All Things EARTH... part 2

[awhfy]

Anita, isn’t the Emerald Coast just lovely. I love the white, soft sand. I used to have trips there to Eglin AFB. Hope you tried Amberjack fish.  Enjoying the photos. Melody

[purduemom1]

Anita, it looks like you are making the most of your empty nest days! Those pictures are lovely. I’ve never been to The a Emerald Coast so details and pictures of your visit are most welcome.

Sharon

[MJC]

I'm back from cold and rainy Michigan. My flight yesterday was delayed for three hours by high winds in NYC. I'm really enjoying all the beachy photos and pretty colors after that!!  I've never been to that part of Florida. It's very pretty. Looking forward to more photos.

[laurspag]

While I haven't had much time to post, I have been following along.    I love hearing about everyone's trips.  I feel like I'm getting glimpses into so many wonderful places.

 

We are in full fall swing.  Just like that, there is color everywhere.  One picture is from my driveway, the other is from the parking lot at work.

 

 

[Sailor_Sally]

Love everyone's pictures ! Anita , I can not believe you packed in something so little .You win the packing award.

[Anita Latte]

Lovely autumn pictures Laurie...I'm pretty sure that I won't see much fall color this year.

 

Sally...LOL...I was inspired by this blog post of a woman who had traveled for 3 weeks with only a 12L handbag:

 

https://herpackinglist.com/ultralight-packing-list/#How_does_it_all_fit_in_that_12L_bag

 

Ever since reading that one particular post...I've wanted to try the same thing. My bag is only half the size of her bag, but I was only going for 2 nights...so I figured now was the time to try it. I would like to get the bigger bag that she has...I think the eBags equivalent is this one:

 

https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/anti-theft-large-crossbody/353313?productid=10614511#productFeatures

 

One thing that I find frustrating is that my MacBook doesn't fit properly in the Hobo style bag that I have. It fits, but just barely and not in the laptop pocket. But the larger bag shows that an 11" MacBook fits in the laptop pocket. It makes me want that bigger bag...because it was tight to fit in the one I have. With twice as much room...that would be very helpful.

 

Melody...Amberjack wasn't on the menu in any of the places we ate. We ate dinner with the group from work so I had no input on where we ate, which was fine. I enjoyed where we ate but I never saw Amberjack. Reasons to go back...

[Anita Latte]

So it was time for some food...and a brew...atmosphere is the most important thing to me at this point and so I picked Al's Beach Club Burger Bar:

 

https://www.alsbeachclub.com

 

This is basically an open air restaurant right next to the beach with various types of table seating around a huge central bar with an open dance floor and two stages on one end. By open air...I mean that there was a two-story tall interior space with a multi-level roof covering with open air space to allow for good air flow...as well as a couple of huge ceiling fans that kept the air circulating. I sat at the bar. My view...you can see the fishing pier...

 

 

Light and airy but with a sheltered feeling...

 

 

Directly overhead I was completely covered:

 

 

A few things to love about this place...first...doesn't matter what you are wearing. Nor what condition you were in...meaning you could be sandy...soaking wet...whatever. Difficult to see in the first picture, but there are several sprinkler statues creating a sort of mini-splash area that had the kids entertained. It's the type of place where you order and pay at the bar and get a number for your table...food is delivered to you. So no wait staff...just bussing staff. You could run a tab if you were sitting at the bar though. 🙂

 

I enjoyed the atmosphere here and so I ate and had a couple local IPAs. I designed a cargo skirt that I want to make and test out at our next music festival. I took photos...and then I enjoyed the first of the live entertainment. These two pirates had a very kid-oriented set...pretty entertaining:

 

 

Two different bands were scheduled to play after these guys...

 

The rain came...the rain left. I had a bit of a text conversation with DH...it seemed like it was time to move out.

 

Melody...yes, the white soft sand...OMG...

 

 

It wasn't sunset time...in the 4 o-clock hour. You can see the change in the skies...the rain clouds...

 

 

And you can see rain in the distance...and feel how low the clouds are...

 

 

I continued on to our hotel. Playing a bit as I went along...not really in a hurry.

 

 

I was watching the seagulls when I was hit by a random rain drop...figured it was time to head back to the room and take a shower to be ready to go out to dinner.

 

My timing was perfect as DH called me after I had dressed again in what I had worn earlier in the day.

 

DH's team had picked to go to AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar in Destin. Destin is just a bit further down the main drag...about 5 miles from the hotel to AJ's.

 

The skies had opened up now and with the sunset, the rain was a constant. It appeared that the restaurant could have been open to a deck area right on the water but with the rain, the plastic walls were zipped down. It was dark outside so not much to see here anyway. We were closer to the band area and were fairly close to the stage...live music from a duo playing popular 70s music of a folk nature. I knew just about every song...Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Three Dog Night, Grateful Dead, too many to remember but the music that sounds great with a guitar and one of those shaker instruments with the beans inside?

 

The fresh catch tacos were grouper. I went with that. Two of the guys ordered Snow Crab? I don't get that...it's not local seafood! But whatever... There were 4 of us...I was paying more attention to the music...the guys talked shop. There was some non-work conversation and that was nice, but I had figured that they would talk about work a lot and I was right. It was fine.

 

The tacos and the music were awesome...

