Florida June 2011!

It initially started as a trip to watch the final shuttle launch on June 28, 2011. That was my birthday and what a great present to vacation in Florida. Everyone in the family requested the time off from work and saved their money for the trip.

Then about 2 weeks before we were to leave, NASA changed the schedule for the launch to July 8, 2011! What were we to do? We couldn't change our vacation times, so we decided to go to Florida anyway and just enjoy ourselves. And boy did we!

Danny, Heather, and Daniel drove together in a 2010 Charger. It was a beautiful blue color with wonderful air conditioning. David, Denise, Deborah and I rode together in David's Custom Cruiser. With the air conditioner now working, it was quite comfortable. So off we went on a sunny Friday afternoon. St Augustine or Bust!

We arrived in St. Augustine just before noon on Saturday. It was sunny and HOT! After getting our hotel, we drove to the old city and visited the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Construction was begun in 1672 when Florida was a Spanish territory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_de_San_Marcos). After walking around the fort, we traversed the old city, looking into shops and photographing some of the old buildings. When we left the fort, we went back to the hotel to cool off and rest (we drove straight through the night with only an occasional gas break/restroom stop, and a two hour stop at a rest are just north of the Florida state line).

Sunday morning after breakfast, we visited Our Lady of La Leche shrine on the grounds of the Mission of Nombre de Dios
(http://www.missionandshrine.org/la_leche.htm). It is recognized as the oldest mission in America. The grounds are beautifully laid out and it is a quiet peaceful place.

Upon leaving the mission, we found our way onto Anastasia Island and the Atlantic Ocean. We all went swimming and had lots of fun soaking up the sun. The sky was blue and the water was warm. Waves came crashing all around us toward the shore, and then returned to the great deep.

From there we traveled across the state to Manatee Springs near Chiefland, Florida. This is a Florida State Park located near the Gulf of Mexico. Normally, one can see the manatees swimming up the Suwannee River and then toward the warmer waters of the springs. However, that usually occurs in the winter. I should have done my homework better, because in the summer they stay out in the Gulf where it is a bit cooler. But it was nice to visit again and enjoy nature. That night we stayed in a small town called Perry, Florida. Pizza Hut was our food of choice that night.

We drove to Destin Monday morning and found a hotel in Crestview. Crestview is about 25 miles north of Destin, but much more affordable. We stayed at a Hampton Inn for only $58 per night. The swimming pool felt wonderful and we enjoyed it several times during our 3 day stay there. That evening we went to Whataburger. And what a burger it is! Luscious juicy hamburgers and jumbo creamy milkshakes - that was the order of the night!

The next day was Tuesday, my birthday, and we drove down to the city of Destin. Called the Emerald Coast, the Destin-Fort Walton Beach-Okaloosa Beach area provides many tourist attractions and the opportunity to spend LOTS of money! After shopping for a few "beach necessities" we found a beach that wasn't too busy and staked our claim on it. The waves were a little larger here since there were some thunderstorms in the forecast. Lots of fun in the sun for us that day!

While we were at the beach, we received a call from Dannae that she and Zach were almost to the hotel. We packed up our entourage and headed for Crestview. We all enjoyed a brief time of cooling down and relaxing together. After showering and dressing we were off to another adventure.

We headed back to Destin to an eating place called Fudpuckers Beachside Bar & Grill for diner that night. That's right, Fudpuckers. From the Fudpucker's webpage comes the following "Fudpucker's in Destin keeps growing, and growing... Fudpucker's Beachside Bar & Grill on Highway 98 in Destin now exceeds 30,000 square feet with over 2,500 square feet of retail alone! Visit Gator Beach at Fud's in Destin to feed the gators and get your picture holding one of these ultra cool creatures!" It is a fun place to eat with lots to do. I enjoyed the live music while we were waiting - and yes, you must be prepared to wait!

But there are so many things to look at while you wait. There are over 100 live alligators at Fudpucker's. One of the employees gives a talk about the alligators and also brings a small one, about 3 foot in length, inside so customers can "pet" it. There is a gift shop where you can purchase all kinds of crazy things, including a magnet that reads, "If a fudpucker could puck fud, how much fud could a fudpucker puck if a fudpucker could puck fud." Repeat that 10 times fast!

