January 3, 2024 – Julia A. Keirns – Author, Blogger, Writer

Saturday, December 23, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Showing family around Gulf Shores

The granddaughters woke up this morning and announced with great enthusiasm that today is Christmas Eve Eve!

So, Happy Christmas Eve Eve to all my Medium readers and friends.

Today was a fun day. The sky was blue, the wind was calm, and the sun was warm. It was a perfect weather day.

The first place we went was The Track Family Fun Park just a few miles down the road from where we are parked.

We played 18 holes of Putt Putt Golf. Rich kind of kept score but I think he embellished some. I still don’t know who really won and nobody even cares. It was a lot of fun.

The girls screamed when they first saw this little lizard and of course, the teenage boy tried to catch it, but the lizard was too fast for him.

The kids had a blast in the water boat ride and got each other wet with the squirt guns. They even squirted us as we stood nearby and watched. They all three agreed that this was the funnest ride of the day.

They rode go-karts, a twirling roller coaster, and swings. It was a lot of fun following them around and taking tons of pictures like I always do. Sadly, my knee was hurting already and it wasn’t even noon yet. I hate that I am so slow when my knee is grinding and swelling so quickly and I can’t keep up with everyone.

I found a common sparrow bird to photograph while sitting on a bench. At least that’s what I think it is. And some flowers, which by the way happen to be the Alabama state flower, the Camellia. It is so nice to see flowers blooming in December.

After the Track, we took them to Lulu’s Gulf Shores Restaurant. This is a fun family place on the water canal with a gift shop and activities for kids.

The food was great and reasonably priced. The kids enjoyed sitting by the water and watching pelicans fly by.

Empty plates and containers at a restaurant are the sign of a great meal.

After lunch, we took them to the Orange Beach Waterfront Park. Rich and I found this place a week or so ago. This is a wonderful family place with a long pier, sandy beach, and a great playground for the kids. It is located on scenic Wolf Bay.

After walking out on the pier, we sat in that swing for a while and enjoyed the view.

The playground at Edward H. Carroll, Sr. Kids Park at the Waterfront Park is new and has been completely renovated, and the girls had a blast.

They ran off so much energy here and it was fun to watch them play.

Next, we drove to Perdido Key State Park Beach to let the girls swim in the ocean again. It was a little windy but not nearly as bad as yesterday. We all got a little suntan today. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

And when you see a moment like this between two sisters, one nine and one six, you can’t help but smile and snap a picture.

After the beach, we came back to the RV. The kids all showered and begged for more shopping so Rich took them to the Tanger Outlets in Foley.

By this time, my knee was so swollen and hurt so bad that I had to stay back at the RV and sit in the recliner with my knee up and an ice bag on it. I am frustrated with my knee but thankful I can still walk some.

They came home and rushed in to show me some of the things they bought. It has been so nice to have family around for the past couple of days. When they leave tomorrow the quiet will return.

I hope you have had a great couple of days too. I want to thank you for reading about our daily adventures. See you tomorrow.

December 22, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Some of our Ohio family flew down to southern Alabama last night to see us. Oh, how special it is when two little granddaughters come running into the RV and give the biggest hugs ever!

We spent last night in the RV visiting and playing games. We are the game playing grandparents.

This morning we cooked a big breakfast outside consisting of eggs, bacon, and toast. By 10 a.m. we were on our way to the beach with a picnic lunch of pb and j, chips, and apples.

The first place we showed them was the Bon Secour Nature Preserve. And then we took them to Gulf Shores Beach. It was awful windy today so we didn’t stay too long.

The sandy beach at Gulf Shores is long and wide and the view is beautiful.

The girls found a few nice shells but not many. The ocean water was warmer than the air.

The youngest granddaughter lives in the moment enjoying everything about where she is right now. No worries at all about what will happen next.

She is the one who had leukemia and is in remission. She is six years old.

We had so much fun watching her jump the waves and try to build a sand snowman that didn’t look like a snowman at all.

She also had fun chasing the seagulls around.

The older two grandchildren, 16 and 9, only enjoyed the windy beach for a short time because they are more into shopping the gift shops so we took them to some of the beach and surf shops before taking them to the Wharf.

The Wharf is a fun shopping and restaurant venue located in Orange Beach not to far from our campground.

The Ferris wheel is $8 per person and the train ride is $6 per person.

There are a lot of shops and restaurants and even an arcade. At the arcade they played unlimited games for 30 minutes for like $20.

The kids did it all and by the time we walked all the shops my knee needed a break.

We ate at Yo Ho Rum and Tacos and sat at a table outside by the canal water.

They have $2.50 20 oz. Margaritas and Rum Punch everyday until 6 p.m. and classic beef or chicken tacos were only $3 each. All six of us ate and drank for only $50.