Panama City Beach Vacation 2022

Scallop shell on our beach blanket

Panama City Beach Vacation 2022

 Sat. Oct. 1 through Sunday Oct. 9, 2022

Kenny, Dana, Gabe, Mia Koogler

Jared & Lydia Koogler

Adam, Crystal, Michael & Tessa Lindsey

Mike & Renaee Lindsey

Joe, Bethany, Averie and Walter Lindsey

Aunt Jenny Benson

Laura & Shane Ferrara

Panama City Beach Pix

    2022 has been a different kind of year for me.  I am usually pretty self directing in my plans, but this year I have done things differently.  My son-in-law, Adam, is pretty special to me as is my daughter and their children.  2021 was a tough year. I guess I decided it was time to try a new way of living to see if it would be an improvement.  It has been.  I have done what I feel like is a lot of jumping on the band wagon, but instead of being a negative, it has been a real positive change.

 

    We went as a big family group to Fall Creek Falls State Park on Spring break.

It snowed and was the coldest weather we've had all year!  But we had fun despite it.   We all went to Myrtle Beach together as a family as soon as school let out.

While there we were sitting around the campfire and Adam said they were going on Fall break to Panama City Beach.  The next thing I knew Kenny was on the phone and had booked a campsite.  It was meant to be because we got a spot near the rest of the family immediately.    

     I had long wanted that Hallmark family vacation where I had all my kids and grandkids together enjoying one another.   I finally got my wish.  This year it worked out.  Lydia was working for a hotel chain and was able to book them lodging at a very low price. They found a hotel in that chain 2 miles from our campground.   Our camper will not sleep more than four people.    It went well and has turned out to be one of the all time most relaxing, fun trips. 

   We were traveling with 23 month old granddaughter.  We were worried how that was going to work out.  Kenny wisely bought and installed two dvd players in the truck on the backs of the headrests.    Those and headphones kept things peaceful and fun for the kiddos.    We also planned ahead and split the trip in half.  We'd travel to Birmingham, Alabama and spend one night. We'd finish up the drive the next day to Panama City Beach and our campground.  Mike and Renaee were already down there having left a week earlier. They invited us, but it just didn't work out to go that far ahead of time.  

             We had the additional challenge of our sweet nephew Matthew passing away in Virginia a couple days before hand.   We still managed to get to Virginia for the funeral home/family night and a nice visit with family there.  We made it back Friday afternoon late and got the kids and got packed.  We rolled out Saturday morning around 9:30 a.m.  Not too shabby.  It was a sad time too.

I was down at times to where I just didn't much care about going, but we had promised the kids and I wasn't going to let them down.

    Birmingham, Alabama

    I had been to Alabama before, but never to Birmingham.  We stayed at Birmingham South RV Park for a night.  It was great.  They had a beautiful pool.

Super nice playground.  The staff was very nice to us and professional. It was a great family atmosphere. I'd certainly go back.   We went swimming, but the nighttime temperatures were dipping down into the 40s-50s.   The pool was cold, even for me.  The kids and I got in and went swimming, but they did not stay in long nor could I blame them.    We got out and went back to the camper and got dry and went outdoors to the playground. That was a lot more fun.  

    They spent a great deal of time romping and getting out some of their energy.

We made sure to do that again before moving out the next day.    I had never been to Panama City Beach. I know Lydia, Adam & Crystal and their kids had been before.  Another novelty for me was I always avoided going to the coast during hurricane season in the Fall.    Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida while we were in Virginia.  It demolished the causeway to Sanibel Island. It destroyed Ft. Meyers.

It really hurt central Florida, Cuba and some of the outlying barrier islands.

Despite all of that, we were blessed.  Panama City Beach was spared.  It had zero effect on that area. Our own state got just a skiff of rain off the storm.  

       Below: Gabe in the kids cabin 

Above: Back of the camp store and office.  The playground was fenced for safety. 

Above and below: Mia goes down the slide

Above: Mia wants to swing. She cannot say it and calls it sim. 

Above: the back & side of our camper

Above: These folks had some fun Halloween decorations out! The kids loved them.

Above: Gabe masters the fireman pole. I helped him get over to it, but then he could slide down himself. 

