Mangrove and Palms ~

A DAY AT THE BEACH

WFS and I crawled out of bed at 8:45 today... A great beginning to a spectacular day. We had coffee sitting under the live oaks surrounding our campsite. Our state park has miles of hikingtrails. We picked a three mile trail, hooked Momo on leash and headed out. The skies were incredibly blue and the birds very active. After our walk in the interior, we decided to take Momo to Paws Beach. It is a long stretch of beach specifically designated for dogs. Dog heaven. Our little fellow was so happy romping in the sand and surf with literally dozens of dogs. Not one dog growled or misbehaved. Dogs were zigzagging everywhere!
We stopped by the fish market to buy fresh caught red snapper for dinner. We grilled the snapper with the last of our cherry wood ... Yummy! We had a split of champagne that our dear friend Robert provided for our fireside pleasure.
Night has brought three tired campers.
A hot shower and a warm bed for me...... MOMO and WFS sound asleep. Life is good. Very good, indeed.

HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUNG?

The past two days have been very active. Tuesday morning we awakened to the most incredible colors over the Gulf of Mexico. Pale shades of lavender and aqua bathed the morning sky. Heavier grey clouds were drifting in from the south. Suddenly, we heard a prehistoric sound from the marsh. A slate colored heron flew into the sky, emitting other-worldly sounds. We both stood spellbound. We stood silently watching the birds making their morning flights. How do you leave a place so fine? The call of the wild, I suppose. Always a new adventure just around the corner or down the road.
We packed up quickly as the skies were taking on a darker hue. We made our exit just as the first large drops of rain appeared on our windshield. WFS tuned in the radio... Yep, rain. In copious amounts. And, the rains came and the winds came and the tornado warnings came and the Duckie Express whipped about....... WFS powered on. We made our destination safe and sound.
We are camped under a canopy of live oaks, palmetto and chirping birds. A wonderful canoeing river meanders through the park. We'll explore hiking trails and the river today. Tomorrow we'll explore the beaches.
Now I am sure you are wondering, what does this have to do with the title of this blog?
When you are a girl of a certain age hanging with a man of a certain age and you begin to notice you are not as youthful as you used to be and, and, and....
All one needs to do is head south with the snowbirds... When the most exciting thing in your day is the pancake breakfast at the Nature Center...and the topic of conversation is your latest ailment/ surgery and the dog exchange info on walks is the best of all conversations.Not to mention the insider info about cheap eats! If you are the youngsters amongst the campers....
THIS IS HOW YOU FEEL YOUNG
It is awesome! The sweetest people in the world inhabit state park camping communities.

Something to crow about ~

Hello. I'm Sarah's ghost blogger. Don't be afraid though, I'm only here to post some of the gorgeous and outlandish spectacles that Sarah and WFS are enjoying, even as we gaze at our monitors. And don't worry, Sarah will return soon with her own inimitable style of blogging.

ST Joseph's Peninsula, Day 3

Yesterday was a long haul of nearly nine hours. Four over my limit. I tend to do the five year old, "are we there,yet?" The day was sunny, albeit a bit chilly, so, being in the Duckie Express wasn't all that bad. I love the nomadic life! I just need instant gratification on getting there. WFS, on the other hand, is a gem of endurance.. Weaving through traffic, detours, small roads, hauling our silver egg flawlessly. I assume the role of NAGvigator..turn here, no there.. Etc.
Once we came to the end of the road and turned left onto th St. Joseph's Peninsula Road, I would have traveled forever to see the sun setting over the bay. It is almost incomprehensible how beautiful the world can be bathed in an orange glow.
We pulled up to the entrance to the state park at 6:28.. The harried young lady informed us the gates LOCKED at sunset or 6:30pm! We had two minutes to beat the deadline. Of course, she accommodated us.. Thing was, she was locking and leaving in two minutes! That means we would have missed our moonlight walk on an empty beach with MOMO wrapped in WFS's jacket and the utter beauty of awakening to the swaying palms, filled with chattery birds, just outside my window.
Welcome to paradise.

Day 2 of the most excellent adventure

Last night we pulled into the campground "feeling 'bout half past dead," as the song goes. For all my camper friends, you know this means we still had at least 30-40 minutes of setting up and getting organized. The dusk was turning to dark and we needed to work quickly. Little Momo wanted a walk and exploring rights to his new surroundings. The brisk air was perfect for a romp through the woods. When we returned to campsite, WFS had completed the outside set-up and was chatting with the park ranger. Neither of us had the energy to build a fire, so, we scooped up Momo and a bottle of wine heading into Elsie, the Tin Can,for warmth and relaxation. I put my domestic goddess desires on hold, preparing a great chunk of cheese, crackers and delicious wine for our dinner. I topped my dinner off with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
We found our books, pluffed up our pillows and read until exhaustion took us to dreamy land. Momo made his bed near my feet and did not move the entire night.
Morning brought bright sunlight filtering through the trees, hot coffee in my warm bed and a new adventure on the horizon.
We are scooting down I 65 toward one of my favorite places on the planet.. St Joseph's Peninsula on Apalachicola Bay

COME ON BABY DRIVE SOUTH

John Hiatt's great song is running through my brain. We are driving south, albeit a bit of a zigzag through! ALABAMA! Last night we reviewed the weather and it appeared to be 10 degrees warmer around Birmingham. Hot 'Lanta ain't so hot! To be honest, neither is Birmingham! We made a short stop in Nashville to have pizza with Jason and Jaxon. Could I help it we just happened to be across the street from Toys r Us? Stuff happens on the way to Birmingham.....
We are camping near a huge lake in northern Alabama. WFS was born in Mobile... I'm just sayin' this girl has found little to love,except WFS, in or around Alabama....
We'll be in Florida on Sunday~~~