 

And there was a special on pint cans of Kona's Big Wave which is one of my favorite craft brews.

 

We didn't hang out too long. DH and I headed to the nearby Publix to grab a few things for the room...then back to the hotel to relax and go to bed at a normal time for a work night. DH had a conference call at 6:30 AM...ridiculous but everyone else was on EDT and they weren't thinking about the travelers being a hour earlier...

Edited October 20, 2019 by Anita Latte

[awhfy]

16 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

Lovely autumn pictures Laurie...I'm pretty sure that I won't see much fall color this year.

 

Sally...LOL...I was inspired by this blog post of a woman who had traveled for 3 weeks with only a 12L handbag:

 

https://herpackinglist.com/ultralight-packing-list/#How_does_it_all_fit_in_that_12L_bag

 

Ever since reading that one particular post...I've wanted to try the same thing. My bag is only half the size of her bag, but I was only going for 2 nights...so I figured now was the time to try it. I would like to get the bigger bag that she has...I think the eBags equivalent is this one:

 

https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/anti-theft-large-crossbody/353313?productid=10614511#productFeatures

 

One thing that I find frustrating is that my MacBook doesn't fit properly in the Hobo style bag that I have. It fits, but just barely and not in the laptop pocket. But the larger bag shows that an 11" MacBook fits in the laptop pocket. It makes me want that bigger bag...because it was tight to fit in the one I have. With twice as much room...that would be very helpful.

 

Melody...Amberjack wasn't on the menu in any of the places we ate. We ate dinner with the group from work so I had no input on where we ate, which was fine. I enjoyed where we ate but I never saw Amberjack. Reasons to go back...

Amberjack is a very mild white fish, maybe it’s seasonal?  I’d go to Panama City (Eglin AFB) normally November-January timeframe. Melody 

[MJC]

Anita, love the ocean pictures with the dramatic clouds. I checked out her website and cannot imagine traveling with so little. Even if I aspired to that degree of editing, between my sensitive skin and the supplements I take, even just a three day trip would need a bigger bag than that. I have managed a small duffel, but then I also needed a tote for my tech and other odds and ends -- there are things like my tablet and pashmina that I'm just not going to travel without.

 

I did a big cleanout of our coat and boot closet today and hand-washed all my favorite winter scarves. Tomorrow I'm going to do the big shoe-shuffle, storing the summer shoes on my top shelf and getting the cool weather footwear down. It's a good opportunity to take stock and see what shape everything is in. I know I won't be buying new work shoes this fall!! Now that my knees are a bit better I can wear a small heel, so my booties and heeled loafers will go back into rotation.

 

I picked up two cute EARTH scarves at the local pharmacy/gift shop at the lake when I got my flu shot -- did everyone get their flu shot? I'll try to get some photos tomorrow if the light is good.

 

I'm perusing the Lands End catalog for a winter coat. There is a dark olive green one I have my eye on which does not look at all accurate on my monitor. Sometimes I think they lighten the colors a bit online so the details are easier to see:

 

https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-insulated-quilted-barn-coat/id_339162?attributes=44967,13774&rd=true

 

I also really like this style of plaid shirt with the stitched-down pleats. Less like a work shirt, a bit more tailored. The purple/green "midwest plaid" is right up my alley:

 

https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-flannel-tunic-top/id_316395?attributes=44967,36445

[awhfy]

Les & I got our flu shots on September 1st ( like every year). I wasn’t going to Canada & Hawaii without it!  Many people on our cruise had sniffles (likely due to 3 pretty chilly days at sea before it warmed up & many only having warm weather clothes. Melody
 

 

[Anita Latte]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying the photos! I enjoy photography. I don't have a fancy camera and there are times when I struggle with photo taking because I can see that I'm not getting the photo that I want. I end up relying on software to help the photo along. So far, that's been okay. I don't think that my passion for photography would take me into the realm of wanting to have the type of camera with a body and several lenses. However...I have seen an absolutely outstanding point and shoot that I think would be my ultimate...it's over $1K though...maybe pushing $1800? It's simply incredible and I think I might love it. I don't recall how rugged it is though. I've been enjoying having this rugged point and shoot so much...I've always loved taking photos. The more I use this one, the one I think I can fine tune what I would really love for something more sophisticated. Meanwhile...I'm having great fun with this one. I have more photos to share still...yesterday was just a rough day around the apt. For whatever reason...the power kept going off. There is a bunch of construction going on across the street though...so...

 

I'm familiar with fabrics similar to the one in that coat. They don't photograph well at all. Something about the fabrication has a shine element to it that is not as easily detected with the naked eye but the camera lens catches it. It's not a shiny fabric but it's fabric that photographs as if it is. Think about how some of us have those stretch fabric dresses and when they can catch the light...the color never seems to photograph true. Same for the coat. If you take a look in the shadows...like in the collar area? Then it shows very dark and that is more than likely more true to what you see IRL. 

 

I don't know that I'll be wearing much in the way of winter weight clothing this year. When we got our FL license plates...we opted for the "Endless Summer" ones and that is holding true. So similar to Houston...there may be some weather that makes you want to have a layer or two...but certainly not yet. The only real way to tell the difference in the weather is with the pool temperatures. The warmth and sun is less intense and so the water isn't as warm...and if it has rained, then the water is down right chilly. We haven't ventured toward the pool the past couple of weeks.

