Enumerated Update

Ahhh, it's finally Friday.  Although this week was technically short, we are sort of exhausted. We are ready for a quiet weekend.

Below is what is on our minds this week:

1) The business of dying: The WSJ explores the tax implications of Prince's legacy, specifically the future value of his name, image and likeness. My favorite tidbits in this article are a) Michael Jackson's estate claiming a future value of $2,105.00 at the time of his death (that's a bold negotiation move) and b) the following quote:

“Michael Jackson will be different from Prince who will be different from Madonna,” Mr. Blattmachr said. “It’s horribly speculative as to what the value is.”

Uhm, hello? Madonna isn't dead yet. Can you imagine the wrath of Madge over that quote? I'm a little outraged on her behalf, frankly.

A portrait of Prince is hung in the ‘In Memoriam’ space of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. PHOTO: MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

2) Homework: I may have mentioned this previously, but Grace and Lauren have just finished their third week with no homework. Since they have had standardized testing, homework has been eliminated temporarily. We have still read every afternoon, and this week they had a reading project wherein they both completed a slideshow about a book read in class. Otherwise, there have been no after hours tasks to complete. 

This has been the best three weeks of the school year. They excitedly tell me about their day, and then they eagerly read a couple of chapters each afternoon. It has been absolutely delightful, and reinforces my thinking that this article about homework is spot on.  

We remain a firm "no" on unnecessary busywork.  

3) ThirtySomethings: Advice for those about to turn 30.  

4) iPhone Tips: Who doesn't love learning about hidden iPhone features? Do you know all of these?  

5) DumbPhones: At the other end of the spectrum, did you know that 24.2 million non-smartphones were sold last year, an increase of 2 million from the previous year? Skip and I often reminisce about the satisfaction we would experience when slamming shut our old Motorola Startac.  

The one-handed, snap close was rewarding.  

That's it for us... have a wonderful weekend.  



 

William George's Preschool Career

This morning William George got dressed in some nicer clothes for school because his class is having cap and gown photos taken for their upcoming graduation from 4K. George's class has been practicing graduation since the beginning of April, and I was kind of in denial about this milestone until the reminder to wear dress clothes was received last night.

We are considering "red shirting" George, and therefore, we have opted for private kindergarten next year. With a July birthday and parents who were late bloomers, we are weighing the benefits of a later start versus his obvious readiness otherwise. We shall see. If we do opt to "red shirt," we thought the path from private, half day "5K" to public, all day kindergarten would be an organic way to go.  If we decide not to delay, he can simply go from 5K into first grade. Although we are leaning heavily toward delaying, we will make a final, game time decision next spring.

Do you like all of these sports metaphors? Is it obvious I do not have good command of them?

Any rate. That is how I have come to be a little behind on the upcoming commencement ceremony. Until last night's reminder, I have sort of been thinking this is just the end of a regular year, but 4K is definitely a milestone, and George is ready to rock that cap and gown.

The last three years have just gone in the blink of an eye, and I still expect to see him in his K2 class back when his beloved "cloffie" accompanied him. I haven't done a very good job of sharing his school photos, but his first school photo, taken in the fall of his K2 years really captures his preschool experience.

He is holding on to that "cloffie" like it's his crowning achievement, isn't he? When the photographer told his teacher that they "couldn't get it away from  him," she said, "His mom will understand."  We did understand, and it's a photo we treasure because I know he is insisting that his cloffie be photographed as well.

We are going to miss these quirky little preschool years.

Digital Subscriptions

Photo credit: VintageJacksonville.net

We have a significant magazine habit at our house, and the stack is always at a towering height. Since beginning the shift to electronic editions a few years ago, we have encountered several problems.

1) In a desperate bid to retain subscribers, publishers have somehow hoodwinked us into auto renewal agreements. As someone who has strong opinions about auto renewal, this option must have been hidden deep in the fine print and tied to a low subscription rate. I mean, they are pretty confident that we are going to be pleased with their product, aren't they?

So basically, we have been waiting out print subscriptions to which we are contractually bound. Although in extreme cases (for example, my subscription to W runs through 2020 - literally), we will have to carve out some time for a discussion about presumptive, unilateral timeframes.

2) Adding the digital option to existing subscriptions is impossible. Not allowing customers to read the material in his/her preferred format seems foolish, but adding the digital feature (or just utilizing it when offered) never seems to work, i.e., the option is not available, not supported, etc.

