OUR KIND OF PLACE

Well, we're back from our mini get-away, but I see many more trips back to this wonderfully laid back hideaway in our not-too-distant future. Now, if you are the sort who is used to luxury accommodations and room service -- the kind who likes fluffy robes in the closet, and lots of counter space in the bathroom, with a good soaking tub and some designer bubble bath on the ledge, well, you'd probably hate this little beach lodge. But for us -- the couple who is never in their room except to sleep or nap -- it wast purt-near perfect.

This was our open-air hotel lobby, and you actually checked in and got your key at the bar.

There was a jukebox in the corner, which was almost always on, playing "our kind of music."

The rooms were no-frills, but bleachy-clean. In fact, the only real piece of furniture in the whole room was this one cute little chair. The rest consisted of concrete platforms covered in tile -- easier to hose sand off of, I expect.

There you see our nightstand and the entire bathroom counter. The toilet and shower were in a separate room, behind that wall. Oh, and you are looking at the closet too, which consisted of those hooks on the wall. We had two beds, a queen and a twin, but there were other suites that could sleep six or eight people. Our room cost less than $100 per night -- pretty amazing when you consider that we could step out of our door, walk down five or six steps, and our feet were in the sand!

The pool and the Tiki Bar, off to the right.

The penthouse suites, and a rooftop deck (where I stood to snap the shot) perfect for stargazing.

John's favorite spot, on the porch outside the bar/lobby/restaurant.

The only time he put on shoes was when we drove into town!

There was only one thing wrong with the whole trip. Well, make that two. First of all, it was freakin' hot. Triple digit hot. In September. Wouldn't you know, the day after we left, the first cool front of the year finally blew in. Ah well, at least we had nice sea breezes the whole time.

The other problem had to do with all that sketching and painting I was going to do for my Ode to Nature art class -- the thing that prompted this beach get-away in the first place. Well, guess who somehow managed to leave behind her "field kit" full of sketching supplies and paints? Doh! But, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how much sketching would have been done, even if I had remembered to bring my supplies. The thing is, the really interesting stuff rarely ever sits still long enough for you to sketch it. Neither do your traveling companions. But, if you are lucky, and fast, you can usually capture them with a quick click of your camera. Which is why I managed to take over 200 new photos, in less than three days! Hopefully, many of those will serve as inspiration for art work and blog posts in the not too distant future. In fact, I'm certain of it.