ADVENTURES

It’s our last day in Panama City Beach, Florida. We splurged and stayed three days. The only word to describe our time here--AMAZING! My characters are going to love it.

Our daughter Kristi and her son, Gabe, joined us in Hinesville, Georgia and will be making the rest of the trip with us. Kristi's been living in Hinesville, but as it turns out, she's a West Coast kind of gal. And we're happy about that. It's fun having them with us and so good to become better acquainted with our grandson.

Panama City Beach has been a surprise to me. I made reservations at what I thought was an "ordinary" Holiday Inn on the Gulf Coast. To my pleasant surprise it turned out to be a fabulous resort with white-sand beaches, stunning sunsets, aqua waters, hot tubs and swimming pools, grass huts, waterfalls, tiki lamps, palm trees, entertainment, and a disc jockey playing fun music much of the day. If you're ever in Panama City Beach this is the place to stay.

Yesterday, Greg and I traveled by pontoon boat to an uninhabited island called Shell Island. It was a perfect day with temperatures in the 80's, soft breezes and blue skies. We walked a quiet beach and after cooling off in the Gulf waters, we settled into our chairs, sipped drinks, had a snack and thought about how incredible it was that we were in such a wondrous place.

Feeling adventurous, we donned our snorkeling gear and headed back into the water.
What great fun--floating in a warm sea watching for wildlife and sea creatures. It was a new experience for us. Greg spotted a very large raspberry-colored jellyfish and managed to get some photos. Me, I kept my distance.

One of the highlights of the day was a dolphin encounter. While on the boat, we watched a blue fish swim for its life, leapinig out of the water and then swimming as hard and fast as he could. Although he fiercely tried to evade a hungry dolphin he ended up as lunch anyway. The dolphin gave us quite a show, diving, surfacing and hunting for something more to eat. We've had several dolphin sightings since arriving here. Our first day, we watched three of the beautiful creatures play in the waters just off the beach in front of our hotel.

After our adventure on Shell Island, we returned to our room thinking a nap might be nice, but when we looked out our window and saw someone parasailing renewed energy kicked in. My husband made a quick phone call and before I knew it we were heading for the beach to meet the parasailing boat.

While Greg sailed, I took photos from a safe spot on the beach. My husband's not at all like me--he's always up for an adventure.

Tomorrow, we move on and once more the miles will be rollng beneath our tires as we travel through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana headng for Texas. The weather forecast is for rain (lots of it) and thunderstorms so keep us in your prayers.

Blessings to you,

Bonnie