On the road bright and early with a sleepy Cora and an excited Buster!
Stopping briefly for some sightseeing, dog walking, and lunch along the way:
Arrived in time for dinner with Gramma and a sunset walk on the beach with mama:
Attending church with Gramma for Pastor Gabe's last weekend in town (he recently retired, and he and his wife Maria will be taking a two year tour of the country in their RV). James and Cora jumped right up to join the kids in their song and children's moment, then ran off to the playground with everyone while we stayed for the service.
After the service we visited with Gabe and his family (this is James and Gabe's grandson):
And we grabbed a few family photos while we were all dressed nicely:
Then it was time to hit the beach for real (boogie boarding, sand castle building, and swimming):
The beach activities and heat require at least a short rest when we get home (and ice cream to cool off):
Put to work pulling old palm tree pieces off the trees to clean them up:
Morning two required a little coffee to get James rolling...
And then it was back to the beach (of course!)
More time in the heat = another ice cream treat (Rita's for the win!)
A full moon sent us back to the beach for another sunset walk. We took Buster and daddy this time, but Buster had zero interest in the water this trip (he was literally pulling his leash as far from Jay as he could get when Jay walked at the water's edge):
(One of Christopher's coins was buried here a few years ago - it's probably long since found or swept away, due to the two hurricanes that have come through since then, but we still like to pause at the spot and think of him.)
Releasing Gramma's butterflies the next morning:
Different day, different beach:
We made our requisite trip to Safe Harbor for delicious fish and shrimp with a view of the river, followed by Mayport Princess pictures and gull feeding (we can't help ourselves - it's become tradition and a trip to Gramma's house just isn't the same without it):
(Throwing fries at mama and Gramma...)
