It's All Relative!

Our month at the beach has come to an end.

The weather has been a mixed bag with the frigid northern air masses moving to the South ... it was almost like they hitched a ride with us.

We did have a few beach days in the sunshine ... well actually I think I only had my bathing suit on four days!

We enjoyed many days walking the beach not in bathing suits, but layered in capris or jeans, t- shirts, vests with a light jacket.

On our last day we had hoped for a sunny, warm day to spend lazing on the beach with a good book, but it was a cloudy, cooler day! ( High only 65 degrees F ).

There were plenty of sun beds and cabanas calling our name!

We opted to venture out further east along the beach road in search of a waterfront restaurant and refused to allow the weather to dictate where we would sit whether inside or outside.

These are the signs at "Margaritaville" ... love this!

We chose a table in the outdoor covered patio room.

    Today the windows were closed and the patio heaters were a "flame"!          

The view from our table looking out the windows ...

We enjoyed a tasty seafood lunch of crab cakes and grouper on our last day in Panama City Beach at Schooners the "Last Local Beach Club".

                     

                                     

On our last evening from the balcony of the condo we viewed yet another beauty of a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico...

As in life, it is all relative ... 

temperatures in the mid 50s & 60s Fahrenheit were still 70 degrees F. warmer than back home in Canada.

Stay tuned for our next adventure ... Postcards from New Orleans, Louisiana!

Once upon a Time!

Clock tower of the deconsecrated Church in Gourdon, France framed by beautiful plane tree leaves.

Tick tock, tick tock, the clock just keeps ticking ... how quickly time flies.

It seems we are always wishing our life away ... 

waiting & hoping for tomorrow, next week, next month, next year ...

We have to learn to enjoy the present moments!

Please note I am using "we" in general terms ... there is the young 10 year old who can't wait to be a teenager, the teenager who can't wait to be a young adult of 21 years of age, and the cycle just continues.

We/ I have to learn to live in the moment and make the most of the now!

It is a fogged in day at the beach today, you can hardly see where the sky and the ocean meet or separate ...

                    

                    View from our balcony today in Panama City Beach

So on days like today I will enjoy the peaceful and quiet times, look for the beauty in nature while basking in the warmth of my family and friends' "sunshine" (far and near) and be thankful for the "time"!

Benjamin Franklin said ..." One today is worth two tomorrows ".

     Signage of a toy store in Celebration, Florida

              So how will you make the most of your time?

                        

" This -- this was what made life: a moment of quiet, the water falling in the fountain, the girl's voice ... a moment of captured beauty. He who is truly wise will never permit such moments to escape" 

 ... Quote by Louis L'Amour

Playing at Pier Park

From where we are staying in Panama City Beach, we can walk in the sand on the beach with the water brushing our feet to the City Pier (only a mile away).

Once at the Pier we can enter the Boardwalk at the wonderful Pier Park ... here the streets are lined with unique shops, plenty of places to stop for some refreshments and eats, there is the Grand 16 - plex movie Theatre, a midway for the kids, and you'll also find an outdoor shopping mall.

It has something for everyone ..

It is a fun place on a sunny day when you need a break from lazing on the beach or on a cloudy, not so great beach day ... and for a Movie date on rainy days.

                                           

It's a colourful place ...

Located in the heart of Panama City Beach, Pier Park offers many options to entertain you ...

We even pretended to be Elton John and Elliot Gould on the pianos at Rum Runners.

 

Hide and Seek in Panama City Beach ...

We were hopeful for a sunny, lazy day on the beach in one of the cabanas ...

The sun is playing "Hide and Seek" ... Haven't found it yet, it's misty, fogged in over the Gulf of Mexico this morning.

We're going to walk along the beach rather than "laze" in the sun!

The view from our balcony ... there are a few vacationers using the cabanas, they do provide shelter/ protection from the "Sun" and the windy breezes!

                       

Quite the contrast from the day we spent in Biarritz, France.

Footnote ... Monsiuer Honey says I can't throw in a Biarritz photo ... and I said I can dream that we will go there again one day soon!

Scarves, Souvenirs and Sunsets!

Do the colours of the elements in "Nature" influence your choices when you are shopping?

The other day on a quick shopping trip ... the colours in this scarf caught my eye just as the muted, shimmering shades of blues & taupes in the "Sunset", the soft whites of the Ocean waves and the beige sandy beach.

When I wear this scarf it will remind me of our time spent in Panama City Beach and our nightly views of the beautiful sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico... a great souvenir with a useful purpose!

What influences and inspires your choices ... whether it is something for you to wear personally or changing the decor in your home? 

Wave Watching ...

#Waves#endlesshorizon#lifeisbetteratthebeach#Panamacitybeach

“Water has an endless horizon; there is no limitation when you look out into the water.  There's nothing to interfere with the mind's eye projecting itself as far as it can possibly imagine.  I suppose it's the same way people in the Midwest feel about watching amber waves of grain or endless rows of cornfields.  There is something exhilarating about it.” Quote ... Billy Joel

We enjoyed a front row seat view of the beach and the Ocean waves while enjoying a "Happy Hour" Valentine toast on Saturday afternoon at "Waves" bar & grill ... located on the 1st Floor of the Tidewater Beach Resort.

Our unit is located on the eighth floor of this 31 floor Condo complex ... all units have ocean views.

This bird is thinking about surfing ...

The view from our balcony looking east to the pier...

Looking south over the Gulf of Mexico from our Balcony...

The sunset over the Ocean waves ...

With the harsh winter weather back home in Canada ... my sentiments about winter at the Gulf of Mexico are very well described by the following  ...

A Road Trip

#Panhandle#Panama City Beach #Florida#RumRunnersUSA#Bruce#PoncedeLeon#Alabama#GulfofMexico

Escaping Southwestern Ontario's winter took us on a long road trip travelling southwest thru the USA to the Florida Panhandle.

Our travels took us a different route and thru several areas of the U.S.A that were new to us.

Even a tiny village named "Bruce" ... that is our family name ...( located about a half hour from Panama City Beach )

 ... which had it had it's own Cafe and General Store. 

After two and a half days on the road ... We arrived at our intended destination to cloudy skies.

We located our condo on the Front Beach Road, we were too early for checkin so we oriented ourselves with the immediate area.

We enjoyed some light fare and refreshments at Rum Runners (at Pier Park more about this in another post)  before doing a quick grocery pickup and checking in to the condo.

The views from our condo ...

                  

A new place to discover ... 

I think we will find enough to keep us busy even if it is just long walks along the beach on the soft white sand.