Storming Seaside

The next day was rainy and dark.  Mom drove Dad to the airport early while I slept in.  We had a lazy morning before deciding to venture out to Seaside.  The rain had slowed down to a slight drizzle so we figured getting out and about would be good.

The bright and pastel paint colors of Seaside stood out against the dreary sky.  We wandered around some of the side streets and into a few shops.  There were a lot of people around who also had the idea to spend the rainy day in Seaside so it wasn't as peaceful and slow-moving as we hoped.

It was still a lovely way to spend a couple hours before the clouds picked up and the heavy rains came back.  We even found a cool wall for some outfit pics!

(photos by e.hunt, and r.hunt)

Follow the Beachcomber

Tuesday was Dad's last day before heading home so we made the most of it, starting with a leisurely coffee while staring out the window.  I will never tire of this amazing view.

We decided to make a sandcastle with lots of forms and ledges, and a new kind of Aztec-looking pyramid stairway.

We went in the water a few times, had a few Yuenglings and a round of refreshing cocktails, before the clouds started rolling in.

Luckily, by this time we had gotten the castle to a semi-finished state, and the clouds and dark-reflecting water made for quite the dramatic backdrop.

It never really rained more than a light sprinkling, so we stayed down a while longer before heading in to get ready for dinner.  We had settled on this place called The Fish House, set back on the other side of 30a next to a small lake, reminiscent of an old summer camp cafeteria, albeit with much, much better food.  Quotes from Mom's favorite movie, Dirty Dancing, abounded.

(photos by e.hunt)

Sea Mermaids and Crab Cakes

We had a reservation at Café Thirty A, an upscale, well-renowned seafood restaurant, reminiscent of Grandma and Grandpa's favorite, the Ocean Club.  It was close enough to our condo to walk, so we headed across the street to the old beach house.

We were seated in the side room that had these really neat tree limbs entwined with little fairy lights hanging from the ceiling (an idea to replace my hanging lights, maybe??).  Out the window was a thicket of green trees and bushes that reminded me of The Jungle of the Realm, our name for the neighbor's backyard when we were young.  It was a nightmare if our baseball went over the fence into the leaves and darkness.

We ordered drinks and settled on what we wanted.  Then our waiter returned and told us of their famous crab cakes so Dad and I changed our minds and went for those instead.

It was a good decision because they were quite possibly the best dish of seafood I have ever had!  The asparagus and mashed potato sides were excellent as well.

Even though we were all full after the main course, we couldn't resist the Banana Beignets for dessert.  It was light and fluffy and delicious, with a cinnamon bite to it.  Perfect with my European after-dinner espresso!

We had a lovely time and plan on going back next year with the whole family so we can eat with mermaid scale utensils and share all the good food.  We walked back to the condo, arriving just in time for a sunset pic!

Dad stopped in the Tom Thumb to pick something up so he documented me documenting the sunset, and I saw him standing out by the entrance so I documented him documenting too!

(photos collected from cafethirtya, and by e.hunt, and g.hunt)

Sunshine on the Sea and Sand

Sunday morning we slept in a bit before heading down to the beach.  Dad went down early to claim our end-of-the-row umbrella so when we marched down at the end of the morning it was waiting for us.  Ahhhhh, you really can't beat this view.

And look how clear the water was!  We mainly spent that first day marveling at the lovely weather and crystal blue water, sitting in the sun, drinking beachy beverages, and cooling off in the ocean.

The next day Mom and I drove to Rosemary for coffee before getting ready to go down to the beach.  I loaded up for the trek down and we decided I looked like an Apocalyptic explorer in front of the doomsday clock.

We decided to make a castle that day, going through all of the prep stages we have perfected over the years.  Once we had a pretty big pile going, it was time to start placing forms and carving away.

Because there were just two of us working on it, we had to keep it at a fairly small scale, but after some tunnel digging, stair carving, drop-off cutouts, and drizzle castling, it looked pretty good.

After all that hard work we headed up to the room for a summery cocktail before getting ready for dinner.

(photos by e.hunt, g.hunt, and r.hunt)

Florida Bound

Friday morning we woke up bright and early and were on the road by 6:05am.  We were driving the whole twelve or so hours so we wanted to get a good bit of it out of the way by midday.  We made a few coffee stops, had a late lunch at this strange, utopian town called HomePlace where their motto is "Work, Play, Shop," and were at the bridge by quarter to seven.

We were staying at a hotel in Sandestin that night so it was fun to drive through Destin and see our old favorites, although the pizza place, Jordano's, that we made sure to get every year, was boarded up for good.

Since pizza was a no longer an option, we decided to walk to a Mexican place in the little shopping center our hotel was in.  It was pretty good, and by the time we got back we were all so tired that we went right to bed.

The next day we had a leisurely morning; sleeping in and getting coffee at the Starbucks down the street.  One of their espresso machines was broken so it took a good thirty or forty minutes to get a drink, but I didn't mind waiting.  Some customers, however, were not as patient and started snapping at the girl on bar who was just trying to keep up.  Having been in this position before at my own store, I could feel her pain.

Later on we drove back into Destin for a late lunch at one of our favs, Pompano Joe's.  It's right on the beach and features a nice variety of fried seafood dishes.

After some crab cakes and a local beer, we headed about thirty minutes down 30a towards our condo.  We still had enough time before we could check-in to stop at Publix for some groceries, and it was the craziest, most claustrophobia-inducing grocery run I've ever been on.  It seemed that everybody had the same idea!  But, we made it out alive with enough food items to last for a few days and continued the last bit of the journey.

What a view!  No matter how many times we come down here, I will never tire of seeing the great majestic ocean right outside the window.

Next, I ventured down the elevator, through the lobby, along the pool deck, and out the boardwalk to check out the water.  It was refreshingly cool and clearer than it has been in years: not one speck of seaweed!

I then went back up to the room where Dad had made cocktails and we spotted a group of dolphins out by the second sandbar.  They were jumping and flipping around, and I even saw one jump out far enough that you could see his tail fins!

All of this led to a beautiful sunset after a long day.  Our building faces slightly angled to the East so we don't have a complete sunset view, but the hallway balcony out the front door was a pretty good alternative.  Next day, beach day!!

(photos by e.hunt)