Happy New Year to Each and Every One of You!!
Stay safe but have fun this weekend.
2012 IS going to be a great year for all of us!!!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year!
Stay safe but have fun this weekend.
2012 IS going to be a great year for all of us!!!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Bellingrath Gardens Christmas Lights
Even though I'm not that far from Mobile, I've never been to Bellingrath Gardens.
I've heard many times what a beautiful home and garden it is and I've always wanted to go but just never made it over there.
Until now.
On Monday, my parents, the kids and I drove over to Mobile to visit with my Uncle and cousins.
And planned to go see the lights at the Gardens while we were there.
I looked at their website and knew we would be in for an amazing display of Christmas lights.
We visited with our family, had an early supper and off we went to see the lights.
We only had one small problem.
It was raining.
A light but constant rain with some pretty good showers coming in every 15 minutes or so.
But, we'd come a long way and weren't going to let rain stop our adventure.
Damn the torpedo's, full speed ahead! We were going in!
It was spectacular!!!
Acres of gardens decorated with lights of every kind.
They have a beautiful lake in the middle of the gardens that they call Mirror Lake. There were light displays in and around the water - which would have reflected beautifully if it hadn't been raining.
The path around the lake was filled with sea creatures.
I would have loved to have taken more pictures of that area but it was raining really hard at that point and I didn't want my camera to get too wet.
There were gingerbread girls and boys that the kids declared creepy but I thought they were really cute.
The house was open for touring but we decided to come back another day for that. According to my cousin, it's filled with the most beautiful antiques she's ever seen.
The only thing we didn't get to see was the nativity scene. It was near the end, raining really hard and my Mom, the Island Girl and the Oldest Island Boy had already abandoned us to wait in the cafe.
I wanted to see it but we were soaking wet and facing a 3 hour drive home so hurrying on to the cafe didn't sound like a bad idea.
We had a wonderful time, rain and all, and can't wait to come back in the Spring to tour the house and see the gardens in full bloom.
If you're ever in Mobile I would say that Bellingrath Gardens is a must see.
I've heard many times what a beautiful home and garden it is and I've always wanted to go but just never made it over there.
Until now.
On Monday, my parents, the kids and I drove over to Mobile to visit with my Uncle and cousins.
And planned to go see the lights at the Gardens while we were there.
I looked at their website and knew we would be in for an amazing display of Christmas lights.
We visited with our family, had an early supper and off we went to see the lights.
We only had one small problem.
It was raining.
A light but constant rain with some pretty good showers coming in every 15 minutes or so.
But, we'd come a long way and weren't going to let rain stop our adventure.
Damn the torpedo's, full speed ahead! We were going in!
It was spectacular!!!
Acres of gardens decorated with lights of every kind.
They have a beautiful lake in the middle of the gardens that they call Mirror Lake. There were light displays in and around the water - which would have reflected beautifully if it hadn't been raining.
The path around the lake was filled with sea creatures.
I would have loved to have taken more pictures of that area but it was raining really hard at that point and I didn't want my camera to get too wet.
There were gingerbread girls and boys that the kids declared creepy but I thought they were really cute.
The house was open for touring but we decided to come back another day for that. According to my cousin, it's filled with the most beautiful antiques she's ever seen.
The only thing we didn't get to see was the nativity scene. It was near the end, raining really hard and my Mom, the Island Girl and the Oldest Island Boy had already abandoned us to wait in the cafe.
I wanted to see it but we were soaking wet and facing a 3 hour drive home so hurrying on to the cafe didn't sound like a bad idea.
We had a wonderful time, rain and all, and can't wait to come back in the Spring to tour the house and see the gardens in full bloom.
If you're ever in Mobile I would say that Bellingrath Gardens is a must see.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
My Dream Home
My Dad, the boys and I were out geocaching last week and about halfway between Navarre and Milton we left Hwy 87 and headed East into the Eglin Reservation.
We drove and drove and drove and then came to this sign.
We were very close to Blackwater Bay and were leaving Eglin property and entering the Water Management land.
We drove on a little farther and as we came around a curve, Blackwater Bay appeared in front of us and sitting there on the beach was my dream home.
With a For Sale sign in front!
I knew the minute I laid eyes on that property that I was meant to live there.
It's a 2.5 acre out-parcel surrounded by the Reservation and the Water Management group that fronts the Bay.
