Stiegl Radler, Folly Beach, and the last blast of summer in your fall

Certain things happen when fall rolls around. In South Carolina, we experience a simultaneous "second spring" with tons of flowers blooming and balmy weather.

In early September, we also get to enjoy an extended summer, with temps in the 90s.

My "sensitive vine" from Jenks Farmer, in bloom, again

My Flock and Rally business partner and I like to do our annual summer company retreat on Folly Beach, near Charleston, SC once the summer crowds have left.

This leaves plenty of room for us at the bar at our favorite outdoor, mega-casual, one-block-off-the-beach bar, Chico Feo. It's right across 2nd from Bert's Red & White market. Owner Hank makes a mean hand-made taco and there is always someone interesting to chat with at the bar.

My Morocco-living friends Mary and Pascal at Chico Feo on a recent visit

Here's our leisure science system for this annual trip:

1. Rent a house w/good wi-fi, many blocks off of the beach at Folly in the foresty part, but 1-2 blocks from the restaurants and cafes on Center Street. 
2. Go for an 8-10 day rental so you can enjoy 2 full weekends. (I know, extravagant, but the prices are so much lower after Labor Day, that it works!)
3. Make sure your house is on the East side of Center Street, so you can hit the beach between the pier and East 4th, and thus be able to rent your canvas + wood beach chairs and umbrellas daily from our dear friend Mike at Sunshine Rentals. Tweet at him at @1UmbrellaSt.
4. Rent bike from Matty at Cool Breeze for the week, $45. His # is 843-406-5721. Renting from him is a whole Folly experience.
5. Get work done on the porch in the morning over coffee.
6. Bike ride for exercise to the lighthouse at the east end or the park at the west end of the island.
7. Hit the beach at 2nd block East, set up shop at your beach chair/umbrella empire (pre-set via phone), and swim it off. Chillax. Talk major business concepts like a boss.
8. Putter over to Chico Feo for a shark taco or goat curry and a beer, or bike over to Lost Dog Cafe for a Thai peanut shrimp wrap or blackened salmon BLT wrap to go. Or order up a Hanoi Hoagie (Vietnamese sandwich) from the Wich Doctor. Or get a peanut butter, banana and nutella crepe from Tokyo Crepes and a fancy juice from Juice Joint (owned by Sunshine Rentals Mike's wife Wendy, who's a badass roller derby girl too!)
9. Beach it some more. Make some work phone calls and catch up on emails from your beach chair, because you can. Run into your rad massage therapist friend Sam York and hear the latest from the Charleston weirdo scene.
10. Wrap your day by walking 1 block back to Chico Feo. Many nights, live local musicians (or traveling musicians from Asheville, etc.) start around 6:30pm and the Feo becomes not only chill but also fun.
11. Enjoy the most refreshing beverage known to man, the radler. Grapefruit soda and good beer. Not rocket science, but brilliant. Stiegl Radler is what they serve at the Feo.
12. Eat there or go find dinner. Bowen's Island Restaurant is always a tasty excursion for some good fried shrimps, or boiled shrimps, or whatever.
13. Rinse, repeat. 

Yummy.

In a pinch, you can make your own radler. This one is Simply Grapefruit juice, a little grapefruit LaCroix soda, and a good wheat beer. Half beer, half other stuff. Add orange slice for fun. Drink it.

This is a nice way to relive the last blast of summer as fall weather takes over. What's your late summer fix?