Since my last column I was on a family vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

We had scheduled the timeshare a year in advance so we wanted the water to be warm enough to go into the ocean, but not too late in the hurricane season, which starts June 1.

So, what happened?

The first name storm of the season, Andrea, passed over Myrtle Beach early Thursday morning. But it was only a tropical storm with 45-mile-per-hour winds at that point and lots of rain.

It moved into the area about 4 a.m. and I awoke to the sound of pouring rain. By the time I got up at 7 a.m. the heavy rains had ended. There was street flooding in the lower parts of town, but we weren’t in a hurry to go anywhere so it didn’t matter.

In fact it was kind of fun seeing the ocean churning as far out as we could see, and now I can say I’ve experienced a tropical storm.

It moved out of the area pretty fast. And other than a heavy shower on Friday morning that stopped sons-in–law Brandon and Jason from playing golf, the weather cleared up pretty nicely.

Myrtle Beach is a great vacation spot. There’s something to do for everyone from the ocean to shopping to thrill rides and plenty of nightlife.

For dining, there are over 1000 restaurants in the Myrtle Beach area.

For golfers, there are more than 100 courses to challenge any skill level.

Anyone seeking entertainment will have no problem. There is a large aquarium, amusement parks, theater shows and a new interactive science museum.

We had Diane’s three daughters, Tammy, Dani and Toni, meet us there. Also there were Dani’s son Hunter, and her boyfriend, Nick, Tammy’s three children, Brandon, Brody and Brylee, her husband, Brandon, and Toni’s husband, Jason.

The kids loved the pool and the beach. The ocean temperature was 78 degrees. We spent parts of three days at an attraction called Broadway at the Beach.

This complex has rides for the kids, a variety of shops and restaurants, theaters and a large lagoon. Hunter celebrated his birthday on Wednesday by going on a jet boat ride in the lagoon and a helicopter ride that flew over the area and down the beach.

We can honestly say we had a fun vacation. And the best for us was when three-year–old Brody answered a question from his mom, Tammy, upon returning home. When she asked him what one thing did he enjoy the most about vacation, he replied, “Seeing Gramma and Grampa.”

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Daughter Holly briefly came out of retirement as a dancer once again and you can see her in a television special that airs this Saturday night on TNT at 9 p.m.

The show is a tribute and presentation of a lifetime achievement award to film maker Mel Brooks by the American Film Institute.

Holly is one of the dancers in the show’s opening number and will be easy to spot. She will be wearing the Nazi uniform from the film “The Producers.”

She said there were a lot of celebrities on hand for the taping and it was a fun couple of days that brought back plenty of memories of her Broadway and film career. But she is now back to reality shooting weddings. June is a particularly busy month for her photography business.