 

I am still a backpacker at heart. I never quite got into backpacking in the way that I wanted to. Now I'm concerned that physically I can't really...but I won't determine that until I really apply myself to be more fit and healthy. I would absolutely find such joy if I could carry all that I owned and needed in the world in a backpack. I find myself quite burdened with all the trappings a the typical household and as I spend so much time at home, I am constantly evaluating everything in my environment and wondering if it's really necessarily. I have dreams of getting rid of everything.

 

This wars with the fact that I do like having things that are associated with family. Paintings from my Great Grandma...furniture from my Grandmother...woodwork of my Grandpa...things given to me from people. The vast majority of these things are decidedly NOT necessarily and yet they are the things that I enjoy more than others in my home.

 

Currently, I am trying to figure out the toiletries. That is the real sticking point in travel. If you are picky about what you use...then you need to take your own...but even the smallest travel sizes are often WAY more product that what you would need for a typical weekend or week-long trip. I've been reading about people who get sample sized tubes, etc., and decant everything. I'm looking into that. I confirmed with our trip to Fort Walton Beach that clothing is really the easy part...it's all the personal care...and some entertainment/needs for taking care of the business of life...devices and such...that is the greater burden. Clothes are easy.

[Sailor_Sally]

We are in the middle of getting rid of things to prepare for a move . It is unbelievable how much stuff we accumulate . I have given tons to goodwill .Right now I am going through holiday decorations . I have been giving a lot of them away for years especially to my daughter . I am determined to get it down to a minimal amount by Christmas.

[Anita Latte]

Back in Fort Walton Beach...DH had that early, early morning conference call but his IRL meeting wasn't until 9 AM. We had time to have breakfast together before he had to take off for the day. I had decided to not try to dress in anything more than what I normally do...I would see DH's coworkers but even they were dressed more casually as this subcontractor is a newer company, of the newer generation, and they typically wear jeans and tees to work. So I was wearing my casual activewear (activewear...activewear...). My Indygena Viajar II Shorts, a technical tee, and my Uniqlo hoodie. 

 

 

DH had offered for me to have our car rental but I had told him that I wouldn't use it anyway... I wanted the freedom of having no vehicle to enable me to just do a whole lot of not much.

 

It was completely overcast...so perfect for taking photos. I walked around the hotel and took a lot of pictures with the idea that I will write a review on TA. I may have mentioned this before...but our biggest drinking water tip for Marriott brand hotels is to hit up the exercise room. There is always a water dispenser there. If you take your own refillable water bottle...then you can easily access drinking water when traveling. Even London had water in the exercise room...

 

Checking the weather...the rain had been pushed back to around noon-1pm...and so I decided that I would hit the beach again.

 

I had opted to only take the one swim suit. I like the shorts bottoms...good for feeling covered enough while walking around...and the one top that matches...and the one rash guard. Here was were I was wishing that I had a different swim top. I had a tankini style and it was really too much fabric for under the rash guard. I don't buy bra style bikini tops typically but since I consistently wear rash guards...I'm thinking I need to get over that and get some bikini bra tops. Everything was slightly damp...but it wasn't horrible. Still... I had made the decision to not include another swim top because what I have is so bulky, especially with the stupid foam cup things. Lesson learned here...I have a couple very simple activewear bras...not underwire...not padded...pull over the head cami-style. I think these would be perfect with my swim shorts for when I know I will just be wearing a rash guard anyway.

 

So that's my current plan for the post Thanksgiving cruise. I think I will still want a normal swim look for the solarium pool and hot tubs though...

 

Anyway...I hit the beach. Continuing to take photos of the beach area...etc.. Here's another artistic photo from my morning venture:

 

 

This photo is greatly manipulated to get the clouds to show...something easier to do in grayscale.

 

For as overcast as it was...the beach was really, really busy...

 

 

You can see...the sky looks like solid cloud. There was a huge crowd gathered in the distance and so I decided to check it out and see what was going on.

 

Turns out...there was a man...I later learned that he was 77-years young and I'm pretty sure he just does what he does because he can and he likes it. The homemade sign says, "The Living Beach: Biology Class: Here at the Surf: Tue 10 AM: All are welcome."

 

 

I've purposefully tried to block the faces of the attendees...

 

This man had all sorts of specimens that he had collected on the beaches. He talked about Coquina clams...and even had found several live ones that he had in a tray with sand and water. We all watched as he surfaces the clams again as each clam extended its one foot and buried itself again. He had large clam shells. He talked of crabs...and he had crab skeletons...which...if you had been to his class...you would know that the "shell" is the skeleton of the crab...it has an exoskeleton...say exoskeleton...and a soft body.

 

OMG...he was amazing. So entertaining. Many of his specimens...the horseshoe crab skeleton for instance was way too brittle to pass around...but there were several things that we were all about to pass around. He had several shells for instance...former homes:

 

 

He had broken shells of the same variety...and he had everyone try their hardest to break the unbroken ones. We all learned a bit about how strong clam claws are as that was the likely predator for former owners of the now broken homes (shells). 

 

This piece of wood was amazing...the little holes were created by clams...

