More from the Sunshine State

Life goes on in Florida. The Schroeder Clan has been doing many things since we last posted, but here are some of the highlights....

- Food: Yes, food does play a major roll in our vacation. If we aren't eating it, we are making more so we can eat it later! This particular meal was made up of sweet potato fries, burgers, sweet corn, and fruit salad. Here is Dad trying to calculate the circumference of his burger for an optimal dining experience.

- Beach: What can I say... The beaches here are wonderful! The water is warm, the sand is soft, and the sunsets are stunning. So there's a little humidity... so what...it is well worth the extra sweat!

Is Eve really that tall? AHHHHH!

There is a downside to the warm water of the Gulf. Here is Rach demonstrating what not to do when you find a jellyfish on the beach.

We have seen quite a bit of wildlife on this trip (did we forget to mention the alligator in Louisiana?)! Here is a very nervous girl petting a dead, venomous snake. Don't be fooled though... after their first meeting Eve spent the rest of the day with her new friend.

- Fashion Show: This was quite a special event. Grandma Sandy took the granddaughters to their first fashion show at Watercolor Beach. Our table was in the sun, so we went prepared with wide-brimmed hats.

Here is Rach, lovely as always. More than one person that day asked us which sister was older! I knew this day was coming, but I didn't expect it so soon.




- Fun: This trip we have found our favorite "hang out" spot of all time. It is the little beach town called Alys (pronounced "Alice"... very confusing, I know). We have gone there several times this trip, and each time we find some cool new thing to do. The beach is supposed to mimic a style from some Caribbean Island, and every little detail of the city is just plain cool. We don't quite know what is up with that big white structure, though.

The sign says it all. Is this beach cool or what?

Here is our eternally barefoot father relaxing at the coffee shop. Only Daddy would think to use the table at a dining establishment as a foot rest.

... and yet more from the courtyard of the coffee shop.

In the afternoon we went to Pier Park in Panama City Beach. They had some fun shops and things, but there were two places in particular which we thought were worth mentioning. First was a place called "Popcorn Kingdom", where you can apparently find every flavor of popcorn known to man! We walked in, saw no one except an annoyed employee talking on the phone, and walked out (Sour apple popcorn is apparently not the "in thing" right now)

This is the second place worth mentioning. Need we say more.

Here we are chillin' outside Margaritaville.

I hope you enjoyed the update. I think we might have a nature walk, shell collecting, and shopping scheduled for the future, so stay tuned for all of the gory details.

The S. F.