A Much Needed Vacation

The View from our Backyard 

Just as Hurricane Debby was making her way to through the seas, I was boarding a plane for family vacation.  Our destinations were the same...the Florida Coast.

You may remember last year our family of nine were Living like the Longstockings in the Villa Villekula.  Well this year we traded our St. Augustine destination for a beach-front property on Jacksonville Beach.  Unlike some of our neighbors, I'm glad to say our nautically-themed home has kept its power.  Really, the only complaint we can make is the harsh winds and pesky rain kept us from  grilling burgers.

The overcast skies have been just perfect for my far too fair skin.  Despite a floppy sun hat and constant reapplication of SPF 100, I usually leave my week at the beach looking like a lobster.  But if the sun stays hidden behind those ever-looming rain clouds, I may escape this year only slightly pink.

And, no beach retreat would be complete without a steamy romance novel.  The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has proven itself to be the prefect page turner as I lounge in a squatty chair with my feet in the sand.

And seeing as how I love to document everything, I grabbed the camera and took a few pictures as a thunderstorm was rolling in this morning:

My sister's the designated shell collector, but the treasures the tide's been bringing in even have me stopping. 

Besides the usual shells, the waves have also been decorating the shore with a strange foam.  Its bubbly consistantcey reminds me of something found atop a frothy beverage.