Fort Walton

Greetings from Fort Walton Beach. Ashley had a meeting/conference at Eglin AFB. Bode and I decided to tag along for some fun in the summer, err, spring, err, late winter sun. Despite the season, it is quite lovely today in the panhandle, so much so that Ashley and I went running in our shorts and t-shirts. The high was 75ish today with perhaps one cloud in the sky. Sadly, the weather in Dayton is forecast to be beautiful, with it returning to the high 40's by the time we go back. Why couldn't it be crappy while we were gone? Sheesh.

We've had a great time. On Sunday, we ran into some friends--the Rezek-Millea clan of Starkville, Mississippi. They're on their spring break and spending the week near San Destin. On Sunday, we received an email from them, asking what they could do for fun in the area. Unbeknownst to them, we were here, so we met up for an afternoon.

It was nice to see Jon, Meghan, Elliott, and Oscar. We thought Bode was a seasoned traveller, but compared to Elliott and Oscar, Bode is a novice. Elliott and Oscar have been to Alaska, England, Germany, and South Africa, which is quite impresses considering Oscar just turned four...

Bode loves the water. We were at the outlet mall, which had a play area. Part of the play area was a little fountain. Once Bode saw this, he never, ever wanted to leave. Here are some action photos. And before you ask, yes, he is wearing two different sets of pants. At one point, he was soaked, so we said that's it, cleaned him up, and went on our way. However, we evenutally walked by the fountain again, Bode saw it, and his screaming could only be appeased by letting have another go. In this first picture, Bode looks tough..except for the diaper sticking up through his pants...

Here he is getting a little more daring...and a little more wet.

Next, we have the little dude using his foot to spray the water everywhere...note how Ashley is a safe distance away.
Finally, we have the little guy using both hands and sometimes his face. We have to get one of these installed in our backyard.

In case you can't tell how much Bode really loves the water, here's a movie.

The play area also had some swings. Here is Jon pushing Oscar.And now here's Bode enjoying his time in the saddle. Bode was exhausted--he enjoyed the water so much, he skipped his nap. Obviously he crashed hard on the drive home.
Pleasant day.