Last Night at the Beach

Our last night at the beach was fun and relaxing. We met Amber, Jimbo, Spencer, KK and Chucky for dinner at Schooners on the beach. The crab stuffed shrimp was marvelous and so were the mashed potatoes. Greg had fried grouper and it was great, too! After dinner we went down on the beach where the kids--all of them: Spencer, Emma, Molly, Mary Alison, Chucky, Jimbo and Greg--played frisbee. The frisbee was what the kids' meals were served on. We also took some family photos. Don't be surprised if they show up on Christmas cards in a few months. PHOTOS

Shell Island

On Thursday, while Greg was playing golf with Jimbo and Chucky, the girls and I drove to St. Andrews State Park. We caught a bus to the dock and from the dock rode a boat to the island. We set up our beach stuff on the small lagoon where we got off the boat. Emma loved fishing with her net. She caught 4 small fish which we had to take back to our condo with us to show Greg. Later that evening, they released the fish in the bay. Molly and Mary Alison had fun climbing on the rocks. They liked making it to the top to have their pictures taken. It was so hot that day that we only stayed a few hours and headed back to the comfort and cool of our own place. PHOTOS

Waverunner Excursion

My favorite activity from our week in Panama City was the waverunner excursion. We followed a guide to Shell Island. Our first stop was on the Gulf side of the island where the water was beautifully clear and there were three dolphins swimming around. They even swam up to a boat where the people were putting their hands over the side close enough to touch them. They swam under the waverunner that Molly and I were riding. Jimbo, KK, Molly and Mary Alison got off the waverunners and into the water where the dolphins were. They so close--it was amazing.

Next we stopped near a shallow sand bar to snorkel. Our guide got off and brought up a sea urchin that the kids enjoyed holding. Jimbo found a starfish that everyone got to hold also. Jimbo and KK found lots of sanddollars. We saw lots of fish and a manta ray and many, many crabs.

Our final stop was on the bay side of Shell Island was to beach the waverunners and walk to the Gulf side of the island were we played on the beach for a few minutes and posed for photos. The water is so indescribably clear. Then we headed back to our starting point at the Treasure Ship and ended our excursion. What fun! We will definately do this again!! PHOTOS

Mary Alison's Birthday at the Beach

We celebrated Mary Alison's 12th birthday while on vacation this year. We met the cousins and family at Pineapple Willy's for dinner. Then we went to our condo for birthday "cake". Mary Alison had picked out chocolate cupcakes and cool whip icing that were placed very close together to resemble a cake. It was decorated like a beach with palm trees and an ocean with dolphins jumping out of the waves. We also had chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Then the cousins went for a swim at out place. We had lots of fun. PHOTOS

A Day with Cousins

Greg, Dad, Randy and Eric played golf on Tuesday, Mary Alison's birthday. The girls and I packed up the car and headed to the beach to play with the cousins at the campground. They were staying close to Destin at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. The girls had a great time playing in the water and on the beach. We saw several dolphins playing near the shore, and at one point they even jumped completely out of the water--it certainly was a great free show. Mary Alison was buried in the sand and all of the kids rode the waves in on their boogie boards. Before we left, the cousins posed for some group pictures. Leah directed the set-up while I took the photos. Greg rode to the campground after golf and we all rode back to Panama City together. We had to hurry back to pick up the cupcake birthday cake and get ready to be at Pineapple Willies for dinner. PHOTOS

The Big Fishing Event

On Monday, the guys got up early and went fishing--6:30. Greg, Randy, Jimbo and Chucky were gone for 6 hours on Hook 'Em Up to catch fish and have fun. They caught king mackerel, red snapper, grouper, and mahi-mahi--plus an inedible fish caught by Chucky that would be used for shark chum. All-in-all they caught over 80 pounds of fish. We took home the mahi-mahi and the king mackerel to eat while we were at the beach. I baked the mahi-mahi and some of the king mackerel with lemon pepper seasoning and Greg grilled the big king mackerel steaks with cajun seasoning. My favorite was the grilled king mackerel--yummy. Randy and Leah breaded their fish with beer batter and fried it. That sounds pretty good, too! We brought the red snapper and grouper home on dry ice and put it in the freezer. Now I need a good recipe! PHOTOS

King Mackerel Mahi-Mahi Grouper Red Snapper

A Day with Spencer

While the guys went fishing on Monday, we went to the beach with Spencer, Amber and KK. When it was time for Amber and me to go to the marina and take pictures of the fish, KK watched the kids on the beach and in the pool. PHOTOS

Snorkel Trip to Destin

On Sunday, we drove to Destin to meet Mom, Dad, Randy, Leah, Loran, Austin, Eric, Susan, Morgan and Katie for a snorkel trip. We met at the marina where we got on a pontoon-like boat. The lifeguards handed out snorkel gear (mask, snorkel, and fins) and gave us quick instruction on how to snorkel. When we arrived near a sand bar in the bay we got off the back of the boat (ask Susan--the last step was a doozie!). We snorkeled around on the sand bar and in the sea grass to find lots of treasures. We found sand dollars, crabs, fish, shells, coke cans........ The captain was very protective of his passengers. After the two diver down flags went up, he would blow an air horn and begin to yell at the boats and waverunners that got too close to us. At one point he even called the coast guard, whose office was in the same bay at the shoreline. We had a great time! PHOTOS
Dive Flag Laws
Snorkeling

Legends Edge at Bay Point in Panama City, Florida

Family vacation was great this year! On Friday, June 22, Greg arrived home from a week in Chicago. The girls and I had most of the beach stuff packed. He unpacked from Chicago and repacked for the beach and we began the first leg of our voyage to vacationland! Our first stop was in Atlanta at around 10:30 p.m. What had been planned as a relaxing night's sleep to prepare for the longest part of the trip ended up being a night in a hotel with a group of students on a field trip--they seemed to be middle school aged--I can never escape! The next morning, we woke early, at breakfast and headed to the beach. I think we were all excited to get away for a while. Amber and I began texting on the trip down. They had taken a different route and stayed in Montgomery for the night. Our paths crossed somewhere just south of Dothan. This is where Spencer thought we were racing to the beach--it was lots of fun. The girls really enjoyed our pool and our condo. We walked to the bay on the first night and ate at Limes on the boardwalk. PHOTOS

Cookout at Val's

On Saturday, June 16, we cooked hamburgers and hotdogs at Val and Eddie's house for Father's Day. The cousins enjoyed swimming and playing, while the rest of us just ate and talked.
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Splash Country

We've started going to Splash Country on Wednesdays. (We thought the middle of the week would be best. The first Wednesday we went was Sevier County day--crowded. The second Wednesday we went was Water Safety Day--crowded. Maybe next time.) We usually meet Leah and the other Porter people. We're definatly getting our money's worth from our season passes this year.

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Fun on the Lake

We've had so much fun on the lake this year. We usually get there in the morning and pull the girls around for a while in the tube. Then we find a quiet cove and have our "gourmet" lunch (usually lunchables, crackers w/ lunchmeat and cheese, or Subway--because the folks in north Knoxville and Maynardville don't believe in having fried chicken available on Sunday mornings!) The girls usually eat quickly and jumb in to play where we've anchored down for lunch. Brand and Deanna usually find us and the girls try to wakeboard or kneeboard or ski--we're still working on those things. The girls always fall asleep on the drive back home--we have to wake them up to eat at Pizza Hut on Alcoa Highway.

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