Cape San Blas

 Vacation this year took place up in the Florida panhandle. Cape San Blas is an interesting, remote area approx. an hour east of Panama City. We rented a cabin that was between the beach and bay.

Isn't he the cutest? Love my grandson.....this was one happy YaYa.....spending a week with the grand!

Goodness knows.....we look like a caravan of gypsies walking across the street to the beach. You know yourself how much "stuff" you need to carry to enjoy a few hours.....and toys to dig in the sand!

It was a nice long walk! We burned a few calories in the Fl heat getting there! It was around 92* mid day.....but the breeze from the ocean made it nice!

Big payoff! A beach to ourselves. This one is so far off the beaten path! Thanks Grant for scouting out a secluded area for us to enjoy.

Just a few folks way down the beach......

The above photo was taken by my son just before sunset. We had walked out the back door and through some woods to the empty bay. The tide was out. We walked in our bare feet(he had some convincing to do) out to an island. The water was ankle deep. He told me to just watch for horse shoe crabs. The small crabs scampered away quickly....it was still risky....talk about getting out of your comfort zone!

In the bucket.....empty shells.....

The small sting ray we observed......swam away!

The crystal clear water allowed you to see every step! Above another horse shoe crab....we saw several!

Hundreds of small crabs....everywhere.......

Grant says "They don't pinch much".......yeah...I was not going to test their strength!

A short walk back to the cabin! So thankful this was a "dog friendly" rental! We enjoyed our stay!

Thanks Whispering Pines of Cape San Blas!

Enjoy your summer!

~Lynda

Mexico Beach and Apalachicola

  A long weekend to the Florida panhandle was part of our summer vaca this year. This beach is approximately 1 hour east of Panama City Beach. There is no shopping and very few restaurants. We were glad we planned ahead and brought a supply of spaghetti, steaks and salmon for grilling. The VRBO condo was nice enough and had a complete kitchen.

We had beautiful weather on Thursday and Friday....followed by rain the rest of the weekend.....

Above: the beach is reflecting the setting sun. The multicolored umbrella lights up!

We drove east to view the town of Apalachicola, a small town where oysters were king.....I remember my dad going fishing there in the 1960's.

I am not sure if this boat is functioning or just for photos....

 We celebrated our 40th year anniversary on July 12.

We haven't changed much......haha!

Enjoy your summer! I have THREE weeks left before reporting for duty!

~Lynda~

Changes in Altitude

We enjoyed our vaca in the Smoky Mountains. Changes in altitude can also cause a change in attitude.

We rented online from Great Cabins in the Smokies/Wears Valley Road   (1-866-409-7066) The staff was friendly and helpful. This was our first experience at renting a cabin. We have camped for years....when the children were young....but a cabin is certainly an upgrade!

An early morning arrival to Cades Cove provided several photo opportunities. We took full advantage.....some 700+ photos.....I picked the best ones to save time....

The fog provided cover for the two deer feeding in the graveyard by this church.

Several doe grazing in the fields nearby.

Fencing mostly to keep unruly visitors from encroaching on their territory.....but deer freely jump from pasture to pasture....

Three buck were filmed that day. This is the best photo I took without a zoom lens. He is carrying some grass on his antlers.......

The grist mill still works. Stone ground meal and other goodies for sale on the property.

We were taking pics of 4-5 turkeys in a field when a bear crossed the road in front of our car.  By the time we switched our focus he was scampering into the woods along the creek. 

The best way to see wild life is by bicycle early in the A.M. It does pay not to sleep late on the day you want to visit Cades Cove. From early May until late Sept. the 11 mile one way loop is closed to vehicle traffic until 10:00. Nothing like a loud Harley-Davidson to scare the wild life away.....You can rent bicycles from the Cades Cove Campground Store (865-448-9034 for more info)Sometimes you just have to drive your vehicle, but go early on a Thursday or any day other than Wed. or Sat.