  The drive on day two was where the tough part came in.  That gets down to two lane roads and lower speed limits and lots of inconvenience.  You don't fully appreciate how our interstate systems are set up until you spend much time driving on two lane roads with a big rig camper and two small kids.   It was a difficult thing to find a place that was suitable to pull over to get a quick bite to eat and get going again.    I was so glad when we were able to get back on four lane roads and back to civilization.  We did not get straightened out from that until we passed Defuniak Springs, Florida.   We did pass some very charming rural scenery like cotton fields and farms. I liked that and the Autumn colors creeping into the countryside.   Below is a snapshot taken with my cell phone from a moving vehicle.  I liked the cotton field so much I drew a sketch of it using this for inspiration.

Below is a colored pencil sketch I was playing around with.    I had a friend tell me I was pushing myself toward Facebook jail for drawing cotton fields which are no longer P.C.   I have never been accused of being "woke" or politically correct. Gabe is proof that we are mixed. He has genetic mosaicism and his left leg is like a chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream cone.  The white cells are caucasian, the melanistic cells.. brown skin are negroid.  Two of my other grandchildren have it as well, but in smaller doses.  I love it!  The remind us that it is just color and that it is all beautiful.

I'm in Morgan Freeman's camp.. let's quit talkin' about it.  (24 seconds in) 

Arriving in Panama City Beach--Racoon River Campground

  We survived the two lane highway travels.  We arrived at Panama City Beach and the Racoon River Campground around 3:30 pm on Sunday. We were exhausted, but happy to be there.   The campground would be our home for the next week. We had chosen well. Adam did a great job picking this place.   It is two blocks from the beach.   It is in a quiet, rural setting with tall pines and palmetto trees.

Above: cobalt blue skies and tall pines.  

Below: 13 year old grandson Michael on his dad's electric bike

Below: front of our camper 

Below: Gabe in Adam's hammock

    The first day we arrived was late. We had to get the camper set up.  We had to get groceries.   We were wrung out from the five hour drive.   I know I was more tired than I had expected to be on Sunday. It was catching up with me.  We did not do a lot that day.   I did not want to go swimming or anything. I just wanted to get settled and rest.    Monday was a better day.  I am a little mixed up on exactly what day things took place.  One of the things we did was go to Shell Island on a rented pontoon boat.   That was fun, but not as fun as I'd imagined.  The boat ride was nice.  We saw a dolphin in St. Andrews Bay.   The island was pretty, but it did not have a lot of shells like I had seen photos of.   We found a few. I found my very first ever sand dollar and it was whole, but it was tiny!  

       Brown and white pelicans flew. Sea gulls also.  Tyndall Air base is south of Shell Island and we saw lots of F 15's and other military air craft doing maneuvers. It was very cool. We saw helicopters and a few boats out on the Gulf of Mexico.  

You can't take the pontoons into the gulf.   We saw crabs and hermit crabs.  I enjoyed the breeze and the sugar white sand and blue skies. The ocean was ribbons of crystal/ silver/aquamarine/jade/ and cobalt blue.   We spent about four hours on this. I was glad to have gotten to experience it, but I'm in no hurry to go back.

     Below: some type of rose gentian on the beach

The dunes on the island

Big skies and pale jade waters

Above: hermit crab

Above: Adam and Aunt Jenny

Below: Papaw and Michael

Below: crab.. the kids caught lots of these. Michael is holding this one

Below: Walter

Below: grandson Michael

Above: Laura Reagan's dad, Hoppy? Walter and Michael

Below: Kenny with a bucket of shells.

     

Below: F 15s performing routine patrols and maneuvers out of Tyndall AFB

         

   I realized writing this up that I did not get photos of a lot of things.  I missed a lot of photos of Tessa and other family members, but I still did better than at Myrtle Beach.   I can't be too hard on myself.  I want to enjoy the experience and be in the moment. I don't want to spend every second trying to document the events.

That defeats the purpose of going.

Here is a video of the kids playing in the surf.

 

         Conservation Park Hike 

  Once again I find that even the order of my photos as they come out of the camera isn't much help in recalling exactly what took place what days.  One day while we were there I got to do something I'd been wanting to try.   I had wanted to hike Conservation Park which was less than eight miles from where we were staying.  The other beauty part of going with a large family group is that you can help one another with kids.  That way parents get a date night or a day to themselves to do what they wish to do.    Crystal graciously offered to watch the kids so we could go do this hike.    