 

 

We saw sea stars of different varieties...the skeletons, of course...sand dollars...the doves from the sand dollars...did you know those are TEETH?

 

The message was clear...this is a LIVING BEACH. See what you can find. He had shown us everything he had to show that day...he would be back on Thursday with different things.

 

I was kind of sad that I wouldn't be there Thursday...

 

As I was walking toward this big crowd...a man asked me what was going on? Did I know? I said, No, No idea...but I'm curious so I'm going to see.

 

If you are curious...go see!!

 

The weather was holding so I decided to play in the water a bit. Relax a bit. I didn't want to pay to rent a chair or an umbrella...though they had them for available. I decided to dig down and make my own lounger in the sand. It worked out very well...

 

I hung out until the first rain drop hit me...and then I decided that it was time to think about lunch. I had decided to just eat at the hotel today. There was a beach side restaurant called the Upper Deck that I had found exploring the hotel. The seating didn't look comfortable at all...but the view was good:

 

 

I had had enough time to return my pool towels...drop off my purple bag in the room...and grab my iPad (book) before the rain hit. When it hit...I was under cover and eating a fantastic plate of tacos...grouper was the fresh catch tacos...OMG...simple but so good:

 

 

I had one local draft. Between that and the food...I was really full. The chairs weren't awesome sitting and with the intermittent rain...I decided it was mani/pedi time on my balcony...

 

I didn't take the time to do my nails before our getaway...but I brought my kit with me, thinking that it would be a nice thing to do on the balcony. Especially with all the rain in the forecast. I was right. I was sheltered enough from the light rain...and I had my book...I could take my time...enjoy the view and just relax.

 

It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

 

The beach wasn't completely deserted...but this is that same area I had photographed earlier. Now the umbrellas are all down...and there's virtually no one...for as far as I could see:

 

 

You can see the rain...and the BRIGHT sun in the photograph shining WHITE on the water. And the difference in the shadow of the rain cloud versus the sunshine...

 

That's the thing about the coast...it is ever-changing...so even if the weather calls for rain...it likely won't be constant...

 

DH and I had talked about having a date night...but there were two more workers that had arrived this day to attend the meetings...and when DH mentioned that I was with him...the one woman in the group was like...bring her! So...we planned to do the group thing for dinner...

 

The weather had passed and the sun was shining...this is the Emerald Coast in all it's glory:

 

 

The deeper water is a deep blue and the demarkation is abrupt from the shallower green water to the deep blue water.

 

We could see DH's coworkers down on the beach...and so we headed down to join them before heading out to dinner. It was a popular thing to do again...the umbrellas were gone...but the beach goers had returned to enjoy the gorgeous evening:

 

[Anita Latte]

1 hour ago, Sailor_Sally said:

We are in the middle of getting rid of things to prepare for a move . It is unbelievable how much stuff we accumulate . I have given tons to goodwill .Right now I am going through holiday decorations . I have been giving a lot of them away for years especially to my daughter . I am determined to get it down to a minimal amount by Christmas.

 

I feel like my life has been a whole lot of preparing to move...LOL. Accumulation is quite astounding. I didn't have the time to really go through everything properly before we moved to FL. It's something that I need to get on...we haven't decided if we want to renew the lease when it comes due in August. I need to get going on my projects. I've figured out the first sewing project. A pool cover-up thing...I'm hoping I'll like it and can take it on our post-Thanksgiving cruise.

 

Holiday decorations are a hard one. Once upon a time ago I wanted to have a whole redecorating thing happen as the seasons would change. Figure out a good base and then have changes in curtains, pillows, blankets, etc as the seasons changed and especially for the holidays. But now...I've come to realize more and more that while I love the IDEA of all that decorating...it's really just the IDEA that I like. The reality is quite different. I think that has been one of the hardest lessons for me to get into my head...how attracted I can be to the idea of something...but really not like it at all in reality. Or rather, in my own reality. Like I could be just fine VISITING places that change significantly for things like seasons and holiday decor...but still live in a relatively stable and unchanging home environment.

[pacruise804]

On 10/19/2019 at 8:01 PM, Anita Latte said:

 

Directly overhead I was completely covered:

 

 

A few things to love about this place...first...doesn't matter what you are wearing. Nor what condition you were in...meaning you could be sandy...soaking wet...whatever. Difficult to see in the first picture, but there are several sprinkler statues creating a sort of mini-splash area that had the kids entertained. It's the type of place where you order and pay at the bar and get a number for your table...food is delivered to you. So no wait staff...just bussing staff. You could run a tab if you were sitting at the bar though. 🙂

Your pictures are great.  I like the design of this restaurant with the protection from the rain but still open to enjoy the elements.  I also enjoy this type of service - bussing staff vs. wait staff - it feels a little step up from fast food, but still very informal.

 

On 10/19/2019 at 8:01 PM, Anita Latte said:

 

The skies had opened up now and with the sunset, the rain was a constant. It appeared that the restaurant could have been open to a deck area right on the water but with the rain, the plastic walls were zipped down. It was dark outside so not much to see here anyway. We were closer to the band area and were fairly close to the stage...live music from a duo playing popular 70s music of a folk nature. I knew just about every song...Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Three Dog Night, Grateful Dead, too many to remember but the music that sounds great with a guitar and one of those shaker instruments with the beans inside?

