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| RV park has great pool and pier/jetty |
We have thoroughly enjoyed our 4 week stay in Destin, Florida. The weather has been great for a beach holiday, our RV park has been a gem of a find, and the timing of our visit couldn't be better. Chatting to staff at cafes and stores has revealed how busy this area is during winter with all the snow birds here, then during spring break it gets busy again, and come next Friday, the place will be booming with all the Memorial Holiday people then the summer break holiday makers. June, July and August are the main school holiday months in America, equal to our big Australian school break over November, December, January. Anyone planning on a visit to this area should consider visiting between the 20th April - 20th May!
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| Compare a weekend view of Crab Island with... |
We crossed the bridge between Destin and Fort Walton Beach numerous times, but each time we crossed it, we were amazed at how the area of Crab Island (photo above) was used by the locals. There always seemed to be at least a few inches of water covering the island - we have never actually seen it fully exposed. On summer evenings and weekends it was packed with marine craft - people meeting for picnics and gatherings. They swam, floated, kayaked, jet skied, ate, drank and generally enjoyed a beautiful sunset or a sunny day. If you click on the photo above, it should open to fill your screen. You should be able to see people in the boats and in the water in the photo above, , but not much happening in the photo below that was taken mid-week!
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| ...the same place during the work week |
What really made this place so enjoyable was discovering on Facebook that friends Pat and Billy were also holidaying in the vicinity. This is the second time that Facebook has bought about a very serendipitous chance meeting with friends. We had met Pat and Billy in Natchez, Mississippi 5 years ago - we were checking out the Mississippi River, got chatting, realised we were staying at the same RV Park across the river and ended up having a meal together. They spend half their time lakeside in Hartwell, Georgia and the other half running their Green Rose of Raus Bed and Breakfast in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Since we met them back in 2010, we have tried to link up, but when we have been close to the Bed and Breakfast, they have been back at the lake, and vice versa. Fate intervened this time, and not only did we catch up with Pat and Billy, but we got to meet several of their friends who meet them here to spend time together each year. We can understand why they keep coming back to this area! They stay at Topsail Preserve Campground which has its own private beach. They kindly invited us to join them one day...Pat and Billy had to leave to attend to a family function, so we were left in the capable hands of Cyndi, Bill, Pami and Frank.
Topsail Preserve campground provides a shuttle (top left photo in collage) that runs from the campground to the beach every hour until 7pm. Where the shuttle drops you off there is a boardwalk (top right of collage) that takes you right to the beach. Very convenient. We thoroughly enjoyed our beach time.
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| Murray helping to secure the beach umbrella - check out the emerald water! |
Twice we met at a cafe and were joined by Pat and Billy, Cyndi and Bill, Pami and Frank, Marty and Gary, and Renae and Glenn. Always fun to make new friends. No wonder I didn't get a chance to do any stitching (Gemma) or even open up the book I am writing.
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| Another Beach |
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| And another beach... |
We have spent more time at the beach in our 4 weeks here than in the preceding 25 years back home! Our beaches at home are very nice too, but we are conscious of the melanoma risks from sun exposure, and usually use the beach for pre-dinner/sunset fitness walks (Gemma and Bill) and the occasional swim (Rose). Here is a photo of one of our Australian beaches, taken in 2008. My eldest son might not be thrilled that I am posting his photo here, but you get that! This is Coogee Beach in Sydney. My American friends Joe Bill, Sandy, Dick, Jan and Rainie will recognise it! Our Sacramento friends Eric and Marie will hopefully get to see it in October during their visit.
My Florida friend Rainie mentioned that her brother Dan lived not far north of our campground. We enjoy meeting our friend's relatives so we arranged to meet up with Dan and his wife Dusty. We met for lunch in a delightful Tea House in their hometown of Crestview, and had a very pleasant interlude with them. Sorry we missed you on your visit to Australia Dusty. Come again...
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| Murray, Dan, Dusty, Trish |
I apologise for those who may have seen some of these photos first on Facebook, but I can't wait to post sometimes, and Facebook is so instant! Anyway, here is a little critter who joined us while we had lunch the other day. We had a bird's eye view of the Gulf and of the squirrel eating the pecans right in front of our table.
Last but not least, the sunsets here have been so beautiful, that this blog would not be complete without mentioning them. My photos just cannot possibly do them justice. But here are three sunset photos to leave you with... Meanwhile, I need to go and make a lobster mornay with the fresh lobster we bought at a fish market this morning. Then tomorrow we are en route to Tampa (Plant City actually).
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| Murray and I sipped on a margarita while we enjoyed this sunset |
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| Sunset from our RV park pool area |
What really made this place so enjoyable was discovering on Facebook that friends Pat and Billy were also holidaying in the vicinity. This is the second time that Facebook has bought about a very serendipitous chance meeting with friends. We had met Pat and Billy in Natchez, Mississippi 5 years ago - we were checking out the Mississippi River, got chatting, realised we were staying at the same RV Park across the river and ended up having a meal together. They spend half their time lakeside in Hartwell, Georgia and the other half running their Green Rose of Raus Bed and Breakfast in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Since we met them back in 2010, we have tried to link up, but when we have been close to the Bed and Breakfast, they have been back at the lake, and vice versa. Fate intervened this time, and not only did we catch up with Pat and Billy, but we got to meet several of their friends who meet them here to spend time together each year. We can understand why they keep coming back to this area! They stay at Topsail Preserve Campground which has its own private beach. They kindly invited us to join them one day...Pat and Billy had to leave to attend to a family function, so we were left in the capable hands of Cyndi, Bill, Pami and Frank. 
I apologise for those who may have seen some of these photos first on Facebook, but I can't wait to post sometimes, and Facebook is so instant! Anyway, here is a little critter who joined us while we had lunch the other day. We had a bird's eye view of the Gulf and of the squirrel eating the pecans right in front of our table. 
Last but not least, the sunsets here have been so beautiful, that this blog would not be complete without mentioning them. My photos just cannot possibly do them justice. But here are three sunset photos to leave you with... Meanwhile, I need to go and make a lobster mornay with the fresh lobster we bought at a fish market this morning. Then tomorrow we are en route to Tampa (Plant City actually). 
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