         The day was clear with blue skies and a slight overcast.  It had been cool especially in the mornings.   I was loving this weather and seeing why folks take the chance on going to the beach in Fall.  No crowds.  Better weather aside from the hurricane risk the temperatures are ideal.   We found the place with no problems and it was very nice. It lived up to the reviews.  It sees a fair amount of use and gets good reviews.  They have the trails very well marked and maintained. Boardwalks are constructed and kept up.  There is a visitor center with info, ample parking, water fountains, restrooms, and an abundance of trail maps.  There is a picnic pavilion and some benches for sitting.  They have an outdoor amphitheater class room also.  The info kiosk tells you the big things to lookout for primarily alligators, snakes and black bears.   We did not see any critters except for birds, butterflies, lizards, and one squirrel.  

        

         Below: anole on a fence at the start of our hike

Below: a field of goldenrod and tall pines

Below: bluest skies and tall long leaf pines, cactus pines, goldenrod and pink muhlenberg grass. 

Below:  a monarch butterfly on blazing star. I saw three species of blazing star today.  The monarch butterfly migration to Mexico was taking place while we were down in Florida.  It was amazing to behold.  I also saw a lot of Great Spangled frittilary butterflies.

Below:  vanilla plant with a grasshopper.  It smells wonderful. It does have a vanilla scent and the air today was sweet smelling. It was all around!

Below:  board walk through the cypress pond.  Well constructed and protective. 

Below: Cypress Pond.  it was neon green.  This viewed from satellite can look like hi liter pen yellow!

Below: a buckeye butterfly.. saw lots of these this week... on bidens alba.. the white flowers

Below: pond cypress trees.. they dominate the wet areas.

   We enjoyed the hike today. It was different. It was beautiful in its own way and we got some exercise.  It was cool to have a first time experience with hiking in Florida.  It would be interesting to hike here in another season to hunt orchids or carnivorous plants.

Below:  Great spangled frittilary butterfly

   

Panama City Beach 

     I am a person who likes the beach just for the beach itself and the water.   Two  of the highlights of this trip were experiencing Panama City Beach for the first time myself, and seeing my little granddaughter experience the beach (any beach) for the first time. It was only Gabe's third ever beach trip.  All of my grandkids are water dogs, but I think Mia may be the most enraptured of the ocean.  We shall see, but unless she changes she is all about Mother Ocean.    

       The very first time out there she liked it, but she was a little reticent.  It did not take her long to warm up and gain confidence.  I watched her each trip out to the water become more and more in love with the sand and water.  By the time we spent our last day on the shores and in the water she was totally gone.  She had her little floaty on and was in the water.  She did not want anyone to touch her. She wanted freedom.  We gave her as much of that as we could. I stayed nearby or one of us grown people did at all times, but kept our hands off her as much as possible. That was what she wanted and needed.  If I live to be 100 I will never forget seeing her spread her little arms open wide and look up to the sky and yell "I'm ME!"

I know exactly how that feels and what she meant.  I think she has my attitude problems, my ghetto booty, and hopefully my zest for life.  

        Below: Day one on the beach.. Mia and Gabe.. the two folks in the corner of the image are just passersby

Above:  Mia crawls in the surf. Averie is sitting by her.  

I realized in going through the images this is one thing I failed to take many photos of.. Mia. I was the one mainly supervising her so I was not operating the camera in the water.  This is one thing I will remedy before the next beach trip.  I am asking Santa for a new Go Pro for Christmas.  The new ones are easier to manage in and around the water!  I will see if Lydia took any good photos for this report. Laura may also have some.   

Below is a video of Mia's first time in the ocean

    

Above:  Jared and Mia 

Below: Tessa, Jared, Mia and Lydia bury Gabe in the sand at his request. They are making him some mermaid boobs which he did NOT ask for! bah ha!

Below" the mermaid boobs have been erased, but now Mia is sprinkling Gabe with sand! 

Above: Grandson Michael with the pier in the background

Above: Averie in the corner, but Crystal and Adam are setting the canopy up. 

