One Sweet Summer: .. and now to the "Redneck Riviera"

And here I am now, staring out at Bay Point Marina in Panama City.

Mom and William and I have been down here since Sunday and have had so much fun hanging out with Hailey, A.D., Uncle Archie, Aunt Laurie, and my grandparents, Pop-Pop and Dear.

Here's how the day typically goes:

-sleep in until 10
-gradually fall out of bed and watch the Today show
-pack up the boat with sandwhiches, beach chairs, etc. around noon
-head to Shell Island (a barrier island here that forms St. Andrews Bay. No structures on it. Just 7 miles of beautiful white sand beach).
-attempt to correctly anchor the boat; get yelled at for not tying ropes correctly or not throwing the anchor far enough..
-eat lunch
-walk over to the Gulf (the best part of the day). Here, I feel as though I'm a fish myself. The water has been very clean and clear and has that beautiful turquoise color.
-take a walk down the beach. talk about life with Hailey or other family members
-walk back to the bayside
-read my book while sitting in beach chair (currently: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)
-realize i'm getting red. apply more sunscreen.
-read more.
-around 5-6ish, leave island
-return to Bay Point
-hose off boat
-shower
-relax :)

of course, this is just a typical day for us Thorpes, Bowens, and Carmichaels. Some days, we go snorkeling. Here's William and I about to snorkel the jetties on our first day down here:

practicing my synchronized swimming..?

A funny anecdote from yesterday:

[As Mom, Aunt Laurie, and William and I are swimming in the Gulf, we are suddenly bombarded by a school of baitfish. Though they are not biting us, they keep aggressively bumping into us. They even got caught in my bikini!]

William turns to me and says, "Elizabeth! I think there's something wiggling in my pants!"

Me: "It's probably a fish!"

Mom: "William, are you sure that's a fish?" :p

[Later that night as we are dining at Captain Anderson's, William tells us he had an interesting showering experience. Once he got into the shower and removed his bathing suit, a small dead fish fell out into the tub! Poor little guy..]

Erin, Hailey, and I snorkeling

I've been learning how to drive the boat while I've been down here. I figured I might as well learn sometime! After all, we ARE borrowing Uncle Charles' old boat..

On the Fourth of July, we all went out in Uncle Archie's boat to watch the fireworks over the bay. I can't recall how many Fourth of Julys I've spent doing this every year, and it's still a lot of fun. While the adults hung out with each other and "the Couple" [Hailey and Justin] did their thing, William and A.D. and I spent some quality cousin time together stargazing. A.D. THINKS he knows a lot about stars..