Sips and Strokes

We certainly enjoyed our month at the beach in Destin. There were so many good times we shared with the kids, Matt and Beth, when they came from San Diego to join us. Then we made our quick trip to Tennessee for Sara Grace’s graduation. So many sunny days on the beach! Where did the month go?? Always goes fast when having fun!

We left Destin on Friday May 23, but not without making our reservations for our return in September…will go back for two weeks before heading home to Ft. Myers in October.

Birmingham, Alabama was our stopover for the Memorial Day weekend to visit our friends Suzanne and Ray. My niece Lane and her friend Natalie hitched a ride with us. They had been in Panama City that week and were ready to head home. We had arranged for Lane’s car to be left in Birmingham so they could get home from there. This was the first time we had passengers and also their first RV experience!
Lane with friends Melissa, Natalie, and Katie
Lane and Natalie Riding in Pearl to Birmingham


After getting them back to their car and getting myself back through the afternoon traffic to the campground, I had to get ready to meet Suzanne for an evening of painting…yes painting…but not like wall painting…Canvas painting!

This was an evening of fun and I just have to tell about it! It’s called Sips and Strokes. You take a bottle of wine or whatever you wish to drink for the evening and you learn to paint…step by step…a canvas picture. All supplies are furnished. That evening the picture to be painted was “Field of Poppies”. The instructor led us through the whole process…mixing paints, painting backgrounds, and positioning the objects. I had never painted before, but by the end of the three hour class I had a painting! Now, it’s not a Monet or Rembrandt, but it was good enough for my first try…at least all the wine I drank that evening made me think so!!*L* Suzanne took me for my birthday and it turned out to be a great present and a really fun night! So much so, that in September, when we go back through Birmingham, we are going again! I just hope it’s not a “Nude”we will be painting! Thanks, Suz, for a great time and a great present!

Go to www.sipsandstrokes.com for more info.


The Finished Products

THE GRADUATE

Our beautiful niece Sara Grace graduated from high school May 15. Since we were in Destin, we made a road trip up to Murfreesboro, TN to attend all the festivities. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world! Besides, this was the very last niece/nephew (have four) to graduate from high school. Now they just need to get through college!!


The night before graduation, there was a “family and friends” party for SG at her home. It was a "small" gathering…about a 100 guests. The party was an indoor/outdoor affair and luckily the rain cleared allowing guests to mingle around the patio and pool. It turned out to be a lovely evening with festive decorations, delicious food, and lots of friends and family whom we had not seen in sometime. Sara Grace graciously held court along with her proud parents…my sister Sissy and brother-in-law Allan.

Outdoor Setting for the Party Guests Arrive Good Food... Family... And Friends Brad Tries the Chocolate
Fountain Sandy, Hope, and Ellen Sissy Holds A Future Graduate
Mom and Miss Peggy Sister Mary, Nephews Joe
and Brad, Niece Lane, and Adam
The following night was graduation at Murphy Center…the MTSU basketball arena. Siegel High was the first of the county schools to graduate this week. Sara Grace, having earned several honor cords, was 48th in her class out of 428 students. There were 15 Valedictorians!! Do you know how many speeches we sat through!! Surprisingly, the ceremony went rather quickly, and the dignitaries got 400+ diplomas passed out within 30 minutes! . After the tassels were moved from right to left and caps were thrown, and the family pictures taken, SG and her friends were off for a night of celebration. Another family milestone had been reached. Sis and Sara Grace

SG and Dad Allan

Sis and Son Brad

I know Sara Grace will always cherish her memories of graduation and also of all the love her parents and other family members have given her through her 18 years. She is off to begin a new chapter in her life, following in her father's footsteps, at the University of Alabama. New friends will be made and life experiences gained. I guess she and I will now be rivals when cheering on the Tide and the Vols, but whatever lies ahead, nothing will ever change that we are family! Congratulations SG!!

The Pires at Play

We have been in a whirlwind for the last week and a half!! We told you when Matt and Beth arrived for their week, it would be a week of eating, drinking, beaching, shopping, and good times; well, I wasn’t exaggerating! We had a fantastic time!! It was so good to be with them and see how happy they are and that marriage is definitely agreeing with them.


Surf's Up!



We played on the beach every day; Beth made frozen Margaritas in the afternoon for happy hour, and we always had good snacks to go along with them. Then there was the dining out at night…Elmo’s, the Red Bar, The Back Porch, Lucky Snapper, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and The Donut Hole for breakfast one morning. We also did some cooking either at the beach house or at Camp Pires. Matt and Beth cooked Beer Can Chicken and we grilled steaks. We even caught the “Hot Light” on at Krispy Kreme!! Now that was bad, but we just couldn’t pass by that red light!!

Hot Light Was On!! Dining Out We had one cloudy day and what do you think we did?? Well, shopping of course…and eating…this was a three meal day!! There is a great outlet mall here so we did lots of browsing and some buying. Tee shirts, shoes, sunglasses…we stocked up!

