January 24, 2013. A Quiet Day.

 

 

 

 

January 24, 2013.  Today was a quiet day at Gulf State Park.  Annie's mom is responding to her antibiotic, so we re-upped for another day here.  Today was also the day of the mother of bike rides.  We happened on a trail that begins at the other end of the park and extends about three miles through the woods.   Out and back from our campsite is ten miles.  So, we rode for two hours this morning and another hour this afternoon.  After the afternoon ride, I grilled some pork chops and we dined alfresco, with the door of Harvey open. 

The pictures show you what we see as we bike around the campground.  Mardi Gras is in the air.  One of our neighbors told us that Mardi Gras actually began in Mobile, AL, thirty miles from here.  Although Mardi Gras was taken over by New Orleans, it is still celebrated to a lesser extent here.  There is a photo of the newly discovered bike trail.  While this campground feels very sheltered, it is a half-mile from the strip and some pretty massive concrete structures.  Condos and hotels line the coast here.  It doesn't seem right for those big buildings to be intruding on the solitude of the woods. 
The view across the lake is from our campsite. 

Annie's leg lacerations continue to heal.  She worries about infection.  She heard that people with artificial body parts, in her case, her knees, should be alert to the possibility of infections settling in the artificial joint.  The cure is long and difficult in those one-in-a-million cases where that happens.  So, we have been treating the sores with Neosporin and bandaging them twice a day.  That Annie, she leaves little to chance.  

January 22, 2013. Fort Pickens Natonal Park, Pensacola Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 22, 2013.  By now, you are accustomed to our changing plans.  I told you we'd be at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores tonight.  Obviously, we aren't there.  We are in Fort Pickens National Park on Pensacola Beach.  At this point, I don't know a lot about the Fort.  I know it was built in 1834 and remained in use until 1947.  It was occupied by Union forces during the Civil War.  We'll find out more tomorrow when we tour the fort. 

So, the change of plans occurred when we realized that we wanted to see both the fort and the National Naval Aviation Museum.  We couldn't do both in one day, so we settled here tonight.  It is a bargain with our Senior Pass to National Parks.  Entry to the Park is free and the camping fees are a mere $10.00.  Next to a Walmart parking lot, it's the cheapest camping we've had in the last couple of years.  The campground is four miles from the city of Pensacola Beach.  The four-mile drive is along the beach.  It is very peaceful here. 

After touring the fort tomorrow, we will move west to Gulf Shores.  I know, you've heard that before.  You are turning into a skeptic, aren't you.  Mild skepticism is a healthy thing.

The pictures today are for the Cobbs.  Dan and the boys love the Blue Angels.  They are, of course, based here in Pensacola.  There are several iterations of aircraft flown by the Angels on display at the museum.  The museum is free to the public, including a trolley ride to the flight line with explanations of the various types of aircraft on display there.  I imagine Dan could identify and name most of them.  The helicopter in the picture with Annie is Marine One.  There is a wax figure of President Nixon visible through the window.  This is the very same helicopter which carried President Nixon away from the White House the day he resigned the Presidency.  Annie is striking the memorable pose of the former President flashing the "victory" sign as he boarded the aircraft. 

The results of the photo quiz keep trickling in.  So far, in addition to Jens and BJ, we've heard from the two T girls.  Lauren got 7 of 10 and Paige identified 6 of 10.  Lauren finally got all 10 correct with a little prodding from her parents.  She says she would have gotten all ten if they hadn't rushed her.  Tonight, the Cobbles weighed in.  Levi got 7, Elijah got 6 and Ben got 2.  Levi misidentified the palm tree as "boots made out of grass."  Elijah thought the squirrel was an alligator.  Ben thought the pine cone was "beef."  He may have his mind on barbecue.  Good boy.  Their parents thought the marshmallow cracker was a Moon Pie. 

The final results will be published when we hear from Emory and Miles. 

January 21, 2013. Henderson SP, Destin, FL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 21, 2013.  We are near Destin, in Henderson State Park.  We arrived too early to check in, so we asked for the park ranger's recommendation for good seafood (an oxymoron).  She named several places, among them, Dewey Destin Seafood & Restaurant.  Off we went.  Based on appearances, you would not eat there.  It was off Calhoun Street, down a gravel alley, past tired, run-down warehouses to an old trailer on the water.  There was a larger wood structure on piers over the water with cardboard on the walls for insulation.  The menu was handwritten in chalk on a blackboard and most of the seating was on two parallel docks extending out over the water.  But, the food was good.  Annie had grilled shrimp and I had fried fish. 

Evidently, Dewey Destin is a favorite eatery for locals.  Most of the cars in the parking lot had Florida license plates.  While we were early for lunch, most of the tables were occupied.  A pelican and gull waited for patrons to ignore the sign admonishing them not to feed the birds.  I witnessed no violations.  A well-dressed older woman sat at a table with two older men.  I heard her tell them three times that she was 84 years-old.  After finishing her meal, she hugged several of the workers at Dewey's, then left.  One of the men at her table then pulled out a harmonica and began playing, seemingly for his own amusement, some hauntingly melancoly melody.  The sound carried to the end of the docks and across the water.  Dewey Destin is a very interesting place. 

