Beach!

We so look forward to our annual beach trip.  We ended up with hundreds of pics, as usual, so I’m going to do a very quick click through and choose a smattering.

First off, we dropped C in Athens with Mom and Dad for a few days and the three of us went on down.

Heading out for the first night walk of the trip.

C will be SO excited – Kona Ice, right at our pool!!

Now the whole gang is here!

Met the Downs at Lulu’s.  This year they did the ropes course!

Mom, Dad and the kids made stepping stones for Rod for Father’s Day.

Always have to make our rounds: Estuarium, Audubon Sanctuary on Dauphin Island

Very cool pitcher plant bog – this was a new stop for us!

Something else new – a Wild Native boat tour in the delta.

Both kids got to drive the boat!

Five River Delta Resource Center

And another old fave – Gulf SP Nature Center.  Since we were there during a hurricane, we had about 3 really rainy days, and many days we couldn’t swim in the ocean.  We got creative, did some new things!  We hung around the nature center longer than usual – even went to a talk on bugs, and a PBS documentary on Insect Swarms.

Fit in some movies on rainy days – and Pie in the Face!

Another new stop – and WAY cool – The Sun, Sand and Stars Nature Center.

Mom took the kids on skates/scooter one day.

Because we couldn’t swim in the Gulf, we went on the bay side – smooth as glass.  Mom found tons of hermit crabs.

Post-hurricane, lots of cool stuff was washing in!  Dad and I had a ball one day scooping up what we could from the surf – tiny angler fish, a little pink shrimp, and teeny tiny puffer fish!  So neat!!

Annual grill night – in the rain!  Rod entertained while Dad grilled, I supervised, and mom took pics!