Counting Down

I suppose the obvious mistake with yesterday's blog indicates we were almost on the way home!

When Alan and I planned this trip, yes, there was work to be done and appointments to attend, but we intended to have a "proper" beach break.  Meaning doing nothing.  Alan and I have never been good at doing nothing and this was our big chance.  

If you have been reading this blog, you will realize we failed miserably at doing nothing! 

Thursday was our one last chance to behave in Florida the way we intended, and we accomplished it!

We got up and walked the pier as we had  hoped to do every morning. Actually, this goal was the one we were able to manage quite easily.  We didn't miss many mornings.  For the price of a cup of coffee there is such a variety of things to see, we could really spend hours there.

It is not always light entertainment though.  On our last morning there, I finally saw a sea turtle - first one for me this year!  I know we were told one swam right by us when we were in the water, and Alan had seen some this year, but this was my first sighting.  And right after the first glimpse of him, he got hooked by a fisherman.  The fisherman looked as upset as the poor turtle too.  He tried and tried to free him, even walking to the pier manager for advice what to do. And the answer was not what any of us hoped - he was advised to just cut his line.  He did his best to draw in as much as he could but the fishhook was stuck in the turtle's mouth and the line will follow him for the rest of his life.  Poor thing. (This is Alan's picture and look closely, you will see the fishing line.)

I quite often go to the beach and leave Alan on the pier - just because I really miss this particular beach.  I spent many, many hours here - long before they built the Boardwalk and all the shops and restaurants.  It is called the Boardwalk now, but we just called it Wayside Beach.

The sand feels wonderful between the toes and the water at this time of year is the exact temperature I will swim in.  Most often the water is just too cold for me!  But once I leave the pier, Alan usually gets great views of something I miss!  Worth it though!

The original plan was beach/pier, pool, beach/pier.  Today was the only day we even got close to this!  Lunch back at Steamboat, then lying at the pool there until it got time to go back to the pier. 

This evening visit was the worst I had ever seen at the beach.  The water was not clear at all, it was red and you couldn't see anything in it.  Ok, did I not describe the beauty of the water on the Miracle Strip?  It is absolutely clear, so much that I can usually see my feet if I am in water over my head.  (not that I do that anymore since I have seen too many sharks at the end of the pier!).  But tonight - not clear at all. And the sad thing was the place appeared to be loaded with dolphins, including a baby. 

Dinner at Nauti Girls as described already.....and packing to make sure everything fit in the suitcase and checking to see if there was room for any additional shopping - we still had one more day!

Friday - It was a painless check out at Steamboat, all packed and ready to go!  Then Alan and I did something we never, ever did - we sat still.  I have no idea why.  The office is in the same building with the indoor pool and tables beside, plus wifi.  I guess you would call it the clubhouse.  Here Alan and I sat, for absolutely no reason, for at least 20 minutes.  Just sitting and checking emails but not really,  honestly, just sitting. 

Then I looked up as a man that looked sort of familiar walked in, and lo and behold, it was one of my high school friends!  We had hoped to see him while we were over, but he never responded to my messages.  This was not like him and I was worried, but had no other way to contact him except through facebook.....he does have health problems and the last time he didn't respond it was his health....so to see him walk in was absolutely fabulous!  How strange that Alan and I just sat there waiting for John to walk in! 

After having such a great, relaxed visit with John, we were able to go to Walmart for a few last minute purchases before checking into our hotel.  We did this so we wouldn't have to rush out of Steamboat at 7am to check in to our flight.  And I like the fact we were able to have such a nice last day, and another afternoon at a pool! 

And what else would we do on a Friday night but go to another high school football game!  This time it was Choctawhatchee vs Gulf Breeze (too bad it was the same opposing team as last week though). 

Alan had a better idea of how the whole deal operates and what he wanted to photograph!  It was another fantastic night of pure American entertainment and my only complaint was the next Friday was my high school (Niceville) vs Choctawhatchee, when Niceville trounced Choctaw 56 - 3!

The Choctaw Indians were our closest high school and made them Niceville's biggest rivals, so I must admit it felt very odd to sit on the home side of the football stadium and watch them do "the chop".

