Living Area

Finally got some Photos of the living Area which consists of our Living Room, Dining area and Entry way. I know everything look so empty but you have to remember we moved here from a cramped tiny Mobile home so I don't have much to fill up all the space. I guess I need to go shopping. Didn't want to bring in anything else until the carpets were cleaned, which we did yesterday. The carpets aren't perfect but MUCH MUCH better. They were so bad before cleaning. We are thinking about adding some area rugs to brighten and cozy things up. We have looked at several stores and Pier 1 imports has some we really like. I will upload new photos as we decorate and make our home cozy and comfy.

Carpet cleaning

Today is carpet cleaning day. Just taking a break as we are only about half done. Rented a Rug Doctor machine and though the end results are not perfect (because these carpets were the dirtiest I have EVER seen) as you can see from the photos, WOW what a difference it does make. Its a lot of work and lots more to go but very happy with the fresh clean look.

Curtains

Well what started out as a simple trip to the store to buy a single blind didn't quite end up that way. Our living room has 3 windows. Two blinds were in good shape, one was not. Store after store after store left us with no match in the right size to replace the bad blind. So our last store was Sears, but no blind. At that point I said the hell with the blind search. So the 10.00 vinyl blind turned into 120.00 curtains. (three of which all match, LOL) So as you can see in the pictures, This is what it looks like with curtains (the two behind the couch anyways) and the lovely look before. It has been an all day job and Rocco worked real hard. Through it all I sustained one injury, the couch was pushed over my big toe but after a little blood and some painful throbbing we were back on track and the job completed. All in all, I think it was worth the work and aggravation.

New Home

Well its been like forever since I added a post to my blog so here I go. Changed the name of my blog from seaside living to Florida Living as most of you know we bought a home in Panama City and moved off of the beach. Been busy since February 1st just getting all settled in. We installed a knob on the linen closet door in our master bathroom today. I said earlier on Facebook that only a new home owner could get excited about a closet door knob, Ha Ha. Rocco chose this knob as he liked the rustic iron look. Its been chilly and wet here lately and can hardly wait for better weather so we can start enjoying our new neighborhood. Was very gray Thursday but sun on the way for Friday.

Camping

We went camping this past Sunday and Monday evening at St Andrews State Park. Planned on spending a third night but canceled due to windy conditions. The wind started blowing as soon as we arrived and just never stopped and it was quite brisk. We were tent camping and Adam spent the night on Sunday. The guys fished almost the whole time as our campsite was located right on Grand Lagoon, but the fish just weren't biting. Adam caught a nice size Blue fish on Monday morning and I caught my first ever Red Fish about an hour later. He was 9 pounds, 27 inches long. Adam is holding MY Redfish in the photo. We had friends over for dinner on Monday evening at our campsite to share the fresh caught fish. Auggie got to go along and really enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. The photo of me was taken inside the tent on Tuesday Morning as we awoke to another windy morning.

20 Gallon aquarium

We cleaned and redecorated our 20 gallon fish aquarium located in our living room today. It turned out really great and the colors have a nice Autumn hue to them making it very Seasonal. It has a nice warm glow to it with the Aquarium light that the photo does not show. I love both of our tanks and enjoy keeping tropical fish. Its a relaxing hobby that Rocco and I both have fun with. As an update on my last post about the Male Betta we added to our 40 gallon tank, he has settled in well and gets along with his tank mates. He no longer seems afraid and flaunts his pretty flowing fins.

Snorkel

This afternoon a couple of friends (Matt and Matthew) joined us and we walked down to the beach (we live just 2 blocks away) and snorkeled for a bit. Green flags were flying and the water was perfect. Very calm and clear. We were joined by a small school of yellow finned Pompano juveniles which didn't seem to mind our presence much as they swam about looking for food. Its the perfect time of year to start enjoying the outdoors again as the temperatures are starting to cool down some.

Male Betta

I had to make a trip to our local Walmart today and noticed in the pet section that they were selling Male Bettas on the shelf like regular merchandise. Our Beach Walmart doesn't sell live pets or fish usually and they have no tanks set up. These poor fish were in small plastic containers in filthy water. So we decided to rescue a white with red fins Betta and add him to our 4o gallon tank. The other fish are curious about him and his long flowing fins but not overly so. But he seems TERRIFIED by his new tank mates. I am guessing he has spent most of his life so far all alone in a plastic cup. Hopefully he will adjust to other fish and tank activity around him as I would like to think I rescued him and offered him a better life. I added the best photo of him I could take along with a pic of the tank overall. Wish him luck, His name is Sparta.

