Monday, May 26, 2008

The Most Beautiful Beaches in Florida

Cottage outside our condo, which you'll see more of below.
You really have to look long and hard to find more beautiful beaches than the panhandle, the gorgeous Gulfcoast of Florida. Most of us who grew up in the South take these beaches for granted, as we've been vacationing here all our lives. It's always nice to go back and take it all in over again, to savor the experience like it's the first time. I never get tired of these beaches and you will see why with the pics I've taken. All of these were taken right outside our condo, up and down each side of the beach. We took walks, lounged in our chairs and thoroughly enjoyed the week.
Me chillin' in the sand.

Gorgeous aqua water and white sand.









Healthy lunch in the condo. We didn't eat this healthy everyday though....


View from our balcony. We had a nice large balcony which always had a breeze. Great place to lounge and eat.
I spent lots of time reading a book or magazine from this lounge chair, with a little napping going on too. And now we come back to that pretty pink cottage right in front of us that I showed you in the first pic.
I just loved this place. It was huge and would be so much fun to stay in with a bunch of people. It was called Red Cherry's. They name all the cottages down there. Speaking of that, I have a whole post just on cottages that I'm going to share with you. There's SO many beautiful and colorful beach cottages in this area that I went crazy taking pics of them. I think you'll enjoy that one.
Each morning the sun would shine on that pretty pink tile roof.
And this is the frontside which faces the ocean. Nice pool and balconies.
So pretty!
And this was the dune right in front of the house. These dunes are so cool...they have planted lots of seaoats on the dunes to keep them from eroding after all the hurricanes that Florida has seen in the past few years.
My hubby caught lots of fish on his deep-sea fishing outing, so I broiled up some that night for dinner. It doesn't get any fresher than this.
And the sunset from our beach could not be beat.


The perfect ending to each day....sunsets on the beach are extra glorious! We ate dinner at a great Greek place in Seagrove Beach call Yianni's. If any of you get down there, look it up. Right in Seagrove in a little strip center and it was our BEST meal of the week. Great seafood and not too expensive. You can even bring your own bottle of wine with you.
I'm going to be posting every day this week with vacation pics, so I hope you'll bear with me and not be TOO bored. Today we are grilling out and smoking some meat on the smoker for a relaxing Memorial Day. I also borrowed a pressure washer from a neighbor and guess what I'll be doing? Yep, cleaning up that teak set. Several of you mentioned how hard it is to keep it looking nice, but I'm going to give it a try. I'll be looking for some teak oil too and hopefully, since it's going to stay under the deck, that will help protect it too.
Hope y'all have a wonderful holiday! See you tomorrow.....

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30 friends stopped by:

Kate said...

POST ON sister....eating up those BEACH picts like they were candy!!! We are going to just outside Orlando for vaca this year...I CANNOT wait! Wow, where y'all went....gorgeous, AH-MAZ-ING!! :) Happy Memorial Day!

Anonymous said...

((Rhoda))
BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!
Oh what a dreamy week you must have had! I love reading all about your vacation - MORE, MORE! Can't wait to see the colorful cottages too! What time should I be there for dinner?
;-)
Kim

Sandi McBride said...

Thanks for the vacation shots, Rhoda...and of the dunes...they're my favorite part of any beach. The food looks good, too...even that porported to be healthy!
Sandi

Debra from Bungalow said...

Welcome home Rhoda! Great pix, keep on posting, hugs, DebraK

Justabeachkat said...

Thanks for showing why I think I live in paradise. Your photos are wonderful. Wish you were still here though....

Hugs!
Kat

Adrienne said...

Welcome back! I'm glad your had a good vacation. Your pictures are gorgeous. What a great place to relax. ~Adrienne~

OKGardners said...

Rhoda, There is no way you can post TOO many pictures. They are all beautiful and remind us how varied our USA is. I have had the privilege to visit the area where you spent your vacation, so I know it is beautiful. My FAVORITE part is the aqua water color. Can't wait for more pix and narrative.

Betty in Oklahoma

Anonymous said...

I just cant wait till I can put "my" little toosies in the sand. So glad your back! Susie H

Sometimes It's Good said...

Those are some gorgeous pictures of a wonderful place. I've never been to Florida. The closest I've gotten is Atlanta. I'll have to visit those beaches though.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful place! I'm going to look into renting a house there for next year.

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are wonderful.

I have many fond memories of Gulf beaches. It's a type of relaxation beyond comparison.

Sheila said...

Rhoda, I love the pics, and I am so ready for a vacation at the beach! We are planning our annual family vacation in July! Yeah can't wait. I love the pics and can't wait to see more.
Good to be back, and only 2 more days of school until summer break....yeah...
Smile,
Sheila

Rue said...

Oh my goodness! That food! The cottage! The beach!! It all looks soooo beautiful :)

I can't wait to see more!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day.
hugs,
rue

Jen said...

Your food looks fantastic....we lived on some gorgeous beaches in Florida years ago.....I love them so. Your pictures are great..enjoy your time there..something about the ocean isn't it?

Linda said...

It looks like your vacation was just perfect in every way!

The beach was beautiful...puts our California beaches to shame. I have never visited a Gulf beach and now that I see what I'm missing, I need to schedule one in the near future!

Welcome home. I look forward to more vacation pictures this week!

Unknown said...

Hi Rhoda,


Love the photos of your beach vacation. I could never get tired of seeing beach photos so keep them coming. Love the ones of the sunset. I've never been to this part of Fla. and have never seen a beach this white, it's so pretty. Welcome back!!

Valarie Lea said...

Those pictures are gorgeous, I can't wait to get down there!

Anonymous said...

Your photos are amazing and it sure brought back a bunch of memories of growing up in Fl. The beaches, the beautiful sunsets and a whole different life style. Thanks for sharing.

Happy beaches and sunsets, Jeanne

Tabitha said...

HI!! Found you doing an imagie search for above the kitchen cabinets--love your little vignettes!! Asked my hubby to come look so he could help me with mine! :) I was born and raised in the South but now reside in AZ...will be visiting your blog regularly for design inspiration and a taste of home!! :)

Tee and Hubby said...

There are no beaches more beautiful that those on the Gulf coast.

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

Hi Rhoda! Oh what a beautiful vacation!!! I have been to Florida twice in my life and have experienced that amazing beauty...I'd love to go back. For now, I'll enjoy it through your photos! The next best thing!

happy week,
Melissa

Tara said...

Eye candy I could never get enough of! Thanks for the journey!

TinaTx said...

What a wonderful vacation! Love the photos - am looking forward to seeing them all week!

Shannon said...

You have gotten me so excited about our Destin trip in Aug. We go every year (since I was born) and I still get so excited each year! I love it!

paperjunk-lc said...

Oh this looks like a slice of heaven....keep the photos coming!

parTea lady said...

What a fabulous place to be on vacation! I just love dreaming of my next beach trip. Please, keep the great photos coming.

Tiffany said...

Oh, I'm so envious! It looks like you had a great vacation.

Steph said...

Great photos!
How nice to get to meet up with a fellow blogger! Looks like y'all had a great time!

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

Destin is one of my favorite places in the world, so I really have enjoyed all of your photos of it. I just wish I could transport myself into them now. Glad you had such a fabulous trip! -Julia :-)

Deleted said...

Oh Man! I moved to Texas 27 years ago and you've made me homesick for the most beautiful coastline in the world. I grew up in B'ham and spent every summer in either Panama City Beach or Destin or Gulfshores. Siggghhhhh...I feel a road trip coming on! Thanks for posting such gorgeous pics. Kim