Chip and Debbie were up early on this day and had already exercised before me and the old man woke up. I'm starting to think they're on to something. Exercise = Energy. May have to try it out. We went out for breakfast...on the golf cart.
Their neighborhood is a master planned development with an area of bars, restaurants and shops just up the road. There are parks, man-made lakes and marshes all along the golf course that runs through the area. We did most of our running around in the golf cart.
So down the road to breakfast at The Broken Egg........
This development looked like Six Flags.
Looking for stuff in the water.
Looking over the bridge....our silhouettes in the water.
Sometimes a man must act his shoe size.
Stuff in the water.
More stuff in the water.
Ahhh, finally my first cup of coffee.
Our driver for the week.
Now for the really fun part.....a pontoon boat! After breakfast, we all got on our swimsuits (which requires shaving for some) and cover-ups, and sunscreen and packed the igloo with drinks and snacks
and then packed up the bags with all the towels.
Debbie's sister and her kids arrived from Atlanta
and we all headed to the marina.
It's not easy being relaxed.
There's a lot you have to do first.
But it's all so worth it.
Heading out of the marina....dolphins were jumping but the second I picked the camera up, they went back under. And yes, the second I put the camera down, they jumped back out. Trust me...there were dolphins jumping around us.
About a 30 minute trip out of the harbor, almost to a bridge....the waters get shallow and everyone puts down their anchors. It's a little boat city party.
The water here is only about waist deep. But the currents are strong so it's a work out to just stand up. If you look in the very center of this picture, there is a green square.
That is the ice cream and candy boat.
But be careful, it's easy to drop your ice cream immediately after opening.
Not a pontoon.
A pontoon. See the dark waters near the edge. That's the deep stuff.
Watermelon Bar.
Relaxed.
Heading into another harbor full of restaurants and bars.
Just went for a slow tour then turned around.
We left this harbour then headed back towards our marina. Along the way, there is a dive that's known for their fried shrimp basket. That was dinner. Our hot, tired, but full group is heading back to the boat.
Hand holding.
And now for the best part of this day.
Debbie's sister Linda, who lives in Atlanta, got up at 5:00 am. She woke her sweet babies up and put them in the car to head down to Sandestin. They were coming anyway for the week, but she came in a day early so I could see her and meet her children...as we were leaving the next morning. They got to spend the day with us on the boat, then we had a spend-the-night at DeeDee's house.
Linda, was in college, when I saw her last. She has grown up like the rest of us. Seeing her with her children was a delight. She's a good mama and her children are cute, funny, kind and very mannerly.
It was a fun day....made better because of them.
Thank you Linda for getting up early....and getting here.
I know how hard it is to load up 3 kids and get anywhere
....much less a 6 hour drive to the beach.
I appreciate it and am so glad I got to meet your kids!
The late afternoon sun on the water.
Nothing feels better than getting into fresh clothes after a shower after a long day on a boat.
We all slept good this night.
What can I say? You are a great writer and photographer. Very well said and beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing.
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