Where oh where has my summer gone?

Egads people!  School starts next week!

What happened to my summer vacation with the kiddoes?

Well, I know where some of it went.  To Gulf Shores with KT and her family. 

Here we are arriving first night at the condo.  Which was gorgeous and has now forever ruined me for my shrinky lil' bathtub at home.  A garden jacuzzi tub about as deep as the Gulf itself with HOT water (not that set at 100 for safety and economical purposes)!  Almost every morning and evening began or ended with a much deserved and needed soak.

The younger boys shared a bunkroom and Javi had his own with a connecting bathroom shared by the other two.  Going to bed and waking up gazing out at the Gulf is really my life's calling.  LOL

Eating out, shelling, diving, snorkeling, fishing, shopping, swimming-exactly what we needed to recharge us through the winter.  The boys caught sand crabs by night and hermit crabs by day.  Dolphins playing in the surf so very close to us.  See the fin top left?

Watching Shark Week all week long, so that when this

(7 ft Bull Shark)

was caught off the nearby pier and an eye witness to a Black Tip 12 feet from shore at Orange Beach, we were ready to keep the kids a little bit closer to us in the surf.  Also caught were Spades and a Ramora by Middleman the fisherman.

Hubby love and Middleman are telling a fishtale of KT's husband and son catching a huge something that was so big, it broke the line.  They think it was another shark.  That's their tail, and they're sticking to it!

I very cleverly stepped on an Angel Shark and had the snot shocked out of me.  Evidently they look like sting rays, but will give a strong electrical shock if attacked or simply stepped on by a cute, lil' freckled northen gal.

Moving on.

We're trying to decide which house we want to buy (in our dreams) to live full time down there.

This one or

this one.  I kinda like the blue color scheme of the first one, but just am so sure we could fit all y'all in the yellow one when you came to visit!  See the windows on top?  Sewing room fer sure!

Middleman sampling some of the local marine life.

Some of the local marine life sampling Daddy and Bean!

Okay, just a few pics of our wonderful vacation.  For the family, I'll share more later.

Catching up on email, schedules and life.

Commissioned to rebind a beautiful quilt that a lovely couple received as a wedding gift many years ago and a new memory quilt for a very special, young someone.

Spending the next few weeks catching up on all the new blog posts and flickr fabulousness!

Here's to a great week!