Monday September 27

Well not much to share today. I slept in till a little after 11:00 am this morning. No real reason, just felt like sleeping in. Then a quick trip to Publix to pick up a few groceries and refill a prescription of Rocco's. Once back home I prepared a late lunch of Homemade Steak and Cheese Quesadillas , refried beans, Mexican rice and sweet corn pudding. The rest of my afternoon was spent watching TV and watching my new fish swimming about until I decided to take a 4:00 pm nap. (Like I needed to sleep after getting up so late) This evening Adam decided we should go fishing at the Hathaway Bridge, so I tagged along to watch the guys. Rocco caught a WHOPPER 37 inch, over 20 pound Redfish. Too large to keep as the legal size is between 17 and 27 inches but boy what a fight. Rocco loved every minute of it. The huge fish was released unharmed. Once we returned home and relaxed, a few games of Wii archery, basketball and bowling finished out our night.

Sunday September 26

Had visitors today. Kimberly and Cody came to visit with Rocco's grandson, Brayden and Cody's four year old Niece, Ann Angel. I cooked a tasty lunch of baked Seasoned Chicken with Vegetables. After lunch, we all went to the zoo even though a morning rain threatened to spoil our outdoor plans. I worked at Zoo World when it first opened many years ago and found it to be quite a different place than when I was there last. But it was a nice way to spend time with the kids. The "Monkey" picture features Rocco on the far right, his son-in-law Cody in the middle and Cody's little niece far left. After returning home, our visitors headed back to Chipley, about an hours drive away and Rocco found a comfy spot on the couch to watch Sunday afternoon football.

Saturday September 25th

Today was a good day. We went to Port St. Joe with Adam (our roommate) for a music Festival. The festival was really not very organized with an hour in between each act for set up and sound checks so we lost interest early on and decided to head down to the docks for the guys to try a little fishing. It was so close, could still hear the music in the near distance. Rocco caught (and released) a small Black Tipped Shark and a Dogfish. Then it was nearing dinner time so we headed back to Panama City and stopped off at Golden Corral for dinner. After dinner we stopped at the Pet Supermarket and bought some fish for our 40 gallon tank that we bought at a yard sale Friday. It was a GREAT deal and came with everything, tank,lid,light,rock gravel,plants,heater,filter and a HUGE tree trunk with face decoration. We added some natural color rock to the black rocks and bought a HUGE vivid purple silk Amazon Butterfly plant. It looks awesome all set up next to our bed on the dresser, very relaxing to watch. And now it came to life with the addition of 3 Black Mollies, two male spotted swordtails, two Cory cats, one Pictus catfish, 2 mini flame Gouramis, and our largest Marble Angel fish moved over from our smaller 20 gallon tank (set up in the living room). We then played a couple rounds of Ping Pong and Basketball hoop throwing on the WII for fun and exercise then headed to the bedroom to enjoy our new fish and watch a little TV before retiring for the Evening.

Brayden comes to Visit

Fathers day was a good day for Rocco as he had visitors. His two daughters came to visit along with his 6 month old grandson, Brayden. Kimberly, Brayden's mommy and Rocco's oldest daughter, is pregnant once again so Rocco will be a Grandpa X 2. Things have been the same day to day around here. The summer Florida temperatures have been hot and balmy making outdoor activities lower down on our list of things to do. I much prefer Spring and Fall around here. Work is in full swing at the Arcade I cook at, as its right on "The Strip" in Panama City Beach and it is Tourist season. So far we have been spared from oil, a few tar balls that have washed up in various location along the beaches in Bay county were quickly cleaned up. With a couple more months left for family vacations , we are hoping for clear beaches for all visiting our unspoiled coast.

