Greetings from the North Pole!!! Yes, we are in Sandestin, FL, but it has just temporarily become the North Pole -- just in time for our visit. It has been fairly cool here in Sandestin -- high's not quite reaching 70, and low's in the 40's with wind chills of 36 degrees. The wind has been blowing at about 15 MPH with gusts of up to 25 MPH coming from the north. Yesterday the wind was so strong it was actually blowing the water back into the ocean.
But let me get back to the beginning. I've been in the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort since last Tuesday, coming down here for 3 days of meetings with "Destin Memories, LLC", the rental company I work for. Our owner (and my friend and partner in my condo), Tania Alini, has purchased some expensive software and a server to turn this rental business from 4 women renting with spreadsheets, to a real business. There is good and bad to that, by the way. But I won't bore you with THAT story.
And at the same time, I have 3 extremely great friends who all met in Lexington, KY and we've gone different directions in different parts of the country. My friend Leslie Salter of Baton Rouge, thought we should have a long weekend with just the girls to have fun, remember all our good times, and makes new ones. And we were all able to coordinate our schedules so that we could spend 4 days at the Sandestin resort right after my meetings. I also want to thank Lillian Brooks, the owner of this FABULOUS 2BR/2BA condo on the 18th floor of the Beachside II (www.vrbo.com/26571 -- should you be interested in a rental). She allowed our little group to use her condo -- THANK YOU SO MUCH, LILLIAN.
So who are the members of this fun little group. Look at this picture -- on the left side is Merideth Hurley of Athens, GA; then Leslie Salter of Baton Rouge, LA; then Judi Tudor of Lexington, KY; and then myself -- of
Ellijay, GA. As I said, we all met in Lexington, and we are all horse people. Judi still resides in Lexington, works in the horse industry, and has a lovely Dutch Warmblood, Uptopia, that she shows Prix St. George and Intermediare I (very upper levels of dressage). Leslie has a beautiful 7 year old, Roxanna, WHO IS FOR SALE (should anyone be interested, you can contact me for Leslie's phone #). Merideth has her horse Bree in Georgia and is moving up to 2nd level. I have the "infamous" Ludo -- who is still lame, but should be starting his rehabilitation soon. So the book is still open on him.
We have had a fabulous time. Friday night after everyone arrived, we went to a restaurant in the Village of Baytowne Wharf known as "Poppy's". The meal was great -- blackened Lobster and steak (which was delicious). You can tell I haven't been to a fancy restaurant in a while, as I picked up the drink tab from the bar, and it was $40 for 4 drinks (2 beers, wine, and a margarita) -- didn't know the "adult beverages" were quite so expensive. We had wanted to spend time on the beach, but as I said in the first paragraph, it has been very cool with strong winds. So instead, we went shopping (this should surprise no one who knows any of us). Off to the Silver Sands Outlet mall, where we spent most of the day finding clothes for Judi. She needs new outfits for her 3 month stay in Wellington, FL, where she goes each year working for Kathy Priest, professional horse trainer from Lexington. And I must say we found some very cute things for Judi. I also got caught up in the frenzy and bought some clothes -- that I didn't need, but I liked.
It was a group decisions that we should not cook -- which had no bearing on me, since I the only one in the group who really doesn't cook. My friends, on the other hand, are excellent cooks. But Judi had looked at a map of Destin and picked out the "Whale's Tail" as the place we should go. Found it -- restaurant had burnt down. There was still a bar, and the first picture of us on the beach was taken here by a nice guy who offered to ge t us all in the picture. So down the street we went to Pompano Joe's -- a great seafood place that sits right on the beach.
That evening (Saturday), Destin was holding a little festival for "The Best of the Emerald Coast", which is a contest they hold each year, picking "the best" bagel, the best steak restaurant, the best asian, the best BBQ -- you get the idea. And they have an evening when each of these "best" places set up a booth and give samples of their food to those of us willing to pay $25 to attend. But it was fun, fabulous, and I was totally stuffed at the end of the evening. Did I mention, IT WAS COLD? We did some shopping, just to get in out of the wind, and finally, we could stand it no longer and had to leave. We probably tried about 2/3's of the restaurant food booths (and there were so many).
Sunday I had planned to take another long walk on the beach early in the morning (since I am the early riser of the group, and the rest usually sleep late). I turned on the Weather Channel to find we had a 34 degree wind chill, so I decided I was probably n ot going out. Instead, we got up, got ready, and went to a beautiful town down the coast called "Seaside". This is a town of cobblestone streets lined by trees and lush greenery, white picket fences, and gingerbread cottages in all sorts of pastel colors. You would swear it had been built for a movie, but the town was already thriving when
the Jim Carey movie, "The Truman Show", was filmed here. And they have good food and good shopping, and the town sits on the beach. So what's not to enjoy -- if you get to this area, you must visit.
