Sunday, November 27, 2011

Sunday Salon: I left my heart in St. George

Actually, my heart was still there from when we went three years ago, but I left it again this time.  It has set up permanent residence.  As we drove away, I had a gigantic lump in my throat.  I love this little island so much.  I know we'll be back, but I will miss it. Even my husband commented on the drive home that with every visit, we love it just a little bit more.   


I love how the kids discard their electronics and their addictions to the movie theaters and the malls, and head to the beach to go for a run or walk, throw a football, or build a fiefdom in the sand.  Our rental house is within walking distance of the handful of businesses on the island, such as the local fisherman selling his hours-old shrimp or oysters, or the spice shop that bakes fresh bread on the hour and holds wine tastings.  We had our own wine tastings overlooking the ocean each evening at sunset.    



A new activity for the Nawrots this year was to rent bicycles and explore the island.  We thought we'd seen everything over the past 7 visits and 12 years, but on a bike, so much more is accessible.  On one adventure, we found a hidden little bird estuary on the Apalachicola Bay.



Typical for my daughter, the cat whisperer, we attracted a hungry and homeless but very sociable cat within 15 minutes of our arrival.  We fed him shrimp and scallops and cat treats and he hung out with us like he belonged.  It broke my heart to leave him but we SO did not need a sixth cat personality in this family. 



Because this trip was all about spending time with family, I didn't do as much audio listening as I thought I would.  (Really, I should know better by now!)  I got through about half of Patrick Ness's "Monsters of Men", which is really good and I'm totally twitchy to finish it.  Soon! 

In print, I finished "The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus" by Sonya Sones and LOVED it.  Then I read Brian Selznick's "Wonderstruck" in an evening, because his books are just that way.  Magical.  I am about 2/3 of the way through Yrsa Sigurdardottir's "My Soul To Take", an Icelandic murder mystery.  Having fallen in love years ago with "Smilla's Sense of Snow" and the whole atmosphere of Iceland, I grabbed this.  Can't tell you yet if it is working for me though.  I have mixed feelings. 

I am hoping that today I will accomplish two things:  putting up my inside Christmas decorations, AND seeing Hugo at the theaters.  My sister loved it (not something that happens often with big budget mass-marketed flicks) and so did Ebert.  The kids and I have all read the book and seen the automaton at the Franklin Institute, so it should be extra special!  You'll know whether or not we saw the movie if you see a review of it tomorrow!

Hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend!


23 comments:

Beth F said...

What an absolutely perfect weekend you had!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

You sound so relaxed. Maybe you should live there full time! :--)

bermudaonion said...

What a blissful way to spend Thanksgiving week! Maybe you can retire to St. George and I can come visit you. ;)

Frances said...

Sounds wonderful! So happy for you. The wine photo sealed the deal. :) Now you just need to wrap it all up by going to see Hugo today like I plan on doing. Maybe I can even make some time for Wonderstruck. Hmm. Wishing you the same peace you feel now throughout the holiday season!

Unknown said...

C.J. and I are starting to develop a similar feeling about the gold country. We keep thinking there must be a way we could move there before retirement, which is at least 15 years away.

Trisha said...

Sounds like an absolutely wonderful vacation spot! I am so jealous.

And don't you just love the introduction of a third narrator in MoM???!!! I love that series. :)

Peppermint Ph.D. said...

I love the idea of going away to some peaceful semi-secluded place for family time. My husband and I went to Hawaii one year for over Thanksgiving week with our school's basketball team. I was soooo depressed on Thanksgiving Day...I wasn't with any of my family and I ate California Pizza Kitchen for Thanksgiving Dinner :p Won't every do that again.

Zibilee said...

It sounds like you had an incredible time out there, and I can understand why you left your heart there. My daughter would have found the cat immediately as well, and tried to convince me that he needed to come home with us.

I can't wait to hear what you think of Wonderstruck! I was going to gift it to you for Christmas, but you beat me to it!

Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooks said...

Sounds like a heavenly trip - family, bikes, wine tastings ... and a cutie of a stray cats. Glad you enjoyed this special R&R Thanksgiving, Sandy!

ds said...

What a wonderful way to spend the holiday weekend!

Amy said...

I'm so glad you had such a great weekend, Sandy! I hope the island lives in your heart even when you can't be there. ;)

Beth(bookaholicmom) said...

That sounds like the perfect getaway! I am envious! I am reading Hugo tonight and it is truly wonderful and magical! I hope you get a chance to see the movie and tell us how it is!

Kathleen said...

Sounds like you've found the perfect place for your family to unplug and be together!

Anonymous said...

*sigh* It sounds absolutely lovely.

JoAnn said...

Sounds like the perfect get-away! My family feels the same way about Sanibel/Captiva. BTW, I have The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus on hold at the library.

Unknown said...

It sounds like an amazing place. Sorry you have to get back to reality this week.

Alyce said...

That looks lovely! What a beautiful place to relax and unwind!

Ti said...

I see a second residence in your future.

Ti said...

BTW...the cat looked pretty comfy but also extremely well fed. I'm sure he had a home. Was probably just visiting.

Melody said...

Wow, that place is gorgeous! Glad you all had a wonderful time there!!

Unknown said...

Your week away sounds heavenly, and I'm guessing the weather was nice. I think it sounds like a beautiful place to visit!

Julie P. said...

Relaxing wasn't quite how I'd describe ours, but we were with family so all was good.

Jenners said...

Sounds like a lovely getaway and just what you needed. You sound very relaxed … and that doesn't seem to happen too often!