State Park, Beach and Jr. Museum

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

We went for visit to the state park at the end of the peninsula sometime last week. We took a picnic lunch, enjoyed some time at the playground and went for a hike along the bay. On the hike, the kids were looking for a geocache and they found it!

They found the geocache!!

swinging :)

BEACH TIME!!

Today, we drove to Panama City to the Jr. Museum. We had been there once before when Grady and Madison were a lot younger and Andrew wasn't here yet. They have made some improvements and we all enjoyed ourselves. Here are some pics:

Stars and Sharks!

The nights have been so clear here lately that we can see the Milky Way and a ton of stars. The other night the moon was reflecting on the ocean and it was so beautiful I had to take a photo. Jason even managed to find a satellite to show me. I never realized how many stars I miss back at home.

Yesterday, Jason spotted a shark in the water from our deck. He managed to get it on our camera's movie mode. It's not the best video ever and I had to isolate, zoom and slow down the clip so you can see it. Hopefully, I'll be able to upload it here for you. Let's see......

I missed a few days blogging. Mainly, due to the fact that I have been to tired to think about it after playing on the beach all day long. The kids are having a blast and the dogs love running on the beach. I have finished one book and am almost done with another one. We had a lovely seafood dinner the other night consisting of shrimp and crab legs that Jason cooked for us. We also had some great pizza at a local pizza shop in Port St. Joe. Its called Joe Mama's Pizza, yummy!! Currently, I'm waiting to eat lunch and then it's out to the beach for the afternoon :)

Here's a wonderful sunset photo for you. I took it last night.

Day 5: Applachicola

Today, we went to Applachicola after we ate lunch at home. We started at the estuary. They have some educational displays and lots of animal bones the kids can touch and learn about. They also have some aquariums of fish and turtles you can see around the area. It's small and not fancy, but it's free and a great way for the kids to learn about the environment around the ocean.

We then visited some of the stores in downtown Applachicola. They have the cutest stores. We got some ice cream at the soda shop and we went inside The Grady Market. We walked around a little more and took some photos and bought a few things.

We came home and rested for a bit, waiting for the sun to go away so the kids could swim. As we are getting ready, I notice a teen boy wrestling with a fishing pole. He has something big on the other end. He eventually reels in a shark. I took some photos from our deck. It wasn't huge by any means, but the kids got to see it up close. It was a unique experience.

The kids are all showered and ready for bed now. I have no clue what tomorrow holds, probably more beach time.

Shark!

Fountain in Applachicola

Fountain on Old Sponge Trading building.

This is a real boat. I know it looks painted on the building,
but it's not :)

The Grady Market. This building was opened in 1900 and now holds a boutique.

Andrew in the aquarium room.

Horseshoe crab

Day 4: Sunburns and Seafood

Dinner at Dockside Bay Cafe in Port St. Joe

Madison waiting on her shrimp!

We spent all day on the beach. It was much fun after spending so much time indoors, due to the tropical storm. We were lucky enough to have tidal pools right in front of our house this morning. The kids built dams on either side of one big tidal pool. They had the water to play in most of the day. We also spent a lot of time body surfing. There were some decent waves out
today.

Grady and Andrew got sunburned on thier faces where the scuba mask goes. I guess the sunscreen was removed by putting on and taking off the masks. My legs got burned pretty badly, no clue how that happened. Jason got burned all over his upper body. We used a spray sunscreen of 60 SPF. I think it didn't cover very well. I bought some of our old standby lotion, No Ad. Hopefully, we avoid any more burns.

We went into town to eat at a seafood cafe on the marina. Madison had steamed shrimp. Grady had popcorn shrimp. Andrew had a corndog! I had a grouper sandwich and Jason had 4 dozen raw oysters!! They were buy one get one dozen free. He started off with 2 dozen. Madison tried one and liked it. Jason ordered more to share with Madison and she tried 2 more, but decided she didn't like them. So, Jason finished them himself. He was very full :)

I think we will do something inside tomorrow. Our skin needs a break.

Day 3

Today the weather was better. It was cloudy with some rain, but at least we could go outside. We took the dogs for a walk and Madison and Andrew picked up shells brought in by the storm. We ate lunch and then made a trip to Panama City to Sam's Club to stock up on groceries. We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner. Tomorrow the weather is forcasted to be sunny and beautiful. We are hoping for day of fun in the water.

Day 2: Tropical Storm Claudette

Waves being blown by the wind.

Radar of the storm

Me, reading my book on the loveseat.

Andrew enjoying his treat.

Well, we woke up this morning and started planning our day. Trying to decide if we should go grocery shopping or play on the beach first. Jason checked the radar and we found a not so nice picture. We scrapped our plans and Jason went to the store to get a couple days food. We have been stuck inside all day. I made some brownies and ice cream for a treat and I've been reading my new book while the kids play upstairs. The wind is getting pretty strong now. I just hope the roads don't flood.

That shelter no longer exists..........

Cape San Blas 2009

Inside the house, downstairs

view from one of the decks

Today is our first day at the beach. We are spending an entire month in Cape San Blas, Fl. We arrived today. We have been to this beach several times before, but this is our first time to spend more than one week. I decided to blog about this vacation for my family, but you are welcome to follow along!

We got here today at 3 and were happy that we were allowed an early check in! We were playing on the beach by 4:20. We came in at 7, took showers and got dinner going. We just got back from our evening walk and will be settling down for the night.

More tomorrow.........