Notes from the Road - Part II

"The sea is so salty that if you had a quarter of a quarter of a teaspoon in your pantry you'd have enough for ANY recipe you could think of."
- Bridget (August 2008)

That is funny, as she thinks of the ocean in terms of food.

We had dinner at a "crab shack" the other night. Bridget is scared of the ocean, scared of our taxi driver, but totally willing to suck a raw oyster from it's shell.

That's my girl. Fearless of food.

Today is Tuesday and we spent pretty much all of it on the beach.

There were two highlights of the day. Parasailing and a random singer in a bar at the Sandestin Resort.

Aidan and I went parasailing. I checked my fear of heights on the beach and Patty H would be proud of me. The "Sky Pirate" picked us up and headed out to slightly deeper water. The two 20-something chicks running the boat and sails were real pros and very nice. They deployed the chute behind the boat at a fast idle and then hooked Aidan and I in while still on the aft deck. Then they went full-throttle and let the winch holding the 'chute loose and we sailed several hundred feet into the air. The view was marvelous. It was great to do this with my fearless boy who enjoyed the sights and spotted some huge nurse sharks swimming in the waters below us.

We even got to do a "touch & go" before we landed, which is where they slow the boat enough for you to dip your feet in, and then take off again to pull you back up into the sky.

After a nice rest at our hotel we headed out for dinner.

The resort has a large "mall" of restaurants, shops, and various entertainments that is only for resort guests. Ray had a craving for steak, so that narrowed down our restaurant choices. We had the kids meals and appetizers served right away and then sent the kids away to enjoy the various amusements while we enjoyed our steaks and wine.

Then, the true entertainment of the evening happened.

There were a couple of live music venues at this "mall," and we heard strains of Billy Joel, Elthon John and the Eagles from 2 different bars as we enjoyed our meal. Kids in tow, we wandered around and were sitting by a play area when a "guy and a guitar" started playing. But he had a singer too. And he was GOOD. OMG. REALLY GOOD.

He was a lead singer from some local-yokel band, but he was AMAZING. Did a lot of Journey, Scorpions, Styx, etc. We installed the kids w/ a couple of Cokes and a view of the Olympic broadcast and made sure they knew what a special singer they were hearing. We enjoyed every second. Still don't know who this guy was, only that he played in a local '80's band. Really a privilege to listen to someone like this.

I hope my kids understand why I was making them listen to these "oldies."

All in all it was a great day. We love Destin. We love the private beach, the white sand, the lovely weather (well, I know that's a crap shoot), and the fact that where we are staying is unexpectedly a part of this larger, lovely resort.

One more day on the beach.

Then a dozen or more interminable hours in the car. So far, it's been totally worth it.