4th Annual Summer Cruise

July 9  NaNa left to go back to PC to work Monday through Wednesday. The rests of us played hard and enjoyed boating and hanging out at Orange Beach. We rode around on a golf cart and the adults decided to go Sassy Bass, which by the way is a family friendly restaurant bar and grill. They serve a Jamaican Me Crazy Drink that actually smoked and bubbled. We were reprimanded for driving the golf cart on the local highway by the local Fire Chief!  We made it to FloBama, but the Lil Yatchy could not hold everyone, so some folks took a taxi back to the beach house. On Thursday we headed to Destin, Florida better known as Crab Island to pick up the other crew members, NaNa and Raven. A freak thunder storm blew through as we tried to anchor. We survived and I took Lil Yachty and returned with NaNa, Raven and enough luggage for an entire family (it was just Raven’s)! We were joined by the Noll Family and partied too late. We began heading back around 6:30, which meant we would

July 8   Today we began our day at 3:30 am when our friends the from St. Louis knocked on our door. They drove straight through the night because all hotels were booked within a two-hour distance of Gulf Shores. Friends who are like family can feel comfortable to do something like that!!!  Rob, NaNa and I decided we would take the Little Yachty down the ICW to buy bait for our impromptu fishing trip. We had a blast riding the waves of the large boats we passed. The dock helpers face was priceless when we pulled up in our little dingy and asked for bait and 200 gallons of diesel fuel!!  When Rob and I are together, there is always double trouble. The rain finally stopped and we decided to go fishing. I have to admit the gulf was really rough. The bay was white capping and we had one adult and two kids get sick! Amy and I realized the teacher in NaNa kicked back in when she started spotting invisible dolphins! Yes, it was a great distraction which made them forget about feeling sick!  W

July 7  We have just completed the first half of our boat trip. We left Venice this morning at 7:45 headed to Gulf Shores. The weather was cloudy with thunder and lightning on both sides of the sky. We were blessed to outsmart five major storms by changing our charted course and running at a higher speed than normal. Eventually, the skies cleared and we could sneak in a quick fishing trip! Yes, we added something new to our boat…rod and reels! NaNa knows how to watch the lines and she quickly noticed Amy had a Fish On!! Yes, she did….she caught a Spanish Mackerel. Shortly behind her was NaNa. My role quickly changed from Captain to Official Deck Hand.  Yes, they caught the fish and I had to take them off the hook. The thunderstorms began to catch up with us so, we had to have a catch and release day. Amy actually, drove the boat long enough to be considered a Co-Captain. NaNa was happy she got to see the Old Lighthouse out in the middle of nowhere! A

July 3- The boat trip has officially begun!! NaNa arrived on Monday around noon!!! We finished a few last minutes errands and left the League City on July 3 rd . First stop was in Galveston to celebrate the Fourth of July and enjoy Moody Gardens with family and friends. The pool and gardens were beautiful. However, the kids enjoyed riding the paddle board while being pulled by the Princess of the Waves or some people named it Little Yachty (that is the name of the Dinghy). Taylor earned the title of Queen of the Paddleboard by riding it in a standing position with four other kids sitting down while being towed over waves and under bridges! NaNa was on duty when what to her wondering eyes would appear??? Taylor and Jocelyn jumping off of the bridge leading to the dock! Exploring the areas in the Dingy is a favorite past time during our trips. We explored two canals and saw many beautiful homes and boats.  The red- white- blue light up batons were cool as we ventured to watch the firewo