Thursday, January 28, 2010

A Day of Adventure and Exploring

Off of Florida Highway 98 East is Highway 30A. It is a drive with lots of new and interesting sights along the Gulf of Mexico. There are many inlets that make the landscape extraordinary.

This area I noticed "crow nests" on homes. With the view can you blame them?


Now if you are into gossiping here is the place to go - Miss Lucille's Gossip Parlor. You never know what you are going to find!!!!

Houses are on high pilings. The reason they go to this much effort is a little scary to me.

Not to mention that many homes have built in window covers for the same reason.

FIRST STOP - SEASIDE FLORIDA - WHERE JIM CARY'S FILMED THE TRUMAN SHOW

This is the town square you see in the movie.

SECOND STOP - ALYS BEACH FLORIDA - A STEP INTO A MEDITERRANEAN WORLD

Every once in awhile you drive into a town and feel like you have been transported into another world. Alys Beach is one of those places.

Even the Town Hall and Post Office are built to the same theme.

There were two homes in this area that were out of this world. Lance thought the second house was probably around 20,000 square feet.


THE THIRD STOP - EDAN GARDENS & HISTORIC WESLEY HOUSE

The Wesley House was built in 1897 by William Henry Westley which was his residence near his lumber company. The area had the saw mill, planer mill and dry kiln. There were also about 20 company-owned residences for the workers. They even had a commissary.

Fire was always a threat to this community and after their third fire they chose not to rebuild. The house and a few buildings are the only buildings left. The family lived in the House until 1953. It was sold a couple of times and the final owner, Lois Maxon, donated who had built the gardens which now surround the house donated the house to the State of Florida.

This is a southern tradition I love. Homes and even businesses will have these comfortable rocking chairs to sit in.



Boo Hoo I Dropped My Kindle

I accidently pushed my Kindle off the folding table I use when sitting on the couch. Ouch! At first I thought it was okay, but it was not. It froze with half the page I was reading and half the screen saver. The good news is my Kindle is less than a year old (warranty still in effect) and I dropped from less than a warranty covered height so Amazon sent me a replacement -- at no charge. Goodbye old Kindle, Hello new Kindle. Whew!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Panama City Beach and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

We had a free day so we headed east toward Panama City. There are so many high rise hotels/condos along the coast it is unbelievable. The Gulf of Mexico is so beautiful. I cannot get enough of its beauty.

Panama City Beach has over 95 public access paths to the beach. This a good place to go to lounge on the beach.

We got as far as Panama City Beach and stopped to have lunch at another Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. First time we have been to one. The food was great and the decoration were very cool.



About every hour or so the canons go off, the plane starts to smoke and the cargo is abandoned -- all to Jimmy Buffett singing Margaritaville.

Cargo -- Giant Salt Shaker!!!!

Another great day in the Kulman Adventure.....

Friday, January 22, 2010

Fudpuckers Not Fuddruckers

In Destin there is a crazy restaurant called Fudpuckers. Now we have been to Fuddruckers in Victoria BC and Myrtle Beach SC. They have a greatest hamburgers. You just get the hamburger and put any and all fixings on it yourself. Yum!

Fudpuckers is so much more entertaining.

The first thing you notice is there is people have written their names everywhere, yes, EVERYWHERE!






The second thing you notice is there are alligators there!

The third thing you notice is the building is, well, a little unusual. It is not one single building. It has a room here and a room there, room room everywhere. They told us that during high season (summer here) there is usually a two hour wait and they sit 450 people. Whoa!