14 hours, 900 miles

Destinroute

That’s a lot of windshield time for smays.com. But the company was good (Barb) and the distance still within my 1,000 mile drive-rather-than-fly range. Did I mention how much I hate the hassle of flying. You know what? I can’t wait for the current batch of American carriers to go belly-up. Sooner that happens, the sooner we’ll see alternatives. I’m serious as a depressurized cabin. But hey, I’m on vacation. Happy thoughts only.

The Miltenberger Clan has gathered here in beautiful Destin for a week of sun and fun. The nearby Starbucks (sorry, Taisir) has free wifi and I have some good books I’ve been stockpiling. Gotta run, it’s time for my post-drive bottom massage.

Miltenberger Family Reunion

Jan, Lew and MA

I didn’t take a lot of pix on recent trip to Destin because Barb’s brother Chris is a damned fine photographer and snapped about 500 images. I added 20 or 30 to my flickr set.

Someone hired a professional beach photographer to get some family shots. For some reason, all beach photogs have a thing for khaki pants and white shirts. There’s a proof page here (very lo rez) but not for long. I like Chris’s images better.

Heading for Destin

We saddle up and head for Destin tomorrow for a week in the sun with friends and family. (Thanks to Vince and Mike with the JCPD SWAT Team for sitting with the dogs.) Not sure what the wifi situation will be at Amberjack Landing but it won’t hurt me (much) to be off the grid for a few days. I plan to spend some of the time dancing the with Mac Book.

Road trip

Not sure if you can call 30 hours in the car a vacation but Barb and I are heading down to Destin for a long weekend (next week). There’s some kind of home-owners meeting at Gulfside Cottages and I’m tagging along because I desperately need to get off the grid for a couple of days. Uh, yeah, I’ll probably take the Thinkpad. But I’m pretty sure I won’t be online for the 14 hour drive down and back. I’m eager to see how Destin is recovering.

Destin after the storm

“I think it’s safe to say the tourist season is over in Destin. I doubt many condos can be rented, especially since even if they’re safe to enter, the only way to get to the beach requires a 20 foot jump. The good news is the seaweed will wash away in a week, the nails and other metal debris will rust away in a month, and the wood will rot in four. But, if your still thinking of braving a trip down to Destin within the next month or so, skip the flip flops, and bring your hiking boots. You’ll need them.”

The photo to the right is what’s left of a swimming pool that was part of the deck of a house right on the beach. Before Dennis ate it up, there was a wooden walk-over just to the left of that deck that we used to access the beach from Amberjack Landing.

Tell your friends

Did I mention that Barb built a house in Destin, Florida? Well, she did and it’s for rent. Great for family reunions if you’re into that kind of pain. A better plan might be to get some friends together (there’s three bedrooms) and split the cost for a week. You can check it out at AmberjackLanding.com. I’m through with getting shitty service in over-priced hotels in places I didn’t want to go to in the first place. My vacations will all be “One cold drink from the beach.”