3) Even when a reader can successfully detach from the print edition - and it's almost like a break-up - it's impossible to get a digital subscription. I just recently reinstated a couple of magazines, and it was impossible to select digital only. The options were a) print subscription or b) print subscription + digital. That doesn't exactly help my towering stack of magazines. Am I doing it wrong?

No more paper, please.

Weekend Update

The girls' school had a weather day built into the calendar but had not been used (because of our total lack of winter), and therefore, we had a three day weekend. Instead of celebrating, we kicked off the project of staining the deck again. Since time is limited, we are attacking it a couple of hours at a time, and the project is ongoing.

So Friday afternoon we moved all of the deck furniture, and Skip cleaned the deck. We (and by "we" I mean he) had to wrap it up quickly because we had to turn in early to have everyone ready to run a 5K the next morning. We arrived at the 5K at 6:10am, finished registering and got the girls ready to run. We have no idea where they got the aptitude for running (actually we do... my dad, although a big guy, was quite fast in his high school days)(they just didn't get it from us!), but they were so awesome! Lauren finished in 28:44, and Gracie was clocked in at 29:26. (I had her time wrong... her recorded time is 29:26.) The official results are not broken down by age, but out of all the female runners (82 in total), Lauren and Grace finished 17th and 20th, respectively. They were definitely amongst the youngest runners, and we could not be more proud.

William George desperately wanted to run as well, and we will try him on the one mile "fun run" next year. However, he did get to suit up for team Braves right after lunch. He had some great "at bats" and made some good defensive plays as well.

After the game, we visited with Grammie, who had joined us to watch George play, and then had dinner.

Lauren and Grace served as acolytes again Sunday and after church we took lunch over to Skip's parents. Poppa is continuing to recover steadily, and we enjoyed getting to visit with them. After a brief visit (don't want to wear him out), we came home to work on the deck. While we enjoy having a large deck, we do not enjoy staining such a large deck, but since it's difficult to find someone who will do the job right, we got out our paint brushes, Skip tuned in to "Prince DNA" on whatever his latest streaming experiment is and we got busy. (I told you there would be nonstop Prince over the weekend. I had previously scrubbed all Prince material from our devices due to the... uhm... non-family friendly lyrics -- especially since George kept landing on DMSR.)

But so we worked on the deck until dark, and then we called it a day.

As stated, the girls were out of school yesterday, and we took the opportunity to go to the Botanical Gardens to take dance photos. Although William George's school was open, he and his father conned me into letting him stay home, too, and he promised to be on his best behavior. I think you can guess how that turned out. Grammie had agreed to accompany us to wrangle George (the woman is a saint), and she had a quick dermatological appointment after the shoot. In the lobby of the office building of said physician, George spontaneously developed an elevator phobia and refused to go inside the elevator. Instead, he dropped to the floor screaming and, per the girls, "embarrassing everyone". So the trio and I waited in the lobby while Grammie had her appointment in peace. Unfortunately, it was one of those days that I'm sure we will laugh about in retrospect.

When the "enjoy every moment" discussions were going on a few years ago, mom and I debated that at length. Now when something amiss occurs, she learns over and whispers confidentially, "You won't necessarily miss that." Ha!

But anyway... we recovered, had lunch, mercifully returned Grammie to her quiet home and called it a weekend.  

Enumerated Update

I saw Purple Rain in the theatre, and that album is truly the soundtrack of my 8th grade year. Skip remembers his high school, a Christian school, sending home a letter cautioning parents not let their children go see "The Prince" in concert. He was quite a phenomenon, then and now.    

1) Prince Rogers Nelson, 1958 - 2016:

Skip is inconsolable.  He was in Minneapolis earlier this week, and if he could have foreseen events, he would have surely stayed for the Paisley Park vigil, or more importantly, would have gotten Prince appropriate treatment for the "flu". Skip's friends/coworkers who live in the area (one of whom lives about a mile from the famous Park) report that it is a very sad day in Chanhassen and, indeed, the world.

Skip and I have differing opinions about Prince's contributions, but I will say his reputation as a performer, while excellent, is probably understated. Here is the backstory for his 2007 Super Bowl performance, and here is the show in its entirety (not the best quality).

For those who remember him all the way back to the beginning, here is his Academy Award win.

"Can you make it rain harder?" was his response to concerns about the Super Bowl rainstorm and properly solidify him as a true pro. His willingness to strap on four different electric guitars and perform during a thunderstorm gives us some understanding into his erratic behavior during the week leading up to his death. After performing a concert Thursday night, he was hospitalized Friday, discharged "AMA" and then hosted an "all night dance party" Saturday night*. The thing is... I don't think that is an erratic schedule, by Prince standards.

