The Not So Beachy Beach Photos

Last beach post. I promise. :)

While we were in Gulf Shores we stayed in a cottage on a lake at Gulf State Park. I think we could have just stayed around our cottage the whole time and had a blast. Luckily, though, the beach was only a mile away.

But, really? Who needs a beach when you've got this to explore?

The cottages were incredibly nice...which turned out to be a good thing since my poor dad got a horrible sunburn on his feet. He spent a lot of his time right here...

At least he was in good company.

Our second day there Stephan took Levi fishing on the pier, and then we drove out to some open air fish markets and came back with crabs, oysters, and shrimp to go with the fish they caught. It turned into a divine meal.

I love the expression on Levi's face as he was looking over the sink at these guys...

On the drive home we talked about coming back next year. If we can get a house directly on the beach we might try that. Otherwise, I think we'll be headed back to one of the cottages. They were pretty much perfect.

Seeing my children playing in the sand with each other and grinning over all of their discoveries reminded me of my own childhood beach trips. I have many fond memories of playing on the beach with my brother and sister, crab hunting with my dad and uncles, and just relaxing in breezy beach houses.* I wonder what my children will remember from their childhoods. I like to think that this is just the beginning of good memories for them to hold on to.

*For the sake of sentimentality we'll just ignore my childhood memories that involve sharks...yikes...and getting sucked into the undertow. All's well that ends well, right? ;)