We really did have a great time away. We haven’t been to the beach alone since our honeymoon twelve years ago, so it was a much needed time of relaxation. After dropping the kids in Bham Wednesday we left out Thursday morning for Mobile. As I mentioned before, we planned to stop in Mobile at the Gulf Coast Exploreum to see the Pompeii exhibit.

Unfortunately photography was not allowed at the exhibit. We did get to see body casts and many relics of the ancient civilization. Many coins, statues, and murals were displayed. One of the strangest and most interesting to me was the “Mano Pantea” which was found in the Sanctuary of Magic Rites. I can’t find the exact image on the ‘net but I found something similar:

After the exhibit we continued to Fort Morgan then ventured out the first night to eat at Sea ‘n Suds. (You can’t go near gulf Shores without going to Sea ‘n Suds, right?) We spent the entire second day at the beach. Djembe was kind enough to secure chairs and an umbrella where we could relax with a good book, reading to the sounds of the waves crashing. I do mean crashing. We had red flag conditions the entire time. Beautiful sun, but the water was rough. Our second day probably should have been classified as yellow flag. The Gulf knocked you around a little but it really didn’t pull you out. Yes, we ventured, but not far. After fighting to stand up right in the gulf waves all afternoon we decided to nap a little before having a late dinner. We woke up at almost 11 PM. Whoops! It was really late dinner. Fortunately we were tired enough that sleep was restored by 2 AM and our third day was not disrupted by mixed up sleep patterns. Saturday Jem humored me and we went to tour Fort Morgan. It had been years since my last visit to the fort so I enjoyed seeing it with the historical appreciation that it deserved. We spent the afternoon battling the waves again. It was fun to see if you could stay up as the waves crashed against you. I wish we had taken the camera down to the beach, but since we didn’t do the chairs and umbrella there was no safe place to leave it, especially with the waves creating small “gulf ponds” along the beach. It was a definite red flag day. Even venturing into only knee high water the waves were high enough to hit me in the face and pull me out. I had to hold on to Djembe several times just to regain balance. One time I wasn’t holding on, or paying attention, and got rolled when a wave caught me by surprise. I’m sure it was an amusing site.

After another afternoon at the beach we were ready to return home with our kids. Why is it that we want so much to have the time away but we spend the time away missing them so much? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the time for just us and not having to worry about the girls fighting or going back and forth from the Gulf to the pool. But, I missed them terribly and often thought about how much they would have loved the trip. Looking back it is best that they weren’t there. Not being able to get in the water would have been frustrating for them. I am amazed at parents who did let their children get in the water even a tiny bit. Our last full day the water was true red flag and very rough. Yes, we took a chance and got in…but not above the knees and not without being very cautious. If the water could make adults struggle I would hate to see a small child knocked from a parent’s arms.

Below I have posted the picasa slideshow of our pics. Enjoy!

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