Still Alive

Yes we are still alive, just kinda put the blog on the back burner as our lives shifted directions once again. Will have to change the name of my blog now as we left the tent life behind. On June 3rd we moved from the tent (and St Andrews State Park) into a rented mobile home on the west end of Panama City Beach in an area known as Laguna Beach. I started back to work at Funland Arcade in Panama City Beach and we decided to make this area our permanent home and give up "wandering" about. As everyone knows, an oil rig explosion in the Gulf has left residents along the Gulf Coast in despair and some with their lively hoods at risk, not to mention all the damage to wildlife and nature. Well so far we are oil free in Panama City Beach but the threat looms ever so close with updates daily that leave us holding our breath to see if we "are next". I am unsure what the future holds for us if and when we are the next to suffer from this disaster, so for now we are living each day one day at a time. Keep us and everyone on the Gulf Coast in your prayers as we hope for the best.

Spanish Fever

Well Spring Break is over at Panama City Beach, but now its Spanish Mackerel season. The Spanish are running in high numbers and fisherman are easily catching their daily bag limits every day. Folks are going out in boats trolling and fishing along shorelines at points where the mackerel like to travel. So everyone here at the park has "Spanish Fever". Boats are coming and going all day and fisherman are flocking in high numbers to "Sandy Point", an area at St Andrews State park where the Spanish fishing is great. Its quite a hike along Grand Lagoon to get to Sandy Point, but the fisherman make that hike off and on all day long in search of the Spanish. We are no different. We have caught our fair share. Rocco has done both boat and shore fishing for the Spanish and has actually caught most from shore. He is fishing at Sandy Point right now along with two other volunteers. I have fished the last two days with him and needed a break. Last night I cooked so much Spanish on the grill with peppers and onions that I had enough to share with all the other volunteers and a Michigan couple camping here at the park. It was so sweet, flaky and tasty, no wonder the fisherman are flocking to the Gulf to catch the Mackerel while they are here.

Brayden

We had visitors to our campsite Tuesday. Rocco's daughters, Kimberly and Corinne came to see us. So we also got to visit with Rocco's grandson, BRAYDEN. He is 3 and a half months old now. It is only our third time getting to see him, so we were real glad they came. We got a bag of oysters while they were here and ate both raw and baked on the grill oysters. YUMMY.

SNOW

I can hardly believe it, It actually was SNOWING this morning when we got up. Our tent was covered. It was just in the 70's yesterday and we were laying out at the beach and working on our tans. This is the craziest thing I have ever seen in my life anywhere, especially FLORIDA. And they say global warming is a problem. We are all bundled up and trying our best to keep warm. It has practically shut down Panama City Beach.................................... APRIL FOOLS. (looks like a geat Beach day here)

Just another day in paradise

Its looking like its gonna be another nice day in paradise here at the park. Started out a bit cloudy and with a few tiny sprinkles, but the sun is out in full force now and its quite warm, a gently breeze blowing every now and then. Just right for my birthday. Thought I would share a few pictures I took yesterday around the boat ramp area. While at the boat ramp, right around sunset, a tourist fishing from the dock caught a small Bonnet Head shark. He released him unharmed. Hope everyone has a wonderful Spring day.

STARI

Well I managed to get up close and personal with one of natures little critters. I was bitten by a LONE STAR TICK behind my right knee. (see photo, stock internet picture) Along with his nasty little bite, and he was attached well, came STARI. Southern tick-associated rash illness. Its rather red and fevered at the location with a distinct "bulls-eye" center. It can heal on its own some times so I am giving it a chance to do that. I was bitten Wednesday evening. If all isn't better by Monday, I will have it looked at. Common treatment is oral antibiotics. The most common symptom other than itching is fatigue which I have seemed to be experiencing. But there is some good news in this story. Lone star ticks DO NOT carry lyme disease, so I am safe from that.
Will check in with everyone soon. And watch yourself when playing in the woods or hiking in nature.

Just saying HELLO

Just stopping by in this blog post to say Hello to everyone who has been reading and following our blog. It was a bit breezy today but otherwise nice, so we were out and about in the park enjoying a walk along the lagoon and down to the jetties area. Hope every ones day was as filled with sunshine as ours was.

Boats

St.Andrews State park is a great boating location. The Gulf of Mexico, The St Andrews Bay, and Grand Lagoon all come together right here. So many boats, and many different kinds can be spotted out and about in the area waters enjoying the great weather like we had today. The sailboat is moored in The lagoon. We walked along the lagoon beach today and enjoyed watching the many boaters out enjoying their day. The Sea Dragon Pirate ship was also out filled with tourist enjoying a ride as was the Sea Screamer. They are both area tourist "attractions" here on the beach.