Something tells me our house is going to be humming with Prince's music this weekend, and we will start to see more and more concert footage appear on social media channels. Prince was litigious and very aggressive about the unlawful playing of his music (justifiably so), but maybe his estate will be less... diligent.  In the meantime, his fans can make do with his 32 studio albums, 15 of which were released since 2000.

*One of Skip's coworkers was going to attend, but changed his mind at the least minute. #regrets

2) Earth Day: We have spent some time this week talking about the environment, politics and religion.  We live in the Bible belt and are always amazed at the disconnect between being good stewards and politics. If we are good stewards, we should care about the environment (and maybe not ridicule those who do), and we should want to have decision makers who are protecting our planet.

William George declared he wants to live in California since their policies/practices are more environmentally friendly. Certainly, Californians are more aware, but in the interest of providing a counterpoint to the discussion, we talked about traffic, smog and an unwillingness to reduce water usage.

Then George said he would live in California but not drive, and I explained that it's a huge state, one in which everyone drives.

We concluded by agreeing that reducing our carbon footprint is the best strategy, and we can do that wherever we live.

3) Outrageous: I tried to move on to other topics, but cannot block the Prince trivia out of my mind. Here's a collection of outrageous Prince stories. 

4)  Best ever: Even I can get on board with Prince when he partners with my fave, Lenny Kravitz:




5) Virtuoso: Finally, while continuing our years-old debate about Prince yesterday, Skip forwarded the 2004 George Harrison tribute to me a) because he knows I cannot resist anything Beatles-related and b) because it brilliantly evidences Prince's guitarmanship, even when playing next to some fellow legends.

Touche`.

Godspeed, Prince.

Star Student, K4

We have been hearing William George use the term "star student" all year, not really understanding how this honor is bestowed and/or what responsibilities/obligations the title carries.

"Mommy, do you want to be my star student?"

He couldn't or wouldn't elaborate, but I was honored just the same.

Last week George casually mentioned, half-way through the week, that it was his week to be the star student. I was able to piece together that each student is assigned a week for this special honor, that the honor includes sitting at a special desk and that it's an opportunity for the class to learn more about the star student that week. Apparently George was supposed to bring a favorite toy or two to share... kind of like a longer version of show-and-tell.

With a lot of encouragement, William George agreed to show the class his favorite car, the Superbird:

Although there could be no question that his prized possession is his beloved Snoopy, that was deemed "too personal" so he agreed to take Woodstock instead.  

When he climbed into the car Wednesday, I asked him how the class liked his toys, and he explained that he did not share them. I gave him a little encouragement and explained that it would really be a service to the class. What if there was someone who doesn't yet know about Richard Petty's Superbird? And who doesn't like Woodstock? 

On Thursday, his last day, he explained that he did not want to share his objects with the class, but he did show his buddies his things during car line. He told them all about the Superbird and how to find videos of the car on YouTube. He took the obligation to impart his knowledge about Superbird seriously, even if he was "too nervous" to tell the entire class.  

Guest Post: Spring Break

Lauren wrote an update on our recent spring break trip and wanted to share it with you. (For our reference, her summer vacay report is here.) 


Hi everybody! I am writing another report on my vacation. Well monday we were on our way to Mexico Beach, Florida. It was so much fun and we even brought Grammie! Yay! Well see you guys tomorrow!! 

Hi guys! Well in the morning we went to the the beach it was chilly but still sooooooo much fun! Grace and Mommy hunted seashells and George Dad, and I played football and I learned how to catch the ball and grip it and throw it! Well in the afternoon we went for a swim at the pool the pool was freezing! A lot of people were in the hot tub which was refreshing. We met some
people and they were nice. Well we all took a nice hot shower and ate dinner and went to bed. Well see you guys tomorrow!! 

Hi guys! Well today we went to the pool and at first George was the only one in it then Grace and I hopped right in. We got used to it today we loved it! Well then we ate tacos mmm!! Then we hopped right back into the pool we met our friends from yesterday but they did not stay long so we played with our friends from that morning and had so much fun! Then we ate dinner which was pizza and went to bed. Well see you guys tomorrow!! PS. I hope tomorrow
is a great day! 

