The Beach...Day Four

DAY FOUR...Wednesday, July 7, 2010

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.

The Beach....Day Three

DAY THREE...Tuesday, July 6, 2010


The plans for this day were for the guys to hang out together....and Debbie and I were going to the outlet mall in Sandestin.  Dinner plans were for Tommy Bahamas.  No cameras today...so I will throw some random pictures in here for those of you who don't read the words....just come here for the pictures.  (Amy)

This might just be my favorite day.  Not because we went to the outlet mall.  Not because we ate a delicious dinner at Tommy Bahamas.  But because Debbie and I stayed in our pj's and sat on her screened-in porch and talked for at least 3 hours. I pretended that I live just down the street and we do this often.  I needed that.

Second cup of coffee on the screened-in porch....rain pouring down.

We finally came to a stopping point in our deep conversation......got our showers and headed out by 3:00 p.m.  I love it.  Beach time.  The outlet mall was over crowded because........it was raining at the beach.  The guys couldn't get in to the show they went to see because....it was raining at the beach. 
But all in all, it was a good day.  No where we had to be.....just being with our friends.

Dinner was wonderful.  If you're ever in a city where there's a Tommy Bahamas.....you should definitely put it in your plans.  And if I was tee-tiny, I would surely buy a bikini or two from there. 

Back at the beach house, we watched Hangover....but one by one, we all fell asleep or went to bed. 
Sleep 'til 10, talk 'til 2, shop from 3 to 6, eat dinner at 8........exhausting.  My kind of exhausting.

The hardest part of the day was leaving this sweet baby at home alone.  For those of you in the market for a dog...this is a malti-poo.  I'm not sure you can find a sweeter dog.  He does not bark...unless some one is trying to get close to his mama....but then he stops if she tells him to. And soft?  Oh, my goodness....I couldn't quit petting him. Okay...it's getting weird, right?  It's just that I can't have any more dogs (because I have 3)....so it was fun to be around such sweetness.

Pauly is so good, he sat for this portrait. 

The night before, we drove down to Alys Beach...a very small, pristine community.  This is their community pool.  Does your community pool look like this? This would be my spot if I were there. 

I never had a brother.  I was the third girl born in 3 1/2 years...so the baby factory was closed after me.  But if I could have a brother, I would like for him to be like one of these two men. 

My father was a good man.  My father-in-law was a good man.  I married a good man.  My daughter has married a good man.  My brother-in-law is a good man. 

So I want my "brother" to be a good man. 

Scott and Chip....good men.

The Beach...Day Two

DAY TWO...Monday, July 5, 2010

The plan for the second day was to head down to the marina and rent a pontoon boat that Chip had reserved.  But by the time we got there, the clouds were rolling in along with very gusty winds and the waters were too choppy....and the guys at the marina were kind enough to tell us they couldn't recommend us going out.  So we quickly came up with Plan B....Seaside for a day of shopping and eating.  I'm pretty sure the women were more eager to do this than the men. 

I took as many pictures as I could, while still trying to enjoy the "moments" and eat and shop.  If you've never been to Seaside, know that it is just cute.  Cute shops, cute food, cute people.  I suspect the garbage is even cute.  It's a nice break from reality.  And if that isn't the definition of vacation, I can't think of a better one.

This outside market is full of shops....

protected by tented ceilings and curtains for doors. 

We ate lunch outside on the patio of a Mexican cafe. 

I made Debbie pose for me.....

...and then Jodie.....

but the camera slipped and I got this shot. 

 Whoops.

A row of airstream trailers.....BBQ, fruit smoothies, cupcakes. 

Super cute.

On each small flag was a note of thanks to a soldier

.....for our freedom. 

Bicycles....the mode of transportation for those staying in Seaside.

At this point, the women separated from the men for about an hour. 

We walked down the sidewalks of the beach cottages

(I use that term loosely...they were really more like mansions)

and the guys went to the bookstore.

If you look at the bottom of the window in the door, you will see the dogs that were barking at us while I took this picture. 

Surely those dogs are used to strangers taking their picture.

  I mean, look at this porch.

Here come the Men In Shorts.

Art galleries everywhere.

Looking up at a cute balcony.

Shopping for a Seaside tshirt.

Chuck.....doing what he does best when we are shopping. 

 He holds down the racks.

Because...you know...they might fly away.

Our day at Seaside turned into night.

We went to a bar/restaurant with

an upstairs view of the beach for our dinner. 

 Chip wanted us all to sign a coaster. 

 And we do whatever Chip says. 

This was our waiter.  He was easy on the eyes. 

 His name was Matt.  But when we asked him his name,

 it sounded like he said, "Mad."

 So all night long, we asked him if he was still mad. 

haha.  We thought we were so funny.  He humored us.

And then Debbie and I do what we do.  We begin to feed off of each other.  Silly, doesn't begin to describe it.  But this is what I adore about her...she makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. 

And while there may have been a margarita involved...

the silly happened waaayyyy before then.

 A kind stranger offered to take this out of focus picture of our group.  I labeled everyone so you could see who was who. 

This was an extremely fun.....and uber cute day.

It is certainly obvious that these coastal towns thrive on the tourist industry....and so far there are still a lot of tourists. I'm praying the oil disaster comes to an end sooner rather than later and that the damage isn't as horrible as we all fear it will be.  The Florida panhandle has to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and when you stop and realize that it could be damaged forever.....it is just beyond gut-wrenching sadness.  For now, these beaches are still beautiful.......and I feel so fortunate that we were able to visit this area.