Back from the holidays, first guests, Shalimar to Sandestin to Panama City and Port St. Joe

We had an amazing Christmas back home and I would be remiss if I didn't include some family photos, especially since grandchild number 4 was born while we were in Iowa. The photos include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and early January since we were not all together at one time. We are blessed to have 4 children, 2 son-in-laws and 4 grandchildren. Our daughter, Kelley lives in Nebraska and is married to Ethan and they have Edith (3) and Aurelia (1), Nick is our son in Idaho, currently in Lineman College. Our daughter Caitlin lives in Iowa and is married to Henry and they have Connor (1) and their newest, Claire, born December 27. Our youngest daughter is Carolyn and she is in her last semester of college in Kentucky and applying to Law schools.

On January 7, 2026, we arrived back at Two Georges Marina in Shalimar, Florida where our boat had been for 3 weeks and got ready for our first guests! Our good and long-time friends, Bob and Teresa, were scheduled to arrive the next day. We met in the early days of Tim and Bob's Marine Corps service 40 years ago. Since Bob is a pilot for the airlines, they were hoping to fly "deadhead" to join us for a few days, depending on if they could get flights. That did work out and they joined us January 8 and we had planned to head over to Sandestin. However the fog never lifted that day so we took an Uber to nearby Ft. Walton Beach for dinner. It was wonderful to "pick up where we left off" as can be done with old and close friends since we hadn't all been together for many years. The next day, Friday, the fog lifted, even though the winds were more than desired we were able to head to Sandestin, Florida to Baytowne Marina. This was next to The Village of Baytowne Wharf with many restaurants, shops, arcades, and an ice rink and is great for all ages. We had a great time touring the area using the courtesy golf cart that the marina offered, although we later learned how close it was and walked there. Tim even tried his hand at the shooting arcade featuring Mater from the movie Cars.

Saturday we were excited to move on to Panama City and Panama City Beach because we were meeting up with another friend from the Marine Corps, John, who lives there! We headed to Sun Harbor Marina in Panama City, newly remodeled after hurricanes. The facilities  and staff were excellent. Many of the staff are former Coast Guard so we learned a lot about proper backing in and tying up for tides. On the way we were treated to many dolphins swimming near the boat. Teresa captured great photos of the crew at work, and also of Ann driving since that is not as common. Once at the Marina , John picked us up and we went to lunch at Hunt's Oyster Bar in the nearby St. Andrews. This is an area with newer bars and restaurants on the bay built up after hurricanes. Later John took us to Panama City Beach to Harpoon Harry's to enjoy the sunset, then back to the boat for charcuterie. John and his daughter Joanna were amazing hosts and we appreciated all of the rides and tours of the area. The best part was the camaraderie of old Marine friendships. On Sunday our guests had to leave and the weather turned chilly so we worked on laundry, cleaning and provisioning for the next day's move to Port St. Joe.  More on Port St. Joe and crossing the gulf to  Tarpon Springs in the next blog.