Glenn's mom turned 90 during the week we were there! Bill treated everyone to a seafood dinner at Boatyard, one of the more advertised restaurants in the area.
Kari has always loved the beach (like me) but Jonathan hails from Iowa so he's not had "summers at the beach" like the rest of us. However, I think he enjoyed it as much as us!
Because there were six of us traveling in one mini-van, someone was always needing to take a potty break. Kari and Jonathan took advantage of the breaks to get a coffee of some sort.
And lest you think this is a spontaneous hug between the two of them, let me just mention that they rode the seven hours down there in the very back seats where it was a little bit cramped. They were real troopers and never complained! Jonathan is actually stretching/adjusting/cracking her back to get the kinks out!
We were able to get a last minute reservation at Regency Towers on the east end of Panama City beach. Our 3 bedroom condo was on the fifth floor overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
Kari and Jonathan helped us unload the van quickly!
And the first thing Jonathan unpacked was the Hamilton Beach Cappucino maker! Kari loves lattes and Jonathan loves espressos. The closest I get to coffee is a coffee milkshake!
Glenn and I are alike in that whenever we travel, we like to unpack our suitcases and "nest", which is exactly what we did once the bags were unloaded out of the van. While Kari and I ran to the nearby Walmart to pick up some things we needed for meals, Glenn and Jonathan "explored" the complex and walked up and down the beach to check things out.
Our first night there, Glenn and I went to dinner with Al and Dianne, friends from Marietta who happened to be vacationing 2 miles down the beach from us. Some would call it a really neat "coincidence" but I think it was a blessing!
During the week, Glenn and I walked or jogged up and down the beach at least once a day so that we didn't have to worry too much about what we were eating. We usually ate sandwiches or leftovers for lunch but almost every night, Kari fixed us a great dinner. Glenn and I never got in either of the two pools because the water in the Gulf was so wonderful!
We tried to not get sunburned so we avoided swimming in the middle of the day. However, Pa enjoyed sitting out on the balcony in the heat of the day (to get warm from the air conditioning! Or maybe to watch the girls?)
We always enjoyed the sunsets, either while walking along the beach or from our balcony.
And on Friday evening we spotted a wedding rehearsal taking place just under our balcony out on the beach. I went down and asked the bride when the wedding ceremony would be so that I could be sure to be around to "watch" it.
She said it would be on Saturday at 5:45 pm so we were all on the balcony by 5:30 with our cameras, ready to watch the proceedings below. However, they were way behind in setting up for it! We watched them haul the chairs down to the beach, put up the reception-area tent, decorate the tables, put the linoleum dance floor together, test the sound system, etc....
...but it wasn't until 7 pm that the bride and her dad actually walked across the sand ("down the aisle") to where the preacher, groom, bridesmaids and groomsmen were waiting. Later that evening we heard one of the bridesmaids toasting the happy couple, Lisa and Chris.
It was interesting to watch, but there were a couple of near mishaps with this beach wedding! First, a garbage truck drives down the beach between the two mothers being seated to empty all the trash cans. The wind is blowing so fiercely up on the condo grounds where the reception is being held that the flower vases keep getting blown over and the linen napkins are flying away. Also, there were all these curious onlookers, like us, who were hanging around to watch! And the wind was blowing so hard down on the beach that the preacher couldn't be heard by the 50 or so invited guests. (I'm not counting the uninvited guests, like us!) Anyway, it was interesting.
All good things must come to an end. We had to return to Marietta on Sunday evening, so we packed up and made the trek home.
And the first thing Kari unpacks is the Cappucino machine! Welcome home!
2 comments:
woo-hoo what a lovely week for you all!
Looks like it was peaceful and relaxing - so glad you all could do that together!
Love,
Kate
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