will be served each day to our guests. Corinne (Mama Taylor) may be modest about the simple Southern cooking we will serve--she told the Coastal Observer it was “nothing special”--but we in her family look forward to her cooking every day. She even spent several months meticulously perfecting her biscuit recipe in preparation for running the Inn’s kitchen, and we were lucky enough to be her guinea pigs.

We’d love to hear from past guests of the Pelican, as well as new friends. Please email us with any feedback or questions.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-The Taylor Family

Virgil the Innkeeper

Last month we brought our basset hound, Virgil, to the Pelican Inn for his first trip to the beach. He is a loyal and affectionate dog whose male companionship is greatly appreciated by our father, who would be the only man in our family if not for Virg.

We were excited to give the hound his first taste of sand and ocean, and he happily followed Emma along on the boardwalk to the beach—until he encountered the sand and saw the water in front of him. While everyone else walked down towards the ocean, Virgil quickly scampered back up the boardwalk stairs to the house. He did not like what he saw. 

  

 Virgil's first impression of the ocean had him running back to the safety of the Inn's front porch

While initially amusing, we feared that Virgil’s distaste for the ocean would be the unforeseen kink in our plans for the Inn. We sisters grew up loving the ocean and sand for swimming and sandcastles--things Virgil probably wouldn’t come around to. But we also loved the beach because Dad loved it. He had showed us how activities that were usually unremarkable (sitting and thinking, walking, etc) became remarkable when done at the beach. We hoped Virgil, as Dad's only boy, would learn this, too.

The next morning, Virgil gave the beach a second chance to impress him--and it did. Dad proudly reported that his dog ran and ran and ran, and even let the ocean get him a bit wet. Despite assumptions that this venture would leave Virgil tuckered out for the rest of the day, he wore me out later that afternoon trying to keep up with him. And I run marathons. 

I suppose we weren’t too surprised how quickly the dog came around—as a member of the Taylor family, love for the beach is probably in his blood.