 

That music sounds great 🙂 The "shaker instrument" description made me smile.  Do you mean something like a rain stick or "egg," or the round thing on a stick with what looks like ball bearings and can be used for lots of different sounds?

 

2 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

 

I am still a backpacker at heart. I never quite got into backpacking in the way that I wanted to. Now I'm concerned that physically I can't really...but I won't determine that until I really apply myself to be more fit and healthy. I would absolutely find such joy if I could carry all that I owned and needed in the world in a backpack. I find myself quite burdened with all the trappings a the typical household and as I spend so much time at home, I am constantly evaluating everything in my environment and wondering if it's really necessarily. I have dreams of getting rid of everything.

I also have those days where I want to "throw away all the things!" 😄 Two of my daughter's friends did a backpacking mission trip in Europe two summers ago and had to carry all they needed in their backpack.  It was very freeing for them to realize how little we really need.

 

2 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

This wars with the fact that I do like having things that are associated with family. Paintings from my Great Grandma...furniture from my Grandmother...woodwork of my Grandpa...things given to me from people. The vast majority of these things are decidedly NOT necessarily and yet they are the things that I enjoy more than others in my home.

While it might seem like a contradiction, I also see nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with things you love even if they aren't purely functional (like paintings).  The key is that you do use or display those things and aren't just keeping them out of guilt stored away in an attic.

 

2 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

Currently, I am trying to figure out the toiletries. That is the real sticking point in travel. If you are picky about what you use...then you need to take your own...but even the smallest travel sizes are often WAY more product that what you would need for a typical weekend or week-long trip. I've been reading about people who get sample sized tubes, etc., and decant everything. I'm looking into that. I confirmed with our trip to Fort Walton Beach that clothing is really the easy part...it's all the personal care...and some entertainment/needs for taking care of the business of life...devices and such...that is the greater burden. Clothes are easy.

I use contact lens cases for moisturizer and could probably get away with it for conditioner and other things too.

[awhfy]

I found a new shampoo, conditioner & primer spray (all 1 oz). Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser Invisible Oil!  Oh my!  So wonderful for humidity & equally as good in our arid CO. The travel kit was on sale for $5 at my Ulta just before we left for Hawaii. I’m so glad I bought it!  The shampoo & conditioner I could’ve used another 1oz pkg for 21 days. The primer spray tho I still have a third left (& I can refill it!). It makes your hair very soft & shiny & still have the ability to style it. I had my (very) curly haired daughters try it & they’ve both bought it (as they can flat iron those curls without damage). I don’t normally recommend hair products, but this stuff is great! Melody

[Anita Latte]

On 10/22/2019 at 1:23 PM, pacruise804 said:

Your pictures are great.  I like the design of this restaurant with the protection from the rain but still open to enjoy the elements.  I also enjoy this type of service - bussing staff vs. wait staff - it feels a little step up from fast food, but still very informal.

 

That music sounds great 🙂 The "shaker instrument" description made me smile.  Do you mean something like a rain stick or "egg," or the round thing on a stick with what looks like ball bearings and can be used for lots of different sounds?

 

I also have those days where I want to "throw away all the things!" 😄 Two of my daughter's friends did a backpacking mission trip in Europe two summers ago and had to carry all they needed in their backpack.  It was very freeing for them to realize how little we really need.

 

While it might seem like a contradiction, I also see nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with things you love even if they aren't purely functional (like paintings).  The key is that you do use or display those things and aren't just keeping them out of guilt stored away in an attic.

 

I use contact lens cases for moisturizer and could probably get away with it for conditioner and other things too.

 

Thank you!

 

So, yes, the "egg"...IDK what those things are called. They are like when they have seeds in a squash or whatever. If DS were around, he could easily tell me what this percussion instrument is. The woman had the egg and it was the perfect instrument to add that beat and texture. The man on guitar was a looper...where he could record or HAD recorded maybe...a rhythm guitar loop and/or a bass loop or whatever...even creating a "drum" while "drumming" the face of his guitar...so the sound was fuller than just the two instruments but still very appropriate for that folk 60s/70s vibe.

 

How little we really need...I used to want to design houses. I would try to draw out floor plans, etc., and that morphed into a love of all things HGTV and big excitement for owning our first house...and having a lively interest in all things design but especially having that turn into how to maximize space. There was a book called something like the "Big Little House" that was a kind of rebellion to the McMansions of the 80s where every little thing people did at home was deemed worthy of a separate room so that we ended up with these huge houses that are maintenance nightmares (personal opinion) and largely unused...so that people really only use a fraction of their square footage. This with this idea of the 80/20 rule has been the instigator of my almost obsession with trying to streamline my life. It may seem odd...how could I have so much that I would need to streamline? But when DH and I bought our first house...a huge shipment of things that had been laying in wait for me from my Grandmother's estate was delivered and so instantly, with home ownership we had a full house. Which was helpful, but also has been a challenge.

 

I also went through the phase of TLC shows back in the day...whatever happened to that network? They had a declutter series and one thing that was always brought up was "honoring" the things that you keep...just like you say...are you enjoying them or are they crammed in an out of the way place?

