Gulf Shores, Days 4 & 5

Day 4 my feet and lower back were killing me from being barefoot on beach, concrete, condo tiles, and balcony, so I had announced to all the night before that the next day I was gonna SERIOUSLY chill out by staying in the condo all day.  Josh and the kids got up for sunrise again and came back in time to get Lasa and head back to the beach - party of 4 style. 

They played long and hard and I did a load of laundry, cleaned up, watched the fun from the balcony, edited pics, and read a ton. I even finished a book in two days - Hillbilly Elegy.  How wonderful to lay across a comfy bed, with silence all around, read til my eyes were tired, and rest them by taking in the view beyond.  So wonderful!

 

That's Josh, Lasa, and Anna in the middle of the middle railings digging a giant hole.

I was stirred by so many passages and themes and life patterns in Hillbilly Elegy - things relating to classism, poverty, addiction, family, foster care, education, boundaries, hope, defeat.  I marked up so many pages in my screenshots of things I wanted to keep.  It is a really good book.

That night, Josh cooked us another good dinner at the condo - breakfast burritos, I wanna say? - and we headed out after sunset to do a little long-awaited crab hunting.  Every night we had been watching people and flashlights combing the beach for crabs after dark and we made a point to make sure we let the kids try it.  We have never done this before. I didn't even know it was such a commonplace beach activity before this trip!

We caught five and kept them overnight.  Josh and the kids got up for sunrise again on Day 5 and released them before I even woke up.  What is UP with these people getting up earlier than ever WHILE ON VACATION?!

Day 5 was rather windy and starting to cool juuuust a smidge in those breezes as rain was moving in by afternoon/evening.  Because of this, there were red flags in our area of the beach, so we found other diversions that day.  First, Josh and the kids went hiking and had a picnic at Gulf State Park.

 Then, before lunch, we took in more pool play.  The kiddie pool was chilly being so shallow, but Lasa got in about 20 mins before she was done and then the  kids played longer and made more slow-mo videos at the big pool and hot tub.

 

 

We went wander-driving around Orange Beach and Perdido Beach and over the state line into Florida before landing at a little beach dive for burgers for lunch and then a snowcone shack next door for dessert.

 

 

At said snowcone shack, I succumbed to boiled peanut temptation and it. was. wonderful.  With a severely peanut allergic boy around, we had to be ever so careful about drippings or what I touched while or after eating, but aside from being on that high-alert and wiping and washing like crazy after, those delicious peanuts went down so smoothly.  YUMMMMMMMM.  Lasa met her first ever Dippin' Dots ice cream here, too.

While Lasa napped that day, the kids occupied themselves around the condo.  I found this arrangement of shells on the porch and couldn't not snap a pic.  

I read some more in a book I have been working my way through for a couple months and found a very timely, encouraging quote.  It answers how emotional and raw I have been about our Angelique road and the newest seeming set-backs relating to court.  I just have to sit back and let grief do its work in me and wait for joy to come in the morning!

Another day, another panoramic - midafternoon, this time. Right after we released the kiddos to go play in the pool on their own again and to play in the sand with a new buddy Anna met the day before. Also, Noah got to try out some SeaSafe lotion this day we picked up at Walgreens after finding it in google searches.  It is an anti-jellyfish/sea lice sting protective lotion.  Perfect.

I watched over my duckies from the porch and ... sorrynotsorry ... snapped more pics of the view. 

 

 

The first half of our week there, the Pier was closed to visitors for repairs and construction and I was SO bummed we would miss visiting it on it this trip.  Then, wonderfully, it opened up again after the weekend, so it was perfect timing to go wander there after dinner since we weren't swimming in the sea that day anyway.  Gulf State Park Pier for the win!

 

 

We chatted with and watched fishermen at work along the pier.  One in particular was so friendly with us and kept pointing out what to watch for.  She showed us crabs and a stingray before the night was over, but was disappointed we didn't get to spot a shark under her watch.  She said they are around all the time though.

 

 

 

 

 

Heron.  See the fish in its mouth? He stole that from a fisherman's stash of bait.  Ha!

Stingray!

That night we enjoyed watching lightening off in the distance from the porch.  And enjoyed the cool air coming in!  Took in a little Sunday night football as well.  Cool air plus beach plus football is such a sweet spot!