Beach Pics

Family Vacation

We recently returned from a week long family beach vacation to Panama City. It was a wonderful trip full of exciting events.
We spent the week meeting new people, interacting with wildlife, and doing all sorts of memorable things.
Among some of the "beach critters" we happened to see were dolphins, sting rays, whelks, barnacles, starfish, crabs, sea urchins, and other things we could not identify. It was fun to take our field guide along and look up all of the neat creatures we came across, trying to identify as many as we could. After dinner as we would walk along the docks near the restaurants, my boys would stretch out and lean way over the docks looking at the various things either floating in the water or clinging to the posts of the dock. I loved watching them interact with God's Creation with such fascination and as Ben stated one evening, "this is real learning you don't get in a classroom!" I agree!!
As for our outings, this year we were fortunate enough to be able to take the boys on the Pirate Ship. We have looked at it for a few years now and finally felt they were all old enough to enjoy it. We cruised along in the water for about 2 hours and had fun watching the boys shoot each other with water guns, mop the poop deck, play games, and search for treasure. It really was alot of fun and we were able to get a close up of the dolphins as we rounded the bend close to St. Andrews State Park. So much fun to be out on the water with the wind whipping around us and the salty seawater spraying upwards.
Other things we did were go-karts and putt-putt golf. Both of these were fun as well, although competition can sometimes make it challenging to keep everyone loving each other and enjoying the evening. Overall, they did really well and I am glad we took the time to do some out-of-the-water activities. Now that the boys are all getting old enough to participate, it makes things more fun for everyone.
Of course, "all good things must come to an end" (or so they say), so we are now back in Georgia doing the things that we ordinarily do as a family, continuing to enjoy the carefree pace of Summer. Our vacation was a wonderful reprieve from busyness that had great benefits to all of us. I am looking forward to our next trip already!