Easter is coming

Preparations are under way for Easter weekend....the first busy weekend for returning snow birds and tourists.

Egg decorations

DB Fries open

Toy store open

Rhodes open

Street scape continuing

Benches being moved for Easter Sunrise Service on the boardwalk

Tulips emerging

and our backyard ducks are back!

Garden

Even though the temperatures are still cold and more snow is in the forecast, the calendar tells us it is Spring....time to add compost to the garden and turn it over.  Yesterday was sunny (and cold) and Jim moved the compost from our composter and tilled it into the garden.

Look at the rich soil!  Hopefully the earthworms that fellower gardener Don added are settling in.

Job done.....the rosemary plant winters over.

To the right will be the flower garden, designed to naturally discourage harmful insects to invade.

This week's planting: 2 types of lettuce

North CarolinaTransportation Museum

Wayne and Joanne treated us to the museum where they volunteer....what a great day!

Not really....we are staying at the Schmitt's home

In the cab of the train where we took a short ride

roundhouse

Train that we rode on

Joanne and Wayne

our new dog.....

Stone Mountain, GA

Spent the day at Stone Mountain, a chilly day with bright sunshine.  The area is not open until Easter but we were able to take the tram ride up to the top of the mountain.  It is pretty obvious that spring has not yet come to this place.

Stone Mountain Inn

Our room with back porch and rocking chairs

Front porch facing Stone Mountain (southerners love their rocking chairs and big porches)

Tram ride to the top

Carving in the side of the mountain

Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, Confederate heroes

Up on top

It was very cold up top.  Small pools of water were frozen.

Atlantic skyline in the background.

In the museum

This depicts the actual size of the stars on Lee's collar.

Last day in Florida

The sun was shining today, but it was cool and windy.  We returned to St. Andrews State Park to take more photos.

Tall dunes

Not a blue bird, but looks like one!

Busy heron getting nest ready

Marina pelican

Pair of egrets near Gator Lake

Turtle in the golf course pond sunning himself

 

Beautiful sunset

Rainy day shopping

A cloudy, cool day that turned into a rainy one, canceling plans for the day.  So we shopped.

Something for everyone here

Another sign

We shopped at a huge mall today.  All those people you see are spring breakers.

Sunset over Grande Lagoon

Sitting at a little bar, we watched tonight's sunset....later because of the time change.

Captain Anderson's Dolphin Cruise to Shell Island

Today the photographer is having technical difficulties with his camera.  What?  No video of dolphins following the boat?  Not good.  It was a good afternoon on a boat that took us out to Shell Island which I renamed Broken Shell Island after an unsuccessful hour of searching the beach for shells.

Here we are boarding with our tickets

....and our stash of shells

There was a young woman who looked so much like Ella in a few years (big brown eyes) who came back from shell searching with a handful of dainty sand dollars.  We have a picture of these somewhere in lost camera land.  She was very proud to be the only one who found such treasure.

Also not available to view is the

 video of the dolphins who met and swam alongside our boat.  As soon as the captain began playing music, the dolphins appeared!

Sorry we couldn't share the pictures of our fun afternoon with you.

St. Andrews State Park

We have arrived in Panama City Beach and explored St. Andrews State Park today.

Yes, Gulf of Mexico water is really a beautiful clear turquoise color!

And everywhere the sand is white!

And oh yes, it is Spring Break here......

yep.......

Lots of careful patrolling being done.

This is an ice cream boat that pulled up to take our order!

Wouldn't that do well in Bethany?

Many pelicans to watch today.

Here is our building looking across Grand Lagoon.

Thought he was kinda cute!