Gulf Coast or bust!

I am happy! We now live in driving distance to the beach again. It feels like a long lost puzzle piece has been found. The salty air, the wind from the sea, the sound of the waves. All of those things add up to instant happiness.
Our first stop after arriving in Fort Walton Beach is The Shack, which has quickly become my favorite place for oysters. Lucky for me, Pat usually orders something different each time, so I get to try my way through the menu, while still enjoying my oysters!

Next order of business was, of course, going to the beach. Look at these photos & keep in mind that it is July in Florida. This is a public beach, but it sure felt like our own private paradise. 

I went swimming. For me to enjoy swimming, I cannot feel anything below my feet. So away from the kelp & algae fields and into the deep blue sea it is! Well, guess what?! I wasn't the only mammal out there! Some dolphins came over to check me out! Not close enough to touch, but they were riding the waves about 50 meters out. It was amazing! 

And just when I thought the day at the beach couldn't possibly get any better, we went for a walk and saw this: 

I realize it's a little hard to read, so I'll help out. It's a Sea Turtle Nest!!! My immediate plan was to move to Florida now, so I could watch the nest every day and be there when they hatch. Unfortunately, reality put the brakes on that one. Perhaps another trip is in our near future.

We rounded out our trip by going antiquing. You know, one must practice for retirement. 

The Beetle enjoyed the trip as well. It was his first time back in his home state since 2004. He is still a little mad at us for putting him through those German winters, but I think he is slowly forgiving us. 

Thank you for traveling with me today!

Until next time,

Nadine