But it felt strangely familiar and it was not until I got home and someone posted a you tube video of my university football stadium crowd doing the same chop - Florida State University is the Seminoles so of course, this is done there too.  A bit bigger though!  FSU Seminole Chop

Ending our trip on a high, it was back to Scotland where the weather had gone to almost Winter.  But it is great to be back, honest!

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”  Maya Angelou quotes (American Poet, b.1928)

Flying High

After our amazing day yesterday, we had high hopes to do it all over again.  Unfortunately, I slept late for the first time since we began this journey!  When I say slept late, what I mean is the jet lag was easing off and I actually did not get up until 8am!  But every other day found Alan and I both awake by 5:30!  Oh well, it was not like the day was actually wasted. 

Our plans were to see the Pensacola Lighthouse and then the Naval Air Museum.  If this were a normal year, we would have really needed to get an earlier start to see the Blue Angels fly. They do/did this every Tuesday and Wednesday morning, except for the week we are usually there in May!  So this was totally on the agenda.  But the governmental funding has caused a  number of services and other things to be run differently than usual. So we did not see the Blue Angels in the air.  We did see them parked though!  Oh well, since we are so happy with all other aspects of Florida at this time of year, I think we will have another opportunity someday!

Since we were travelling on September 11, on the way up to Pensacola, we had to make a sudden stop to take pictures of the tribute a fire station had done in honor of this day.   All the flags we saw were at half mast but this fire station was the most impressive sight of the day.  I am so glad we were able to stop and take these pictures early - on the way home, there was tape over the driveway so the pictures would not have been as good!  I guess loads of folks stopped like we did!

 

The Pensacola Lighthouse is the first lighthouse we have actually visited and it is absolutely beautiful!  As soon as I saw it, I had no reservations about going up the 177 steps. It just had to be done.  There was a slight problem though - I was wearing flip flops and these are not permitted on the steps due to health and safety.  But, true to form, I always have shoes in my car - even our rental car.  So I did not have to go up there barefoot!  On the way to the car, I virtually stumbled over a car club, too busy to notice, but they might have been corvettes.  All lining up for some sort of photo opportunity.  Maybe a calendar or something.  I didn't take the time to look because I didn't relish the idea of sharing all those steps with so many people.  However, they never came up!  It was just a photo op for them!

                                             I did catch them from the top of the lighthouse! 

 

 



This is as close as Alan got to seeing the Blue Angels in action.  If you look at the white hanger just below his shoulder - there they are!

I must admit I have real issues with steep steps and ladders. And these steps were very close to being ladders!  There are massive warnings about being careful on them!  Going up is fine, but the first time I stepped off for a rest at one of the window ledges, I would never have been able to step off the sill without the support of a lady from Arkansas who stopped with me.  No offense to Alan, but he was way ahead of me and would never have noticed my absence until he stopped at the top! 

 

It felt like a leap of faith to step off the windowsill and back onto the steps!



After the fabulous experience of getting to the top of the lighthouse - I got my certificate!  We went to the Naval Air Museum which is more or less across the street. 



 

 

 

This was the last night we would stay in Steamboat Landing as they have Friday to Friday weeks.  And since we had plans for Friday night, we decided to treat this as our last night and went back to Nauti - Girls.  This time I got the Not So Nauti Pasta, which was also wonderful.  The only problem was they got my order wrong so Alan was almost done eating by the time I got my dinner - hence no photo!  I think they still had teething problems with staff and will not hold this against them at all.

 

We also had a last drink at the Salty Duck.  This bar is within walking distance of Steamboat Landing and we just love going there! 

 

It was nice to know we were not going to have to rush out in the morning to be at the airport by 8am!  So we had a lovely (sort of) last night in Fort Walton!

 

“Darkness reigns at the foot of the lighthouse”Japanese proverb

 





Uncharted Territory

Isn't it amazing when one wrong turn can result in one of the highlights of a trip?  Alan and I decided to explore South Walton County, mainly going to see Grayton Beach, Seaview and Watercolor.  
I had not been to Grayton Beach since I was 5 years old and visiting my uncle and aunt who were stationed at Eglin AFB.......a long time ago.   Needless to say, I barely remember the place but always did remember it as beautiful.   However, our satnav was taking us on a direct route on Highway 98 which we had already seen on the way from Tallahassee.   The signs on this side did not warn of Highway 30A being closed, so we took a detour!  Possibly the best decision of the trip!