I've always said that my dream property would be in the middle of the woods but right on the water (salt water) at the same time.
And here it is.
This property fronts the Bay and then has a marsh/tidal creek bordering one side and the water management group property surrounding the rest.
There are other benefits as well.
It's completely off the grid. (It's so far out in the woods - there is no "grid" lol)
The home has a huge solar panel, a giant generator and a well so it's completely self sustainable.
All it lacks is some sort of Internet connection but I'm sure with the way wireless stuff works today we could find a solution for that.
And did I mention that it's IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?
My idea of absolute heaven. The woods, my own private beach and not a living soul for miles.
And look at this oak in the middle of the yard.
I took the Island King out there and he's as in love with the place as I am.
Take a look at the virtual tour the realtor made.
http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?sk=13&t=2075435
This place has my name written all over it.
Now all I have to do is wrangling up 400k and the place will be mine!
We drove and drove and drove and then came to this sign.
We were very close to Blackwater Bay and were leaving Eglin property and entering the Water Management land.
We drove on a little farther and as we came around a curve, Blackwater Bay appeared in front of us and sitting there on the beach was my dream home.
With a For Sale sign in front!
I knew the minute I laid eyes on that property that I was meant to live there.
It's a 2.5 acre out-parcel surrounded by the Reservation and the Water Management group that fronts the Bay.
I've always said that my dream property would be in the middle of the woods but right on the water (salt water) at the same time.
And here it is.
This property fronts the Bay and then has a marsh/tidal creek bordering one side and the water management group property surrounding the rest.
There are other benefits as well.
It's completely off the grid. (It's so far out in the woods - there is no "grid" lol)
The home has a huge solar panel, a giant generator and a well so it's completely self sustainable.
All it lacks is some sort of Internet connection but I'm sure with the way wireless stuff works today we could find a solution for that.
And did I mention that it's IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?
My idea of absolute heaven. The woods, my own private beach and not a living soul for miles.
And look at this oak in the middle of the yard.
I took the Island King out there and he's as in love with the place as I am.
Take a look at the virtual tour the realtor made.
http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?sk=13&t=2075435
This place has my name written all over it.
Now all I have to do is wrangling up 400k and the place will be mine!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
A Saturday Paddle
After my Voyaged of the Damned was cancelled I couldn't resist the chance to do a little kayaking around my sister's house after my nephew's birthday party.
There is a geocache hidden on an island across from her house that is only accessible by boat and Saturday seemed like the perfect day to paddle over and find it.
It was in the low 60s and the sun was shining - an absolute perfect winter day.
My Dad and I took the yaks down to a landing just across from the island and off we went.
It was a nice paddle over, the wind was at our backs, the sun was warm and the water was beautiful.
The tide was out so as we got close to shore we bottomed out pretty quick.
Dad had on mud boots so he said he'd pull me in.
I offered to take off my shoes and socks and walk but he kept saying there was no point since he was wearing boots and his feet would be dry.
Bless his heart - he drug me and the yak all the way up to the beach and today I'm pretty sure his back is wishing he'd let me pull my own boat in lol
We poked around the brush and found the cache and then spent a few minutes wandering the island. All too soon, it was time to head back to the other side of the Intracoastal.
We had to do a little more paddling going against the wind but it wasn't bad and we were back at the landing in no time.
A beautiful day, a deserted island, time on the water - all reminders of why I love Florida so much!
There is a geocache hidden on an island across from her house that is only accessible by boat and Saturday seemed like the perfect day to paddle over and find it.
It was in the low 60s and the sun was shining - an absolute perfect winter day.
My Dad and I took the yaks down to a landing just across from the island and off we went.
It was a nice paddle over, the wind was at our backs, the sun was warm and the water was beautiful.
The tide was out so as we got close to shore we bottomed out pretty quick.
Dad had on mud boots so he said he'd pull me in.
I offered to take off my shoes and socks and walk but he kept saying there was no point since he was wearing boots and his feet would be dry.
Bless his heart - he drug me and the yak all the way up to the beach and today I'm pretty sure his back is wishing he'd let me pull my own boat in lol
We poked around the brush and found the cache and then spent a few minutes wandering the island. All too soon, it was time to head back to the other side of the Intracoastal.
We had to do a little more paddling going against the wind but it wasn't bad and we were back at the landing in no time.
