Baycation

 Last weekend we took a little "baycation" with Jason's parents to the Alabama shore.  They rented a cute little house on the bay.  It was a charming little place that just fit us all.  It had a grande pier just perfect for fishing and 2 adirondacks chairs perfect for watching.
My only request for the weekend was crab claws.  I've found over the last few years that those things are rare outside of the small stretches of Alabama beach.  Well, I can tell you I got my wish.  We stopped in a small town outside of Gulf Shores at a country seafood place and I ordered crab claws, a whole pound of them.  They were by and large the BIGGEST crab claws I have ever laid my eyes on.  They satisfied me for the entire weekend!  We only spent one day at the beach but the boys definitely made the most of it.  They jumped waves and were carried down the beach in the strong under currents more times than I can count.  It was a nearly secluded beach filled with great shell collecting too.  We made a VERY weak attempt at a sand castle but between Lincoln the Destroyer and the sugar sand, it was a futile effort.  

 Most of the time was spent fishing, baiting and checking out the numerous jellyfish that inhabited the bay.  We had considered swimming in the bay until the jellyfish made it quite obvious that no one but them would be swimming this weekend.

 Lucky Lincoln always seems to catch the largest fish.  It seems those kiddie poles have all the luck!

 We saw some beautiful sunsets and enjoyed pretty mild weather considering hurricane Issac was on the horizon.  We got out of there just in the nick of time.

I caught sweet Lincoln hanging his little head off the side of the pier trying to see fish, jellyfish or something he'd tossed into the water.  No doubts about it, this is the cutest thing I've ever seen hanging off the side of a pier.  Geez!

 These sweet brothers endured my  mandatory photo shoot.  Ideally, we'd have showered and gone back over to the beach for a photo shoot but they weren't going along with my plans and I had to go with plan b.  That means no family photos but let's be honest, no one really wants to see me and Jason anyway.

 Lincoln has been interested in taking photos and I've let him a few times.  This is the ONE he got of Jason and I that wasn't blurry.  It was a worn out from the beach look but he's photography skills are picking up!

 I absolutely HAD to make use of these colorful chairs.  The boys were properly bribed with popcicles for this 10 minutes of fun.

 I'm pretty sure they think it was worth it.  My only complaint was driving the 8 hours to spend less than 2 days at the beach then driving another 8 home.

This is my formal request to live closer to the beach when adventures in  grad school is over.