This picture was taken earlier this week about a half-mile from the Atlantic Ocean on Murrells Inlet in Horry County, S.C.

Painters Homemade Ice Cream (PARKING IN THE REAR) is the king of ice cream in the Myrtle Beach area, and I say that because of a certain ice cream aficionado I know:

Me.

Don’t like to brag, but…

Talk to me about nuclear physics and How To Build A Bridge and how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

But don’t talk to me about ice cream. I know ice cream.

The person who took this photo is my little sister, who went with half of the world’s greatest brother-in-law tandem (I’m an in-law to both) and their daughter back home to Cherry Grove, or North Myrtle Beach. She copied the rest of the family on the picture, sparking jealously that remains rampant.

It was on those summer beach trips of my youth that we’d sojourn to Painters. The timing had to be right — usually in the evening after a supper I’m sure my parents could not afford — and before we went back to some modest beach home, not knowing how tired we were from swimming all day and playing in the sun.

We always slept better after Painters.