Above: Tessa, Walter, Gabe and Averie in the water. They are looking for fish.

We had one day where the jellyfish were horrible. They were so bad that they had shed their stinging cells into the water.  Just walking in the surf you'd start stinging and burning.  They had shed tentacles and cells enough they lit us up.  Gabe, Michael, me, and several others got stung.  Gabriel's were the worst. One of those moon jellies wrapped him and stung him.

     The rest of the time we were fine. We had sharks that day AND jellyfish. 

We just had to watch closely at all times and stay out of the deeper waters. 

Thankfully it was only once. 

  

Above: Michael being goofy

Below: Lydia and Mia

Above: Gabe

Above: Papaw Kenny.. he isn't as much about the water as I am, but even he went swimming and had fun.  He is already planning a return trip in Spring 2023. 💖

Above: Crystal playing catch with these cool air guns Jared and Lydia bought.  They shoot discs and you catch them and reshoot them. Back and forth! It was fun!

     

Above: proof that this happened... 

Above: Tessa and Gabe. Michael in the background and Walter photo bombing

Above: This very nice man was there at the beach several times. He dug him a hole to sit in each day. I talked to him a couple times. The last day we were there Mia laid down in the hole and put her arms behind her neck and just basked in the sun and sand.  Gabe ran circles around her like a wild Indian.  

Above and below: just the pretty skies and the surf.  Bethan and Laura Walter and other family in the ocean and on the shore.

Below are some additional photos Bethany sent me that were so good!

Below: Gabriel 

Above: Lydia and Mia

Below: Lydia and Gabe

Mia rolling down the sand dune.  She loved this and even went  down it face first with no hesitation.  

 

    Mia and Adam's Birthday

    Mia turned 2 and Adam turned 41 on October 5th.   We had a big birthday party for them together. It was wonderful.  My photos sucked, but the food and fellowship was great. Mia got a pink plasma car "Carsie", a Bluey doll house from Great Grandma Earline, a mermaid doll, buildable magnets, and some cute clothes.   We got Adam and Huk bucket hat and a Costa shirt.   It was a great evening for everyone. Aunt Laura and the rest of the family really helped bring it together. It was hard having to travel with a little one and plan an out of town birthday as well!

Below: Uncle Biff and this little girl have a very special bond.  It is so cool that they share a birthday!  She loves him.

    

Below: Happy Birthday to you! Lydia, Mia and Averie

Above and below: 41 candles will just about "burn down the hut!"  in the words of Dr. Mbogo 

      

     

Below: One of many gorgeous sunsets seen from the beach. 

    I loved the water at PCB.  I stayed in it a lot. Adam remarked to me that he did not know of many people who spent as much time in the water as I do.  That is good.  I loved the ocean as a kid and never got over it.  I doubt I ever will. It is where I learned to swim.     Lydia made a terrific observation sitting on the sand with me on the last day of our trip.  I was finally out of the water and sitting on the sand soaking up the warm sun.   The ocean looked as pretty as I have ever seen it. 

I remarked on it.  Lydia replied "I know. It really is. It makes me think about that Incubus song that says 'the ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket.'"   I had to agree.  That is a perfect comparison for what I was seeing. The song  "Wish You Were Here" was also a perfect song to capture the mood.  

I felt very much alive and happy.  I also felt the satisfaction of having a long held dream come true.   We were all here and together. All getting along and happy.

Enjoying one another's company.  We lost T-ma, Adam's mom an unbelievable seven years ago.   Teresa Lynn Benson Lindsey was one of the all around most loving, best people I ever knew.  She was the glue in the family and always wanted her kids and grandkids together.   I know how she felt and what motivated her. I know she is looking down from Heaven and smiling at what she sees. 

Answered prayer and realized hopes and dreams.  

       I hope this is the first of many such trips.  I miss her, but I know I will see her again one day.  I do wish you were here, but I take comfort in having gained Renaee into our family fold along with her children and grandchildren enlarging our flock.  It has been a joy and a gift. 

Above:  Teresa holding tiny newborn Tessa.  

 

" I dig my toes into the sand

The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket

I lean against the wind pretend that I am weightless

And in this moment I am happy, happy." --Brandon Boyd & Incubus