A beautiful day, a deserted island, time on the water - all reminders of why I love Florida so much!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Voyage of the Damned Averted
For quite a while now I've wanted to take a kayak up onto the Yellow River and do some geocaching.
There are 7 caches placed along the river that you can only access by boat.
My Dad and another cacher friend of ours talked about going in August but I have to tell you that I know from experience that you see less snakes in the swamp in the winter time.
For someone who has an irrational fear of snakes that's important.
It's gotten chilly here now and I decided that Sunday would be the perfect time to make the trip.
The forecast called for sunny skies, 60 degrees and no wind.
Not too cold, not too hot - perfect.
I thought.
But my Dad and the Island King started talking about how cold we'd be if we got wet and then went into great detail about hypothermia.
I swear they acted like I was taking them into the Tundra and we'd be kayaking through ice.
There were even secret phone calls between the two of them - discussing how they could prevent my "adventure" from becoming a disaster for all involved.
The Island King started calling me the Captain of the SS Minnow and humming the Gilligan's Island song whenever we talked about the trip.
We told his friend about the trip and he immediately said "Can I go?" - which is a direct quote that should be noted later on in the story.
But then he and the Island King started talking about hypothermia and a "3 hour tour" and he got a little freaked out.
Suddenly, I was forcing him to go along on the expedition and he was as concerned about dying as the Island King and my Dad were.
I'm now instigating a Voyage of the Damned trip.
Now, I will admit that I've taken my family on several adventures that didn't work out so well.
But the great Book Swap saga is being talked about and the fact that I got lost in the woods was actually thrown in my face.
Neither of those things were my fault - well maybe the lost thing, but just a little.
But... WE'RE NOT GOING INTO THE TUNDRA! It's a seven mile paddle, downstream, on a cool but sunny day.
My Dad, the boys and I drove up there on Friday to do recon for where to put in and where to take out.
Does this look like the Tundra to you?
Neither does the place we've picked to pull out.
Friday night the Island King's friend called, again, to say that he's decided to bring his motorboat instead. For emergency purposes.
Which made me laugh at him and then accuse him of being scared of being in the canoe (he's a self proclaimed Master Canoer)
At which time the man actually said "You know the Donner party didn't know how things were going to turn out and they had to eat each other to stay alive!"
The Donner party?!!
I explained that we aren't going over a mountain. We're kayaking down a river. If there is trouble - at any point along the way - we can pull up to the bank and walk to a major hwy within 45 minutes.
I've gone from the Captain of the Minnow, to the instigator of the Voyage of the Damned, and am now the leader of the Donner party.
And I am quite offended.
The Island King is a firm believer in the old adage - If Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy - and knowing that messing up my trip will cause him great unhappiness he finally gets on board with the plan, stops making secret phone calls and proclaims "If you want to go - we're going"
But then Saturday came with a brand new forecast. Cloudy, high of 58 and winds out of the North at 15 to 20 mph.
Not the weather I was planning on.
Saturday also came with a FB message from our cacher friend who is going along.
She's been ready to go all along and feels secure in the knowledge that no one will need to be airlifted out of the river or die of hypothermia.
Until looking at the forecast on Saturday morning.
Which caused her to say that it doesn't look like Sunday will be a good day for the trip and that maybe we should just take the truck up into the woods and do some caching that way.
AAAHHHHH!!!!!!
Common sense and the overwhelming desire to prove to certain men that this wasn't going to be a Donner party kind of trip battled in my head for half an hour.
Common sense won, I contacted all interested parties, and cancelled the trip.
Sunday morning came with an even more unpleasant forecast. High of 50, cloudy, 40% chance of rain, possible thunder and winds starting at 20mph.
Thank God that common sense prevailed!
If I had taken those 7 people up to the river and they were miserable all day (which we would have been) I would NEVER live it down.
My Dad sent me an email telling me "Good call, Captain" - which lends credibility to the fact that despite a few mishaps I am perfectly capable of taking people into the woods and returning successfully.
According to the Island King it just means that I know not to go in the rain lol
One day he'll see that he's wrong and will be eating crow for a week!
There are 7 caches placed along the river that you can only access by boat.
My Dad and another cacher friend of ours talked about going in August but I have to tell you that I know from experience that you see less snakes in the swamp in the winter time.
