A Few Things From Our Trip to the Beach

We had a great time at the beach with Jack and Connie. The weather was perfect---not too hot! It was definitely humid, but there was a nice breeze on the beach, so that helped! 

Jack and Connie were also able to take care of some business with their condo in Mexico Beach--about an hour and a half away from us. I rode over with them one day. Their place was completely destroyed by the hurricane in 2018. It will be three years this fall. We're all hoping that they will finally be able to start using their place by then. The entire area was completely devastated. There's still so much work to be done there. Little by little...

1. This was one of the first times that our trip to the beach felt like a vacation. There wasn't much work to be done--at least not for me!

Every time we go, we have a list of jobs to do. Butch always has more than me. His are usually repairs of some sort. For me, it's always cleaning out stuff. My cleaning lady leaves this closet a complete mess. I should have taken a before photo, but I didn't think about it. At least This will be the before the next before so you'll be able to see what a mess it always is when we get there. But, I have to admit, even at home, I have to clean out the cleaning closet. Margarita doesn't keep it neat. I don't know why. Maybe she considers it her space. I can't stand the mess.

2. On one of my morning walks, I came across 4 deer. They startled me. I had no idea there were deer in Florida. It seems so odd to see them underneath palm trees!

Another day, I saw this guy in the street. It was early, so I guess the pavement wasn't too hot yet.

3, My routine at the beach is: walk, have breakfast, hit the beach, come back for lunch and then hit the pool. Everyone gets to do what they want while on vacation. 

While at the pool one afternoon, I saw this float. I found it on the internet and did a little poolside shopping right then and there! I bought two of them from Walmart. 

They were $6.98 each. We love our "laying down" floats, but this looks like it would be fun to sit up in. We'll have to try them out.

4. One day, while the Potters were out shopping for their place, Butch and I were on the beach.

There's just no place like the "emerald coast"  (Santa Rosa Beach, FL is where our place is) with it's beautiful turquoise water and white sand beaches. 

5. We have NEVER seen so many people on "our" beach! Yes, we are kind of possessive about it.

We don't usually go during the heat of summer--April, May, September and October are our favorite times. This was the week of the 4th of July, so I guess that's why it was so crowded. It didn't really bother us. We rented beach chairs and umbrellas which were a total game changer for me! No hauling all the crap to the beach and then trying to get the dinky umbrellas to stay in the sand. I'll be renting from now on--even if I only use them in the morning. Still worth it.

I cannot complain. I just about had the pool to myself every afternoon. It was such a nice, relaxing trip. After beach and pool time, we got cleaned up and had happy hour on the porch before dinner. When we got home, we sat outside and played a trivia game and later, Racko. Everybody one except me. But I think I did win the night we played Racko. The trip flew by.

Butch and I are trying to go at least once a month. So far, that's worked out pretty good. June is the only month we've missed---although Butch missed May while I was here with my sisters. We're really happy that our family is spending a lot of time there too. After all, that's why we took it off the rental program!