A Marsh and a Big Seafood Dinner

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Gulf Islands National Seashore, Gulf Breeze, Florida

It was sort of a combination down-day, sightseeing day. It didn't help that it was completely overcast and pretty windy. We didn't have anything really specific planned and, being a little tired, sleeping in sounded attractive. On sleep-in days, though, I still have to wake up with the alarm at six, get dressed, then walk and feed the girls. For reasons I just don't understand, they don't get the idea of sleeping in. In fact, usually, when the days are getting longer, they are up on the bed crawling all over us just before six. Kind of hard to snooze when Smooch is on my body like a mountain goat, pawing at my neck and looking expectantly into my eyes. So the dogs wake up when THEY want to wake up and our snoozing schedule doesn't count. But after all that's done, they settle down and allow us to go back to sleep.

So we finally get up around 8 and do the normal routine involving a lot of device-time - things like writing, posting, reviewing the New York Times, email, Facebook, and the weather. I look at the bank and credit card transactions sometimes, just to make sure there is nothing fishy going on (and wonder how we're going to pay for all the gasoline, campsite, and restaurant credit card bills!). Finally, we make a bigger breakfast than normal, this morning it was bacon, and scrambled eggs over toast smothered in cheese and salsa (We usually, then, don't eat a lunch!)

Yesterday morning, though, was also time with the girls. There was a walking path leading west out of the campground that looked interesting and dogs, on leashes, were allowed. So we took them out. It was an interesting walk through a fresh-water marsh. There were interpretive signs on the plants which included things like palmetto and something called 'vomitoria' which apparently was used by Indians to produce the name-sake effect. Lots of cane and, overall, a very abundant repository of plant life, which in turn, kept a zoo-full of animals going on the island ranging from frogs and snakes, to birds, to armadillos. (We didn't see much of anything except birds - osprey and bald eagle nest here - and lots of insects.)

What I found interesting is that this is a fresh-water marsh, in the middle of an island. Turns out that the island gets around 55 inches of rain a year and that tends to keep this center depression in the island full. Furthermore, freshwater is lighter than saltwater, so it tends to float on the water table. Result is a natural supply of drinking water for the teeming wildlife.

The girls seemed to relax a bit on this walk. Fleur took point, as she always does and sniffed at everything, but rarely left the path. Smooch stayed closely by us, but stopped occasionally to sample. I'm wondering if one important issue for them is the constant pounding of the surf on this island. We don't hear it so much, but I'll bet they do - and it never goes away.

After the walk, we headed into town to get some basics, like bread and eggs. Unfortunately they don't have a full scale grocery store on the island - you have to go back over the toll bridge onto the mainland to find that. We didn't want to travel that far, so we gave up on fresh salad fixings, for now, at least.

Tired after all that activity (I'm joking), we slept for an hour, then enjoyed a cocktail outside - in the breeze. Finally, around 4:45, we headed out to a restaurant for dinner. I had remembered that I have had some fine seafood meals down here on the panhandle when I came to the Fort Walton Beach area for Lockheed Martin. I told Joan we needed to do that while here. She found one close in called Flounders that received good reviews, so we went there.

Here it is what is normally considered early, and the parking lot was full. We had to park in the beach parking area across the street. And this restaurant is not small. It had three sections, a regular room with walls, an enclosed patio, and an open-air outside patio. They also had a kids play area, volleyball nets, a pier to walk out on, at least three bars and, on and on. The place was already pretty lively, but by the time we left, the line snaked well outside the restaurant. And this was in March! Our waiter told us the wait-line usually continues until well after 11:00 during the summer season.

And there is a good reason, the servings are huge. I ordered a shrimp boat, full of probably seven or eight different kinds of shrimp. There was a skewer of grilled shrimp, a bowl of cocktail shrimp, a half-dozen fried, several, boiled, peel-your-own, and all of that was served over a plateful of popcorn shrimp, French fries, and hush puppies. You washed it down with one of their 'diesel fuel' cocktails, a 32 ounce mason jar filled with gin, whiskey, triplesec, vodka, and fruit juices. For the first time in a long time, I had to ask for a take-home box. But we had to order the key-lime pie, which was actually slices of three different versions of a key lime pie, stacked on top of each other and covered in whip cream. We couldn't finish that either. Food was more an experience in quantity over quality, but if you want the Gulf coast-beach-seafood-house experience, I can't imagine a better choice.

I had wanted to go for a stroll on the beach, at sunset, after dinner. However, the thick clouds pretty well hid the sun, and it was very windy. But we spent a little time out there anyway, watching the angry surf pound the shore. Forecast is for thunderstorms today, but we were planning on moving eastward anyway. This is certainly not our last seashore on this trip, but Gulf Islands will be tough to beat. (17.1.17

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Photos

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Down to the Marsh

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Joan, the Tree Hugger

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Yep, its a Marsh

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More Marsh

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Oat Grass

Comments

[Mickey]

FOOD, glorious FOOD
I love shrimp. If Evelyn and I go there, we would have to split the dish. What is the name of the restaurant?

[MisterParks]

Flounders.
At the main intersection.