We found ourselves in a Florida paradise, old time feeling and the friendliest folks ever!   We had to get out of the car and experience this little town.  Almost as soon as we were out of the car, a cyclist stopped beside us to point out, and also show pictures from his phone of Oyster Lake.  He also informed us that we were in Santa Rosa Beach. I had never heard of Santa Rosa Beach, well not exactly true, but there are so many Santa Rosa's in this area, I was unaware one was a real beachside town.   As we headed toward Oyster Lake, a pickup truck stopped beside us - in the middle of the road to tell,us of another lake and a covered bridge on the road between Santa Rosa and Blue Mountain.   Wow!   We fell in love with the whole feeling of it here so we dropped into the local real estate office.  Sure wish I could say we bought a place and will move there soon.....but we did get information on possibly renting a house for the family one year.  Even the woman who helped us was exceptionally nice.  She said she grew up in the area where I used to live and had heard of Santa Rosa Beach, but had never been there until her mother retired and moved there.  Reading between the lines, it seems she must have moved there shortly after her first visit!

Highway 30A did eventually come to an end at Blue Mountain due to the road being washed out from a storm so we had to go back to 98.

Grayton Beach

 

We made it to Grayton Beach, which continues to be beautiful!   I think I could have  settled here too.  The little towns of Seaview andWatercolor were sweet, but we should have stopped after Grayton  Beach.  Between Santa Rosa and Grayton Beaches, nothing could really compete!

Sea Oats on Grayton Beach

Our grandson is convinced there are wild alligators all over the state of Florida. I took this picture for him.  It was as close as we got to seeing one!

I had visited Eden State Park many years ago and always wanted to see it again.  It is just a bit too far to drop in from Fort Walton though.  But I always remembered the house and settings as being magical and so wanted my husband to experience it too.  In our travels on this day, we realized we were so close that there was no excuse not to go.  The house is as beautiful as I remember, but it is closed on Tuesdays.  I doubt I will ever be lucky enough to see it again. But it was such a joy to return once more and also share it with Alan.

 

 

After leaving such a gorgeous and, mostly, unspoiled part of Florida, we went from the sublime to the ridiculous! Had a scrumptious lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise before hitting the outlet mall at Sandestin!  I was too hungry to remember to take a picture of the delicious wrap I got, but the experience was fun and I would go back there anytime.

“Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time.”

Leo F. Buscaglia quotes (American guru, tireless advocate of the power of love, 1924-1998)

Sharing beach umbrella, chairs and memories

Sharing Beach Umbrellas, Chairs and Memories

Both my nieces were in town this weekend!  How lucky were we to be able to see them and spend super quality time together?   We found them at a condo right on the beach, where our family headquarters were based - 6 chairs with 3 umbrellas.  

 

 

It feels so decadent to me to do,the beach this way and I just love it!   And then there is always the option of the pool, bliss!

Here we are just enjoying the beach and each other's company.

Roxanne and family

3 year old Gus kept saying "I like this pool"

They were actually in town to say a fond farewell to their father and my friend......I was able to observe their interaction in planning, overcoming obstacles and working toward fulfilling their dad's last wishes.  A very special time for them.

Alan and I joined the family for dinner at a restaurant that had opened only the day before Nauti Girls.  Our server did not give a good impression, and I did not hold out any hope that the dietary requirements and various personal choices of our group would work out successfully.  I got the shrimp and grits!  It was fabulous!

Nauti Girls Waterfront Bar and Grill

-

Shrimp and Grits   Yum!

 

Not only was everything perfect, our waiter turned out to be priceless!   So much for first impressions.

Sunday morning found us with Candi and her husband at Okaloosa Pier before they hit the road for home.  We had a great morning, spotting dolphins, sharks, sting rays and other sealife.

Candi took a super picture of us!

the pier

Candi and Noel

 

After Candi and Noel left, we went back to the condo for another lazy beach afternoon.   The best part of the day though, was being cooked a pasta dinner by Roxanne!  We had a lovely and relaxed evening just sitting around talking and catching up.







Believe it or not, our lives do not revolve around eating with relatives, it just sounds like it does!   On Monday morning, Alan and I met Roxanne and family for a goodbye breakfast at IHOP.  I was looking forward to Alan getting his very first senior discount, but he did not cooperate and ordered something from the regular menu.  :-(

After breakfast, Alan and I went shopping!  This must be some sort of record,  6 days in the US and we had not done any serious shopping!


"The person who sows seeds of kindness will have a perpetual harvest."  Amish Proverb

Step 3 - The Beach!

After the fabulous time spent with Carmen at breakfast, it was time to hit the road and head for the beach!   Now it was finally starting to feel like we are really on vacation!

Since we were no longer having to beat the clock or worry about precision timing, we took a turn down a road with an interesting sign advertising the Pioneer Panhandle Settlement just outside of Blountstown.  It was very quiet when we were there, but by the size of the parking lot, it appears to get quite a few visitors.  It was really nice just wandering around looking at the types of buildings people used to live and work in.  Since it was really hot at the time we were doing this, I did wonder just how early Florida residents managed without air conditioning? They must have been made of very strong stock. 

Here is a collection of views of this open air museum, complete with a "wild" turkey and cotton!

We had planned to eat lunch at Margaritaville in Pier Park.   Although I agreed with this decision, I could not remember exactly where it was.   Alan reminded me the last time we came through Panama City on our way back from Tallahassee in 2009, we wanted to see if our favorite motel was still there.   The Osprey Motel was where we would escape from Geneva for a few days whenever we visited Mom.  We felt with being so close to the beach, the kids needed a few wet and wild days.  This motel is family run and WAS out on the edge of PC.....nothing much around, except the pier.  We would pay our $1, at that time, and wander up and down watching the sealife.  And noticing just how close big sharks are to our beach at the Osprey!

The reason I made this trip down memory lane was when we drove through in 2009, this area was all developed and I was totally shocked.  I cherish the old Florida and get really upset that it is disappearing and becoming a cookie cutter resort state......so when I told Alan I could not remember where Margaritaville was, he said of course I couldn't, I was too busy being horrified!

But if I get off my high horse and accept that things change, I have to admit the area does look a lot more fun.  And Margaritaville is always a blast!    We did wonder, while we were enjoying our lunch there -do you have to like Jimmy Buffet to be able to enjoy the whole experience?

My delicious lunch - Lobster, Crab, and Shrimp Salad - greens, tomato, cucumber, and onion topped with lobster, lump crab, and shrimp salad

We were advised to take the scenic road 30A but it was washed out due to a storm, so we went straight to Steamboat Landing.  We have been coming here for years, and it is nice to know the area so well.  It is on the intercoastal waterway with a dock that used to host a resident heron fishing at night.  I have not seen him yet this time.

We were not really able to sit and relax as we had to go buy food and then go to the local high school football game!   I am originally from this area, but my high school will be away both Fridays we are in the area, so unfair!   As a result, we attended the Fort Walton Beach vs Gulf Breeze game.  It was Alan's very first high school game and he loved the atmosphere and general experience. And the home team won, so it was a very good experience for his first football game!

 

Needless to say, we both took a massive amount of pictures, but the video I took of the FWB team coming onto the field, which I cannot get to download here or on Facebook, sorry, reminds me of my best friend from high school.

 Half time show, with FWB Band and Flag Team (That was what I did in high school, only our flags were not so colourful)

 

Hjordis regularly painted an eagle on huge papers to be stretched between the goal posts for the team to burst through as they entered the field.   The modern version - with the large banner showing the team name pulls perfectly apart and can be fastened together (Velcro?) for the next game. Personally, I prefer her works of art that she knew would be destroyed in seconds!

 

“When I meet a European, the first thing I say is, “I’d much rather watch football than football.” But I’m just teasing them, and they know I’d really rather watch football than football. 
” 

― Jarod Kintz, The Days of Yay are Here! Wake Me Up When They're Over.

Precision timing still required

Our plans did not exactly work out today.....we had to stop by the bank in Geneva to see if they were successful in ordering foreign currency for me. The person I was dealing with had never done anything like that before and had phoned their head office for help yesterday.  I was supposed to stop by at 12 in theory to collect the Pound Sterling.

While we were waiting, we were so lucky that I had one of Mom's closest friend's phone number
memorized and she was home!

Me with Lou and Cornelia

 

 Alan and Lou have spent many an afternoon driving around the area taking pictures, so she was the perfect person to join us on what might be our farewell tour of Geneva.  We had a terrific morning, driving by all the places Alan has photographed for the past (almost) 30 years.  Unfortunately, I was the driver and, consequently, have NO pictures of my own.  We thought we would have time for a leisurely stroll down memory lane, but this was not meant to be.   However, it was a great tour - ending with lunch at the River Junction Restaurant .

What a sweet place!  The ladies who run this restaurant are either in their late 80's or early 90's.  What a way to spend retirement!  And the food is basic Southern cooking as if you were eating at your own grandmother's house.  Very impressive!

 

                                                                              Fried fish, fried cornbread, coleslaw and potato salad

 

 



Returning to the bank an hour after arranged, the woman in charge of getting the foreign currency told me that head office never called her back!  This bank used to be locally run, which I totally loved about it.   As my first real transaction with the new organisation, I must say I am less than impressed.  First, why the head office never phoned her back, second, why she never followed up and third, although not a terrific amount of money would have been processed, it was still loss of business through inaction, and who can afford that nowadays?

Now running an hour behind schedule, we had saved the best for last - my mother's house......ok, she sold it in 2007, but she and my stepfather built it and lived there for 37 years, so it will always be a family landmark.  Lou encouraged us to drive up the quarter mile drive and honk the horn to see if anyone was home.  I hate honking horns and was working up the courage to do this when the new owner came out to see us.  I had met her when she viewed the house so I didn't feel as weird about this situation as I might have.  And she very graciously offered us a tour of her home!   Remember I already said I drove up the driveway I have used for almost 40 years, so when I say the second she opened the door we always used, I had no idea where I was - that is how different the house looks!

Please don't get the idea that she ripped out any semblance of what was there, she was respectful of the heritage and kept special things, but repurposed them in a modern way.  She also opened the windows and let the light in.  Mom and Bob had covered them in frosted plastic and even put bars over them in later years.  I believe they intended to conserve electricity and prevent crime, but the effect was depressing.  Especially once we saw how beautiful the windows are and the way they compliment each other across the room.  Alan was able to take as many photos as he liked but I feel it would be an invasion of her privacy to publish them.  I have decided to only share the shot of the outside views.....

My room was the one with the larger window (it was enlarged by new owner)

Ginko tree at right bottom corner

 

The new owner was delighted to fill in some of her gaps in understanding the history of the house, including where the Ginko tree came from - Mom got it from her mother's house in Illinois. 

Now running two hours late, we dropped Lou off at her home and, even though she had invited us in for some cake, we had to put the pedal to the medal to get to Tallahassee for our next event!

As we parked at the Hampton Inn, one of my nephews and his wife were waiting for us. Thank goodness for wifi at McDonald's - otherwise they would have been waiting for 2 hours!

Bobby had suggested this hotel because it is close to where all of this part of our family lives.




And it worked out perfectly.

Absolutely everyone dropped by, some of the little kids even got to swim, so they didn't get too bored.

We were able to have what felt like a family visit in a living room like environment, and they even got to see the photos Alan took of Mom's house!

Does it get any better than this?  Well, yes.....the next morning, I got dressed, walked across the parking lot and met one of my sorority sisters for breakfast!  We spent 2 hours catching up on almost 40 years.

 Isn't it amazing when friends meet?  It does not matter how long ago they last saw each other, it only felt like yesterday!

 What a welcome to the Florida part of this journey!

"A house is made of walls and beams;

a home is made of love and dreams."

Amish Proverb