Once again, we were lucky to be able to fit some beach time into our Alabama visit. And once again, we benefited from the generosity of our friends, Susan and Tom Thomas. Staying at their Dauphin Island beach house will always be among our family's favorite memories.
It was delightful waking up to sunny days beachside, with the sounds of surf and seagulls greeting us. Most mornings brought shrimp boats in close to the shore.
Now, we have beaches in Oregon. In fact, the Pacific is an awesome sight. But it's cold. Even in the summer, it's a bit chilly for swimming by our standards. I guess growing up on the Gulf Coast, I have a certain water temperature expectation. Oregon beaches never get there. Emily often comments, in fact, that she likes Alabama beaches because "you can swim there". And swim we did. Or, at least, play in the waves...
Most days we had the beach almost completely to ourselves. Except for the sea gulls, of course.
Sarah, whose sensitive skin often gets in the way of her enjoyment of the beach, developed some weird rash, and stayed inside more than she'd have liked. Emily, taking full advantage of the opportunity, enjoyed riding the waves on the boogie board.
I was impressed at the condition of the dunes and the berm built by the side of the road. The sea oats are really taking root and holding the sand in place.
Another plant I enjoyed finding was the aptly-named bottle brush tree near the library. We enjoyed them in Arizona, but I didn't realize they grew at the beach!
Susan came and went during our few days' stay, and I loved it when she was there. We enjoyed our traditional Scrabble games, which she always wins... Laura and Jamie came for a night and Mama and Daddy spent parts of two different days with us. Such a nice place to relax! With Sarah headed for college this fall, this could well be the last time we are together at Dauphin Island. So glad we had the time we did. Wish Larry could have shared it with us!
At day's end, we took advantage of the canal view from the back of the house, and the beautiful sunsets to the west. Sometimes accompanied by a cool drink...
Thanks, Susan, for providing us with such a peaceful getaway after a hectic Spring at home!
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