While we were waiting, a storm came up. Part of the restaurant is out-of-doors and we were sitting under a flat roof that was suspended from trees and other parts of the building. The wind was fierce and the rain came pelting down on the roof. A limb broke off of a nearby tree that was partly inside the area where we were waiting for our table and listening to the live music. It was hanging precariously over the stairs that went to the lower level by the alligators. No one seemed to notice but me. I told Daniel about it and we watched to see what was to become of the limb. If it fell, it could have injured someone as they walked down the stairs.

The wind continued to blow and the rain came down in torrents. A saw several employees walk by, but no one saw the limb. I called to one man as he walked by and I explained to him about the tree limb and how it broke from the wind blowing. I told him I was concerned because if it fell on someone, it could seriously injure them. Within a couple minutes, 2 more men came to assess the situation. Eventually the men got it taken care of. I was glad I noticed the potential hazard and was able to report it to someone who could do something about it.

Deborah ordered an appetizer of alligator tail which was quite tasty. Of course, if something is breaded and deep-fried, it all tastes like chicken! Everything is large on the menu so come with an appetite.

During dinner, Dannae spoke with our waitress. After dinner, about 6-8 waiter/waitresses came to our table with 2 ice cream dessert plates for Zach and me. Zach's birthday is June 30, only 2 days after mine. The main waiter asked the other dinners to join them in singing "Happy Birthday" as off-key as possible. It was noisy and rowdy, but lots of fun!

After dinner, we drove back to Crestview and our hotel across the Choctawhatchee Bay via the Mid Bay Bridge. It is a beautiful site at night with all the lights on shore and the sky twinkling with stars. Upon arriving at our hotel, Dannae brought out 2 birthday cakes, one for Zach and one for me. (Dannae is a cake decorator by trade). Zach's had a tank on it and was appropriately decorated. My cake had a beach scene on it with 2 magnet flip flops. Boy were they tasty!

The following was a day of departure for Danny and Heather. They headed toward Broken Arrow, Oklahoma where Daniel's sister Sara and her husband Stacy live. They arrived late at night and spent the following day there visiting and enjoying each others company. We were reunited with Danny and Heather in Huntington on Saturday.

After breakfast, the seven of us that were left drove to Destin and did some more shopping, this time for snacks and plenty of WATER to keep us hydrated as we frolicked on the beach and got some more sun. We spent time enjoying the water, sunshine, and sand. After several hours, we traveled back to the hotel where we cooled off in the clean sparkling waters of the hotel pool.

That night we went across the street and introduced Zach to Whataburger! More burgers and milkshakes were on the menu that night as we stuffed ourselves with the delicious food. We spent some time talking and computing our travels for the next day.

Early the next morning, we ate breakfast in the hotel dining area of the lobby. Zach and Dannae were headed for Salem, Missouri to visit Zach's oldest friend and his wife, Ian and Amber. We said our goodbyes and watched them leave us much to soon.

David, Daniel, Denise, Deborah, and I left shortly afterward and went to Pensacola, Florida. There we visited the National Naval Aviation Museum. According to the website (http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/), one can..."Fly high with an adventure at the National Naval Aviation Museum, one of the world’s largest aviation museums. Located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, this historic treasure boasts more than 150 beautifully restored aircraft, hands-on exhibits and more than 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation." It was a great time of reminiscing about our fathers, Donald E. Divelbiss and Robert L. Scheie, and the many adventures they endured while serving in the US Navy and the US Army, respectively, during World War II.

After spending close to three hours, which really wasn't long enough to see everything in/around the museum, we continued driving north through the state of Alabama. Realizing that we didn't want to drive through the night, we stopped in Decatur, Alabama at a Microtel. It was an interesting experience, with large mirrors as our headboards all along the wall. There was also a bed in the window sill!

The next morning we ate our breakfast and chatted with the hotel employee who was attending the food area. She was from Muncie, Indiana - it's a small world! We continued driving home that day, arriving around 8:30 pm.

We saw and did some exciting things while in Florida, but the best part was being with our entire family! Everyone had safe journeys home and it has been fun remembering the time we had together in Florida in the summer of 2011!