Today was our last full day of our Thanksgiving vacation at Panama City Beach. It’s sad to find how quickly time has passed.
We were greeted this morning with clear, sunny skies and a moderate wind from the west, though not as strong as yesterday’s wind. The temperature was a bit chilly, especially in the shade, but the brilliant sun quickly warmed things up to the mid-60s. Breakfast was at my parents’ condo, courtesy of my dad. Jeff’s family, my family, and Wil joined my parents for a breakfast of grits, eggs, biscuits, and ham while the kids paraded through the room acting out silly dances. As usual with our gatherings, one had to shout to be heard!
After this great breakfast we hit the beach for our morning walk. Kelly and I have become familiar with the bottoms of our kids’ feet this week as all we’ve seen of them is them disappearing in a cloud of sand ahead of us! We figure our family bike rides have been way too short, judging by the energy our kids expended on the beach! At one point Hallie was actually running circles around Kelly and me. No kidding.
We stopped to draw a bit in the sand near Schooner’s and then returned to the condo to get ready for lunch. Aunt Nancy was already setting up the condo’s picnic tables for our pizza lunch. Kelly took the kids to the dollar store for one more round of souvenir-buying while I visited with my relatives at the picnic tables.
Soon my cousin arrived with the pizzas and everyone dug in. It was breezy but sunny out there but everyone enjoyed being together one more time. After pizza the kids ran off to play hide and seek and the adults either chatted or shot baskets on the nearby basketball goal.
This being the day after Thanksgiving there were football games to watch. A large contingent headed for the couches while the rest made other plans. We went up to our condo long enough to grab our swimsuits and towels and then headed for the pool. We stayed there for an hour or so before heading back inside. I think it was too long in the pool for Travis as he was shivering at the elevator and got very fragile once we were back in the condo. He seemed to perk up a bit after eating, however.
We tried taking the kids back to my parents’ condo but the Alabama-Auburn football game was creating some R-rated language. That left us with an hour before sundown to play with. I realized that we would be leaving early tomorrow and suggested we spend the time seeing my grandmother’s old home. Everyone agreed so we took the 20 minute ride into town.
I was happy to see the new owner of Grandma’s home has kept it looking great. The only external change is that wooden rocking chairs have replaced the swing that was once on the front porch. We also drove over to see my maternal grandparents’ house, which still looks great, too.
The rest of our day was spent doing the sad chore of packing. It’s been a delightful visit and an especially happy one for our kids. I’m glad to see that they feel as comfortable here as I have my whole life. I may live in Raleigh the rest of my life but at least part of me will always consider this home.