 

I have used contact lens cases for several things. One thing Mom discovered was to take those samples we all can collect...the little "envelope" type tear open to get the product...and dispense those into the cases. Especially when those things are like eye creams and you hardly use any of it. There are some things though that I think I would like to put into an easier to keep more sanitary type dispenser...this new BB Cream I got that I'm liking so much for one. 

 

17 hours ago, awhfy said:

I found a new shampoo, conditioner & primer spray (all 1 oz). Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser Invisible Oil!  Oh my!  So wonderful for humidity & equally as good in our arid CO. The travel kit was on sale for $5 at my Ulta just before we left for Hawaii. I’m so glad I bought it!  The shampoo & conditioner I could’ve used another 1oz pkg for 21 days. The primer spray tho I still have a third left (& I can refill it!). It makes your hair very soft & shiny & still have the ability to style it. I had my (very) curly haired daughters try it & they’ve both bought it (as they can flat iron those curls without damage). I don’t normally recommend hair products, but this stuff is great! Melody

 

I will check out that primer spray and oil. I've been feeling like I need a little something something for my hair. I've been working it a lot harder these days with the length...which I love...but with all the braids and everything, I feel like my hair could use an extra bit of TLC...I'm going to read up on those.

[Anita Latte]

Back in Fort Walton Beach...the work gang was debating where to eat. Originally, they had discussed going to some Irish place and that was a real turn off for me. It wasn't on the water...and it didn't feature seafood...and I'm thinking...come ON...we need to be eating on the water!! Anyway...I wasn't the only one that was kind of bummed about the Irish thought and so the plan changed to eat at The Shack.

 

Here we are again at a place that is specializing in crab...which I think is really funny...BUT this is my kind of location. This is one of those places with a gravel parking lot with a former house looking building that has been refurbished into a restaurant at some point...set back from the road, it is very unassuming from the street:

 

 

But it is directly on the water. Taken later while the team discussed work business after eating...I walked out to the little dock that seemed like a place where you could feed the fish in daylight hours...looking back at the restaurant:

 

 

The weather was outstanding. We were able to sit at one of the picnic tables directly at the railing. You might recognize DH by his goatee...

 

 

I didn't take photos of the menu here...I was really distracted by the sunset.

 

DH asked me if I was going to order crab...and I shared that I didn't feel like working that hard to eat my dinner this evening. There was a variety of fish and seafood available that you could have cooked to your preference...fried, blackened, grilled, etc. I saw that there were tacos on the menu with a pineapple pico de gallo...but since I had had tacos for dinner the night before and for lunch earlier this day...I went for the grilled shrimp platter and asked for the pico instead of cocktail sauce. GOOD CALL. With platters you could have two sides...and amazingly enough...grilled asparagus and broccoli were both offered...so I basically had grilled shrimp and veggies for dinner. Nothing too special but it was well prepared and light enough after my rather heavy and filling lunch. (I had eaten ALL of those awesome seasoned fried potatoes...)

 

They didn't have any draft brew but they had a huge selection of bottled and canned craft. I went with one of the newer arrivals and was SHOCKED to see my selection was from Burnt Hickory Brewing, which is right where we used to live outside Atlanta.

 

Anyway...here's the main event tonight...the sunset...

 

 

 

 

I took so many photos...and all I had was my iPhone 5...so I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. There's a reviewer on the Royal Caribbean boards that often does time lapse with his GoPro strapped to his balcony railing...and I tell you...this is one night where I would have loved to do that. The colors in the sky were incredible. The kind of evening that leaves you in awe because it is so beautiful.

 

After dinner...back at the hotel...DH and I had a couple brews in our fridge. We packed them up and went down to the beach.

 

Both nights, we could see people walking along with flashlights. I had spoken with a fellow guest in the elevator earlier in the day and he mentioned that he was going on a turtle walk that night. I've seen a billboard for such a thing out of Melbourne, FL...so I guess you can take a guided walk along the beach and look for turtles? IDK...I still have to look it up...but it sounds interesting.

 

One thing to note...one fellow worker had wanted to hit the ocean for a bit before dinner this evening. But he said that the water was full of jellyfish. Now...I didn't see the jellyfish earlier that day or the day before...but this man is experienced with the ocean and I believed him. I think we could see the jellyfish on the shore when DH and I went down that evening.

 

That's kind of a freaky thing... I remember when the blue jellyfish would come on the shore in Texas down around Port A and South Padre. You can drive on the beach there and I remember my dad driving, sitting in the backseat, all the windows down and the sunroof open and listening to the popping sounds of the jellyfish exploding as we drove along the beach. Kind of funny and gross all at the same time. 

 

So DH and I found a nice enough spot and stood there with the surf washing over our feet...and we ventured with extreme care just a little ways up and down the shore. The evening was breezy, as most shore areas are...the water was a perfect temperature...the air wasn't chilly...the moon was almost full and extremely bright...the sound of the surf...I could say so romantic except that it was more playful than that...it was a relaxed time where the environment and company required no further entertainment...a lovely end to the day and our stay.

 

The weather forecast was such that our return flight that was supposed to leave at 5:45 PM was already showing delayed by two hours...newly anticipated arrival back at MCO at 10:40 PM. UGH. The meetings would be done well before 12 noon...and so the big question was what would we do in that time before the flight?

