Since the weather was so great last weekend, Terry and I decided to take a Nature Coast road trip.
My first drive on the Ozello Trail was probably over 30 years ago. An acquaintance had recommended going to Peck’s Old Port Cove for seafood. Since that visit, very little has changed on the drive. Just north of Homosassa Springs, the 9-mile road is full of curves and goes through oak hammocks and salt marshes. Great views and a fun drive–especially if you have a little red sports car!
Located at the very end of the trail, the Ozello Community Park includes several picnic tables and a boat ramp.
Peck’s Old Port Cove continues to be a popular restaurant on the trail. While we didn’t eat lunch there this time, we have often brought out-of-state visitors for the drive, the food, and the view:
A couple snaps on the way back to the main road:
Our road trip on the Nature Coast continues on Thursday!
Rosemary Beach, Florida. Been there? It’s just west of Panama City Beach. And the site of the latest Coastal Living Beach House. Actually, the magazine is billing it as the ULTIMATE beach house. And I got to check it out. In person. With my camera!
Terry and I love looking at these model homes. We’ve been to several “Street of Dreams” homes and one other Coastal Living beach house that was in Mira Bay, just east of Tampa. That place was great and I still have my pamphlets and magazine. Somewhere. Probably in my well organized garage.
Anyhow, when I knew we were going right by Rosemary Beach a few weeks ago and I could visit the newest Coastal Living house–I was so excited. I was practically bouncing out of my seat the whole way there.
While the house was really nice and the community well laid out, really…the ULTIMATE beach house wasn’t even on the beach. Seriously, if I’m going to pay 2.4 million dollars for a beach house, that salt water better be tickling my back deck!
So I have some pictures. Not as good as will show up in the Coastal Living magazine in October since there were a LOT of people touring the place and they just wouldn’t stay out of my camera lens’s way.
First is the Great Room. The dining room was at one end, living room in the middle and the kitchen at the opposite end. The living room was further broken up into two sitting areas. Next to the kitchen is the scullery.
Dining RoomFirst Sitting AreaSecond Sitting AreaView from Island. The first sitting room is right there, the second is to the left.Kitchen
Now I have to give you a little critique on this area. Loved the colors and all of the furniture. Very open and airy. But….the weird thing about this arrangement was that the only appliance in the kitchen was the stove. The scullery is an entirely separate room and holds the rest of the appliances–refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, and microwave. How inconvenient is that? I first thought that they were trying to hide the cooking clutter in the scullery. Or maybe the maid. (“I don’t need help–I created this 6 course dinner all by myself”) But if you are doing any serious cooking that stove is going to get messy–and the maid will be in full view so your secret is busted. Terry and I both are stumped with this layout. It’s also kind of odd to have the dining room so far from the kitchen. Once again, it’s a convenience thing. (How much can I spill between here and there?)
Fridge, freezer, and microwaveAm I the only one that thinks it’s inconvenient to have the microwave, dishwasher and fridge separate from the stove–in a whole separate room?
There were two small rooms off of the great room–an office and a study.
The office
The outside area had a beautiful pool and a few lounging areas. I do appreciate no yard–they had mondo grass for greenery and potted manadevilla. But, once again, for 2.4 million dollars, I want a view of the Gulf, not a wall.
Pool and Courtyard. Lots of gravel for walkways. Would that get in the pool? Would it hurt my barefeet on my walk to the pool?
There were two bunk rooms. The boys bunk room was on the first floor and had iPad stations at the foot of each bed. On the second floor, the girls bunk was just too sweet in pink and green.
I can just see Courtney, Addy, Kendall and Piper loving this!
We did like the theatre which was located on the second floor. Most theatre rooms that I’ve been in are done up in leather recliners. This was all comfy chaises. There was also a wet bar, game room, and a cute little window seat right outside the theatre. (And why do they spell it theatre rather than theater?)
Looks like I’d be taking a nap during the movies in these cushy chaises.
Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two powder rooms, and a laundry room completed the house. All attractively decorated but nothing too exciting.
Master Bedroom
This is one of the four bathrooms. There were also two powder rooms. All of the bathrooms had square toilets! I finally found one that wasn’t taped shut. Inquiring minds need to know if the seat was square or oval!
So that was my big tour. It was a lot of fun. I loved the colors, the furniture, and accessories that they used throughout the house. I’m looking forward to checking out the write up in the October issue of Coastal Living. Hoping for an explanation of that whole odd kitchen setup! And why the Ultimate Beach house isn’t on the beach!
Riley flew to Tampa from Bismarck, North Dakota on July 20th. All by himself. Only 11-years-old. I was worried. His mom was worried. We were both anxiously waiting at either ends of the country. But Riley was super-duper. He made it. And we had a great three weeks with him. And all of the Florida grandkids and cousin William spent lots of time with Riley, rockstar. Seriously, this kid was in demand.
But Riley wanted to go back to school. Holy flip, do you know that you live like over 2000 miles away and we don’t have a return flight for you?
So we made his ‘I’ve gotta go back to school’ mantra into our first BIG road trip. We originally planned on driving our convertible but decided at some point that idea was just crazy cakes. Dog, kid, golf clubs. Round trip about 4400 miles. So we took the big-ass SUV and traveled in comfort. (But not in cheap–gas was $3.89 in Illinois) Plus we were able to take a bunch of stuff home with us that we need for our next big festive event– the Al-La-palooza! (oh yeah, expect some posts in the near future about that party.)
So we made it to Bismarck/Mandan and are home again.
