Sunset in Destin

Sunset outside our condo

My hubby's deep-sea fishing trip yielded a haul of great fish for the whole boat. We brought home three filleted bags of fish, since our friend decided not to keep his, as well as another guy on the boat, so we ended up with a bunch of snapper in the freezer. I'm not complainin'!

In no particular order, I had to show you this meal that we got at Yianni's, a wonderful Greek restaurant in Seagrove Beach. If you're down that way, check it out! Great food, service, price is right too. This is the broiled captain's platter, fresh fish, scallops, & shrimp. It was YUMMY! You know I love to share food with y'all, since that is one of my favorite past-times and I managed to snap a pic of my plate before I devoured it. :)

OK, now back to Destin...hanging out at the docks in the marina in Destin. Peter went deep-sea fishing for 1/2 day and had a nice catch so we were over that way several times. We had fun looking at all the birds just hanging around for a meal.
You will see so many different types of seabirds around and they are very used to people.

The marina is home to many boats in this area and stays very busy.


Sweet hubby...dreaming about all the fish he was gonna catch and did indeed catch.

And another great meal at Dewey Destin.
They have all these cats that live around there and they are very friendly. Hoping someone will throw them a fish, I'm sure.
We met up with some friends from Birmingham that were down there and we all sat outside and enjoyed the sunset. This is our friend, Rick, who went fishing with Peter the next day.
It was just breathtaking and we got to enjoy the most fabulous sunset you can imagine.

I especially love this shot above.

The sun sinking below the horizon.
Ahhhh, sweet tranquility on the water.

What a fun way to have dinner and enjoy a sunset. There are truly no better sunsets than on the water. Don't miss Dewey Destin if you're down that way too! It's a shack on the water and the best kind of food.

That's all from Florida. I hope you all enjoyed the pics! Back to regular blogging soon.

Did any of you catch Rick and Bubba last night on Hannity & Colmes (Fox News)?? They are Birmingham's own Rick and Bubba radio personalities and I was SO proud of them. We love them here in our city and they are solid Christians who are not afraid to speak out for the truth. They have a new book out, Rick and Bubba for President and I'm sure it's a good one. I love those guys!

Port St. Joe and Dock Fishing

One of the special highlights of our trip to the beach was meeting up with one of my best and dearest friends, Vicki. We've been friends since high school and love to catch up with each other as often as we can. She and her hubby have just bought a cute little house in Port St. Joe and we went over to spend the day with them. We ate lunch at the marina where they have their boat stored. The weather wasn't good enough to take the boat out, but we did ride around and look at lots of fun things.
The beach there is really wide and uncrowded. This is where you find the unspoiled beaches that are still left in Florida.
We walked along for a few minutes and I found a few seashells. There are no seashells in the Destin/Seagrove beaches and I haven't figured that out yet. Well, there are a very few broken pieces of shells, but nothing like I've seen elsewhere.
The crowds haven't found this beach yet, thank goodness. That's what they like about it and I can't say that I blame them. Port St. Joe is a quaint little beach town.
Peter and I on the beach.

Now, back to the Seagrove Beach area....my hubby really likes to fish, so one afternoon we decided to go over to a little area near us with a dock, so he could throw out a few lines and see how the fish were biting. They weren't biting that day, but I tagged along with him and took a few pics.
This is part of the bay.
Hubby with his fishing pole, waiting patiently for a bite. It just wasn't the day for fishing though.
This was a quaint little dock that someone had built at the end of a road.
And it made a very pretty photo.

Just down the road coming in here was a really pretty old Methodist church.
I loved the look of this arbor going in.
With a gazebo
It was such a pretty church.

The old natives in Florida who grew up in this area are all tucked back in the trees to stay cool. No living on the beach for them. My dad grew up in an area like this not far from Port St. Joe and Appalachicola. He has always talked about growing up and oystering on the bay. And he loves mullet, which is known for being a bad eating fish, but he just loves it. In fact, my family is going to go back to visit my dad's homeplace in the next month or so and I'll be sure to share that with you. Both my parents are Florida natives.
This house was tucked back in the trees right next to the bay where we were.
And this cemetary was on the same road. Thought it was interesting. This area is called Point Washington.
Another house on the same road, this house evidently was a homesite for a Brigadeer General.
The house looks very Old Florida. Nothing but a shack now.

Hope you enjoyed this little tour of more Florida sights!

Shopping with Kat

We met up with Kat (JustaBeachKat) and her very nice hubby, George, last year when we went to Seagrove Beach and this year had the opportunity to spend some extra time with them. We went to their gorgeous home and they are blessed to live fulltime in Destin now that they are retired and truly do live in Paradise. Their home is a stunning Tuscan design and we visited with them at their home for a bit, then went out for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. George tooled us around on their golfcart, showing us all around the Baytowne Village at Sandestin. It is such a fun place, just like being in Disney World. Kat is such a warm and genuine person, truly a sweet and gorgeous lady.
And I got to meet their precious pup, Miss Daisy in person and she welcomed me with lot of kisses and made us both feel very welcome. I'm such a dog lover and she was so sweet. Her coat is like silk.
Kat and I with Miss Daisy in their beautiful home. Kat is a super decorator and their home just oozes warmth and beauty everywhere. I told her they don't even need to leave to go on vacation with all the ammenities at their fingertips. Gorgeous lanai and a pool in the backyard! After lunch we stopped by for fudge. Oh, I ate too much last week...isn't that always the way it is on vacation?!

Then on Tuesday, while my hubby went deep-sea fishing, Kat and I met up again for a 1/2 day of marathon shopping and she took me around to her favorite antiques stores. Now that was fun! We hopped in Kat's convertible Mercedes and had a ball, flying around with the top down. Two blondes having fun, we should have taken a pic of that! Lots of great things to look at. Kat found a pretty painting that she had looked at earlier and finally decided to bring it home. It's perfect in her home!
Lots of eye candy.

This sofa was a real bargain at $550. I think it was a consigned piece. I've loved this toile fabric for a few years now and if I had a place for this, would have snapped it up in a minute. Very comfy down blend pillows too.
And of course, lots of seashells. I bought 2 of those white starfish that were HUGE to add to my collection.

Lots of fun things to look at


Whimisical painted furniture in one booth space. I loved all of this.

Especially these zebra print stools.

And what a sweet bunny lamp.
Kat took me to a landmark in Destin, called Dewey Destin seafood. I actually got to go here 3 different times. We went with some other friends too and liked it so much we went back. I was happy to find this place and from the looks of the crowds out the door, lots of people are finding it. It's a hole in the wall out on the docks, but the food is the BEST.

Shrimp basket at Dewey Destin. This is what we got to look at while we ate lunch. Isn't it beautiful? Yes, the water really is this blue-green color and that's what brings the crowds to this part of Florida.
Kat and Me...in my entire outfit of yardsale finds. They were perfect for the beach.
Plenty of birds to watch
Seagull hanging out
It was such a fun time visiting with Kat and I'm so happy we got to spend some time together. This is our third time meeting and it really is like hanging out with an old friend. Thanks Kat for showing me all around your favorite places. I loved it and hope we get back there soon! I have 3 more days to share this week, so come back for more. Then, I promise we'll get back to decorating and some other fun things!