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Saturday, June 18, 2022

All Good Things Must End

 And now the 24th week of the year is over and done. So is the beach trip, but like the song says, all good things must end someday! And there were some very good things this past week


Saturday: When we picked Son3 and DIL3 up from the airport Thursday night a truck on the highway threw up a rock and dinged the windshield. They had used my car all day Friday so we stopped to have the window repaired before heading for the beach. After a fast repair we headed out for what would be the longest trip to the beach ever. Almost all the way to Montgomery the traffic moved ( when it was actually moving) at a snails pace. We made decent time until we hit another snarl in Florida, but we finally made it. We literally raced to the seafood monger to pick up scallops and grouper for dinner then drove to the condo  We were supposed to pick Son1’s family up from the airport at the beach as soon as we unpacked the car. Seeing them was great and we dropped them off so Pip could go swimming while TheHub and I ran to the grocery store. After shopping then cooking I think we finally ate at about 9:30. 

Sunday: The water was rough and there were double red flags, so no gulf swimming was going to happen.  Instead Pip had lots of pool time. TheHub and I went back to the seafood place for steamed shrimp and redfish  __yum!

Monday: The water was still kind of sketchy with rip tides but there was only a regular red flag.  We did get out in the water and it beat us to a pulp but it was fun anyway. I was very happy Pip could still have fun in the pool. We were supposed to go eat at Captain Andersons which takes no reservations.  Unilaterally we decided a 90 minute wait was too long for Pip so we walked across the parking lot to a new to us restaurant, The Grand Marlin. Delicious did not even being to describe it.

Tuesday: Rip tides were the name of the game again but beautiful weather, a bucket to fill with water to pour over me when I got hot, and a beach chair with an umbrella made staying on the beach all day easy  I did get in the water a bit but with the currents it was hard to stay in one place. 
Sadly DIL3 had to return to NYC.  She is finishing her Masters and had class Wednesday  I hate she had to leave but we were thrilled she got to be there for a little while.

Wednesday: What a difference a day made.  While sitting on the balcony having coffee the gulf was like a lake. We saw tarpon feeding close to shore.  They were between 4 and 5 feet long  they were probably there the other days but the water was too rough to see them   The day begged us to spend all day on the beach and the water was perfect  Rolling waves, no whitecaps and no rip currents.
That night we met TheHub's cousin and wife for dinner.  They have a place down there and were spending a few weeks at the beach.

Thursday: We woke seriously early and sat on the balcony with coffee and binoculars  We saw 4 or 5 porpoises, in deeper water and 3 fairly large sharks about 10-15 feet from the shoreline  There were several people in the water but the sharks totally ignored them.  Our best guess was that they were sand sharks,  which are not aggressive at all.
Every beach trip has a beginning and an end We had to end ours Thursday because Son1’s family was driving to North Carolina on Friday morning for a long weekend visit with one of DIL1’s friends.  We packed up and left  making decent time until we  made our first potty break for Pip  The car was packed to the gills and during the shuffling to get her out, a bottle of Tide spilled all over the backseat mat  I am very thankful I hadWeather Tech floor mats because we just had to remove it and rinse (a lot of rinsing) it off. 
Our second stop was for a lunch in Andalusia  We decided to go inside and eat rather than doing a drive through.  Pip gets car sick and it just made sense to eat inside. 
We were through eating and about to leave to get in the car when a couple of people came out from behind the counter talking about a hit and run in the parking lot.  We were not particularly curious until we realized my car was the one that was hit  We called the police to get paperwork to file with our insurance company when the young guy who hit it returned  We figure someone in the restaurant knew him and called and told him the police were involved and to get his butt back  I am glad he did so he was not charged with leaving the scene of an accident  I would hate for a simple wreck to escalate into more than it was. I know he was not happy, but honestly neither was I. Most likely I will wait until after everyone leaves to have it fixed, but body work was definitely not in my short term plans.  
We arrived home much later than we planned but we had time to pick up bbq for dinner for all of us including DIL2 and Son2  After dinner they swam.  I had a fierce headache and went to sleep.  Ah the pleasure of being back in my own bed!

Friday: Son1 took my car to NC leaving Son3 and me carless. Fortunately he was working, and I was still nursing a headache and just needed darkness and silence.
 Lucky for us I needed nothing and TheHub was back on track for recreational shopping on his way home from work. I NEEDED a popsicle, and Son1 wanted a few things to add to our dinner. He took steaks out of the freezer, did all the cooking and clean up. What a joy!

Look for all the joys the week has to offer. They are there even if you have to hunt for them!

May all your weeds be wildflowers,
Anne


p.s. Sorry this is so late. I was busy getting things back in some sort of order today since the headache has disappeared! 