We had to leave Matt and Beth a day earlier than their flight back to San Diego. My niece was graduating from high school in Tennessee and we were attending that. So we said our goodbyes last Tuesday. They really had a great time and so did we! We all enjoyed our vacation time together this year and now we are already thinking of meeting up again next year somewhere along Pearl’s route. Maybe the Lobster Festival in Bar Harbor???
An Evening at the Coach

Matt and Beth

Our kids, Matt and Beth, arrived Thursday from San Diego and will be with us for a week in Destin. They wanted to stay on the beach so they rented the Widow’s Walk (top floor) of a huge and roomy beach house just a mile down the road from where we are staying. Great place, but the stairs are killing us! There is an elevator, but most of the time we don’t have the key!

Guess our diets will have to wait since Matt and Beth are on “Vacation” and have no intentions of holding back with eating…and drinking! The first night here it was All-U-Can-Eat crab legs at Elmo’s! Believe me, pounds and pounds were consumed!! This will be a fun eat, drink, sit-on-the-beach, shop ...just being with them and "getting to see them week"! We’re so glad they are here!!!

Waiting for the Kids



Views from the Top


Like Father.....


Like Son!!

Crab Legs at Elmo's


Life at the Beach


Beth Says, Hooray!
I'm Here!

Waiting for Dinner
At The Red Bar
The Red Bar

Apalachicola

Tuesday we decided to take a drive over to Apalachicola...that's east of here in the curve of the Panhandle. Only a 200 mile drive over and back...a short little excursion on Highway 98! Jean and Gary had been there over Thanksgiving last year and had told us what a quaint little town it was so we decided to see for ourselves.

After getting through the morning traffic in Panama City, the drive wasn't very exciting. Tyndall Air Force Base owned much of the property along 98 and there was nothing but long stretches of pine forests. We didn't see any wildlife like the fox or black bear we had seen on previous outings. We did see F-18s practicing maneuvers, though.

The scenery picked up along 98 as we approached Mexico Beach. Then we were running along the coastline of the Gulf...Lots of little coastal towns. Port St. Joe was the largest. Lots of beach front property with lots of beach houses sitting right on the road. Good place to buy if you wanted to really get away from it all! A little to secluded for us, though.

Apalachicola is a small quaint little village that gets very touristy in season ...the summer months in the Panhandle. The feel of the place is almost like being in a smaller Savannah. Lots of little shops to browse and many cafes and restaurants to choose from. There are also several bed and breakfasts to enjoy instead of the normal chain of motels.

Learning that the time had changed back to Eastern Time Zone, we went in search of lunch. Asking some shop keepers for their suggestions, they all agreed that the best place was The Owl. We were not misled! The Owl was a two story recently renovated restaurant. Crisp white linens were on the tables and seating overlooked the channel and pier where the old fishing boats were docked. We settled in for a leisurely lunch...it had only taken us a 100 miles to get there so why not enjoy!

Frank had the special of the day...scallops and shrimp with marinated vegetables in a garlic and herb pesto sauce. I chose the sauteed medley of fresh vegetables with shrimp served over the most delicious cheese grit cakes. Delicious!! They also had the best house dressing that I am going to try to copy...Green Garlic Ranch. We certainly enjoyed our luncheon and wish we were closer to Apalachicola to try some of the other menu items at The Owl. It all looked so good!

After lunch we walked the streets stopping in the little shops to browse. We needed the exercise after such a lovely lunch. We didn't buy much...just our magnet. We keep souvenir magnets on our fridge in the coach reminding us of our travels...getting to be a rather large collection! There was also a fudge shop that I couldn't resist so we picked out one piece each of a favorite treat. Later in the afternoon, we stopped by this little corner cafe for a piece of Key Lime Pie...we shared!

After leaving the village, we decided to drive over the bridges to St. George Island. There is a system of long long bridges that span over the inland waters that connect to the island. The bridges are about 3 miles each in water span. There really wasn't much on the island...just lots of beach houses, but again, just too isolated for us!

So the day was a long one...driving, eating, and driving again. I don't think we would ever make the trip back over from Destin, but we would go again if we just happened to be in the area.



Apalachicola Fishing Boats


Crossing the Bridge

Cinco de Mayo

Latin Babe and Beach Bum!




Hope all had an “Ole” of a day on Cinco de Mayo!! Thought ours was gonna be a bust, but all turned out ok. Got a slow start getting to the beach and when we did get there…that was a bust!

First, the winds had really calmed and there were no waves. The temps had warmed and it wasn’t as comfortable sitting in the sun. But never mind, we had our beach umbrella to give us shade…NOT! Away it blew (how it did that with no wind?) and down into the water it went. In Frank’s attempt to get up out of his chair…you know one of those little chairs that sits your butt so low in the sand that you need a crane to lift you out…it crashed; not Frank, the chair, but Frank went boom, too! Our $40 state-of-the-art beach chair mangled, while the umbrella went rolling into the deep blue sea. Well, the umbrella was recovered, but the chair was a total loss and so was the rest of the afternoon on the beach. We needed refreshments!!

We went on our quest for Margaritas and Tacos. At least that wasn’t a bust! We found La Rumba and it was hopping like a bunch of drunken cucarachas! Margaritas were served in fishbowls (happy hour 2 for 1!!!) and we found that to be just what we needed after a tough day at the beach! Mix those with good Burritos,Tacos and some Latin music and our day turned out BUENO!! And yes, Matt, I realize that Cinco de Mayo comes on the same day every year just like Christmas!*lol*

Now, we just have to go in search of another beach chair…and of course it has to match the other one!!