Beach Time

We spent last week in Seagrove Beach. I took a million pictures as I always do when I am at the beach. The light and the ocean and the colors always make my very favorite photos so excuse the abundance of pictures to follow. We had the best family vacation we have ever had there. The kids are just a perfect age and always up for any adventure.







We took Delaney and Ford to the giant maze at Coconut Creek in Panama City. My brother and I grew up loving that place. The maze is the size of 2 football fields and you have to find 4 different check points and then find your way out. It took us about 35 minutes to complete it. My kids loved it. Then we enjoyed the kids first of at least a million putt putt experiences. (there will probably be another post devoted entirely to putt putting photos!)










If the kids were not on the beach, they spent most of their time climbing the tree in the front yard. They did more things in the tree than I ever knew could be done in a tree. Here is Delaney having her art time with her bag of markers hanging from a branch.

We woke up extra early one morning to be at Charlie's Donut truck in Alys Beach when it opened. We've heard they sell out very quickly so we were first in line. We ate our donuts and then played at our favorite playground there.







More art time on the porch resulted in an Eiffel tower painting by Delaney, Ford turning into Jackson Pollock, and painting our seashells from our beach walks.



We were all sad to go home after such a great week. Ford says that if our house is for sale anyway, why can't we just move to the beach. I'm with him!

The Big Ketch

Pretty much the highlight of our year is the sleepy week we get to spend in Seagrove on Highway 30-A each April. We love a week of beach air and fried seafood! Brandon eats a years worth of Po Boys in five days. So, when I saw the Groupon for Big Ketch a few weeks ago, I snatched one up.


The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill is a new restaurant in Buckhead on Roswell Road. Their website promises fresh seafood in an atmosphere that combines Rosemary Beach, East Hampton, and Nantucket and calls themselves Atlanta's Beach House. These are pretty big boots to fill in a landlocked city.


We went on the Sunday afternoon following the big ice storm in Atlanta. We were a bit disappointed that they were out of the Lobster Rolls we had already chosen from the online menu at home. We quickly regrouped and ordered things that their trucks had been able to deliver and understand that fresh seafood can be held up by inclement weather. The restaurant was beautifully simple and did look like we were stepping into a sleepy beach town dive with a touch of elegance.


The first sign that our dining experience would be great was the usual complimentary bread basket was replaced with a tin bucket of boiled peanuts instantly transporting me to the 6 hour car ride that we take to get to Hwy 30-A that is rarely without a stop for these salty treats.


Next, Brandon ordered raw oysters which were right out of the ocean fresh. And then a shrimp, lobster, crab salad Po boy that was delicious. I had the shrimp Po Boy with Kettle chips. The best thing about the meal was the hushpuppies which were the best I've had outside the Seagrove Market.


After all we were dining with a half price coupon, so we ended the meal with a piece of Napa Valley cake at the suggestion of our waiter. It was delicious and rich and the perfect end.


We seriously thought we had landed at the beach for the afternoon and we are eager to return to try the Lobster Roll and get a few more of those hushpuppies. Check it out if you need a quick getaway to the salt and surf.