Beach vacation!
I spent the last week vacationing in Panama City Beach, Florida with my lovely and adorable bride Lana and my two wonderful grandchildren Aidan and Maggie (all three inspired characters in The Gemstone Chronicles). Lana and I both grew up visiting PCB (or simply “the beach” in the towns where we lived back then), so it was a nostalgic trip for us, but Aidan and Maggie had never visited the sugary white sands and emerald waters. We had a ball!
Pictures!
We ran through some rain on the way down to PCB, but here is what I woke up to each morning!
Being a former US Navy sailor, I also enjoyed the sound of the waves!
We did spend some time on the beach, where Aidan rode the waves and Maggie played in the sand. We managed to mostly avoid sunburn, too!
Aidan and his board!
The finished sandcastle!
All that sandcastle building wore me out, so relaxation time!
Lana’s view of the Gulf of Mexico.
Aidan and Maggie playing in the pool!
We didn’t just lay on the beach or swim in the pools at the condo. To experience PCB, you have to get out and do things. We visited Gulf World Marine Park, where we got to pet stingrays, watch sea lions, dolphins, penguins, and macaws, among many other things. Maggie even got to help “train” a dolphin to blow bubbles!
Petting the stingrays. Maggie said they were slimy!
Maggie “training” the dolphins!
Bottle-nosed dolphins waving goodbye to the audience after their show. They were pretty amazing!
We finished our last day at the beach by riding the Sea Dragon Pirate ship. Maggie became a pirate and took the pirate’s oath!
Aidan didn’t take part in the pirate festivities, but he enjoyed the trip anyway.
Maggie, though, went all out and became a pirate!!
We loved PCB!
We enjoyed great food, visited the new Pier Park, and rode go-karts. I don’t have pictures of that, since we were all riding at the same time, but it was one of the best experiences we had at the beach. It was Maggie and Lana’s first time on go-karts and they did great!!
There were changes since Lana and I had last been at PCB. For instance, The Breakers, an iconic restaurant from our time, is now closed and for sale. There are a lot of high rise condos that block the view of the beach from Front Beach Road. Many of the Mom and Pop stores are gone. But, the spirit of the beach that we so loved growing up still exists and we were very happy to be able to share it with our grandchildren!
Lana and I decided that we need to retire at the beach, so I have to get busy selling a lot of books so we can make that decision occur. Any help with the dream will be greatly appreciated!! 🙂
If you have been to PCB, leave me a comment on your memories. If not, maybe plan to visit The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches in the near future!!
