A Quick Trip To The Beach

Well, this post is coming from the sunny beaches of Perdido Key, Florida. I'm lucky enough to have in-laws with a condo that sits just west of the IM Florida locale. Lauren and I took Friday off to make it down here in time to enjoy a longer weekend. The condo is just 4 hours south, but every second counts when you're losing valuable beach time.
Before we left town though, I wanted to make the most of my day off so I took the opportunity to get a small ride and a swim in. Coming home on the bike it was so nice to pass all of the bleary eyed coffee infused people heading in to the office. Man, work sooo gets in the way of good times out on the road. I cleaned up and headed over to a big moving sale the best little bike shop in the world was having. They had a lot of 07 stuff and winter gear marked 30-60% off so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Boy did it pay off. I picked up an Ultegra rear cassette and a new odometer for 1/2 off, but the biggest deal of the day was a set of Dura Ace pedals for 60% off. I was stoked. Can't wait to bust them out.
We quickly left town there after and made it down to Perdido Key. Lunch was this awful trip to Arby's. I felt like crap the rest of the day which is just a reminder why I don't eat fast food. After ditching our digs, we headed down to the pool to enjoy a little sun and a view of Old River. Lauren and I have often pondered just how long we could live off of our savings and equity in our house if we were to move down here and become beach bums. It'd be fun giving it a shot.
This morning was absolutely gorgeous out. We were by the pool by 9:30, and I indulged in the sun by ditching my shirt for a little tanning. One hour later, I'm peering into the mirror and realizing that my once pasty white skin was now a distasteful pink. It's all a work in progress.
As always, I brought my running shoes so I did a quick 8 miler along beach road. It's so nice running of flat terrain! I will throw out a quick plug for some of our more popular bloggers out there who have started podcasting. I've started taking their podcasts with me on runs or while I'm at the gym. It's so much better than music for me right now. They do a great job, and best of all it's free. So check them out and give them a shot.
We spent lunch at our favorite little dive, Tacky Jacks, eating crawfish and grouper sandwiches. This little place is on the water so it gets a fierce wind blowing in which made it quite chilly since we were sitting in the shade. No worries, I'd rather be here than behind my desk.
After lunch we borrowed some bikes from a family friend and took off for a spin. My bike had to be a Walmart special. It was a Raleigh M-30 mountain bike with a seat that was as wide as my butt. It had shimano components, but none I'd never heard of. It had to have weighed 50 lbs. Nonetheless, it was great to ride along beside Lauren and enjoy the day. We took an excursion over to the exclusive Ono Island to see how the other half lives. On the way back, we stopped and took a stroll along the beach for a while. If we'd had some chairs I so could've taken a nap. The temps have stayed in the high 60's and low 70's so far. Spring is so close and I can't wait to enjoy more times like these.
We head home tomorrow. Back to life. Back to reality, or so the song goes. But not yet, not now. I'm going to relax here for a little while longer before heading down to watch the sunset.