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For years David and I have toyed with the idea of having a summer home in Florida where the kids can come visit and our future grandchildren can frolic away their summer days swimming in the pool and building sandcastles on the beach.
This summer we stumbled across the most amazing place. Who would have thought doing a Google search for “least populated beaches in Florida” would lead us on such an amazing journey. On a whim, we jumped in the car and headed to an area in the panhandle of Florida called the “Forgotten Coast.” It was love at first sight.
Ever since we were handed the keys to our new beach house at the closing table, I feel like I have entered into some kind of amazing fantasy land. We turned the corner of our street and I gasped as I saw our house sitting on the top of a hill. I remembered it was on a hill, of course, but I just didn’t remember that it sat so high. As we got out of the car I was in awe that I could see the water from the BBQ area under the house, I knew the Gulf of Mexico was there, I just didn’t remember that I could see it from the ground level over the top of the sand dunes.
When I climbed the last step to the first floor and turned toward the windows facing the water, I gasped in surprise. I knew that the back of the house was a wall of windows with the Gulf of Mexico peaking in every one, but I was still awed by how absolutely amazing that sight is. I am sad to have to close the sliding glass doors because I won’t be able to hear the amazingly peaceful cadence of the surf rolling into the shore.
Since we have moved in I have been walking around completely shell shocked. Every turn, leads me to something more beautiful and exciting than the turn before. The beach in front of our house is fluffy and white. David, who hasn’t taken his shoes or socks off outside in years is walking up and down the sugary sand beach in his bare feet. Fred loves bouncing along, chasing the surf and ferretting out sea shells. She has learned her boundaries quickly and even though we always have the leash at the ready, she rarely needs it because we rarely encounter any people on our afternoon stroll on the beach. We have sat on our porch upstairs and watched the myriad of stars twinkle in the midnight sky and have been rewarded with several shooting stars. We watched from our porch as several dozen dolphin created a feeding circle and literally entertained us for 20 minutes jumping their entire bodies out of the water and splashing down again. It was like a show at Sea World!
All I know is that I am the luckiest, happiest woman in the world. Somehow, in an instant I have fallen into the Kae Allen version of “The Truman Show” and the director is yelling “cue the dolphin!”
