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Looking to your right, you see the Rosemary Beach boys setting out the beach chairs for the day. White gulls wheel overhead and land on the sand, shuffling their feet sideways, looking over their shoulders at you and settling their wings in close. You decide to walk left, toward the sun as it begins its ascent. The gentle surf reaches for your toes as it slides up the beach and then quietly recedes. A splash alerts you to look out over the water and you see them: a pod of shiny black bottlenose dolphins just 100 feet away, already beginning the day’s feeding. You watch their graceful forms sliding through the water for a moment, then stroll on. Nodding hello to a fisherman sitting in a rickety lawn chair with an ice chest and a couple of poles set in the beach, you duck under his lines and keep walking. There are a few other walkers out this morning, but not many. You count less than half a dozen within your view. Within fifteen minutes you have left all the beach houses behind and are walking into Camp Helen State Park natural area. It feels primeval, somehow – the tall grassy dunes to your left, nothing but empty white sand beach ahead, surf to your right. You see Lake Powell ahead, its mirror-smooth waters reaching almost across the beach to join the Gulf. You walk under the sculptural remains of an old wharf – nothing much left, really, but a few Stonehenge-like supports reaching to the sky overhead. You pause at the point where Lake Powell comes within twenty feet of the Gulf’s waters. It’s shallow here, for a long way out into the Gulf. The low breakers skim silently over the white sand, creating intersecting arcs and ripples as they move smoothly toward you. You look out to sea and spy a shrimper headed out for the day’s work, booms lifted high on each side of the boat, gulls following, squawking for handouts. A whoosh overhead – you look up to see an silvery F-15 coasting overhead, on a training run from Eglin AFB. There’s a fisherman wading behind you into the shallows of Lake Powell and it looks as if he’s hooked something. Crossing the lake at its midpoint, you can see the highway bridge that carries U.S. 98, and see a few early travelers intent on their journeys. You’re glad you are not with them, but here, barefoot on the beach. The ocean breeze fills your nostrils with salt and sea and – freedom. As you turn to walk back to Abaco Rose to see if anyone else is up, you start to notice the drifts of shells left by last night’s high tide. You pick up a few nice specimens, brushing the wet sand off them and dipping them into the water so their colors shine. Strolling homeward with bare feet at water’s edge, you realize how far you can see on this clear, blue-sky day. Ahead you can see the Destin highrises on the horizon, 20 miles away. Again, you congratulate yourself for choosing, this year, the far less crowded environs of 30-A, at Inlet Beach. You stop and turn to look the other way – and there are the high rise condos of Panama City Beach, twenty miles in the other direction. Whistling a little tune, you walk back to Abaco Rose. You are one of only ten people on this gorgeous beach, as far as you can see in either direction. What are we going to do today? Everyone’s up – the kids are having cereal as they sit on the high stools at the bar. The adults are gathered over coffee on the deck, idly tossing around options for the day’s activities. “Where have you been?” they want to know. “Out,” you say. “What are we going to do today?” “Well, we’ll go to the beach, of course. The kids want to build sand castles and bodysurf and pick up shells.” “Hey – how about, the moms do beach duty in the morning (wink, wink) while the dads golf? Then we’ll watch them at the pool this afternoon if you want to do some “Okay,” one of the wives countered, “but what about one of those new restaurants we talked about for tonight? Do we want seafood – or maybe that funky Red Bar with the crab cakes to die for? “We could just walk over to Rosemary Beach and check out Wild Olives…” “I think Mexican, or maybe Italian…” “Well, it’s a good thing we’re here for a whole week!” We sipped our coffee reflectively, as a little breeze lifted the napkins on the table and brought fresh smells of salt air. Another raft of pelicans floated overhead. “I’ve heard the deep-sea fishing here is great, either going out of Panama City or Destin – let’s check out a charter for tomorrow or the next day!” “In a few minutes, I’m calling to reserve bicycles for all of us – they’ll deliver them to the house. There are 19 miles of bike trails down 30-A – not to mention through all the State Parks. “You know, with Rosemary Beach so close, we can walk over to the village center and be there in three minutes, for the shops, or Starbucks, the post office – or maybe to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner tomorrow. Is that when we’re cooking in?” The kids tumbled out onto the porch. “When are we going to the beach?” “Did you bring my snorkel?” “I can’t find my bathing suit!” We smiled at each other. Time to get moving… At lunch – more plans We’ve walked over to Rosemary Beach, and are sitting at one of the big round tables under its colorful umbrella on the sidewalk outside Wild Olives. The kids are munching down on burgers, grilled cheese, and fries, while the adults are enjoying salads and tapas. “There are so many interesting things to see around here – for the kids, certainly, but me too.” “Yeah, did you read about that Museum of Man-in-the-Sea? And see all that undersea exploration equipment they have?” “If things get slow at the end of the week, we might go over to Fort Walton and take in the Gulfarium…” “What about Shell Island – St. Andrews State Park, where the shelling is supposed to be so good? They’ve also got that protected snorkeling lagoon with the tropical reef fish and the sea horses and - …” “I don’t care what anybody says, I still want to go to the Destin Commons – that cool open-air mall. The kids could see a movie, maybe, while we check out the stores.” “Have we decided on a restaurant for tonight? I know we’re eating now, but these are important decisions!”
There is time to take in the peaceful luxury of Abaco Rose. As ceiling fans lazily turn way up on the 12’ ceiling, the cool ocean breezes drift through the open doors and windows. Somebody is doing a crossword, while I’m checking my email using the highspeed wireless Internet. I think the kids just started watching a DVD movie downstairs on one of the flat-screen TVs. In a little while, we’ll sit on the back porch and watch them in the pool. It’s great that it’s right here – not more than twenty feet away from the back door! At sundown We’ve gathered upstairs in the Tower Room, drinks in hand. The wet bar, with its own refrigerator and sink up here are really handy. We discuss the day as the sun sinks slowly into the sea. As soon as we’ve seen it properly down, we’ll gather the kids and head for the Red Bar. There’s live music tonight. Tomorrow I think we’ll rent a couple of kayaks, or perhaps a Hobie cat. But first thing in the morning, I’m going to check out the yoga equipment in the Tower Room. Doing sun salutations while looking over the ocean as the sun comes up will be fantastic! Just imagine – this is only Day One of Your Perfect Beach Vacation at Abaco Rose! Our luxurious home at the beach provides for your every vacation need – and there’s so much to do, so much to explore! It’s even okay to do absolutely nothing. Nap, read, rest, walk on the beach, write a bit. Visit with family and friends. Play a board game with the kids. Sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in. Putter around in the completely equipped kitchen. Barbecue on the large stainless gas grill outside. Put the little ones to bed in their own private bunk room, with two built-in bunks. Listen to music, surf the Internet, check the news or the golf match on TV. Abaco Rose is everything you’d hoped it would be – and more! Casual luxury, with unmatched design and craftsmanship in this comfortable beach home-away-from-home. We hope you’ll make it a tradition and come again soon! |
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