30 comments:

  1. I am glad that the headache is gone. Sigh at the car dingle - but hooray for spending quality time with some of your favourite people.

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    1. The car is a thing and I do not get upset with things, except for having to take it in for the repair. It was not in my plans! The headache was the worst I have had in years, but some great sleep and Advil helped tremendously.

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  2. Well, it was an eventful trip, some events wonderful and some not so wonderful. Sitting under an umbrella, slathered with sunblock would be my speed! How old is Pip now?

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    1. I would sit out for stretches of 15 or so minutes but not during the hottest part of the day. I would up having one small strip on the front of my foot and one tiny strip on my shoulder that did not get enough sunscreen on them and burned.
      She is 8

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  3. A damaged car is a pain but I'm glad you've had some good times and the stress from the accident is probably neutralised somewhat by the time by the sea

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    1. It was a dent, not anything that changed the operations of the car so other than time to have it repaired it is not a huge deal.

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  4. I like your attitude about things. I need to remember that. Your beach time sounds terrific. Pools work and you still had ocean beaches to walk and play even when swimming was risky. How long do you get son 1 family when they're back from friends?

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    1. They will be here for a week. I still have lots of pool time with Pip.

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  5. You had quite a week! I'm glad that the hit-and-run driver returned to the scene of the accident. It's so fortunate that no one was inside the vehicle and that no one was hurt.

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    1. I am glad he returned for himself mainly. A dent in a car is so much better than being charged with leaving the scene of an accident. I would not wish that on anyone.

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  6. Sounds like a lovely beach vacation! Glad you were able to spend time with your favorite people and make lots of good memories. Sorry about the headache and the car accident, but I'm glad you are feeling better now and that you were able to drive the car home. What is your favorite beach?

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    1. My favorite beach is around Seagrove on 30-A in NW Florida. The condo is in Panama City. The beach is much the same, but it is much more crowded than Seagrove.

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  7. I get the tiny strip of sunburned areas as well. That's what happens when you are super fair. Your suit moves, or the wind blows as you are spraying on the sunblock, and it's just enough to make a difference in the location & application.

    Sounds like a fabulous trip, minus some car snafus. So glad you got the family time!

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    1. I always get the tiny strips of sunburn. I probably should start applying sunscreen before I even put my suit on.

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  8. Sounds wonderful, or at the the seeing the grandchild and family part. I drive to Atlanta tomorrow to fly 2000 miles to see my grandchild, oh, and her parents… lol. After hearing about all the flight cancellations over the weekend, I hope that does not happen to me. Cindy in the South

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  9. Boy, you sure had some hiccups on the way home too. Glad you made it and your headache has resolved.
    Sounds it was a fun week with your granddaughter and family, making memories and enjoying some great food.

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    1. Hiccups happen all the time. I guess the best thing about being older is recognizing that things seldom go as planned, and life moves on anyway.

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  10. Welcome Home! I am happy to go, but always happy to be home! I love my bed! It sounds as if your trip was lovely and eventful! Have a cozy, quiet day!

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    1. The bed at the condo was way too soft for me and I fought with it every night. I was glad to be back in my own firm bed where I could sleep soundly.

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  11. There is nothing like a headache to put everything on hold. Glad yours is gone.

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    1. I have not had a screaming headache like that in a long time. I will be happy to wait an equally long time for another!

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  12. I'm glad you had a lovely vacation with your family and Pip! Sounds like you had a few bumps along the way, but, you were all safe and sound and have the right attitude about everything. But, it seems like that week went by very quickly! Sorry you had a bad headache once you returned home, but, glad you are feeling better now. My daughter is spending the week at home with me, this week, so you know I will have lots of joys this week! :)

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  13. Having family around helps smooth out the rough patches of the trip - especially when one of them is Pip.

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  14. OMW -- your week sounds like an excerpt from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! All that aside, getting home safely in one's own bed-n-bath is priceless. I hope your new week is great fun and incident free!

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    1. Things happen and I am not going to get crazed when they are not exactly what I was hoping for. Life happens!

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  15. Sounds like a nice trip even with the rip tides. My sister was down there in March and experienced that also. Looking for the joys is a great way to live a positive life. My joy right now is having a sleeping kitten on my arm while I’m typing this. 💕

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    1. I grew up spending a lot of the summer at the beach and know enough to stay either out of the water or close to the shore when the rips happen. When we were teens my sister and I were caught in one and it took us about an hour to get back to shore. Lesson learned, and glad we were both very strong swimmers.

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  16. I can imagine after that you did have a headache. Poor kid. Poor you!

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