Valentines Day At The Beach - 63 Degrees

Looking west from the lighthouse on St George Island

On top of the light house - a view of white sand and blue water for miles in all directions

The long bridge in the distance is the way to the mainland. 

St George Island is about 75 miles from our house - no traffic. It has the most beautiful white sand and blue waters - everything is so clean. 

So we hopped in the convertible at 9 AM and drove south and west. The island separates the Gulf of Mexico from Apalachicola Bay. St George reminds you a bit of Key West but better beaches - you have to go out a long bridge to get there. There are about 1000 homes out there - most of them are rented out by the week. The island is about 4 blocks wide and it goes on for 10 miles. 

They were having a Parade of Homes - but these homes were not for sale. The event was to support the St George Lighthouse. In 2005 - the 100 year old lighthouse was knocked over by erosion. They salvaged most of the bricks and built a replica back away from the waves. Normally it costs $5 to climb the lighthouse but yesterday the fee was included in the $25 admission to the Parade of Homes.

They had vans to take you into homes in the gated community section called Plantation something. After we toured those homes - we stopped for a picnic basket lunch on the sand. We did not put up our new tent because there were more homes to tour. After the final house - we walked 2 miles up and down the beach. I am always amazed at the white sand there. Too bad this place is 75 miles from home. 

Of course Lulu makes her obligatory - I could commute from here to FSU speech - but when she found out that the closest Publix grocery is 75 miles away back in Tallahassee - that conversation ended. Funny - when she commented about how she liked one of the smaller pools at one of the houses - the bursitis in her shoulder started acting up. About a year ago - she went thru a terrible bout with bursitis - and the doctor said it was caused by swimming 100 laps a day in her pool. Of course - I take every opportunity to remind her. I hated caring for that old pool we had.

After the island tour - we drove a few miles to Apalachicola - one time the center of the world's foremost oyster crop. Many people do not realize that at one time the Apalachicola River rivaled the Mississippi in cotton and slave trade. At one time this town did more business than the entire rest of Florida combined - a local plaque proclaimed that. Now it is full of quaint restaurants and trinket shops - one very old wooden hotel - the country court house - and the Dixie Theatre. On the corner by the one flashing light they had - is the Seafood Cafe. I love it because it has fantastic fried chicken. We ate there - my calorie budget overextended - and drove home in time to see the FSU and Duke basketball games on TV. Happy Valentines Day.