Chillin' in Florida

Well, not really because the weather has turned really nice.  In fact, yesterday, they had a record temperature for Pensacola of 78 degrees.  Now that's the kind of weather we came East to find!  Yesterday we played golf and took JT out with us.  He had his cast changed in the morning and then Char let him take the rest of the day off from school.  There were three of us on the golf cart and we let JT drive with his left foot and we took turns riding with him, although there were times when all three of us rode.  Just too bad that he couldn't play with us, but maybe next trip.

We've just been relaxing - not sure whether it's the southern hospitality, the weather, or just plain laziness.  It's great being with Char and the boys.  George goes on a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend (JT was supposed to go, but that ain't gonna  happen with crutches).  They're going on a trip to Tennessee to a cave where they are going to spend the night.  It's a three-day weekend, so it should be fun for them.

Today, Char, Vi and I went to downtown Pensacola on the waterfront and had lunch at Jaco's.

It was really nice being able to sit out on the patio and enjoy the sunshine and beautiful waterfront views.  Saw a couple of yachts that it would be nice to take out for a spin.  Alas, the owners seem to get picky about that sort of thing.  Afterward, Char went to do some shopping and get the boys from school while we went for a drive along the barrier islands east of Pensacola.  Beautiful white, sandy beaches.  As you might imagine, there are not many people on the beach.  A few hardy souls out surfing and some sunbathing on the beach. Bet it's different at Spring Break and during the summer.

On the way back we crossed the Sound and drove east on US 98.  We managed to check off another National Park when we visited the Gulf Beaches National Seashore.  It dates back to the early 1800's when they wanted to preserve the live oaks for ship building.  It's called the Naval Live Oak Preserve because it was used as a tree farm for building wooden ships.  Live oak is much denser than regular oak, so it made for really strong timbers.

Tomorrow we're going to do some more sightseeing and then Sunday we'll head back home.  Still plan on uploading some pictures, so don't despair!