Hi guys! Well today we went to the pool in the morning and it was so much fun! But the the bad news is that my friend Reagan and Bruer are leaving tomorrow. Well we will still have a good time. Well we ate lunch and went to the beach it was
so much fun! Well then we headed for the pool and swam till 8:30 it was so much fun and we even met some new people!! Well then we
went to bed hope I have a good day tomorrow!! PS: we're going to apalac cola!! 

Well today was so much fun! Well first we went on a bridge and went to a store it was so much fun and I got new flip flops!! PS: I've been wanting them all week! Well then we ate at the owl cafe in apolacola it was delicious! Well then we took a swim in the pool and met new friends and the bad news is that tomorrow we're leaving. Well we still had a great trip though. Well tomorrow we're leaving so we will have to go on another trip soon. See you guys next trip! Bye!!!

Thanks: to parents, siblings, and grandparents!

PS: Hope I see you this summer trip and have a good third grade ending!! 

Home Sweet Home

We were recently discussing vacation properties (not for purchase :), and I made an offhand comment about needing to see a property in all four seasons to really get a feel for it. That got me thinking about homes and how they match up with different seasons.

We have been in our home for over ten years, and I am the most ardent defender of this house. If Skip ever mumbles a complaint about the house (which is rare) or if someone suggests we need more room, I jump to our home's defense. I love our home and am just incredibly grateful to be here. Are there one or two things we would change about it? Sure, probably, but we looked at dozens of houses before settling on this one. This was (and is) the one. Every spring we fall in love with this house again. On those first few warmer days, before the pollen starts, we open the French doors and air out the house. We sit in the keeping room while reading, listening to the chirping birds, and looking out across the lawn. That got me thinking about how different houses' strengths shine with different seasons. In addition to spring, we have a nice fall, when all of the trees have spectacular foliage. Over breakfast yesterday, our neighbor likened their house to a vacation home, given their amazing view from their deck. We feel the same way.

Being completely objective, our home's weak spot is in the summer, because the house faces west and the front yard is not shaded. While certainly not bad, summer isn't our home's strong suit.

Skip's house in Richmond had real charm and character. Although built in the 50's (I think?), the house had been updated with an addition - a back room - featuring many windows. This house was very well suited for winter because we could sit in the "back room" and watch the snow fall. Technically, with its rich tobacco-country soil, it was fantastic for summer, too, but Skip would have preferred not having a yard in which everything grew, seemingly overnight, as if Miracle Grow had been applied. Skip would also tell you the Richmond house tended to be cold, but I simply took that as a cue to get a blanket.  My prior house is definitely a "summer" because it had an expansive yard that turned emerald green each summer.  In addition to Edenic summers, fall was pretty nice as well, with a near-perfect mix of yellow, golden and orange leaves.

Of course, now we will never be able to move because I will refer to houses by their most flattering season, as if they have had their "colors" done.  I can already hear Skip telling me to stop asking, "Is this house a winter? Because I really like winter, and I want the house to reflect that... You know, I'm a winter... a deep winter..."

That's how we will become the realtor's craziest client, but we probably had a lock on that ten+ years ago.

Weekend Update

Happy Monday, friends! Who is ready for an awesome week? In full disclosure, I may be a little revved up from a sugary breakfast, having just brunched with a good friend and neighbor.

How was your weekend? Ours started early on Friday because George and I delivered lunch to Skip's parents, since Poppa (Ralph) is continuing to recover from surgery. We stayed for most of the afternoon before leaving to pick up the duo from school. George was very tired from playing hide-and-seek with Aunt Lisa.

 We invited Grammie (my mom) over for lunch Saturday, and she joined us for William George's second baseball game. He loved having an extra member in his cheering section. George was 3/3 for getting on base/scoring, and he had some good defensive plays at third as well. After the game, we took Grammie home and then took spaghetti ingredients to Gran and Poppa's, where we prepared a little supper.

On Sunday, we had church, lunch, baseball portraits and an impromptu play date with our neighbor. I think Poppa needed a break from the trio's boisterousness so we stayed away and gave them a day off. Judging by the trio's reactions to being reminded that last night was a "school night" and their grouchiness this morning, I can safely tell you that spring fever is in full swing. We are soooo ready for summer break.

Enumerated Update

Whewwww... we made it to Friday, friends.

We are so very pleased to report that Skip's dad went through his hip replacement surgery like a champ. He was discharged home after 36 hours (too soon... we don't recommend it), and is doing well. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes.

