Refreshing Lemon Water

Good Tuesday morning!

The Gallery pics are from our first day at Sandestin. Beautiful day. Amazing pictures. I had so much fun with the new camera. Life is good.

Sandestin - Day One - Tar Balls, Tropical Storm Bonnie and Seaweed... Oh, My!

Our trip down was as uneventful as uneventful could be. And since our last road trip a couple of weeks ago was ten hours long, the ride to Sandestin was absolutely painless.

We arrived late afternoon to beautiful blue skies, yellow flags (Code for TONS OF WAVES), and the most gorgeous ocean I have ever seen (Code for NO TAR BALLS).

The yellow flags and waves were there because of Tropical Storm Bonnie's recent departure. I assume the excess seaweed may have been there for the same reason. However, today is another day, and as anyone who has ever been to the beach knows, the whole seaweed/wave/yellow flag thing could be history.

I'm not a seaweed person, as you might imagine. And with my new camera, I excused myself from body surfing and took 1,021 pictures instead. (I even pretended I was a real photographer and took pictures of other people's children... until a few parents asked me to stop. Oops!)

We then headed to the pool to rinse the green stuff off our bodies. The pool was not huge, but it could definitely hold the Faulkner Five. However, it could not hold the Faulkner Five and three other families with small children when THREE of the Faulkner Five started "water wrestling." We needed the whole pool to ourselves for that activity. (And I pretended it was acceptable pool behavior... until a few parents asked me to get my family out of the pool. Oops, again!)

Finally, it was dinner time. Instead of trying something new, we headed to Acme Oyster House. We had eaten there last year, and enjoyed it very much. It didn't disappoint last night either.

Oh, and NEWS FLASH! There is a zip line in this little entertainment district. A real zip line. It doesn't go over a canopy of trees in the rainforest though. Actually, your bottom is fastened into an unflattering harness, and you're sent sailing over the heads of poor people trying to eat a nice dinner. The week isn't over, but I don't think I'll be truly happy unless I zip line in a real rain forest. I have very high standards, you know.

We finished the evening with a Faulkner Family Movie Night. Actually, Mikie and I finished the night with a Faulkner Family Movie night. The kids opted to stay up a little longer.

We are anxious to see what today will bring. Only one thing is certain. I won't be taking pictures of other people's kids playing in the waves... no matter how carried away I get with my new camera and my new unbelievable photography skills!

DISCLAIMER - Please tell me you know me well enough to know I did NOT take pictures of strange children on the beach? Please? (I was tempted, but their parents were standing right there!) Unfortunately, the "water wrestling" part totally happened... but I was the parent who sent the Faulkner Five to their room! (It's really hard when all three of your kids look just like you! Mikie can walk away, but when it's all said and done, it's pretty evident those kids are MINE!)

Refreshing Lemon Water

I found this simple recipe on a blog a couple of weeks ago. Since I have recently started adding a bag or two (or four) of Splenda to my lemon water when I order it in a restaurant, this caught my eye.

1 gallon water
2 1/2 teaspoons citric acid (found in the pharmacy section of the grocery store or health food stores)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 3/4 cups sugar

Mix all ingredients. Serve over ice. Add sliced lemons for garnish.

Sounds lovely, doesn't it? I'm making a pitcher when I get home... or maybe I'll make it here at the beach. Hmmm.

Have a terrific Tuesday. Wednesday's Wisdom and Traditions are all about the beach! I will also be sharing a couple of hints about our August Special Guest. That's right. It's that time again... and this chick will be a BIG surprise.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting (and Semi-Professional Photographer Extraordinaire) Belinda