A Little Florida Sunshine and a Few Good Fences

Good afternoon, friends!
I want to start out by thanking each of you for your kind words
and uplifting thoughts regarding the loss of Hunter...
...they mean more to me than you will ever know.
~
So our trip south didn't start out the way we had planned...
...life is just like that sometimes.

To add to that, Delta lost our luggage (along with about a dozen other's on our flight)...

...you know, that one suitcase with everything important in it.
They were finally able to track it down.
It went all the way back to Raleigh then to Atlanta...again...
...and then finally made it back to Panama City...again!



It arrived by courier late the next day...
...and I must say, getting a shower and some fresh clothes never felt so good!
Really, Delta??
~
But one look at these beauties and all was right with the world.
 



 

They bordered everyone's home in the neighborhood where Jim's sister lives in Sandestin.
Each bloom was about the size of a tennis ball!

Throughout their lovely neighborhood, the redbuds were also in full glory.



Some of you may remember that redbuds are my most favorite sign of spring...

 

...and around every corner, I had to get a few more shots.

 

 

Please bear with me...

 

 

OK...I'm finished now :)

~

We went to visit Jim's younger sister, Theresa and her husband, Steve,

and to surprise his older sister, Dianne for her 75th birthday, also visiting from Ohio.

She frequently visits Theresa, and we had kept it a secret from her that we were coming.

She was beyond surprised to see us and tears of joy flowed freely.

 

Happy 75th Birthday, Dianne!

Here are some other photos from our visit.
There are a few Good Fences in some of them :)



Here's the sun setting over the bay at Sandestin...

 

...and a fisheye view of the same...

...and sunrise the next morning over the gulf on Miramar Beach...

 

 

...the morning fog lifting off the water.



It was still kind of dark for great photos but I liked the reflection of the little guy below.



Someone from the day before left some very unique sand sculptures.
Can you name this familiar object from the 70's??

 

And of course, most everyone recognizes Sponge Bob...
...as unfortunate as that is :(

 

Still, a very talented individual...

 ...leaving their mark that they were here for Spring Break 2015!

~
The next day we made a short trip down the coast to the Seaside Community.
It had been nearly 25 years since I had first been here and couldn't believe it was the same place!
Back then, a few pastel colored homes and a cute little post office were the only buildings here,
along with a breathtaking, wide open, unspoiled coastline.
I couldn't believe how much this community had grown and it kind of made me a little sad...
...way too many houses, restaurants, shops and wall-to-wall people for my liking.
But it must be Mike Huckabee's cup of tea.
This is his permanent residence, just a few miles down the road.

 

We literally were within a few hundred feet of his front door.
Not much security for someone who may be running for President of the United States! :o
~
But I was able to get a little peek of the beach by standing on the deck of a restaurant.

 

The sand looks like granulated sugar...

 

...and even though we had overcast skies, the water was still that lovely aquamarine hue.

 

Ah...now there's a good fence!
~
And here we all are, in all of our glory..haha!

 

So our time in Florida came to an end and it was time to return to reality.

 

It was a great day for flying and Dianne and I were seat buddies as far as Atlanta...
...and here's a lovely shot of the back of Jim's head, a few rows up :)

We said our goodbyes to Dianne in Atlanta as she headed back to Dayton.
~
We were very glad to see our little buddy, Oscar when we returned,
and he was certainly glad to see us!
Not only had he never been to the kennel alone without Hunter,
he had never known life...period...without him for almost six years.
Anyone who has ever had a dachshund must know that they are all about themselves.
I can't really tell yet how much Oscar misses him...or not.
I have caught myself calling out to Hunter a few times since we returned home.
~
And by the way, it's the little stinker's birthday today...he's six :)

Happy Birthday, Oscar!
~
I hope I didn't bore you you enjoyed your little trip to Florida :)