BLOGGED ALONG THE WAY: COASTAL LIVING

September 20, 2015 – I sneaked out of the house this morning. Literally. I woke up at an ungodly hour and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I grabbed my shoes and tried to figure out how to get to the beach. I say “tried to figure it out” because I didn’t know where the exit to our boardwalk was.  I did not get it right on the first try!  The house where we are staying is set kind of far back from the beach, and there is a long, private boardwalk through the dunes before you reach sand.  I got to the beach just as the sun was rising!  It was really beautiful!  I actually walked around for quite a while, picking up shells, and I saw dolphins!  I wasn’t expecting that!  I just jumped up and down and said “OOOOOH! DOLPHINS, DOLPHINS, DOLPHINS! ” I’m sure the other people on the beach thought it was nice that someone would bring the mentally challenged lady on such a nice trip. 
I stayed out there until I started getting bitten by these mean, black flies, then I headed back to the
house.
 
Most people were up when I got back, so we had breakfast and sat around for a while, talking. We haven’t made a schedule for anything while we are here, so we’re just sort of flying by the seat of our pants for a while.  I’m ok with it!  I have a feeling my main occupation will be beach-combing anyway, because I am obsessed with the shells and stuff I keep finding.   
 
I went to the beach for a while with Aunt Brenda and Amy, but it was so hot and still that we didn’t stay long.  Once we came back, we got cleaned up, and Steve and I made a grocery run for Aunt Brenda and to help stock the cabinets/fridge.  There is only one grocery store close by, and that is a Piggly Wiggly.  Brenda has just taken to calling it “The Pig.”  It’s all very fancy, haha!  I even got myself a green bucket so I can carry my shells from the beach like a civilized person, and not have to carry a solo cup.   
  
After delivering the groceries, Steve and I went back out to Port St. Joe to get lunch.  We found a place that was so small and cramped that we weren’t sure it was actually a restaurant, but it was and we had some pretty good food!  I can’t for the life of me remember what the name of the place was, but it had the name Shipyard in it.  Port St. Joe doesn't seem like a beach town, but I like it.  It's very small, and it isn't really touristy at all, which I'm digging more than I thought I would.
 
I accompanied Aunt Brenda and Uncle Garry back down to the beach when Steve and I got back to the house, and we stayed down there until almost sundown. The flies seemed to be gone, which was a relief.  Those little hastareds hurt when they bite!  Greg and his kids came down while we were there and I got to talk to him a bit, which was nice.  He's good people.  I got in the pool with Steve when I came back to the house.  Unfortunately, I accidentally jumped in with my watch on!  Oops. I liked that watch. :( Steve thought it was great fun to squirt me in the face with a giant water gun, which I did not enjoy.  We didn't swim for long, however, because the setting sun made the water so cold. 

We ended our day sitting around talking and eating cake.  It was a great day!