Just beachy

Dennis and I enjoyed a spectacular short getaway this week. We spent a night with Granny and explored Landmark Park, and then we were off to Panama City Beach to visit Gigi. It was breezy and perfect for most of our trip, and Dennis enjoyed a long morning beach frolic. He rolled in, built with, dug through, and immersed himself in sand. He made a friend, a fellow sand creature a year or so bigger than himself, and they happily alternated between wave jumping and beach excavation (all with ninja flair). I sat blissfully in my beach chair under an umbrella, enjoying the delicious breeze and gorgeous sea. And then a seagull pooped on my leg, so I enjoyed some ocean wading myself.

We swam in the pools. We played putt-putt and discovered that Dennis is not so bad at it. We shopped some, giving Dennis the opportunity to acquire for himself a very reasonably priced Thundercats sword, of which he is immensely proud. It makes sounds and extends, you see, and he used it to fight off invisible bad guys while we watched the dancing fountain show from a gazebo on the lake. I'm certain we left that gazebo a safer place.

I hope to raise Dennis to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Daunted by the 4 hour drive home, I employed delay tactics. First, just as we made the turn away from the ocean, I changed my mind. A u-turn (safely and legally executed, of course) brought us to Pier Park for amusement park rides and lunch. I rode The Scrambler with Dennis and delighted in his giggles as he squished me against the outside of our seat during the fast turns. We eventually left Panama City and took a less traveled road home. We happened upon Ponce de Leon Springs State Park and stopped for a frigid swim. There might have been more detours if my traveling companion hadn't sacked out before 7pm. He was not thrilled with the backwoods route. He said "Mom, there is no signal on my phone to watch movies. All I see is trees and a house every once in a while. Reading makes me carsick. WHY did we come this way?". True, there was little to spark imagination on the route. I stopped and downloaded an audiobook to keep me company.

We are home now and have spent another water filled day, this time at the lake. We enjoyed time with good friends and a fun kayak jaunt down river. We've had summer fun in abundance!