Summer vacations are different as an adult. For one, I actually have to go somewhere to be on vacation. Growing up in a vacation area means you say snarky things about all the visitors causing the traffic and their terrible driving. Living in Columbia means I have to be one of those people. And y'know, I don't mind it much.
Will's parent have a condo in Panama City because they spend a fair amount of time there. We stayed there for a week earlier this month for our vacation. One evening was spent sitting on the dock of the bay.
Of course we ate our faces off. Few things are more pleasing than a plump oyster swimming in a seasoned butter sauce. Add crispy, buttery bread on top of that and you'll have all I've ever needed in life.
I'm a fan of statement jewelry. Go big or go home. One of my favorite Pure Barre instructors, Mollie, is the new co-owner of a Copper Penny here in Columbia. Copper Penny is a Charleston retailer that carries high-quality fashions (think Trina Turk) for Southern ladies. I stopped in and got a fun necklace for my vacation.
This essentially became three meals for Will and me. I ate it for dinner, and then we both ate it for lunch one day.
So. We saw a shark. And not a little one either. He (or she) could've easily taken a limb. Evidently it just wasn't in the mood because it just moseyed on around the shore and left. We also saw turtles swimming, which is 10034382 times less scary.
Have you seen this? It's some new-fangled thing the kids are trying. It's like a jet pack on your feet and you fly up in the air and can swim like a dolphin with wings.
I freaked when I saw these. They're grown-up lunchables! And not half bad either. We got one of the salami & cheese and one sun butter meals. We found them at Target, but I hadn't seen them in mine. I'm going to check my Target because these are perfect for the beach or any emergency eating situation.
We can't visit PCB without stopping by Montego Bay for some gumbo. It's better at the tiny, original location.
Dogfish Head beers are finally making their way south. This is one thing I've missed about Delaware. But now I don't have to miss it anymore!
We had two great sandwiches at Liza's Kitchen, which Will refers to as the "hippie place" because...well they were kind of hippies in there. I love the placemats they had - each had a "recipe" from a child. Dinosaur soup was mine.
Going to Captain Anderson's is like taking a step back into the 80's. In a good way. You get lots of super-rich, stuffed seafood, and the carpeting is plaid. Oh and you also get perfectly grilled fish in a lemony, buttery, onion sauce. Crab on top is optional but always a good idea. And we get the peanut butter pie. This time we got it to go.
Annnd speaking of dessert, if you're in Florida you might as well get key lime pie. Do yourself a favor and make sure it's not green before you get it. Key lime pie isn't supposed to be green. The filling should be yellow because lime juice is yellow. Even this pie isn't strictly traditional - it's more of a frozen pie, which is still delicious and a little unexpected.
I made us drive in torrential rain for donuts. For 2 years I've been wanting to get donuts from this place, and we finally made it over there. The cake donuts were fluffier and more tender than I've ever had (especially moreso than that place that begins with a D) and the yeast were melt-in-your-mouth. It was a good choice, and I'm officially donutted out. For a few more days.
It really was a lovely vacation. Could those clouds say otherwise? I think not.
