Back In The Saddle!

Well, hello everyone!  We're back.  Each year we try to take a little vacation.  We like to go tent camping on the beach at Fort Pickens National Park in Pensacola, Florida.  Russ, our oldest, was kind enough to take care of the cows, goats, chickens, and garden while we were gone.  There is so much going on on the homestead right now.  Without his help, we wouldn't have been able to get away.

I'll show a few photos of the trip.  It is a short 6 hour trip from back door to sea shore.  The last few miles have a 25 mph posted speed limit, so it seems like you are crawling.  But we made it and did a good bit of relaxing from Thursday - Monday at 11 am when we checked out.

We got the tent set up.  The last time here we picked out the spot we wanted.  It had plenty of shade and privacy.

Can you tell we are relaxing?  The beach is about a 1/2 mile walk from the campsite.  We set up our umbrella, laid out our towels and soaked up the sun.

In Pensacola, you are far enough away from the Mississippi River that the sands are sugar-white and the water rivals that of the Caribbean. 

The wildlife was abundant!  We saw blue herons and pelicans.

Just beyond our campsite was a tree that had an osprey nest in it.  We watched the osprey dive down on the gulf waters and emerge with fish that she (or he) would take back to the nest.  You can see the creature below in the nest in the crook of the tree.

Dolphins came very close to us in the water as we swam.  This morning numerous sand sharks came pretty near as well!  On Monday night, a storm blew in.  Unfortunately, it rained in our tent - not just drips.  It poured down!  I have a new item on my to do list:  Re-apply waterproofing to the exterior of the tent!

The mornings were breathtakingly beautiful and quiet.  The beach was vacant except for us.  There was a little seaweed on the beach.  I follow the Florida Survival Gardener's blog.  He says that he takes the seaweed home and incorporates it into his soil.  It adds marine minerals and other beneficial nutrients to his soil.  Don't think I didn't think about raking a bunch of this stuff up!

This is mostly how we spent our days.  Peaceful.  We re-charged our batteries.

All good things must come to an end, though.  This morning we bid farewell to Fort Pickens as we sat by the beach and listened to the waves for just one more hour.

In six hours, we pulled into the driveway at 5 pm.  It was great to get away, but it's good to be back home, too!  

We'll be scheduling some more of this in the not-to-distant future!!

Toes in the Water, Toes in the Sand

I decided to make a career change at 55 (Yikes!!) and Friday is my last day at this job before starting another next week.  I gave my two week notice but added a couple of days to it as I still had two personal days that I could use that I wouldn't be compensated for.  We left town Friday night after work and headed to the beach!  Tricia had booked Friday night, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at Fort Pickens National Park near Pensacola, Florida.  We would be tent-camping and were looking forward to it.  Russ took care of all the animal chores while we were gone.

We arrived in Pensacola after a six hour drive.  It was after midnight.  We pulled up to the campsite and began to pitch our tent in the dark but found out that the poles were broken!  Defeated, we found a hotel for the night and purchased a new tent in the morning.  Home Sweet Home for the next few days!

We cooked on a little Coleman stove for the next few days.  Camp food always tastes great.  I don't know why that is.

The further you can get away from the Mississippi River, the whiter the sand is and the bluer the water is.  There's a reason they call it the "Big Muddy."

We saw bottlenose dolphins jumping out of the water, sandpipers poking in the sand, and two stingrays gracefully flapping their "wings" in the water.  That's them below:

It was SO RELAXING!!  No agenda.  No plans.  Just soaking up the sun and napping.

The days were very comfortable, but the nights got cool - into the 40's.  We made campfires and had s'mores!

Tricia and I were able to spend a lot of uninterrupted time together.  We read the Bible, we sang, we laughed and talked.  Just before 5 PM, the sun put on a performance on the western horizon.  We didn't miss it. 

If we could just catch it and make the days on vacation last longer!

Going....

Gone...

Relaxed and Refreshed!

A nice beach vacation...

South 'Til You Hit the Gulf of Mexico

I work in Sulphur, Louisiana.  It is 42 miles due west and a little south from our home in Jennings.  I am pretty much a landlubber even though I live so close to the Gulf of Mexico.  I don't own a boat (other than our canoe, "The Garfish").  I primarily stay on land and like soil beneath my feet.

The other day I had to go to Johnson Bayou for business.  Johnson Bayou is right on the coast.  Come along on the trip with me.  We'll head south on LA 27 (or Holly Beach Highway) until you can't go south anymore or you'll get wet.

We'll pass by the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.  People are crabbing on the side of the road and there are shrimp boats heading out to catch.  There is marsh grass growing as far as the eye can see.  During the winter there are geese here as far as the eye can see.

The marsh grass grows tall.  People move their cattle down here and they eat grass all winter.  They find holes that catch rainwater to drink.  The cows are fat and happy.  It must be hard to find them, though in the tall marsh grass.

I pass a sign that says, "Controlled Burn in Progress.  Do not call to report fire."  Smoke is billowing upward and can be seen as far away as Houston if the wind is blowing right.  They burn the marsh grass each year to allow for new growth.



The landscape is black and barren after a burn, but in no time it will be bright green.  Birds by the thousands flock to eat whatever the fire has exposed.

Finally, in about 45 minutes, we hit Holly Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.  Holly Beach is also called the Cajun Riviera.  This little town was completely leveled during Hurricane Rita in 2005.  About the only thing left standing was the water tower.  In Holly Beach, you hang a right on LA 82 or Gulf Beach Highway.  The Highway is appropriately named as you are right on the beach.  There are jetties of rock along the coast to try to prevent coastal erosion.

On the way south the sky was grey and dreary, but heading back, the sun began to shine as I looked out on the Gulf.  

It was a nice excursion.  I stopped on the beach and walked for about five minutes and picked up a seashell, but I've got to head back north.  It did remind me that we need to plan another crabbing trip!  We had come to Johnson Bayou crabbing back in 2012 that I talked about IN THIS POST FROM 2012.  You can read that last post by clicking the underlined link.  We had a lot of fun that day.

What Does the Beach Have to Teach?

A couple of weekends ago, we got away for a quick beach vacation two states over from us.  We didn't do anything fancy or luxurious.  We mainly relaxed and enjoyed ourselves away from responsibilities of work as well as life's normal routines. Everyone needs to get away and recharge the batteries for a bit.

Simplicity.  We talk a lot about it back on our little farm, and we talked about it on vacation. Relaxation doesn't have to come with a huge price tag or an agenda full of activities.  To the contrary, all we needed was sand, sounds of the surf, shade from the sun, and a book or two.  The waves continually move forward, swelling...

And then they break, crashing on the shore with a resounding crash that can be heard all the way up to the balcony of our lodging.  Powerful, yet peaceful.

We walked along the beach and picked up a few seashells that were washed up.

Mostly, however, the power of the forces of the waves is displayed by the bits of pulverized shell that accumulate on the beach.

It is hard to look at the expanse of the sea and continuous wave action and ignore the indisputable fact that this bears the signature of the Creator.  In addition to relaxation, the beach has a lot to teach us if we take time to listen.  As Benjamin and I walked along the beach, viewing the waves rushing up on the beach before retreating back, I thought of the following verse:

Job 38:11  New King James Version (NKJV)

When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther,

And here your proud waves must stop!’

It also brought to mind a favorite song of mine by Nicole C. Mullen, entitled, "I Know My Redeemer Lives."  Here are the lyrics to that song:

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?

And who told the ocean you can only come this far?

And who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening?

Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well, I know my Redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

All of creation testifies

This life within me cries

I know my Redeemer lives, yeah

The very same God that spins things in orbit

Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak

And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken

They conquered death to bring me victory

Now I know my Redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

Let all creation testify

Let this life within me cry

I know my Redeemer, He lives

To take away my shame

And He lives forever, I'll proclaim

That the payment for my sin

Was the precious life He gave

But now He's alive and there's an empty grave

Relaxing, slowing down the pace, observing nature, gives us an opportunity to see His handiwork and reflect on verses of Scripture like Romans 1:20 that seem to come alive before our very eyes:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

I hope you had a great Lord's Day.

Beaches or Mountains?

For family vacations we usually choose between beaches and mountains.  We love them both.  There's no mountains anywhere near here and our beaches are, well, pretty much mud.  After several mountain vacations full of hiking and sightseeing, this year we chose a beach vacation.

We brought food from home, namely fresh eggs that our girls lay, and Tricia started our day with a delicious omelet stuffed with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and peppers!  My goodness, what a way to start a day off!  Look at how dark yellow those eggs are.  That tells you that the hens that laid them are out in the grass and not locked up in a cage.  It also tells you that the eggs are tasty AND healthy.

After a big breakfast, we set up the tent in the sugar white sand, put on sunscreen and relaxed.  All Day Long!  Oh every once in a while I would get up and wade out a hundred yards and float in the surf, dive for sand dollars, and ride waves.  I also read a couple of books.  It was relaxing and rejuvenating, to be sure.

Despite forecasts of rain, the rainfall stayed offshore and didn't really threaten us at all. While swimming out in the deep water, Benjamin and I saw a dolphin jump out of the water right near us.  Pretty cool.

The surf crashing on the shore is a very peaceful sound in my opinion.  We woke to the noise of the waves and could hear it all night long from our balcony.  The waves keep coming and coming...

On the morning of our last day there, Benjamin and I walked way down the beach as we dodged the encroaching waves.  I may post a few thoughts about this later on. Brown pelicans flew over us, seagulls ran to and fro and little crabs skittered across the sand.  It was quiet and beautiful.

And soon, it was time to go home.  The beach and our little farm couldn't be more different.  From looking at sand and not a blade of grass to looking at dirt and fields of grass.  Both are beautiful and peaceful in their own way.  As much as I love getting away, I always love coming back home!

A Cool Thing to Do on a Beach Vacation That Doesn't Involve the Beach

The end of vacation is always sad.  As we ended our beach vacation, we headed east instead of back west toward home.  Just a short 30 minute drive took us over the Alabama/Florida state line and to the Naval Air Station at Pensacola.  We had gotten word that on certain Wednesdays during the summer, tourists are invited to watch the Blue Angels practice for free.  A Free Air Show?  Are you kidding me?  We were on that like white on rice.

Many other people had the same idea. The traffic was especially backed up at the Main Gate where security was checking everyone's IDs, but we got there with a few minutes to spare.  We walked up to the flight line and stood on a grassy hill and watched as the solo Blue Angel pilot took off first.

He was followed by four others who flew VERY close to one another in tight formation. It was amazing to watch them.

The F/A 18 aircraft zoomed by us so fast it made our heads spin.

However while we watched the four aircraft in front of us, the solo pilot flew around behind us and came racing right above us flying very low and very fast and scared us all to death.  I jumped along with almost everyone else.  For the remainder of the 55 minute air show, I made sure that I could see all five of the aircraft together.  I didn't want to me scared like that again.


The solo pilot joined up in formation with the other four...

They soared heavenward at breakneck speed.

The announcer had names for each of the aerial stunts they performed. I thought they all were impressive.

After the air show concluded, we went into a couple of hangars there that housed the Naval Aviation Museum where they have all sorts of interesting aircraft on display.  We could have spent a long time in there, but had to get back on the road. Benjamin picked up a souvenir Blue Angels T-shirt

Before turning our car toward home, I snapped a photo of Benjamin and Tricia by one of the Blue Angels aircraft.  I really like that photo!

"I Got My Toes in the Water.."

Benjamin starts up his Junior year of High School on Friday.  I can't even imagine. A Junior?  Tricia & I will soon be empty nesters...  Anyway, we wanted to get away for a well-needed vacation to relax and recharge.  A brief 6 hour journey east down I-10 gets us far away from the Mississippi River so that the sand is white and the water is blue.

Here is the view from our balcony.  The waves crashing against the surf, the Gulf Breeze, being away from work and life's responsibilities immediately slowed the pace of life down.  How nice it is when you don't need a clock or schedule?

It was Sunday and as Tricia was reading the Gospel of Matthew while we had "church" on the balcony, a dove flew in and lit in a palm tree so that he could attend 'services.'  His wife was in attendance as well on the other side of the tree, but a palm frond blocked her from view.

We kept in contact with some good friends of ours who were gathering eggs and feeding the animals while we vacation.  Everyone in the barnyard back home seems to be doing just fine.  We went to a restaurant that we had gone to years ago called Gulf Shores Steamer.  Their specialty is steamed seafood and we got a huge platter that feeds 4 that included Crab, Shrimp, Mussels, corn and potatoes.

The boys seemed to enjoy it and when we left there was nothing left except for corn cobs and shells.  We cleaned that platter off!  It was a full moon so we got back to our lodging and walked way down the beach, listening to the surf with our toes in the sand.  We turned the flashlight on our phones and caught crabs as they scurried along the beach.

I didn't want to leave our friends with more responsibilities at home, sooo....  We brought our fall crop of tomatoes with us on vacation.  They're just seedlings and very fragile right now.  Unfortunately, the rough trip in the trunk down I-10 for 6 hours broke some of them, but that is why I always plant twice as much as I need. That allows a cushion for some that won't germinate, some that die, and leaves me some seedlings left over to give away.

So as we continue to put our toes in the sand and turn our faces to the sun...

so do the tomato seedlings!  Perhaps taking the tomatoes on vacation will give the fruit a natural sea-salt infused flavor?