House

The house is unfinished (lacking some things like air vents and drawer handles) but livable and comfortable. Nice and cool inside. There is new furniture. The TV setup is sub-par and there’s no internet. Full stove/oven and microwave, fridge, freezers, potable water, two working bathrooms. Cooking gear is somewhat incomplete, anything remotely specialized should be brought.

We used mobile hotspots on our phones to get wifi for for Si to watch a show at bedtime.

It makes sense to bring a set of bedsheets or sleeping bags and just bring them home rather than waiting for laundry on the day we leave. On the morning we clean up, half the adults could take the kids to the playground. We might want to cover the furniture with sheets or something since it’s brand new.

Deck

The back deck is fully rebuilt and much sturdier. The railing is higher and the gaps between the posts are narrower. The railing on the front steps is unfinished so we may avoid the front door when kids are active.

We need to bring one of those tension gates.

Beach

Path

The path to the beach is overgrown after no use for two years. There are vines and grass. It’s not more than a foot tall at the worst, but it’s kind of cumbersome. We used a sled pulled by a rope to bring umbrellas, ice chests, and other gear over a few trips.

There was some beach stuff set up right in front of our house so we walked a few yards away and set ours up. The golf carts have allowed people to distribute a lot more, and the owners of this setup rolled up around 8 AM. There was no one to our left or right for half a mile.

We won’t have our beach vehicle in time for Labor Day, so we’ll be walking back and forth to the beach.

We should set up our camp on the evening we arrive and break it down the evening before we leave, weather permitting. At minimum, Jill and I need to get one of those beach wagons like the Mullins have. Renting a golf cart or SxS for two days would cost us $400; I’m open to discussing this.

I’m thinking back to the level of physical effort it took us to set up and break down when we went to Navarre. This is way less than that, but you will burn some calories getting back and forth. Littler kids will need help but Simon managed it on his own two feet.

Beach conditions

Hot and sunny. Light breeze made it tolerable but sunscreen, hats, and shade mandatory.

We probably want to set up the canopy and maybe an add’l umbrella.

Water conditions

Nice and cool in the mornings, quite warm in the afternoons. Water was clear, green and glassy on our trip. Very shallow at high and low tide with multiple sandbars.

Fishing

Fishing effort: 3/10
Fishing results: 0
Crabbing effort: 6/10
Crabbing results: 0

I put the crab traps in that pond in the back. Ran 4 traps a few times with no results. Caught some live minnows and fished under a cork but only caught hardheads.

There were tons of crab traps in the surf and we should do that instead.

The conditions were perfect for my lil bass boat, but wouldn’t be enough room (and too hot) for kids. Need to evaluate whether it makes sense to bring it on this trip.

Town

Everything is operating as normal with the same or better amenities than last time you visited. There is restaurant food and we can buy crabs and shrimp fresh or boiled.

Cutthroat daiquiri with an extra shot had me buzzin, cuzzin. Totally fucked up the boiled shrimp.