Collin: Destin Florida for Thanksgiving

Every other year, we go to Destin, Florida with friends of ours that live in Frisco, Texas. This was that year.

We left on a Saturday and came back on a Saturday. The traffic was really bad for our friends so we made it to the house we rented together before they did. That was nice because we could pick our bedroom, unpack and then have dinner before they got there. We ate at a Waffle House which Collin decided was "the best place EVER!" He ate a full plate waffles and then ordered another....and ate the second entire waffle. We sat along the bar and met a nice older man. We could tell he liked the company. Nice start to our vacation.

Here are pictures of the house we rented. It had 2 master bedrooms and 2 guest rooms. The kitchen was fully loaded with all sorts of appliances and dishes. It even had a turkey roasting pan...which we would use later for the Thanksgiving meal. The patio was great because it was large and it included a small, heated pool. The house was not right on the beach but it was a close 5 minute walk to the beach. It was not a bad walk at all.

The house is the first one on the left.

Nice view of the pool and patio which over looks the pond

The table was just the right size for all of us

Large kitchen that was perfect for our group

The bedroom we chose. It had a balcony which I enjoyed using while reading a book.

Collin loved this room and slept on the top and bottom bunk

The weather was warmer than it has been this time of year which was really nice. The highs were high 60s and mid-70s and the lows were low 50s. Being on the beach felt warm but the water WAS really cold. We got in and got used to it.

While there:

Collin decided his favorite sport is fishing. He fished off the patio and in the ocean. The other family brought a lot of gear and was ready to fish.
We watched the sun rise (6:20am) and set (4:45pm). The colors are amazing....and really peaceful.
We rented a canoe and used it in the ocean. Collin went once and was not too excited to be too far out from the shore. He was really nervous about the fish. He said he wanted to hang out on the beach but I could tell he was not too sure about being on the boat. He was in the middle and was cramped.
We went crabbing at night. Because the sand was so white, the crabs were really white which I was not expecting. Those suckers were really fast so we only caught 5 or so. Once one ran over Collin's foot, he was ready to go back to the house. I stay out a little longer to help Justin, one of the kids that belonged to the other family.
The boys went deep sea fishing while the girls went shopping. They brought home at least 30 fillet snapper which we cooked the next night.
The guys rented scooters and used them daily. For a few of the days, Chris followed two of us while we road biked. I road 15 miles one day and 45 miles another day. It was a really nice way to see the other beach towns from Grayton Beach through Rosemary Beach.
We saw the Christmas tree lightening at Rosemary Beach. What a crowd! I am glad we went but that will be the last time I will want to go.
We made Thanksgiving lunch. Each of us made sure we prepared the sides we expect to have during the Thanksgiving meal and we made the turkey.
Each night, we cooked at the house which was really nice because 1) we did not have to all decide where to eat and 2) we could relax after the meal. It was really fun to cook for the group and try new meals that we don't usually eat. We made: