We took a long and lazy trip to a really quiet beach town recently. We found an unpopulated, upscale development in a quiet fishing town, and then Skip located a home that would accommodate our family, plus Grammie and Pixie.
We drove down as a hurricane was making landfall, which is becoming a pattern for us. We had delayed our departure by one day, waiting to see if the storm weakened or strengthened, and then decided to make the trip once it appeared to be fizzling. Funnily enough, our commute was completed in record time, as there was no traffic at all. Naturally, there wouldn't be.
So we arrived during the rain, and we took the opportunity to go to the store, unpack and otherwise get settled in. The next day, there was some morning rain, but it cleared off quickly, leaving beautiful blue skies.
We spent time exploring the gulf side, since it was such a quick trip down to the water. There were still a few clouds so we were aware of the need to move quickly in the event of rain.
We kept to our usual routine of pool/gulf/beach. We took a day trip to Appalachicola to have lunch at the Owl Cafe, and then we shopped a little. We stopped by a legitimate bookstore that was adorable. The owner must be a Hemingway fan because there were 3-4 cats who live at the store, and while looking for the cats, we discovered that the store is half bookstore/half yarn shop -- a pretty chill place. I insisted that they purchase a couple of books from a REAL bookstore and made a mental note to not rely so heavily on Amazon.
Gracie took the opportunity to do some shelling after the storm, but her collection is so extensive at this point she has gotten especially selective about which shells she keeps. Actually, we have asked that she curate her new finds, otherwise, our home will become overrun with shells.
And Pixie...
This was Pixie's first vacation with us, and yes, it was all my idea. She was AWESOME. She was a little nervous in the car, but she did far better than any of us had anticipated. However, that could be because Grammie stayed with her during some of our outings. My mom likes the beach and sightseeing, but if we go to the pool, she usually stayed behind, meaning company for Pixie. Although she was great on this trip, we aren't sure how well she would have done, sans Grammie.
Because of our accommodation wish list (bedrooms and a large pool) we opt to stay on the gulf side. However, my favorite beach is on Cape San Blas, a short drive away (or a mile by water). This is a gorgeous, unpopulated beach, and we spent some wonderful time there.
Because this beach is so quiet, there are a lot of crabs. We spent about an hour watching this little guy build an extensive tunnel.
I could have spent the entire week on this beach. It's so quiet and beautiful, and there were maybe 10 other people there the entire afternoon.
Several people have asked about where we stayed. Windmark is a development that was built in 2007/2008, at the height of the real estate craze. When the crash hit, this development stalled and never really picked back up. It's a really lovely community, but definitely sad to see all of the empty office space, condos and lots.
As a result, there aren't many people around - just a few other families, here and there. Accordingly, the wildlife is a little more adventurous, which the kids love.
Also, we had an enormous pool all to ourselves, in addition to the private pool at the house. Again, great for visitors, but not the best sign if you are an investor.
Basically, we had the longest, laziest days. Pool/beach combos each day, casual lunches, an occasional dinner out and Uno and other games during an occasional shower.
On our last day, though, the obvious choice was to spend the afternoon on Cape San Blas. The trio played football, wrote in the sand, and voiced for the thousandth time that we didn't want to leave the beach.
(Editor's note: George couldn't believe the below throw was his. He thought it was his dad's perfect, tight spiral, until we pointed out to him that his arm had clearly just released the ball, as further demonstrated by the pic before and after the one below.)
We loved at the beach.
Summer vacay, you were awesome!
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