Waverunners

We are starting to accumulate some water toys.  This weekend, we picked up a couple waverunners.  They are quite fun to tool around the bay on and see the sights.  Bode and Ashley went for a nice ride this morning--that's them coming back from a morning ride.  You can also see some of Joey and Barkley, who both seem to enjoy hanging out on the beach.

Here are some still photos--it was a beautiful day today.

I think we should get our paddle boards delivered, either this week or early next week.  Then, our transition to Florida will be complete, and I guess I need to get serious about working :-) Waverunning is exhausting work, as the following picture can attest.

Pleasant week to all.

The Trip East

This post will be a little out of sequence since I have already posted the movies of the new-home tour.  I left Colorado Springs on the 25th of May.  I didn't come directly to Florida; I went via Albuquerque, where, unlike Bugs Bunny, I did make that left turn.  I also dropped Bode off with Uncle Pat and Aunt Dana.  We figured he'd rather spend ten days playing with his cousins than driving across country and unpacking boxes (we were right).  I didn't take too many pictures, but I did get a picture of the kids playing tether ball.

Uncle Pat was also kind enough to send a couple pictures.  Apparently Bode has taken a liking to tennis, so we will do our best to find some racquets and tennis courts and start playing with him.

    

I also took some pictures of Kona and Barkley.  Initially, we were worried the dogs wouldn't get along, as neither has shown a great affinity for other dogs.  After some uncertainty, the dogs quickly became fast friends.

I only stayed a couple nights because I figured I should not let all the unpacking and moving in fall to Ashley.  Thus, on the Sunday before Memorial Day, I headed out.  Barkley did great in the car--the vet said I could give her four Benadryl (four!), which would probably cause me to sleep for 12 hours.  She didn't get sick once, and she slept quite a bit.  We stopped in Wichita Falls, Texas, and stayed at a La Quinta Inn.  I spoiled her and let her sleep on the king-size mattress with me.

I then proceeded to Shirley, Texas, and stayed with Penny and Milton and lounged in their pool.  It was nice to just do nothing for a couple days, as the moving out was a bit stressful, as was the driving.  We all love their pool.

They also have a cute dog named Chief, who was a little afraid of Barkley at first, but, much like with Kona, the two quickly became friends.

I also got to see Owen, who is Ashley's third cousin (Owen is Penny and Milton's first grandchild; Penny is Ashley's first cousin, so if I've done the math correct, Owen and Bode are fourth cousins).

On the Wednesday after Memorial, I left Texas and came to Fort Walton Beach.  I was on the road by 4:45 in the am, which was god-awful early, but I didn't want to get stuck in any Houston area traffic.  I made it to the new house by 2:30 or so.  I filmed the dog-reunion, which wasn't as great as I thought.  Note also I forgot how glass and lenses fog up when you go from a cool environment (the air-conditioned car) to a hot, muggy one.

Per the previous post, Ashley and I have been doing a lot of unpacking for the past week.  Yesterday, Bode arrived, flying as an unaccompanied minor from Albuquerque.  He did great, and we are happy to have everyone together again.  The dogs really gave him a nice greeting, especially Barkley.

 

Today is supposed to be a beautiful day; perhaps Bode will enjoy a swim in his backyard :-)  Pleasant day to all.

Florida

We have safely arrived in Shalimar, Florida.  Ashley and I are here, as are Barkley, Joey, and Barry (the fish).  We think Cisco (the snail) is somewhere in the tank, but we haven't seen him.  Our stuff was delivered a week ago, and we've done nothing but unpack boxes.  We have most of the big stuff done with the exception of the garage; hopefully Ashley, I mean, we, will get to that. 

Below are a series of movies, narrated by yours truly.  I'm like the Morgan Freeman of house tours.  First up is the house from the street and the lot.

We have a very large number of trees, which I think is a good thing.  Of course, one huge hurricane, and they could all come down on the house and vehicles, but we'll keep our fingers crossed that does not happen.  There's also a lot of raking that needs to be done; Ashley's yard-boy needs to get his act together and start earning his keep.

Next is the interior of the house starting at the front door.

The great room is amazing.  The views are wonderful, and it's so open.  Plus, it's quite cool, although the AC probably has a lot to do with that.  We are both amazed how well our new couch, which we purchased last September, fits in this space.

Next is the living room.

Next, the master bedroom.

We really like our bedroom--simply and quaint, and the shower (not shown) is a step up from what we had in Colorado--there's a nice ledge upon which to sit, because you always need to sit down in the shower.

Bode's room is quite nice. 

We are probably spoiling him with the Xbox and the big TV in his room.  However, I can always disable these if his grades suffer :-)  He also has a great view of the water.

Finally, two movies of the backyard.  It's nice--views are incredible, and the water is wonderful.

That's about it for the tour.  We should be settled in the near future.  We've even gone out wave-runner shopping.  We need to get two lifts installed on the dock for storage; the guy was here this past Saturday to quote that effort.  We hope to have water toys by the 4th of July, but that might be a bit optimistic; hopefully by 1 August.  Pleasant evening to all.