 

So the next morning...DH was able to just have a normal morning as I had volunteered to do the little bit of packing we had. Mostly his work clothes...toiletries... As it turned out, one of DH's teammates had decided to just drive home.

 

I mean, how often do you get to drive a convertible Mustang on a road trip? (If you don't already own one, that is...)

 

I'm ALWAYS up for a road trip...and I LOVE to drive...and that Mustang was FUN to drive...

 

So DH and I decided to drive home as well. It was only an $80 premium to do the one way to MCO...which DH's employer would cover. And we would get home sooner than if we took the flight. This way too...DH could do a little bit of work, if necessary...monitoring email...taking phone calls...as it was, technically, still a work day.

 

So I got to drive a 6-hour road trip in the Mustang...OMG. I fully admit that I can be a very aggressive driver...it's true. And I'm very familiar with I-10 and I-75 and the turnpike...so it was great fun to be driving familiar enough roads in such a fun car. I wasn't that insane driver that makes you crazy...I always let someone else be the fastest driver on the road...but I did take advantage of all that horse power on occasion...and I did push it into trip digits twice. 😁 It was like NOTHING...OMG. Such a sweet ride. Our vehicles are good...I like having them...4Runners...I like sitting tall and there's enough Oomph there...but it was sheer pleasure to drive that Mustang for a bit.

 

My Dad owns a Mustang...hmmm. I've only driven it once...it was like driving a puppy pulling on the leash...you had to purposefully hold back...so this was a great time to not worry about holding back on the interstates! LOL.

 

Nice stereo system too...

 

We hit up Whataburger for lunch...something we haven't seen since Texas days...I didn't know any were outside of Texas...so we enjoyed that. Dropped off the rental car at the airport and picked up our 4Runner...and were back home around 8PM...which was our original schedule.

 

Gracie girl was very happy that we were home...such a talkie kitty after being alone for 2 nights.

 

So...summing up my little 2-night getaway...

 

This really has me thinking about how to incorporate more short getaways into our schedule. There is great value in getting into a new environment...especially one that is so naturally beautiful. It not necessarily easy to think about a getaway for two nights. It's just long enough that you have to think about groceries and the consequences in the fridge...pets being alone...etc...but I think that it is restorative to have a real break from the daily grind. The very definition of getting away.

 

So...I'm very happy we have the post-Thanksgiving cruise on the horizon. That's the next major getaway...but I'd like to try for another overnighter...maybe camping? before then. DH works what is called a 9-80...which means he works 80 hours in 9 days...getting every other Friday off. So we regularly have 3-day weekends. We just haven't been able to take advantage so much with DS's schedule in the mix. I think it's time to really start taking advantage of those 3-day weekends. 

[Anita Latte]

Hey Melody...I took a look at Bumble and Bumble and it looks like exactly what I need...thanks for the recommendation! I ordered directly from their website...they have the best prices, good offers, and the loyalty program looks good. I ordered the travel size pack and another primer made for curly hair (mine is wavy...) so I can compare the two primer oils. Also...the curly hair one talks about being used to refresh hair between washings...and that's totally me...so fingers crossed that this will help my dried out hair! Something that I really noticed when we were at the beach.

[laurspag]

Wow, such a great conversation going on here.  I've too busy to post much lately.

 

You all know how I pack, so it will come as no surprise when I tell you that travel size toiletries manage for a 5 day trip, but I have to use my larger, refillable containers for anything longer.  I use them up.  O shower every day, so there is shampoo,  conditioner, body wash used daily. On humid trips, there may be two showers a day.

 

I am looking for different products to try.  Interestingly enough, for my daughter's wedding shower., me and my other daughter made soap and used a light mint oil in it.  We had some leftover favors and I've been using it in the shower.  I don't really like bar soap but this is really nice to use.

 

Anita, you talking about your cat makes me think of two things.  One, it gets complicated traveling when you have pets.  Our dogs are small, so not only do we have to make plans for when we travel, we even have to think about being gone for more than 6 hours or so.  We are going to be working with a trainer so that we can have a dog walker stop daily.    Our rescue is defensive of his home.  I'll save the story for another time though.

 

The second thing is that I miss having a cat.  My allergies with cats are pretty bad though, so we did not get another when Honey passed on.  She was a sweet girl.

 

While I don't want to live in a tiny space, I do think often about downsizing a little once my younger daughter gets her own place.  I think a one level home would be good thinking as far as the aging process goes.  My husband does not want to have anything to do with moving though.  We love creating the home of our dreams.  I enjoy painting, moving around furniture and changing things up. 

 

We also like having a yard for the dogs.  The dog walker we want to have come to the house is not really so much for walking on a leash, it's to let the dogs outside.  Plus, we are on a hill with no sidewalks.

 

Isn't it interesting to see how our lives evolve, and the different paths we are on?  We all seem to be at stages where things are  changing.

 

I'm looking for a nice coat for fall and winter.  I have heavy duty winter coats, but want an alternative  that I can wear now that isn't as heavy.  Chadwicks has lot of nice wool coats, but those aren't what I had on mind.  I would like a walking jacket length so that I could wear a longer sweater.

Edited October 24, 2019 by laurspag

[awhfy]

19 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

Hey Melody...I took a look at Bumble and Bumble and it looks like exactly what I need...thanks for the recommendation! I ordered directly from their website...they have the best prices, good offers, and the loyalty program looks good. I ordered the travel size pack and another primer made for curly hair (mine is wavy...) so I can compare the two primer oils. Also...the curly hair one talks about being used to refresh hair between washings...and that's totally me...so fingers crossed that this will help my dried out hair! Something that I really noticed when we were at the beach.

My girls love this B&B spray & I really like it on my sides (where it tends to get dry & flyaway. I really couldn’t believe the difference. My hairdresser asked me what I was doing differently when I got my hair cut yesterday. Because my sides looked so much better. 

[laurspag]

Anita, those sunset pictures are amazing.  That must have been so beautiful to experience.

 

I can relate to what you are saying about restaurant choices.  I know when we were on our cruise, I told my husband that I really wanted to eat seafood...I associate that with Maine and the coast in general, completely.  While we didn't really have the time we wanted to scout out the perfect restaurants, we were happy with all our choices.  

 

I had never had fish tacos before until one time when we were in Lake Placid.  It totally doesn't go with the Adirondacks vibe, does it?  But we were at a restaurant for lunch and it was on the menu, and I always try to get things I don't normally get.  That was my choice.  I've loved them since.  They were very tasty at the Cask 'n Flagon in Boson too.

 

This sounds like it was a fun trip for you, Anita.  I love the black and white photo.

 

Do any of you have fish tanks?  I had them years ago, but when my daughters were in middle school, the last of our fish had died, and I decided to get rid of the aquarium.  Then a few years back, my daughter Stephanie received a beta fish.  From there she went with an aquarium. I had a fish tank going this past winter but I goofed up with the water and sadly ended up killing my two fish.  😞 

 

I'm starting fresh and have my little tank set up here in the den.  I am hoping to get a few fish this weekend.  Since it is a small tank, (5 gallon, I think) I can only get 3 fish.    It's probably a little silly, but I'm excited.  My next cruise is not until November of 2020 and while we plan to go back to Boston in June, we haven't started our plans yet. It all seems so far away!

 

Just a note on the topic of a casual fall/winter coat that I was speaking of yesterday.  I like the wool coats you see in the stores now, but I get very itchy and rashy from wool.  My younger daughter is still wearing a coat that I got her from Bon Ton the day after Thanksgiving many years ago, and I loved that it had the same styling, but wasn't wool.  Hers is just a nice three button, black and white plaid coat, with a belt.  I was thinking of checking Macy's online, they always seem to have a ton of coats online each year.

 

Maybe something like this?  

 

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/marc-new-york-paige-boucle-coat?ID=8897084&CategoryID=269&swatchColor=Burgundy

 

 

[pacruise804]

I really like that coat in mustard.

 

I'm excited for you about getting your fish - they can be so soothing to watch 🙂 Plus, they shouldn't trigger allergies 😉 

 

[awhfy]

Laurie, take a look at Express. I don’t normally shop there, but they’re showing a tobacco brown 3 button mid calf coat in a lot of ads. 
 

I had a beta fish on my desk at work for years, he was the office pet. When I retired I left him for the office, he liked the interaction. I retired in 2011 & he made it until 2015. I think he was about 11-12 years old, just about unheard of for a beta. Our office symbol was SND so he was Sandy.  Melody

[Anita Latte]

Good report on the product Melody. They had a little quiz to help steer you in the direction of the product that might best suit your needs...and it was rather disconcerting to have the texture of my hair defined as "straw" so definitely hoping for some improvement from that.

 

I've had my hair cut just once this year, I think...maybe twice...definitely the last cut was in NC. IDK...just feeling like letting it grow out again. It's so long. Still layered but the shortest layers are so long...but the longest is almost to my natural waist...I'm short waisted so that might sound longer than actuality.

 

Long coats are nice. I like the simplicity of the Macy's coat. So many good colors! Recently I've noticed that our coat closet has a funk...I've been wondering if we'll have call to use anything in there and was contemplating a more purposeful storage. Thinking those thoughts were timely. Our closets are good but the main one in our bedroom has been repurposed as a sort of dressing room for me. By ladies dress (low and very wide) is in there...we took the door off and the whole thing is like a clothing "nook" thing now...the king-sized bed in the apt sized bedroom barely leaves space for DH's tall boy...so the hanging space is more limited. I put everything that could remotely be called an over layer in that coat closet which is surprisingly big.

 

But I'm thinking that a lot of it can be seriously packed away. I think I have a cleaning, dry cleaning, and storing project to tackle.

 

Meanwhile...it's rather funny to hear about opposite world up north! LOL.

 

About wool Laurie...I think I read about how a lot of people that have issues with wearing wool are actually reacting to the chemical treatments a lot of wool producers use. I'm not sure how to counter that...if you could dry clean the chemicals out or if there is a more "natural" wool that has been treated with more skin friendly products. Not sure how to conduct that test but it might be worth pursuing because wool is such a great textile. I have a wool rug that I have a love hate relationship with...it shed like mad in the beginning but then it calmed down. That rug has survived where others have just gone flat and matted up and lost their pile. The wool rug is amazingly durable. I think wool in general is a more durable fabric and if you could find one that you could stand, if your sensitivity was more related to the treatment of wool rather than the wool itself...then you might have more choices open to you.