I survived my first beach trip with three small children (and their mother/aka my sister). Our trip was full of non-stop action, sandy toes, salty mouths, seafood, and sunburn. With every millimeter of the minivan occupied, we ventured out for a three-day stay at Madeira Beach, on Florida's Gulf Coast. The drive is about two hours, but the kids were troopers and kept us in stitches with their excitement and amusing questions. I think Meagan's inquiries won first prize: Mama, did you pack my clothes? ...Mama, have I been to the beach before? (x4) ...Mama, are you gonna throw me out to the sharks in the ocean?
Our excitement bubble burst rather quickly when we rolled up to the Surf's Inn. From the outside, we thought..it's not so bad. Just a little old. One of those good old fashioned Florida beach motels. Wrong observation. How can I put this nicely? Hmmm..I can't. The place was a dirt hole. The 'large' studio was crammed with over-sized, uncomfortable, shabby furniture. The air from the A/C unit smelled like vinegar, which only enhanced the stale, eternal smoke smell permeating from the walls. The floors were so filthy that our feet turned black within minutes. The bathtub was full of mold. The sink had old crusty toothpaste in it. The bathroom door lock was loose, so we accidentally locked ourselves out. And as dumb luck would have it, Mr. Maintenance punched out 10 minutes prior to the incident, so we jimmied the lock with a bobby pin.
The pool was also very interesting. Seemed like most of our neighbors enjoyed staring at the pool for hours at a time while chain smoking. I couldn't blame them for not wanting to wallow in hot, salty, moldy water. I could go on with more gory details, but I shan't. The only saving grace of this dank dive was its close proximity to the ocean. Score 1 for the Surf's Inn.
After the shock of the room wore off, we got down to business....the BEACH. The waves were calling our names and we answered. There were only a few hours left in the day, so we wasted no more time complaining about the hotel. Meagan and Hunter were a little apprehensive about the waves, so they spent more time on the shore, digging holes. But Avery jumped right into the ocean like a little fish.
The next day, we hit the beach bright and early, complete with four chairs, two umbrellas, a giant beach mat, a plethora of toys, and plenty of snacks. After an hour of jumping and riding waves with Avery, she said...Aunt Lisa, what happens if you need to poop? I've never run that fast through sand before. Whew. Score 2 for the Surf's Inn.
We worked up an appetite after our first full day in the sun, so in the evening, we cleaned up and cruised on over to John's Pass for shopping and seafood. I couldn't resist purchasing the classic beach souvenir: Salt Water Taffy, made fresh in Clearwater. Avery & Meagan went for another beach classic: the sea shell necklace. Avery just couldn't get enough of that shark tooth. I started to think it might have magic powers.
With souvenirs in tow, we moved on to Sculley's for dinner. Their Rum Runner {on the rocks} was killer. It paired very nicely with our lump crab stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, and blackened Grouper. After dinner, we enjoyed the birds and fish around the boardwalk. Lots of pelicans everywhere.
Next on the agenda: Sunset. You simply can't visit the West coast without watching at least one sunset. And watching it go down over the ocean is even more breathtaking. The kids loved it too. Our sunset walk was one of the few times they seemed completely calm.
Stay tuned for Part II of our beach adventure.........