Otherwise, here is what's on our minds:

1) Shave Ice: When I was pregnant with William George, I consumed quite a bit of shaved ice. The previous owner at our Sno Shack did not open on Sunday (which normally I applaud), and that created a pregnancy hardship that was difficult to take. Everyone chuckled at this craving, while I secretly schemed about a shave ice business that delivered to pregnant women. Do you know what I would have been willing to pay to have shave ice delivered to my doorstep? In July?? In the American south??? More than would be imaginable and advisable, I can tell you.

We do not frequent our local Sno Shack nearly as often now, although it is one of Lauren's favorite treats. Last year we managed to go exactly once right before it closed for the season, and she is not going to let us get away with that procrastination this year. We have already been twice this year, and I am pleased to advise that the new Sno Shack owner reports that "Pickle" is their number one seller by far, and it sells exclusively to pregnant women. I'm telling you... create a delivery option, and the sky is the limit.

By the way, this post is not sponsored by Sno Shack, although perhaps it should be.

2) Christopher Cross: So we shop at Publix, and on two prior trips I have heard the theme song to Arthur by Christopher Cross. If you're in my demographic, the angsty, stank-y, melodramatic delivery of the Arthur Theme is indelibly imprinted on your brain. The song always starts playing right when I hit the fruits/vegetable section. The first time I heard it, I thought, "Well, hey, you don't hear that one every day," and I was tempted to belt out the chorus, you know?

If you get caught between the moon and New York Cit-eeee
I know it's crazy, but it's true

Are you feeling me? I mean, I didn't do it or anything, but inside... yeah, I was singing along.

The very next trip at the same spot in the store the Arthur Theme played again. The second playing detracted from the earlier experience. Although that seems unfair, it just did. Repetition cheapened the experience, and I imagined some (aged) song list playing on a loop. Shame on you, Publix.

However, earlier this week, I was again perusing the fruit, making my apple selection, which takes some time because we have some strong preferences viz apples at our house, when I heard the Christopher Cross voice yet again. The universe knew I couldn't handle the Arthur Theme again so this time it was Never Be the Same, which is probably the most obscure of Cross's hits. And I have to stop right here and express some incredulity that I am actually talking about Christopher Cross, a singer who would barely even register in a footnote of the soundtrack of my childhood but that's just how big Arthur was, you know? Liza Minnelli? Dudley Moore? Huge!

But so there it is, Never Be the Same, playing over the loudspeaker. I was shocked to realize I remembered every lyric and again suppressed the urge to sing aloud, although I did impress Skip by singing it line by line later that day.

Personally, I like to imagine Cross clicking refresh on his bank's website as all the Publix/retail airplay royalties are deposited into his account. If only we could data mine points of purchase with the store's live feed so he could say, "Hey, look... that lady there by the apples is singing along!"

3) McCartney: In more serious music news, Paul McCartney's One on One tour opened in Fresno, California last week. McCartney on tour isn't really news because he toured last year as well. What was very surprising was his live performance of Hard Days Night. I'm watching this tour closely for added (and closer) tour dates.

4) Losing My Religion* is one of my favorite REM songs, and it may be yours, too, given that it's their best selling hit out of an impressive inventory of highly successful songs. I'm always interested in how writers write and how songs are made, and in this article the band members discuss how the song was crafted. I'm always fascinated by how artists can make something from nothing. Details like Buck teaching himself the mandolin while watching a muted baseball game, or Stipe walking in circles in his home while coming up with the lyrics are riveting to me. I can never get enough of that. I need to know that Berry prefers recording in a large room, and that Mills asked the age old question: what would John McVie do? The more idiosyncratic the detail, the better.

Some people like reality television... I want insight into the creative process.

*I try to forget that the song was featured in a 90210 episode. Although I didn't see it, selling the song to that vapid show devalues the currency.

5) Coachella: Some insight into the most commercially celebrated music festival. 

To summarize:

Because of its proximity to Los Angeles and its noncommittal brand of hipness, Coachella has become a site of celebrity pilgrimage, providing an air of glamour not typically associated with extreme heat, dust and physical discomfort.  

That sentence is why Coachella is not featured on my life list. There is nothing glamorous or fun when one is enduring extreme heat, dust and/or physical discomfort.  No, thanks.

Happy weekend, friends!

Opening Day, Rag Ball Edition

Last week was Opening Day at the ballpark. Although William George is a couple of months short of the age requirement, we slipped him in, and he is now a proud member of the Braves. Skip is the assistant coach, and George has a few friends on the team (and has made new friends). 

We were at the park bright and early (8am) to get ready for the spirit walk and devotional.  

