As of last week, Joe’s 7 months of traveling all over the country (and to Japan) for work has come to a close. I couldn’t be happier, although it does feel a bit strange now. Like we have to re-learn how to live our lives together when they’re not timed in 10-day intervals.
Back in August, I accompanied Joe when he went to the base at Fort Walton Beach, on the Mexican Gulf side of Florida. Joe would go in to work, and I would stay back in the motel and get some work done on my own. Luckily, the motel we were staying in was directly across the street from a little waterfront park, and I took occasional walks there (when it wasn’t pouring rain). At night and on the weekend, Joe and I would walk laps around it together. We’d just walk in circles over and over, as the whole park was maybe the size of half a city block.
The mood of the place changed drastically with the weather.
And as usual, Joe and I spent a good amount of time nerding out about animals and such. I kept hoping to see the Gulf dolphins, but no such luck.
I loved the pines. And the abundance of herons and the giant puddles that covered the entire park pretty much every day.
Overall, though, it was a strange experience. I’m too used to living in a walkable community, I guess. And too used to people valuing fresh food. Over there, you literally can’t go on about your day without a car. No public transportation to speak of, no easy access to grocery stores. The restaurants were mostly the stereotypical American junk food variety. I don’t know, it got pretty depressing. How do people live without walking? The area is so beautiful, why develop it so that you can’t see any of it without a car? In addition the fact that I had to get my “groceries” at a gas station also chemically altered my mood in a negative direction. How can people eat that crap regularly??
Anyway. While waiting for a taxi to take us to the airport, Joe and I spent some time being creative in the park.
Anddd this picture cracks me up, thought I’d share it. Joe’s not mad here, it’s just how he was walking around the park while deep in thought. He didn’t realize I could see him, and I guess his deep-thinking-face is also an I-will-kick-you-face.
What a man, what a man, what a man.