A lot has happened since our last blog post. We fell out of the blogging lifestyle for a little bit and therefore wanted to catch everyone up.
Due to Hurricane Michael hitting the Florida panhandle at the beginning of October, we took a mini-vacation to Alabama where we had the opportunity to visit Gwendylan's great-grandmother's resting place in Selma. Gwendylan is named for this amazing woman so it was nice to introduce her to her namesake. We spent the night in Montgomery amidst a torrential downpour and on our way back to Florida, enjoyed an autumn celebration at Holland Farms. Once back in Florida, we celebrated Carolyn's birthday, enjoyed fresh seafood from the Gulf, toured historic downtown Pensacola, enjoyed bird-watching, and astronomy on the beach, and celebrated the sale of our house! Our last morning provided a stunning sunrise over the beach as we packed the car and left Florida. A visit with family in Georgia as well as an incredible visit to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta prepared us for the journey north. Breakfast with friends in New Hampshire and an overnight to visit Acadia NP in Maine made for the best, last days in the USA before crossing the border. This was the end of the beginning of our journey. We have been supremely blessed to enjoy over three months on the road and over 15,000 miles across the country. We feel prepared to tackle a new chapter in A Bollder Way.
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We had the great fortune to be in Pensacola during the Seafood festival. Hundreds of local artists and restaurants were present during this event. The day being as hot as it was, we needed a snow cone and rainbow was the best choice for flavor and color. We wanted Dylan to try some food that she had never had so we ordered Gators and Taters. It took a little while to convince her to try it but she did have a bite. She was not impressed. Dylan also learned about ghost crabs this week. She knows that they mostly come out at night and dig holes 4 feet deep into the sand. That night, we went on a ghost crab hunt and found several dozen scattering up and down across the surf. More time in the sand and sun has left us with a lot of shells collected and tan lines well-defined.
Pensacola has many amazing opportunities - Not least of which is the National Naval Aviation Museum. The museum is free for those interested in visiting with the opportunity to pay for extra events like the movies and simulations. This place is huge! There are so many planes to see, including biplanes, fighters, cargo planes, and of course, the Blue Angels. There are countless cockpits to "pilot" and even the lunar module replica. Dylan and I spent about 3 hours here while Carolyn got the opportunity to get work done and relax at the condo. The first picture is compiled of Dylan sitting in an ejection seat on this trip and Carolyn in the same seat 6 years ago when we were on our honeymoon. There was one simulator that Dylan was tall enough to ride, Fly With the Blue Angels. I would say that it wasn't the most thrilling simulator as an adult but she would not stop talking about it afterwards. She has been begging to do the simulator again nearly every day since and told Carolyn that she would have "freaked out". Not being someone who is obsessed with planes as her nephew is (so we skyped with him while in a Blue Angel), I didn't think Dylan would last as long as she did. That being said, we had an absolute blast while Carolyn had some much-deserved alone time.
As we settle in to our new routine here in Florida we have decided that weekly field trips will be added to Dylan's home school routine. Our first official field trip was to Fort Pickens, a historic fort on the the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Construction began on the fort in 1828 and it remained in operation until 1947 to protect the mouth of Pensacola. Fort Pickens was one of 4 forts built in the area at that time, all within a few miles of each other. Although the fort did not see much action it was heavily involved in the Civil War. The fort is open to public exploration through a self guided, online tour explaining life in this fort when it was active. We were fortunate enough to be there during one of the canon demonstrations. At one time this fort had over 200 active canons used for protection. The ranger let us know that 70% of the fort is untouched while about 30% has been restored.
One of the lovely things about this area is that not only is this a fantastic old fort with hours of exploration through old tunnels and passages, but it is also a National Seashore with miles of gorgeous sandy shores for play. Although we did not have time to play on the beaches while we were there, we did come back the next week to explore the beaches. With a campground that offers overnight accommodations this park offers family friendly activities for an entire weekend. Pensacola Beach holds a special place in our hearts. Will has been coming here for 30 years with his family and it is where we spent 5 weeks on our honeymoon. The last time we were here was 5 years ago when Will's grandmother passed away. We are so happy to be here again with Dylan at our side. The sands comprised of mostly quartz will blow you away with how white they are ("White as sugar," Grandma Gwen used to say). The Gulf of Mexico is constantly lapping against those sands with new shells every day. The water in the gulf is clear and warm (as high as 86 degrees). Some days, when the temperature and humidity are both high, the water isn't even refreshing. It is more like bath water. But before midday and later in the afternoon, the sun and surf invite us to play.
We have the benefit of staying in our Aunt's condo on the 12th floor of the same building where Grandma Gwen lived. From this floor, we get a bird's eye view of the beach. From time to time, the Blue Angels fly by and we are eye to eye with the pilots. Aunt Stacey sent Dylan a kite for flying on the beach. The storms that rage out in the open ocean provide great winds for kite flying. The bay at the back of the condo tends to be much calmer than the open gulf, so on windy days we spend time kayaking or stand up paddle boarding. We are also very lucky to have a pool in the back that is usually warm and inviting as well -- so much so that Dylan has made it her goal to learn to swim on her own before we leave Florida. A few evenings a week, different locations on the beach have live music, which has turned into one of Dylan's favorite activities as she can shake her booty all night long (which is quite amusing to the adults around her). There are many reasons why we love this place, not the least of which is the seafood. There are many great restaurants on the beach but our favorite thing to do is to buy fresh fish and shrimp from Joe Patti's to enjoy on the balcony. Pictures of the market to come later... |
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April 2019
AuthorCarolyn and Will Bollwerk share their adventures with their 5 year-old daughter, Dylan. |