We decided to head out for breakfast. Ladd’s computer research again succeeded in finding us a great place: “Emmas Too”, “down the road apiece” in Panama City Beach. Tommy had eggs, sausage, homefries, and toast. Ladd had a cheesesteak with mushroom omelet, homefries, and biscuit. Donna and I both went for the bacon and cheese omelet, homefries, and biscuits. If I tell you that we were all “members of the clean-plate club” you will know how delicious it was. We knew it would hold us till dinner!
Then the “shopping Marilyn” got a little pushy and requested (insisted?) that our next stop be “Pier Park”, also in Panama City Beach. It is a newly developed, HUGE outdoor complex comprised of 80+ stores (some chains like “Old Navy”, “Target”, etc. and some little, local specialty shops), jewelry stores, shoe stores, toy stores, salons, 30+ restaurants, rides for kiddos, and more places being built, too. They were setting up for “Mardi Gras” parades and entertainment for Friday and Saturday nights, but since we came from New Orleans and the “real” Mardi Gras celebrations, I doubt if we will return for those. “Pier Park” is built by the shore with a pier so the husbands had a beautiful place to sit while the wives shopped…LOL! Anyone who knows me knows that I was “in 7th heaven” at “Pier Park”! We did NOT manage to visit ALL the shops, (good reason to go back-ha!), but Donna and I did manage to leave with purchases!
Upon return to the condo I headed straight to the beach to walk and enjoy the sun. Only the young had swimsuits on, but there were A LOT of walkers enjoying the beach with me. I walked for quite a way both directions from our condo and collected three special shells to bring home for my parents and me as “memory keepers.” At the end of my walk I just sat for a while on the beach watching the waves, the seagulls, the terns, the people, the advertising banners flying overhead, and the Air Force jets doing practice fly-overs. (I DID send positive thoughts and love to Dean upon seeing the A.F. jets since he was not able to join us at the condo due to a “dead” car. Why couldn’t you have one of those jets fly you here, Dean? LOL) I totally understand, but miss you, Dean!) It always amazes me how being by the ocean brings such feelings of peace and relaxation…ahhh!
As I walked back up to the condo I saw quite a few people by the pool…the heated one. Never one to miss any vacation activity time, I quickly put on my bathing suit and joined them! I happened to be the only one in the pool when I went in, so I felt as if the pool was “mine”. My mom, who loves swimming and swims almost every day for exercise, will be proud of me because I took advantage of being alone in the pool and swam laps. (I actually LOVED it in the sun and being a solo-swimmer, Mom!) Donna came down to join me and read in the sun by the pool. I think both of blood-pressure rates went down there.
For dinner we headed just down the road about a mile or two to a little, informal restaurant that had received good reviews: “Hognose Snapper “. We all shared two appetizers: spicy shrimp and a portabella mushroom prepared with sauce, cheese, and skinny onion ring pieces on top. Tommy had fried shrimp and fries for his entrée. Donna had steak, a baked/stuffed potato, and mixed vegetables. Ladd had grouper, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. I went with an Italian steak sandwich and a cup of Lobster Bisque. Oh my goodness, we will probably all go back home twenty pounds heavier!
We were all so full that we didn’t feel like doing much at night. We settled in with some balcony time and watched one of the DVDs from the condo collection (“Timeline”) before heading to bed. Any friends reading this next line are probably tired of my repetitiveness, but it’s true: another great day in Florida!
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