We had a touching moment of prayer when everyone was asked to pray for the center gentleman's (wearing sunglasses) mother, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer. I know Upward sports receives some criticism for its lack of competitiveness, but this is why we choose to play for Upward. 

After the Opening Day ceremonies, the Braves had some time off until their game at 4:00pm so we decided to join friends at Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. 

Coach Brent stayed up until 11:00pm hand-crafting the team's tomahawks.  

Although the girls are not playing this year, we received an SOS from a friend saying their team badly needed players or else they would have to forfeit their first game. The girls, along with a couple of other girls, quickly donned a jersey, dusted off their batting helmets and gloves and stepped in. They had a good time and enjoyed helping their friend's team win, 10-9.  

By game time at 4pm, we felt like we had been at the park all day, and Skip actually had been. George was a little run down, but rallied enough to have a wonderful first game.  

There was a moment of hesitation when his hand was hit by a pitch, and he then locked eyes with me as his face crumpled into tears. He shook it off, batted off the tee and got on base.

Here are the first three "at bats" of George's baseball career. He was two for three and did very well... even though he sustained injury.  

Wm George's First "At Bat" from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

I'm not sure of the outcome or if anyone actually kept score, but George definitely enjoyed the after game handshakes.  

He also enjoyed the snacks.  

Go Braves!!!

Vacation: Spring Break at Port St. Joe

The trio wanted to go to the beach for spring break, but we encountered some difficulty with our usual destinations. First, Destin and Rosemary Beach were a little expensive for that very coveted week, whereas Marco Island was essentially booked, what with March closing out its peak season. When the usual options proved problematical, we expanded our horizons and decided to explore some new-to-us locations in (ironically) "Old Florida". Skip pinpointed Port St. Joe, just past Mexico Beach (or an hour East of Panama City). This is largely  undeveloped area with one grocery store, a few restaurants and local business that benefit from faithful locals and a few tourists.  We loved the beach and bay access from Port St. Joe, and the spacious cottage we rented was ridiculously reasonable. 

From Port St. Joe, we went to my favorite spot of the week, Cape San Blas. There are accommodations on the Cape, but we went to the very tip of the Cape and explored the state park. Cape San Blas has the distinction of being voted "Best Beach" by TripAdvisor, and I fully concur. We had a cloudy day on the Cape, but it was beautiful.  

We took this little lady with us and nothing could have made the trio happier, and the milder temperatures in March make the trip Grammie-friendly.  

The water was a little chilly, but not too brisk. 

Grace enjoyed some good shelling...

...and William George quickly acclimated to the cool water. 

A day at the beach wouldn't be complete without throwing the football around... 

...even if it happens to get "loose" and splash into the water, creating the need for a four-person rescue. Grace sacrificed her shells, dropped them and scooped the football out of the water.  Excellent save, Grace!

Even with clouds, the day was still very bright, causing a squinty family photo.  This is the only one in which all of our eyes are (partially) open. 

We also explored the local beaches. We were told there was tons of wildlife to observe... seahorses, starfish, crab, and lots of fish. As it turns out, we are too squeamish for that. Lauren preferred her stuffed sea turtle to any up close and personal wildlife encounters.  

We also explored Mexico Beach and the pier. The beaches have public access every quarter of mile or so, with lots of parking and easy beach access. There were no crowds to speak of, making it kind of delightful. Except for locals fishing, the beach was very quiet. 

Mostly, we did our usual beach/pool combo each day, but on our last day we explored Appalachicola and St. George Island. We were expecting a rain-out but instead had lunch at the Owl Cafe and did some shopping. 

Other highlights include bicycling... we finally tackled taking some bikes to the beach. However, we took the adult bikes and the bike trailer and had planned to rent kids' bikes and an adult tricycle for mom (our current bike rack will not safely accommodate five bikes). We were far removed from the usual tourist traps, including bike rental, but we made do with scrunching the trio in the trailer. I think Grammie may have been secretly relieved, not having to ride. 

The trio also swam daily at the pool and made several friends. As a funny aside, they were thrown out of the hot tub by a crotchety older gentleman from New York, and the situation became comical when we thought he was kidding. Ha! We had to quickly reframe the discussion and explain, "No, they aren't getting out." Fortunately, his bombastic style was funny, and the children thought he was joking, too. Unintentionally, he gave us a lot of inside-joke material for the remainder of the trip.

I think that's about it. We had a very quiet, relaxing week at an off-the-beaten-path location. We will return to the more dense areas, but we will also remember this hidden gem.