What a great vacation. We spent most of the day Sunday at Perdido Key (the Gulf Islands National Seashore was a real treat – no crowds, beautiful beach, no hotels). We spent Monday morning at Pensacola Beach (they have a pier! and surfers who spend most of their time waiting for a wave! and we saw dolphins!)…until it started pouring down rain, complete with lightning. Read and napped out the storm in the tent, and then I grilled out when the rain subsided a little bit. By the time the fish/corn/veggies were done, it was pouring rain again, so in a moment of copycat brilliance I put up the beach umbrella over the picnic table. Great success!

We had a very interesting neighbor – talked to him long enough to figure out he was half crazy and the other half drunk. He had some interesting stories, but serious anger issues that seemed to cause his stories to take bizarre turns (shoving a chief of police for not providing security for his mom after she fired some guy, and threatening to beat a guy’s ass because he didn’t leave a waitress a tip).

Anyway, it was a fantastic little break from everyday life. My back is sunburned, and Emily got a speeding ticket in Pensacola, but both of those things are easy enough to resolve. Easing my feet in the sea has calmed my mind a little; that is not something easily found and not something I take for granted.

Trey and Amanda just stopped by all wide-eyed and bushy tailed. They’re finally back and I’m sure I’ll hear more crazy stories (the good kind of crazy, not the crazy kind of crazy) soon.