The First of "The Lasts"

Well, I believe we've started our journey of "things we are doing for the last time before we move." John had business to attend to in southwest Georgia so we decided to combine business with pleasure and drive a little further with him down to Panama City Beach. Our good friends, the Roberts, happen to live in this Spring Break mecca and they have said for years that October is the ideal time to visit. How were we supposed to know that Red Tide would roll in right as we we showed up? For the uninitiated:

The Florida red tide is caused by blooms of a
dinoflagellate that produce potent neurotoxins.
These toxins cause extensive fish kills,
contaminate shellfish and create severe
respiratory irritation to humans along the shore.

Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it sounds. The water still looked beautiful and the beach wasn't really littered with dead fish, just a couple here and there. It was more a nuisance than anything. While on the beach, we all seemed to experience irritation of the throat and runny noses that did eventually force us back inside. But the weather was gorgeous, the fishing fine (despite John's inability to land a Mangrove Snapper) and the company among the best there is. It's such a blessing when your kids enjoy hanging out with the children of your friends and you see them creating memories of their own. Whitfield generously accommodated our boys on his fishing boat and they had a blast swabbing the decks while the daddies furiously fished. Even I managed to catch a fish, with a Barbie pole, by the way. It had been quite a while since I had last wielded a rod and I was warmly reminded of the joy of anticipation that seems to be the driving force of all fisherfolks. Aidan was a natural caster, especially with his new pole with which we surprised him the night we arrived. He looked like a natural and I'm sure he and his grandpa will have some fine times in the future. August, on the other hand, seems more cut out for the more physical outdoor activities, like full contact turkey wrangling or the like.