Ploughing Through Life: JUNE 2007.......JUNE 2011

We are on the third floor..with a balcony..with two chairs and a railing that is perfect for draping wet suits and towels over to dry.

The elevator is in working order to take us to that third floor and also to the parking garage. The car is parked in the shade of that garage out of the heat of the sun. So far so good. If I look to the left from the balcony, I have an unobstructed view of the Gulf and to the right, a landing strip for the airport! Let me book your next trip. I'm sure I can find you a hotel on the beach, boulders and sandless and an airport landing strip with beautiful red lights decorating the approach.

Our trip has been without drama; relaxing but filled with the sound of Carrie's laughter.

NOT across from the hotel..but these slabs of granite are up and down the seawall.

We checked into the Holiday Inn Express and unpacked, grabbed out towels and headed for the seawall only to find rocks. The set of stairs leading down the 15 ft. to the water did just that. The only area out of the water was the 3 ft. thick granite slabs that were lined up end to end below the seawall. I want to find someone that will tell me why these granite slabs are paving the sand beach close to the seawall. Is it for reinforcement to protect the sea wall during high tide?

For the moment, our concern was getting to the beach since Carrie was promised some beach time. I'm not fond of sand and salt water and the daughter feels the same way. Neither of us felt this way when we were Carrie's age so we both understood her desire to use her plastic pail and shovel to dig sand.

Had it not been for that beautiful red umbrella that can be implanted into the sand, we would not have stayed as long as we did. Thankfully we remembered to pack it that protection from the sun.It may it tolerable to be on the beach.

Carrie in foregraound with Ted and April walking in from the ocean in the background.

Today we relax until 1500 hrs when we go to the waterpark. Carrie isn't into relaxing but she is only 5. She has plenty of energy and wants to spend all day in the pool. Ted took the first watch and spent some time with her while I took the second watch. We crawled out of the pool when she mentioned some thing about being hungry. She actually thought I was going to go to the room and serve her sandwiches poolside. I saw it as a good excuse to go back to the room for a while.

She wasn't happy. She'll survive.

Fed and in a better mood, she is resting across her mother's abdomen watching cartoons. I'm ready to take a little nap. Vacations are tiring.

We went shoe shopping last night and while I was looking around, Carrie would select shoes for me to try. This gave her an excuse to put on a pair of shoes with 4 inch spike heels that were covered in gold glitter. She was in love. She pranced and posed in those shoes and was reluctant to put them back on the shelf. She has been requesting a slinky body hugging dress to wear and is always looking for one in the stores. Everyone is asleep here in the room. She has on one of my shirts and has used a hair tie to gather fabric up snug it to make the shirt a knee length dress that she covets:

AND CHANGING THE TIE TO THE FRONT AND WITH MAKEUP (LOLOLOL)

This is more Carrie's interests. Wait till her mother wakes up and finds her in full makeup. (it will give mom something to do. She can help clean all that makeup off before we go to the water park.) Right now I need to get stuff packed for our next adventure.

One last thing here. Carrie was about 18 months old when we were here last in 2007.

Here is a picture from that time: