A Trip to the Sunshine State - Day Three

I was awakened at dawn on our second full day in FL by the sound of an electric toothbrush echoing in the living room.  My uncle, a natural early riser, was already up and about...and brushing his teeth as he wandered. 

Being a light sleeper, I figured I might as well seize the day. 

 

So here's the thing about dawn...it's lovely.

 

January 13, 2014 - 6:14AM

Just...wow.

 

In looking back at these pictures I'm reminded of something that I read recently.

 

"There is a sunrise and a sunset every single day.  And you can choose to be there.  You can put yourself in the way of beauty."

 

I need to remember that...and take more advantage of it.

 

*****

 

Our adventure of the day included a trip to Camp Helen State Park.  From 1945 until 1987 Camp Helen was a company resort for the employees of an Alabama textile mill, known as Avondale Mills.  Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the historic buildings in the park include a water tower, lodge, rainbow cottages, recreation hall and duplexes. 

 

Being there in the off season we really had the place to ourselves, aside from a few volunteers who were touching up the paint work on a couple of the restored cottages.   



 

It is really a lovely, peaceful place.

 

This is the view from the back porch of the Lodge, looking down toward Lake Powell.

 

Camp Helen is located on a little slip of land between Lake Powell and the Gulf of Mexico.  So vacationers to the Camp, and tourists of today, can enjoy a day on the lake or a day at the gulf depending on which side of the sand dunes they feel like hanging out on! 

 

Oh look, it's one of my many attempts at taking an 'art-y' picture. 

A few of the rainbow colored cottages.

Any Dirty Dancing fans reading this?? 

Yeah...I kept expecting to run into Johnny and Baby around every corner.

If you look hard...way out there beyond the modern hotels...you can just see the Gulf.

My companions decided they would hike out across the dunes and take a look around. 

 

"Hey, you guys!! Turn around!"

And let me zoom in as close as my cellphone camera will go...

 

I decided to go sit inside the Lodge where it was warm. 

But here's a pic of the Gulf-side beach my aunt sent me.

There were storm clouds rolling in so they didn't stay out long.

 

The storm rolled through during our drive back to the hotel and as the skies cleared I snapped this pic from our balcony.  I see now why they call it the Emerald Coast.  WOW! 

 

love and kisses,

- HistoryDiva   

 

A Trip to the Sunshine State - Day Two

When the sun rose on my first full day in FL, the state was clearly doing its best to make up for that lousy first impression from the night before.

This was the view from my hotel room window. 

Yeah...that's more like it.

 

The only downside to my first full day in the Sunshine State is that I woke up with a screaming migraine headache and NOTHING to take care of it with...no painkillers, no caffeine, no silent room (there was construction going on all around us because it was the off season).  So I begged off from the planned events of the day (can you say 'State Parks'?) and found my way to the local W-Mart.

 

Once I started to feel better I realized something...I was alone...at a beach resort...

 

Yep, I was out the door. 

Oh...

My...

Goodness! 

 

 

Up the beach...

 

and down the beach.

 

I had the entire place to myself!  And I was frankly astonished.  It's not like our hotel was empty...and there were tourists at the other hotels as well.  But nobody was around.  And I LOVED it!!



 

Our hotel.

Tiny...older...perfect.

My toes in the sand...

...waiting for a wave to come in...

...yes, I'm in blue jeans.

Because it was freaking JANUARY! 

 

 

So, yeah...spent a nice chunk of my afternoon lazing around on the beach.

 

Here's a fun fact: all of the dinnerware in this hotel was FiestaWare!  Which I happen to LOVE and collect.  It was seriously tempting to just load it all into my suitcase and run away with it.

But I controlled myself cause I'm a grown up. 

Mostly. 

That evening the guys (my uncle and a family friend who had come with us) decided that they would take a pre-dinner walk down the beach to the nearest pier, which wasn't more than a half mile or so away. 

Yeah...no.  It was more like a mile and a half away. 

So the guys were gone a LONG time.  Dinner was ready and waiting...and waiting...and waiting but the time they got back. 

My aunt and I teased them about this 'short little walk' for the rest of the week. 

 

love and kisses,
- HistoryDiva