Sand and Surf

Ahhhhh, the beach....

There really isn't anything better, even with especially with little boys.

The boys are at the perfect age for the beach.  They slip into their swimsuit each morning and dig, and dig, and dig all day.

 

We spent mornings on the beach and visited the {heated} pool in the afternoons.  

 

Foggy Morning

Both boys really loved the warm pool.  Hans jumped in and wanted to keep up with Freddie.

We saw lots of porpoise and a huge school of sting rays which passed right near our feet.

The boys fished and caught a shark! 

And we slept in, lounged around, and ate seafood.  Oysters, shrimp, and fish each day!

Perfect way to finish our vacation.

Everbody's happy

Since fried food cures hangover and eating out is good for the economy and it was on my list of things to do we drove out to Manchac on Lake Maurepas this afternoon for a feast of fried catfish and Barq's root beer.

An even better reason to head to Middendorf's was they have worked hard post hurricane season to get a temporary location set up while they tear down and rebuild the original building. It's tough trying to do business outside of the levee system in south Louisiana, and we need to let them know we appreciate what they do and need for them to keep frying catfish.

He has such a soft loving look for that plate of catfish!

Middendorf's is *the* place to get fried catfish. You can choose to have thick or thin cut catfish, and no where has it as thin as Middendorf's. And Charlie loves his catfish thin and crispy.

Now we lie around, rub our bellies, and watch college football to make for an even better afternoon.

Sunday

Charlie went in to the lab early this morning and we were having coffee and bagels by 8:00 at the Laurel Street Bakery. Reading the newspaper across from each other is really the perfect way to start the day, and being at the bakery somehow makes it even better. This morning Charlie read aloud a few bits of the article about the man floating in the Gulf while a shark circled before we read and sipped in silence, enjoying the sound of the bread hook at work in the bakery and the breeze from the open door.


Our bikes were already loaded, so by 9:30 we were on the Causeway, heading to the north shore of the lake. We listened to The Chronicles of Narnia in preparation for the newly released film. We had listened to about half of the discs in all of our cross country driving while evacuated after Hurricane Katrina, but hadn't really been in the car for enough time to make any progress since then.

Starting the discs made me a bit teary at first. It was a difficult time for us, uncertain what our future was and where our future was for our family. And during the time we listened I was pregnant and we spoke of listening to books on tapes as a family and even added "Lucy" (one of the characters) to our list of baby names. But the tears came and went as I brought myself to the here and now on the Causeway with Charlie listening to a book on tape on a Sunday morning.

By 11:00 we were peddling out of Covington on The Tammany Trace. It was once a railroad corridor through St. Tammany Parish but now it is 26.5 miles of paved path connecting Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe, and Slidell.

We started in Old Covington with designs on making the entire 53 mile round trip journey to Slidell and back.


I spent most of the day following. Same old excuse...my short legs can only peddle so fast, and besides I was overstimulated and had lots to look at! He would have died if I hopped off my bike to photograph the turtles an waterlilies.


After riding out two hours, and a few stops to massage the jello legs and munch on granola, we decided we had better turn around and head back.


I figure we made it about 20 miles out, and it was an awfully long peddle back.


I was dumped when we reached Abita Springs, so he could make better time without me. The last 3 miles to Covington he did solo and then met me with the truck at the Abita Brew Pub.


And in compete South Louisiana fashion, there was an outdoor concert going on at the park next door! Lots of umbrellas, lawn chairs, and beers with the fiddle and washboard and accordion providing tunes.


Beers, burgers, beers, and root beer floats!


I am not sure if I'll be walking in the morning. I hope I can manage to get down the stairs to leave the house.


Charlie brought home two growlers...one with Andygator and the other with a new Four Grain Brew.

And you know, those beers don't last long in the growlers, so we are drinking up, trying to forget our legs are attached to our bodies!