Panama City Family Visit

Ford and I left home on Friday at about 10:30 AM and arrived at Panama City, Courtyard by Marriott hotel and met with Bill and Joan at about 4 o’clock their time (CST). We had a short happy hour and then went to Runaway Island restaurant and met Lane, Hannah and Collins. They had just flown in that very day from Arizona and Missouri. We visited at the restaurant and even though Lane was willing to come back to the hotel, it was quite a bit out of the way of the condo they are renting. 

Saturday morning, I bought coffee at the downstairs Starbucks and Ford had a brief nausea spell so we didn’t get moving until about 9:30 a.m. Bill and Joan came to our room and discussed lunch plans - meeting Stephanie and Butch at 11:30 or noon at Newks.  Once they found out they were running behind, we all went to lunch with Lane, Hannah and Collins.

Joan gave us gifts, a bottle of champagne to celebrate Ford completing his radiation, homeknit beanies for people who lose hair, and homemade gits from Cape Girardeau (blue star candle and two pakets of laundry detergent). Butch and Stephanie arrived about 1:30 p.m. (Joan gave them each a t-shirt from a bar called Uncle Dick's).

We had happy hour in the hotel lounge area. They brought champagne, we had wine, beer, cheddar cheese, and I brought homemade spinach dip with crackers. Everyone talked of having a general birthday party sometime, to get the families together - Butch offered his barn, in November, we shall see! In the afternoon, Lane gave us the tour of Gulf Coast State College (right on the bay and next door is a satellite FSU campus). Lane parked us in a Fire Lane - Oops - The campus police had a few words for us! Rightly so!

Dinner was at Captain Anderson’s, with Hannah, Lane and Collins again, we had about a 30-minute wait, huge restaurant but all was well. Butch and Stephanie drove back home Saturday night and by that time it was late, of course we headed back to the hotel, as we are usually getting ready for bed by then.  

Sunday morning, I had coffee with Bill, Joan had tea and we visited until about 9:30 a.m. central time. We were on the road and arrived home at 3:30 PM.; after a brief lunch (ate restaurant leftovers) at a rest stop, then a stop for a soda also. It takes about five hours total time with a couple stops.  Alyzabeth did very well at home alone with Ginger. She took her for a walk at Black Creek Trail and on Sunday she met up with Laureen for Spanish lesson at Urban Bean and they walked the River Road. We did laundry and wrapped up the evening watching PBS TV and the latest Grantchester episode (still much news specials on about the attempted assignation of Trump). One conversation with Joan that I want to remember since Joan and Bill are very far right Republicans that we talked about - in church - everybody should be welcome, and nobody should judge each others different sins, and I explained about a former pastors who is divorced but was not welcoming of others with "sins" relating to LGBTQ. That it’s a sin and why would they exclude other people for other sins and not us  - Joan stated clearly that she believed in separation of church and state, she did not want politics in her church and so I can’t understand why they would vote Republicans as that’s exactly what Repubs want is a Christian nation with politics and religion together.