Sugar Sand and Sand Dollars

Tuesday morning we woke up, got our swimsuits on, had a quick breakfast and headed out to the sand. I am always amazed at how beautiful the Gulf of Mexico is! Gorgeous green water and white sugar sand that squeaked when you walked on it. There was a pod of dolphins feeding just beyond the breakers as the sun rose in the sky making the water sparkle. I sat in the warm sun while Jack headed straight to the water. Jack could play at the beach all day, so he was in heaven. Even without a boogie board or sand toys. And then he discovered the pieces of sand dollars. HUGE sand dollars. I think he collected several pounds. (We plan to make a frame with them when we get home.) But his prize find was his unbroken Southern Quahog shell. It was as big as my hand!
After our fun in the sun we cleaned up and headed over to visit my friend, Carla Pielstick. Her husband is working on the new Pensacola Bay bridge, so they are living the high life at the Portofino resort. Literally- they are on the 20th floor. She made one of Jack's favorites for lunch- grilled cheese. It was a short visit- but we will be back, as we loved Pensacola Beach and I know there is more to explore. Then it was in the car for a L-O-N-G drive to Texas. We can check off Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as states we have been to.

Every morning should begin with a hearty breakfast. Jack loved the pancake maker.

View of the pier.

Jack created his own sand beach chair.

A not so well written title of the blog.

These are just the first few sand dollars pieces he found.

Gathering more freckles.

"Well now we're in Texas. YEHAW!"- Jack 

We are heading to Austin today to stay with our good friends the Dutsons. 

Travel Tip: Always make sure all devices are charged before you hit the road. Jack had some die because the batteries were not charged. Even so he did a great job for such a long day in the car!

How Much Longer

As always. it took me a lot longer to get things ready at home, get packed, load the car and get on the road. (Funny how that always works out.) But, the drive was not too long (relatively), Jack did fairly well the first couple hours- hallelujah personal dvd player, and he only started whining about how much longer the last hour and a half. Bonus- I forgot the panhandle is in the Central Time Zone which means we gained an hour. So we were able to see the gorgeous view from our room. I admit I splurged a bit on this room- but I knew it was only one night and I wanted to be on the beach. (I also waited until the last minute to book it. Better planning probably would have meant a better deal.)
Sadly, Jack has a terrible sore throat- praying it is not strep as that can be a huge problem for me. He was not really able to enjoy dinner at The Landshark Landing Bar and Grill.

The view from our room this evening. Holiday Inn Express, Pensacola Beach, FL

Thankfully we got a late check out for tomorrow so we can clean up after we spend the morning on the beach. I always forget how beautiful the water is in the gulf.

Our restaurant tonight was very much what Robert would have called "local color." It was near the Margaritaville Hotel and also had a Jimmy Buffet theme. we often listened to our Jimmy Buffet CD on road trips with the other kids- so it seemed apropros. 

 Sign outside the restaurant

My shrimp basket- the coleslaw was tasty!