Greetings from Pensacola Beach, FL

We are at the Pensacola Beach Resort, in what I believe is the most expensive site of our whole trip.  But it is so totally worth it. The trailer backs up to the sound, so we only have to walk out our door, turn right, and by the time we get to the end of the trailer, we are on the beach. The ocean is very warm here as the water isn’t deep near the shore. You have to walk out quite a way to get to swim. I’m not complaining!

We are on a narrow little spit of land – one of Florida’s barrier islands. If you cross the street (which is a four-lane highway but has an island in the center) and walk past a hotel on a public sidewalk, you come to the ocean side of the island. That’s where the waves are. The beach on that side is 65 miles long. It was full of people when we went yesterday, but that’s to be expected.

There is a boardwalk about half a mile from us. It is full of stores selling tourist stuff, street vendors, restaurants, and bars. We bought some floats so we could float in the sound and get a tan. Of course, we got a burn. Just never know when to go inside. It’s fun to watch all the activities. People on sailboats, jet skis, parasailing, boogie boards, and, overhead, airplanes pulling advertising signs and helicopters from the naval base practicing.

There are not a lot of seagulls here, but there ARE pelicans. They look just like you would expect except they don’t have the deep beak unless they are eating. They skim across the surface of the ocean in groups looking for fish. It’s funny to watch them. They flap, flap, flap, gliiiiiiide, flap, flap, gliiiiiide, occasionally diving to catch a fish.

There is a free shuttle here that takes you up and down the island, but it doesn’t run until after 5 PM. That’s okay, we are outside doing stuff until then. We do plan on doing something educational after the holiday. We are close to Pensacola, home of the Blue Angels so I am sure we can tour something at the Naval Air Station. There is a lighthouse near here too.

And we need groceries. That’s always a challenge when we go places. We really stocked up when we thought we might get caught in Hurricane Harvey, so we are fine for now. But running out of fresh stuff – salad, milk, etc. And now Irma seems to be threatening the very part of Florida we are heading to next – sheesh! We may skip Ocala and go directly to SC. We aren’t going to make any decisions for a few days.

Speaking of Hurricane Harvey, the kitten is doing wonderfully. His Bengal coloring is starting to come out and he really does look like a tiger. He is playful and happy, except when we step on him. John and I shuffle like old people (no comments from the Peanut gallery) to avoid squishing him. He zooms everywhere. He’s gotten stuck in places that have only been open for a few seconds – under drawers, in showers, in the closet.

You can’t go to the bathroom by yourself because he can zoom under the door. But that’s okay, we have been working on litter box training. He’s doing great! He gets along really well with PC and Rocky, Buddy not so much. Rocky is his personal springboard, he clambers to the top of the Rocky Mountain to get to higher countertops and tables. Do you know how toddlers cling to mommy’s leg sometimes? That’s what Harvey does with Rocky. We still keep them separated when we go out, though. It would only take one snip from the dog and there would be no more kitten.

Today is the day all the Weekend Warriors leave. We sit at the picnic table and watch them pack up and move out. Yes, we are glad we don’t have to do that! At least today. We know that when we get home we will both have to go back to our real jobs.  Maybe we will be able to come back next year – this is a picture of Navarre Beach.

I wouldn’t mind coming back to this place. It’s busy and crowded but sometimes that’s part of the fun. And maybe we will rent a boat!