How to avoid cleaning the house

Sunday May 5, 2013
Site 25, Henderson Beach State Park
Destin, Florida

 

 

Guess I didn’t get up quite early enough.

 

 

I wore my earplugs to bed last night and I sleep uninterrupted until 6:30 which is very nice. David has said he wants to get up and go to the Donut Hole and try their wares so I think this means early since they open at 7:00.  I wait for him to make his move.  I guess 7:45 is his definition of early.  I’m a sunrise type myself. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the time we get there at 8:30 the line for a table is out the door.  Luckily, the line for just donuts is only two deep.  BUT they are already out of sticky buns my #1 favorite.  DRAT!   Should have gotten up and out when I woke up.   So I substitute some danish for what I really want.  But David gets one of the famous GIANT apple fritters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way out I glance in the cakes case and see clearly that I should have gotten a piece of that great looking German Chocolate cake.   Oh well, just a little too late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This fritter is really huge and as you can see he certainly is enjoying it.

The sun was shining and the winds were calm when we left for the short trip.  By the time we finish eating, the wind has picked up to 20mph and the clouds have rolled in.  It’s about 10:00.

 

 

OK so now what? We’re at the beach and it’s cloudy, very windy and looks like rain.

What to do?  Well chores of course.  The house needs cleaning, seriously,  but that subject never comes up.  We do the laundry though.   We take the bike cart with all the laundry gear and ride down to the bath house where there are 2 washers and two dryers.  All $2.00 each.   I put them in the washers and we ride back.  30 minutes later it is spitting rain.  The weather persons had previously assured us the chance of rain today was zero percent. 

I ride back up the laundry in the spitting rain. Just after I get in under cover, the skies open up and it pours.  Lucky me.

 

 

I meet the most interesting people doing the laundry.

While I move the clothes to the dryer, I chat with a couple who are doing their dishes.  Well he’s there doing the dishes and she comes riding up in the rain with his raincoat.  Isn’t that sweet??   Shortly after we begin talking, David comes up in the car to see if I need a ride back.  But the rain has stopped by that time.  Isn’t he sweet too?

I learn they had lived for 4 years on a sailboat in the Caribbean and now own a house and an older 1998 RV.   They both are sorry not to own the boat anymore.  The story of why they sold it and switched to RVing is a tale of house renting and taxes.   The sailboat sounds like a great life to me.  But the start up price is out of my league and I’d need someone who actually knows how to sail.  Oh well….you do meet the most interesting people.

 

When I go back to get the things out of the dryer, a few of them aren’t quite dry, a perfect excuse to hang them on the line.  I love clothes hanging on the line and at the farm never used the dryer except in the winter.  I love seeing them there flapping in the breeze and I love the fresh smell.  When RVing there usually isn’t enough line to hang all the laundry out but towels are great with that fresh air smell.   It’s really nice when parks put up these clothes poles so they don’t have to put signs all over saying “don’t tie ropes to the trees”.  Points for Henderson Beach.  We’ll see how long the clothes can stay out before the next rain shower.  I’ll be keeping my eye peeled.

 

 

I’ve forgotten to mention that I’ve been walking on air ever since I first arrived at Henderson.

 

At the strong recommendations in a post by Pam from Travelin’ in the Big EZ, I ordered a pair of Oofos to replace my aging and talking flip flops.  These things are fantastic.  At $40 they were a bit of a pricey for flip flops I thought, but I am oh so glad I got them.  They look indestructible.  They might last forever.  My feet are in love.

 

 

 

 

By now it’s lunch time.  I didn’t have the GIANT apple fritter and my peanut butter filled chocolate iced donut will only keep me for so long.

 

 

David is making hummus for our lunch sandwiches.  This time it’s with garlic and fresh sage.  This is the perfect time to prune one of the herbs so this hummus will be garlic-sage.  Delicious.  And even more so on rye toast with spinach, tomato and avocado.   With the weather being iffy and the choices of things to do, if you don’t care to shop, limited by the weather, we seem to be focusing on food.  Sorry about that for those of you who like our hiking/biking/kayaking adventures.

 

Well some of us don’t care to shop I guess is the real truth.

David decides that with Home Debto right across the road he really would like to go shopping. Being in the middle of a huge commercial area is quite a danger to our spending practices.  I much prefer ‘buy nothing days’ and that’s way easier to do if you are in an out of the way spot.  But he wants to go and get who knows what.  I much prefer the beach so I’m taking my chances with the wind and 0% chance of rain forecast.

 

Not only is there no further rain, it turns into a gorgeous blue sky puffy white cloud day. 

 

There is only one connector for the trailer to a bike and David originally put it on his. So he pedals down to the boardwalk and graciously helps me take the cart down to the water.  It’s not difficult since the trailer is light and easy to maneuver.  The boardwalk is just the most lovely walk.  But It’s pretty clear the winds have picked up and it’s looking more and more  like this gorgeous though slightly cool beach day may not happen because of them.

 

 

Not one person on the beach and no wonder.

 

 

 

Look at the white caps rolling in behind me.  This is the Gulf not the Atlantic.  I have to hold my hat in my hand not to lose it. The winds are enough to knock you down.  So back we go.  No beach today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going down and immediately back up the boardwalk is no problem.  It is just the most lovely walk in the park. 

 

 

On the way back, I notice the beach magnolia has more flowers. 

Wish the wind would blow their scent my way.  I have to brace the camera on the railing to get these pictures.  It’s clear my camera cannot capture the wind blowing even as it tries to knock the camera out of my hand.

 

 

 

So what else can I do other than clean the house?

I’m sure I can come up with something.  The foliage around our site  protect the patio from the wind so of course does Winnona.  I take up residence out there.  This time I have Walela and Leonard Cohen in my ears.

 

David returns from shopping and amazingly has bought only a couple of back up house water filters and two cans of scotch guard water shield.  Both things we need.  Seems he had a wonderful time in the boys toy store.  I’m talking on the phone to my 92 year old father who is now living in Brighton, Colorado when he returns.

The wind never does die down and neither does the traffic so we have our delicious spaghetti dinner inside at the dinette.   And of course I have ice cream for dessert.  A more modest amount from now on after that first serving on Friday.

Hopefully the weather will be looking up tomorrow.  We only have two more days here and haven’t been able to spend any time on the beach yet.