Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! How was your three day weekend?

We are still social distancing so we grilled at home, played Bocce ball and just hung out as a family. There were bike rides, and Skip's parents stopped by and visited with us on the deck. We also stopped by my mom's house and visited with her on her front porch. Our motto is to enjoy things outdoors.

Importantly, we are thankful for all of the brave soldiers who have died defending our country to provide the enduring freedoms our country enjoys.

How was your weekend?

Bocce from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Labor Day Weekend

After four long days of school, we were ready for a three day weekend. We decided to beat the weekend crowd at the pool by meeting the trio after school with their pool bags and heading to the pool. We needed to get a last swim in to get ready for fall. They swam for a few hours, and then we went to Newk's for some pizza. 

Saturday, we had to watch the Alabama Crimson Tide, of course, and we had my mom over for some grilled burgers. We also went over to Skip's parents to grill because one can never have too much grilled food for Labor Day.  

Summer of 2019, you were awesome. 

Appalachicola

We spent a lazy morning traveling over to Appalachicola to do some shopping and then eat lunch at the Owl Cafe. William George was especially impressed with the cheese fries with duck confit. Fun fact: George wears swimsuits the entire time we are at the beach. 

Grace and Lauren also stopped by their favorite book store to pick up some good books and visit with the cats who are in residence. Seeing those felines curled up inside the book store is almost making them cat people, and they admitted that dog would not likely laze around while customers shopped.  Cats have a quiet sophistication that dogs simply lack. 

We had a wonderful trip to the beach, and look forward to relaxing and reading over the next couple of weeks until school starts. 

What are your favorite summer reads? 

Cape San Blas

Cape San Blas is one of our favorite places to explore. Although the gulf was at its best this trip, we still enjoy the beauty of the Cape. 

Unfortunately, the State park at the end of the Cape incurred significant hurricane damage. One of the main roads was completely reclaimed by the gulf during surge, and only about a third of the park is still accessible. For example, the cabins and anything just beyond the initial entrance area is no longer  reachable by car. They are assessing repair/rebuilding. However, the area is still gorgeous, quiet and a wonderful place to visit.  

The One That Got Away

We have been having a great week, with lots of pool and beach time.  Skip brought George's fishing gear, and although George didn't have much luck fishing in the ocean, he had a big catch in the bay.  Skip and George went over to the bay side to fish, and two fellow fisherwomen cautioned them that there was a large alligator and pointed him/her out for them to avoid. Naturally, Skip suggested that they try to catch it. Skip cast, and the bob landed a few feet away. George said, "Let me try!" George then cast, and his bad landed right in front of the gator's mouth. The gator chomped down on it, and as they were figuring out what to do with it, the gator opened its mouth and released the bob. 

When we asked George what he was going to do with the gator he said, "Trophy it." 

It would have looked so nice hanging in his room. 

Beach Routine

Some scenes from the beach...

Biking...

Swimming...

Football...

Reading...

Nightly walks to the beach.

Beach

Skip found this property while riding his bike through Port St. Joe a few years ago. From there, we decided to plan our next trip at Windmark so that the kids could easily ride bikes to the beach and to the gulf. So therefore, our plan is to commute via bike.  

We found out that they restored the main pier about a week before we arrived.  

The older pier had been completely destroyed by last year's storm, but now it has been completely restored.  

Beach Trip

As summer begins to come to a close, we decided to take a quick trip to the beach. 

For the past few years, we have gone to Windmark Beach, near Port St. Joe, but this year we were skeptical because the area was struck by a Category 5 storm last fall. Although Windmark had been restored, the older areas of neighboring Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe were still in a state of devastation. 

We were happy to see some signs of repair/rebuilding. 

The owner from whom we rented was kind enough to let us bring Pixie, and we love being able to take her with us. 

We are so glad to be at the beach and are ready to relax. 

Mega Sports Camp

This week our church held VBS in the form of Mega Sports Camp. George was an attendee, and Lauren and Grace volunteered to help with the preschoolers. 

George had a blast. He chose baseball camp, and he loved learning about Jesus.  

Lauren had a fabulous time as well, and she made some new friends with some adoring preschoolers. Grace also had a wonderful and character-building week. There's no way to sugar coat this... she was vomited on the first night and had to change clothing. The second night she was bitten, and by the third and fourth nights, she was simply trying to survive without further incident. 

All in all, it was a great week, and Grace has a newfound appreciation for people who work in the children's ministry.