We haven't had too many specific activity goals for this week, but one of them was to go on a family bike ride.
I rented a bike last year, and I took Joshua and Clara on a long ride in the trailer. But this year we wanted everyone to go, so we rented two bikes, and we got a trailer for Clara and Hannah, and a Weehoo for Joshua, which is trailer bike which allows the kid to pedal if he or she wants, but it won't impede anything if they don't. We weren't sure how far we could go, both because the kids might get tired or bored, but also because Meghan was worried she would get too tired as well. But we headed out hoping for the best.
Alys beach is the next neighborhood over, and we barely made it there before we knew it wasn't going to work. But it was because Clara hated it. I think it was an expectations issue, as she was told we were going to be riding bikes, which to her means riding her "tiny bike" in our cul-de-sac at home, not being trapped in a trailer. So we decided to take a break at the park, where the older two climbed the bizarre grass hill, and where Meghan had a conversation with Clara about how we would proceed. We all decided to try Joshua in the trailer with Hannah after he agreed to it, which let Clara sit in the Weehoo.
We did that arrangement on the way home, and as you can see, she was much happier. But I had also really been hoping for a long ride like last year. I had planned to take Joshua separately after the family ride, but by the time we got home he was wanting to go in the pool, and Clara was really happy riding in the Weehoo, so I changed plans and took her. So the two of us set out westward on 30-A. We made it a little further than I went last year, and we stopped for lunch at a seafood place where she devoured some fries and I indulged in the fried shrimp. Energized, we began our trek home, resulting in slightly over 12 miles roundtrip. It was a lot of fun. I really like biking, and I'm starting to wonder if that's an activity/hobby that I should consider doing back home.
Tonight was our planned group dinner out at a restaurant. We stopped by the sign to our community to get a few pictures. We then went to La Cocina, which was a place Meghan and the kids and I had gone last year, and I thought it would be a good fit for the whole group this year. The food was great (try the seafood quesadilla!), and it turned out to be perfect for what we needed.
Last year when we were here, I walked to Rosemary Beach to get some take-out food, and I noticed what appeared to be an extended family just hanging out during twilight on one of the green areas, enjoying some snacks from the Sugar Shak. The looked like there were having so much fun and were happy to be spending time together. That was when I had the inspiration to try to make the next year's trip an extended family trip. Meghan thought it was a great idea, so that's how this year's trip was born. So tonight I wanted us to do just that. After dinner we made the short walk over the the Sugar Shak in Rosemary Beach and bought some ice cream and candy for those who wanted it. On the way there, we encountered a little pig statue in front of a BBQ place. The kids were intrigued. Then after the Sugar Shak on the way to the green area, a cat (who looked a lot like Alex) appeared out of nowhere and walked beside Grandpa. He was a really friendly cat, so we petted him while wondering/worrying if he had a home. But he probably did, and there wasn't anything we could do about it anyway.
We walked down the street toward the beach to the Western Green, passing the Pearl Hotel on the way, which looks beautiful at night when lit up.
The green is just a big, pretty, flat, open grassy area with some seating surrounding it. On the south end it connects with the stairs down to the beach, so you can hear the ocean waves crashing as you sit, which was nice. We sat down to enjoy our treats, but the kids mostly ran around. It didn't help that they were also consuming sugar at the same time. Joshua, as he tends to do, made a huge mess, but it's the last day of our trip, so we'll be able to wash his shirt when we get home.
This was our last full day here, and tomorrow we have to drive home. It's been a really fun and really nice vacation, and we're sad it has to end. I think we could happily do this for another week, or for the rest of our lives for that matter, but I suspect my company might stop paying me at some point, so I suppose we will head back. We were talking tonight how it's nice that we all live so close now such that we're all actually going back to the same town, even though we live in four different houses! So thankfully we won't have to wait long to see everyone again.
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