Sunday I had planned to take another long walk on the beach early in the morning (since I am the early riser of the group, and the rest usually sleep late). I turned on the Weather Channel to find we had a 34 degree wind chill, so I decided I was probably n ot going out. Instead, we got up, got ready, and went to a beautiful town down the coast called "Seaside". This is a town of cobblestone streets lined by trees and lush greenery, white picket fences, and gingerbread cottages in all sorts of pastel colors. You would swear it had been built for a movie, but the town was already thriving when
Even the birds have pastel cottages in Seaside.
We walked on the beach in Seaside, and it felt warm and not too windy. So we headed back to Sandestin and "our" beach -- only to freeze our butts off!! After carting down the beach chairs (which, by the way, you can carry on your back like a backpack), setting up and opening our books, we did stay for a while. Judi is always moving, so she was walking up and down the beach, talking to other brave souls who came out to enjoy the ocean, looking at a jelly fish, etc. Finally we couldn't take it an y longer, and we had to pack up and go inside.
Judi and Merideth did decide later that night they were hungry, but Leslie and I felt between the "Best of the Emerald Coast", and eating at the "Great Southern Restaurant" in Seaside, our stomachs would totally rebel if we ate anything else. So for us, it was an evening watching "Top Gun" (where we both really enjoy the beach volley ball part of the movie). Merideth and Judy headed to "Finz", which is a great seafood place right next to our building in Sandestin.
Monday......we started off the day with the best brunch EVER!!! At a restaurant called "Another Broken Egg" in the Village at Baytowne Wharf. According to the menu, this restaurant actually started in Louisiana, not far from Baton Rouge, so Leslie knew right where it was located. It is a very cute place with a country feel, and if you go, you absolutely must start with the Baked Brie Delight. It is softened brie cheese smothered with sauteed diced apples, raisins and pecans in a sweet Grand Marnier and butter sauce and served with lightly toasted french bread for spreading. It is absolutely "to die for". This is what they were serving at the "Best of the Emerald Coast" on Saturday night, and the real version is just fabulous. We didn't leave a raisin or walnut on the plate. And the breakfasts are just wonderful. I had an omelet with shrimp, crawfish, mushrooms, and ham -- just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
We walked around the Village and checked out the little shops. Now here is something most of you would not believe. I bought a really cute black sweater with leather star appliques stitched on the side, down the back, and on the hood. The unbelievable part is that this sweater is "famous" for being worn by Madonna and Brittney Spears (not this specific sweater, but the style). There are write-up's about the sweater, and they sell for around $500 in some places (like LA). The one I bought was the last one in the store for $69. I really like it, but quite frankly, I'm checking the Internet and e-Bay -- if I can sell it for more, Ms. Sweater will have a new home.
Okay......last restaurant. We went to another "Best", but this restaurant had won the trifecta -- Best Causal Dining, Best Seafood, and Best Sushi. It's Harbor Docks in Destin. It sits right on the harbor and your view is of the fishing boats tied up at the dock, ready to head to sea in the morning. The seafood was great -- my friends all tried one of the fresh catch of the day fishes -- like trigger fish, red grouper, etc. I, on the other hand, wanted MEAT. A 9oz. (huge) fillet with 2 jumbo crab meat stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon (the item they served at the "best" gathering). It was fabulous, so I would also highly recommend this place if you come to the Destin area.
Tuesday we were all homeward bound. The condo was fabulous, as was the food. But the best part was spending 4 days talking, talking, talking!!! We've decided this should be an annual event for us -- so we might be doing this trip again next year.
We walked around the Village and checked out the little shops. Now here is something most of you would not believe. I bought a really cute black sweater with leather star appliques stitched on the side, down the back, and on the hood. The unbelievable part is that this sweater is "famous" for being worn by Madonna and Brittney Spears (not this specific sweater, but the style). There are write-up's about the sweater, and they sell for around $500 in some places (like LA). The one I bought was the last one in the store for $69. I really like it, but quite frankly, I'm checking the Internet and e-Bay -- if I can sell it for more, Ms. Sweater will have a new home.
Okay......last restaurant. We went to another "Best", but this restaurant had won the trifecta -- Best Causal Dining, Best Seafood, and Best Sushi. It's Harbor Docks in Destin. It sits right on the harbor and your view is of the fishing boats tied up at the dock, ready to head to sea in the morning. The seafood was great -- my friends all tried one of the fresh catch of the day fishes -- like trigger fish, red grouper, etc. I, on the other hand, wanted MEAT. A 9oz. (huge) fillet with 2 jumbo crab meat stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon (the item they served at the "best" gathering). It was fabulous, so I would also highly recommend this place if you come to the Destin area.
Tuesday we were all homeward bound. The condo was fabulous, as was the food. But the best part was spending 4 days talking, talking, talking!!! We've decided this should be an annual event for us -- so we might be doing this trip again next year.
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