For someone who has an irrational fear of snakes that's important.
It's gotten chilly here now and I decided that Sunday would be the perfect time to make the trip.
The forecast called for sunny skies, 60 degrees and no wind.
Not too cold, not too hot - perfect.
I thought.
But my Dad and the Island King started talking about how cold we'd be if we got wet and then went into great detail about hypothermia.
I swear they acted like I was taking them into the Tundra and we'd be kayaking through ice.
There were even secret phone calls between the two of them - discussing how they could prevent my "adventure" from becoming a disaster for all involved.
The Island King started calling me the Captain of the SS Minnow and humming the Gilligan's Island song whenever we talked about the trip.
We told his friend about the trip and he immediately said "Can I go?" - which is a direct quote that should be noted later on in the story.
But then he and the Island King started talking about hypothermia and a "3 hour tour" and he got a little freaked out.
Suddenly, I was forcing him to go along on the expedition and he was as concerned about dying as the Island King and my Dad were.
I'm now instigating a Voyage of the Damned trip.
Now, I will admit that I've taken my family on several adventures that didn't work out so well.
But the great Book Swap saga is being talked about and the fact that I got lost in the woods was actually thrown in my face.
Neither of those things were my fault - well maybe the lost thing, but just a little.
But... WE'RE NOT GOING INTO THE TUNDRA! It's a seven mile paddle, downstream, on a cool but sunny day.
My Dad, the boys and I drove up there on Friday to do recon for where to put in and where to take out.
Does this look like the Tundra to you?
Neither does the place we've picked to pull out.
Friday night the Island King's friend called, again, to say that he's decided to bring his motorboat instead. For emergency purposes.
Which made me laugh at him and then accuse him of being scared of being in the canoe (he's a self proclaimed Master Canoer)
At which time the man actually said "You know the Donner party didn't know how things were going to turn out and they had to eat each other to stay alive!"
The Donner party?!!
I explained that we aren't going over a mountain. We're kayaking down a river. If there is trouble - at any point along the way - we can pull up to the bank and walk to a major hwy within 45 minutes.
I've gone from the Captain of the Minnow, to the instigator of the Voyage of the Damned, and am now the leader of the Donner party.
And I am quite offended.
The Island King is a firm believer in the old adage - If Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy - and knowing that messing up my trip will cause him great unhappiness he finally gets on board with the plan, stops making secret phone calls and proclaims "If you want to go - we're going"
But then Saturday came with a brand new forecast. Cloudy, high of 58 and winds out of the North at 15 to 20 mph.
Not the weather I was planning on.
Saturday also came with a FB message from our cacher friend who is going along.
She's been ready to go all along and feels secure in the knowledge that no one will need to be airlifted out of the river or die of hypothermia.
Until looking at the forecast on Saturday morning.
Which caused her to say that it doesn't look like Sunday will be a good day for the trip and that maybe we should just take the truck up into the woods and do some caching that way.
AAAHHHHH!!!!!!
Common sense and the overwhelming desire to prove to certain men that this wasn't going to be a Donner party kind of trip battled in my head for half an hour.
Common sense won, I contacted all interested parties, and cancelled the trip.
Sunday morning came with an even more unpleasant forecast. High of 50, cloudy, 40% chance of rain, possible thunder and winds starting at 20mph.
Thank God that common sense prevailed!
If I had taken those 7 people up to the river and they were miserable all day (which we would have been) I would NEVER live it down.
My Dad sent me an email telling me "Good call, Captain" - which lends credibility to the fact that despite a few mishaps I am perfectly capable of taking people into the woods and returning successfully.
According to the Island King it just means that I know not to go in the rain lol
One day he'll see that he's wrong and will be eating crow for a week!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Destin Christmas Boat Parade
We never miss the Destin Christmas Boat Parade so this year we grabbed some tasty beverages and off we went to claim our spot on the dock.
Santa was on his boat
So we knew things were about to start.
I'm always amazed at how beautiful the boats look dressed in their Christmas finery.
There is something magical about Christmas boats.
I think I want to be on one of the boats next year. I'll have to work on that.
Santa was on his boat
So we knew things were about to start.
I'm always amazed at how beautiful the boats look dressed in their Christmas finery.
There is something magical about Christmas boats.
I think I want to be on one of the boats next year. I'll have to work on that.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
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