This beats zoo time any day! Have you visited the Great Smoky Mountains lately? What is your favorite site?

~Lynda~

Luggage tags

Bonjour Peeps! Summer is just 3 weeks away and we are already in packing mode here....so I thought I would share a very special craft that I learned years ago from my artsy niece Jana. Luggage tags that are personalized have been around for a while, but this paper jumped off the shelf and into my arms before I knew what hit me! Graphic 45 French Country line was an immediate draw when I spotted the thatched roof....Marie Antoinette's cottages at Versailles came to mind. I selected several sheets of this line of  paper that I thought would be perfect for a scrapbook and 2 sheets of the A La Carte that would make the perfect set of luggage tags.



Gather your supplies: scissors, hole punch(crop-a-dile), laminating pouches and machine(available at Walmart/craft stores), sharpie, paper for tags, gromment and tool for setting, hammer.





Begin by typing address on cardstock and adhere with adhesive. The A-La-Carte tags are really journaling boxes that are 2-sided. Double sided paper works best for laminating.
Once you have laminated the tags, the most difficult part is setting the gromments. These are sometimes found in the sewing section at craft stores because they are really for fabric. This part of the craft is the most difficult.

Above: draw a small circle where you want to place the gromment. The picture does not have the sheet laminated, because I had already finished the tags when I thought about showing you this step......so remember, your tags will be laminated FIRST before you draw the circle. Cut out area with punch. Don't get the hole too large....just big enough so the shank of the gromment fits.

Above: hole punch-after you laminate the paper.......

place the gromment through hole, then see below, place the other fitting ring on top and set it.

The above tool kit came with the package. They may be labeled "gromments" or "fasteners"

Place the gromment in the circle and the tool on top and POUND with the hammer HARD ON CONCRETE , WOOD OR OTHER HARD SURFACE OUTSIDE. Please do not do this in the home or you will leave dings in your floor.

Once you have set the gromment, the final step is easy.....

Embellish with ribbons, foo-foo, string, rope, raffia, thread, or your hearts desire!

This is one side, the other side has all the names and address on them. I chose ribbon that matched the paper. Make some long so you have enough length to tie onto the suitcase and knot several times.

TIE TO YOUR LUGGAGE>>>>several knots actually.......

They look great on the red suitcase eh?

Photo below is a tag made two years ago that survived two trips to Paris, a trip to the Bahamas and Alaska!

These have made great gifts for bridesmaids, friends and family. Last year we made them for the end of the year party and place a tag with just the name on a dollar plastic sand bucket and filled it with goodies. You can even make them, and have the folks write on them with a sharpie after they are laminated........

If you have questions, please feel free to leave me a comment and your email address.

Happy Crafting......Happy Summer! ~Lynda

Linking up with parties below:

Public Market of Seattle

The public market in Seattle sold many things other than seafood. We enjoyed the chocolate cherries, fresh flowers and I purchased some kitchen dish towels with red lobsters/crabs I could not resist.

It was 2:43.....lots of seafood ahead....

oh my...above....a barracuda 

extra large crabs and claws...

reminds me of umbrellas at the beach....

We ate at Lowell's and had some great clam chowder, fish sandwiches....

The flowers were gorgeous....and so inexpensive.....

Then we went on an Argosy Cruise in the harbor for approx. 1 hr....

We enjoyed the tour....it was a bit cool outside....

This picture above shows how far away the larger skyscrapers are from the space needle....so the view of the space needle is still so magnificent.

Below are shots of the shipping industry.....lots of containers are pulled by tug boats....all the way to parts of Alaska...

Containers marked " China" seem to out number everything else....

We enjoyed the tour of the harbor that was included in the City Pass Booklet....

Olivia and Michelle enjoyed the trip as well. During the Ferris Wheel ride

seen here in the background.....I decided to tour the local antique shop.....a real delight!

Next stop: Flying Seattle to Anchorage....where the real journey begins.....

Stay tuned......Lynda