We registered at Henderson and took off on the bikes.  We found a boardwalk to the beach and took a stroll.  The beach was pretty deserted but for us and a few other snowbirds.  There was a paucity of birds, although we found footprints indicating they had been there.  A couple of barefoot walkers going opposite directions also left their prints in the sand. 

Tomorrow, we will tour the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, then go on to Gulf Shores, AL.  You may recall that Gulf Shores, more accurately, Foley, is the home of the third Lambert's Restrauant.  We will spend the rest of the week at the Gulf State Park there, then start back north.  We should be home next week, sometime.   

January 20, 2013. A Gem on the Gulf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 20, 2013.  Today, we found a gem on the Gulf - Seaside.  Seaside is an unincorporated area east of Fort Walton Beach.  Seaside was developed on eighty acres by the grandchildren of a man who originally purchased the coast land in 1946.  The development began in the early 1980s with the goal of creating a simple, basic and elegant beach town which would become a statement of human optimism.  So successful were they that the unincorporated area became the location for most of the outside shots in the movie, The Truman Show.  Seaside was named as one of the top twelve destinations, worldwide, by Frommer's. 

The community was constructed on the original eighty acre tract.  Eighty acres is a quarter-of-a-mile by one-half mile.  The thought was that size is the perfect size for a town.  Everything is within walking distance.  There are no big box stores.  The community is served by one local market which has been in the same family since the beginning.  At the end of each beach street is a beach pavilion which is eye-grabbing.  I have included photos of many of them above. 

The sand is white and the Gulf water is the purest green we have seen on this trip.  As you look out over the Gulf, the water color changes from clear to green to blue.  Those variations can be seen in the photo of the girls doing cartwheels on the beach.  Seaside is the one place we've seen this trip that gets the joint recommendation of Annie and Malachi.  If you are within 100 miles of Seaside, it is worth the drive to see it.  We may go back tomorrow. 

Tonight finds us in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.  This park is more like an RV resort.  There is a pool, cable TV and full hookups at each site.  The bike trails are wide and smooth and miles long.  The beach here is similar to the beach at Seaside, lovely.  The amenities are reflected by the price.  It is about fifty percent more than St. Andrews and some of the other state parks where we've stayed. 

So far, the only responses to last night's quiz have been from my fourth daughter and one of my oldest friends, the one who was specifically disqualified from the contest.  My daughter honestly identified seven of the ten objects.  My friend claimed to have identified all ten and wanted to know how to collect his winnings.  I am doubtful.

Oh, the first picture above reminded us of Emory and Miles.  There is a street vendor in front of the ampitheater called the "The Melt Down."  Its slogan is "Gotta have grilled cheese."  That reminded us of Miles, too. 

January 19, 2013. The Hijacking of a Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 19, 2013. A Game for Grandchildren.  We are still in Saint Andrews State Park.  Today was much like yesterday and today's pictures look a lot like yesterday's.  So, Teacher Annie decided we would take unique pictures of objects and challenge the grandchildren to identify the object depicted.  Parents, call your children to the computer and ask if they know what each of the pictures shown above depict.  Answers are at the end of today's entry.

I had some pretty good photos that I intended to use.  There is one of of an eight-point buck in the sand shrubs.  There's another of a capsized sailboat.  There are some neat beach pictures and another of a man paddling a paddle board across the emerald Gulf waters.  And there are five more photos of does in the forest.  I was going to use those tonight.  But, noooooo . . . Teacher Annie decided we would play a game with the grandchildren.  So, if you don't enjoy the game and wonder what you missed, ask Annie.  The is the day the blog got hijacked by someone with teaching in her blood. 

She was so determined that today was the day of the game that she could not hear me suggesting some of the other photos were priceless.  I explained that you were looking forward to seeing what we see.  I played to her affection for art.  "Look at these white beaches contrasted with the green water.  Isn't that beautiful?" 

I might as well have argued with a burnt stump.  Each time I paused for a reaction, she pointed out another object for me to photograph.  She ultimately overbore my will.  She's like that.  She will chip away at a mountain of granite until she reshapes it into the image she wants.  I know.  I used to be a granite mountain.

Here are the objects: 1) A fish net being cast off a pier.  2)  Marshmallow melted on a Flipsides cracker.  3)  A squirrel dashing across the road.  4)  The pedals on a pine cone.  5)  Palm tree bark.  6)  Park rangers regularly burn areas within the park to simulate natural events;  this is one such burn area.  7)  Cable lock for bicycle.  8)  Fire ring grate.  9)  Picnic table with "Lawton, OK" carved in the top.  10)  A lemon drop.

So, kids, how'd you do?  If anyone identifies all ten objects, Annie said she will give you a five-dollar bill.  If no one gets all of them correct, the one who correctly identifies the greatest number gets the fiver.  Let Annie know and collect your cash.  Tee-hee.

Jens, you can't play. 

January 18, 2013. St. Andrews, a Little Warmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 18, 2013.  The weather is better, sixty degrees this afternoon, so we lapped the campground a couple of times.  That is not strenuous exercise.  A lap is a little over two miles.  But it is exercise - after a sort.  It is better than huddling in Harvey reading and eating.  Or, is it?

The last set of photos centered on wildlife at St. Andrews.  Today's focus on scenery.  We will be here tomorrow, then depart for more state parks to the west.  I don't know why I tell you that.  We are drifters.  That's the thought at the moment.  Tomorrow, we may have different thoughts.  That's just the way we drifters think.