February 2018

FEBRUARY  2018

February was a busy month for us.  Besides us both still working at Walmart, we also did some traveling.

In early February we planned a trip to Panama City Beach, Florida to meet up with our Michigan friends, Greenstone and Thimbleberry, who I met on my Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike in 2011.  We always look forward to seeing them each year when they travel south during the cold Winter months.
 We enjoyed stopping at the Florida Welcome Center.

It was late in the day when we arrived at our campsite at Panama Beach State Park.  It did not take us long to get our tent set up with our cots and sleeping bags ready for us to crash for the night.  We did go over and say hi to our Michigan friends at their campsite before we retired to our tent.  We were pretty road weary from the long drive from our home to here.

The next morning my sweet and thoughtful Pyro got up early and built a nice campfire since it was a very cool morning.

 The deer just wandered around all the campsites.  They are apparently used to humans.

 Following breakfast, our friends Greenstone and Thimbleberry walked over from their campsite and brought along their lounge chairs for sitting and enjoying our campfire.

Later that morning we drove down to the beach parking area and went for a walk on the beach.  What a gorgeous morning and what amazingly clear blue water!  I love the beach!

                   And....  I love you Thimbleberry!

Greenstone, Thimbleberry, and Tom enjoying walking on the beach on a beautiful February morning!

The State Park occupies this spit of uninhabited land.  We walked on the beach all the way down to the fishing/viewing pier.  Looking east it is unspoiled beach all the way to the tip of the point however as you can see looking back to the west it is all hotels, condominiums, retail, and more.  We are happy to be camping in the state park and still have access to this gorgeous beach setting.

When we got back to the car at the parking area, Tom, Thimbleberry and I decided to walk back to the campsites (probably only a mile or more?) while Greenstone drove the car back.

In the early evening Greenstone and Thimbleberry invited us over to their campsite and served us dinner at their picnic table.  What an awesome treat that was.

 After dinner they taught us a card game called Wizard.  We had never heard of it.

 

Then you know we had to go back to the beach to watch the spectacular sunset!

After a wonderful night's sleep once again on our nice cots in our tent, we decided to go to the beach again and walk east all the way out to the end of this tiny spit of land.  We hardly saw anyone, just a few hardy souls like us enjoying this unspoiled solitary beach.

The rest of the afternoon and evening we explored around the bay side of the park.  Tom built a campfire in an established park firepit in the park on the bay side for us to enjoy while we visited one last time with our Michigan friends. 

The next morning we began our journey back to Texas, stopping overnight in Louisiana.

The following morning we toured the Mc Ilhenny Co. Tabasco Factory in Avery Island.

 Truly amazing how many thousands of bottles of Tabasco Sauce are produced right here in this place.  For many, many years!

 We never knew that Tabasco Sauce is aged in these oak barrels for months and years before it is ever bottled.

 The Factory Tour is very well laid out and easy to go at your own pace.  The surrounding grounds are very well manicured, and with fascinating memorabilia.  

We also sampled different flavors of Tabasco Sauce.  Our favorite was the Chipotle Tabasco Sauce mixed with Ranch Dressing served on crackers!  Yummee!

What a great trip this has been!   Seeing our friends from Michigan, enjoying the awesome beach, and going to the Tabasco Factory in Avery Island which we had wanted to do for quite some time.

Next up is my cruise with two of my five sisters..............................