What we did on our vacation

Finally for the first time in my life I actually took a real vacation. No relatives to visit no projects to complete just rest and relaxation.

From the newest entries to my journal

Wednesday, October 11, 2006:

We finally got going at 10 am. Got lost twice going cross country in Georgia. It cost us 80 miles and two hours. By the time we got to the Best Western it was night fall we went out get dinner, Shrimp and salad at a local resturaunt with some character. There was a storm north of us (you know, the one that dumped 22"in Buffalo) and the wind off the Gulf was 20-30 knots. From our room on the 5th floor beach side the waves were a positive roar, awsome.Just fantastic.

Thursday October 8th,

Got up at 8 am, made some coffee.....wow....great coffee. Leroy Hill you should be absolutely famous. It was .5oz packets of 100% Aribica Best Gormet coffee, www.leroyhillcofee.com. Went out on to the balcony and just relaxed. The air was super fresh with a little chill and what a view..... What a view. It truly is the emerald coast with water so clear.....I sat there for a while: me and the wife, we took it all in, 30 minutes later I got up to get me another cup of this great coffee when I heard the wife's excited voice say, "Dolphins!! Where are the binoculars? Look 2 of them. NO no it's a mom and her baby." "Wow there must be 7 or 8 of them out there", just off shore, maybe 40 feet in between the sand bars fishing. We watched them until 10 o'clock or so, I thought to get out the sport cam I had brought along and get out there and get some underwater pictures but by the time I thought of it and got ready to go they had moved on. I plan trying to get some another day. That should be exciting.
Spent the rest of the day on a pure titanium white beach. The water just the right temp for cooling off in. Took a walk a mile up the shore to a eat in a place called the Angler. Karen had a hankerin for taco salad and we ate it on the pier. The dolphins were a couple of hundred yards out cavorting around.....very pleasent.
Back up in the room we're hanging out plannin our next move, staring out over the sea. The sun is just right and the azure blue water is sparkling like a billion diamonds. Fantastic, beautiful, awsome. Makes a man feel good to be alive. I couldn't help but contemplate the unsurpassable God whom created this magnificent site.

Friday 13th,

Sunset last night over the water. There are no words I can use to completely describe it's beauty. No-not one would be worthy. We left our folding love seat on the beach and when the appointed moment arrived we went down to the shore and watched one of the great sights men can see. Sundown over the ocean. Very mesmerizing.

We wanted to get up this morning to watch the sun rise but got to bed way to late for that.....
I saw something right up against the sand. I ran to the beach camera in hand. Woah! Stingrays! Four of them 1 big one and 3 smaller. Simple, I ain't gettin in the water with them. They are reputed to be gentle calm creatures but I still ain't gettin in there with them.
I fancy myself a mentally tough guy but Crazy????? I don't feel like testing my toughness against the possibility of passing out from the mind numbing sting I imagine them capable of.

6:20 am, Dolphins!!!!

Saturday the 14th

Up at 5am, caught the sunrise finally. It's 46 degrees and I froze my ...... beautiful.

10 am:

Karen; "Ron come here and look at this! What is that?" I grabbed the binoc's. Whatever it is it's about 10 feet off the shore."It's the momma and her baby." I grabbed the camera, ran down 5 floors across the beach and out into the gulf , dang it! No way I am going to get close enough for a good shot.

Later on we identified those funny looking brown patches of what I thought were dead sea weed. They were far from dead." Jellyfish", man this water is just positively teaming with life. From the microscopic that the stingray's were scooping up to the dolphins and everything in between except sharks. Dolphins and sharks don't get along, I knew that watchin all those animal shows would come in handy. By the way I ain't gettin near the jelly fish either. I would live but I would like for my vacation to be as painless as possible. I already have a punky stomach with sea food and salad gas.
Our tan's are evening out. I used to have the ol T-shirt tan from work. Got some pic's of a wedding on the beach.
Time to start packing a little to get ready to go tommorow. Sure hope we don't get lost like we did on our way in.

All in all it's turned out like I hoped it would.

What's the one thing I think I would like for my vacation to be like? This one has lived up to it's hopes because of God. I wish it would never have to end. Perfect just perfect.