Vacation With the Nelson's (+Bonus Story)

As I watched the palm trees fly past and gleefully took off my jacket in the passenger seat of Pat and Rick's car, I had a feeling my time in Florida was gonna be really nice.

For a little context, when you last heard from me I was in Buffalo, NY and had just gotten off the train. Over the course of the next three days, I pretty much drove nonstop until I made it to Atlanta, GA. Why was I in such a rush to get to Georgia? My grand aunt and uncle, Pat and Rick, were planning on leaving for Florida on January 3rd and they said I could tag along, as long as I made it to their house on the 2nd. Luckily for me, I did make it on time, because the next 7 days in Florida were extremely nice and full of mini adventures! We were also staying in an area of Destin that Pat and Rick had never stayed at, so it created the sense that were experiencing new things together and at the same time.

On our first day (1/4), we decided to check out the Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park, a grassy outdoor museum dedicated to Airmen and their planes. It was a real treat for me, because I'm a big aviation guy, but even Pat and Rick were eating it up. Rick as an enjoyer of history, and Pat as an admirer of human ingenuity. Unfortunately, part of the park was closed off for construction and while we could still see the plans it housed, we weren't able to get up and really appreciate them.

Posing with one of the nearest aircraft I've seen

This picture was taken before the propeller took us out-consider this a warning!

Appreciating the sacrifices many airmen and women have made for U.S. citizens

On that same day, we went to Conservation Park in Panama City Beach. We had been doing a lot of driving during the past few days, so that morning afforded us the opportunity to strecth our legs and check out a state park with multiple trails running through the bayou. Unfortunately, we didn't see any alligators, but we did get to walk over some awfully suspicious and murky water. After lunch that day, we went to a outdoor shopping outlet hoping for some kind of unique visuals or draw, but unfortunately all the stores were mostly the same-tacky, beach themed tourist stores with nothing of real value. I kid you not, literally all the stores at the outlet were either restaurants or generic "beach" stores. I appreciate a gimmicky store as much as the next guy when I'm on vacation, but when all the stores in an area are essentially the same, it makes you wonder who actually thinks walking through them is fun.

Just chillin' on a bridge in Conservation Park (Panama City Beach, FL)

On Monday (1/5) we decided to check out the Northwest Florida State College in Niceville. While I did find exploring it to be an enjoyable way to pass time, I have a confession to make-NFSC in Niceville is the least interesting college I've visited on this trip-and by extension, my life. I was happy to spend time there and to give it a chance-especially since Pat and Rick were enjoying it-but the campus was just missing a visual flair. Literally all the buildings were made of the exact same brick. As a matter of fact, you can see said brick in the corners of the photo below. The building in said photo was by far the most interesting on the campus. As you continue to scroll, you'll notice I actually took very few photos during our time there.

In fairness, it's not necessarily the Colleges fault. The Florida school system has individuals get their bachelors at one of the many Florida State Colleges and then moves them on to University. As such, the school probably doesn't have the kind of money to add cool visual flair. With all that in mind, this was easily my least favorite college of the ones I've visited. On the positive side, after exploring the campus, we did have a really good meal!

Feeling cool on the Northwest Florida State College in Niceville

Taking a moment of silence for any public service men or women who lost their lives protecting Florida

Enjoying the water and silent dancing in one of the college courtyards

Enjoying a great meal with Pat and Rick at a restaurant that I forgot the name of. Haha!

Now Tuesday (1/6) was one of my most anticipated days of the trip. We decided to explore the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola-home of the Blue Angels. Checking out this museum was a total blast! In fact, I'd rather not waste words trying to tell you how neat the museum was. Instead, I'll just let you check out the pictures I took. However, before I let you off the leash, there are some points I'd like to make.

First, the museum is absolutely huge. You'll definitely want block out an entire day if you want to see everything. And that's just for seeing everything. If you want to read all the plaques and little tidbits, you'll definitely have to come back another day. That was largely the case for us. We didn't return on that Florida trip, but someday in the future, I'll walk through again, so I can actually absorb some of the facts.

Secondly, one of the museums greatest strengths is the models. I personally think the best part of a historical museum is when the curators build a set that you can walk through to immerse you in the setting. At one point, I walked into a model of a Vietnam war military encampment. Not only did it have mannequin soldiers doing everyday stuff like playing cards, but it even had fake greenery to really set the mood. The best part is, that was just one of many well crafted models.

Lastly, I'd recommend bringing your own food-or leaving to get food. They do have a restaurant in the museum that we ate at, but the food was meager for the price and pretty okay. To be clear, it worked in a pinch, because we didn't bring lunch and were quite hungry, but I wouldn't eat there again. Alright, without further ado, enjoy the next seven photos!

Taking my first selfie at the National Naval Aviation Museum

Getting ready to board this rickety old plane. Wish me luck!

Trying-and failing-to get into this secret room aboard the ship

Enjoying a nice warm beverage with the camp's bartender

Getting ready to start the propeller and fly out of camp

In my mind, I was riding into the danger zone

Shout-out to the Blue Angels

Our last really notable adventures took place on Wednesday (1/7). That morning we went to the Fort Walton Heritage Park & Cultural Center. In line with my earlier comments about museum models, my favorite types of museums are those that are essentially one big model. That was the case with the Cultural Center. The city of Fort Walton has preserved three civil war era buildings and turned them into their own miniature museums. There was a classroom, a civil war baracks, and a postal house. While each of the buildings were very small, they each had a ton of character and found fun ways to implement the "museum" aspects. It wasn't a long trip, but I'd say our trip to the Heritage Park was well worth it. One of the things I've learned about myself on this trip is that I like my museums to be immersive and this Florida vacation certainly scratched that itch.

Proof that I was there!

I thought I graduated last year, but somehow I still find myself in a classroom

Starting a long, hard game of checkers with Rick

Back to work! Gotta help this lady with her mail

As I look back on my Florida vacation with Pat and Rick I want to really emphasize the "vacation" part. Of all the side trips I've made with family on this gap year, the Florida trip felt the most like a "vacation". While I loved meeting up with family on other points of the trip and may have even had a better overall time with them, they didn't really feel like vacations. Instead, they felt like a great hang out with family. I think what made this little side mission so vacation-y was the fact that me, Pat, and Rick, were experiencing new things for the first time together. Again, I want to be clear, I've had such a great time staying with other people in their natural habitats on this trip. Each one offered me a great opportunity to rest. But I also have to give my flowers to Pat and Rick for the time I spent with them! When you spend so much time exploring new places, it stops feeling like a vacation and more like a unique way of life. I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to make that kind of realization, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a simple man who enjoys simple things, like vacation.

Bonus Story-Night With Jon (And Company)

Now before I start retelling this night, a couple things. First of all, the reason I put this story at the end of my "Florida Trip With the Nelson's" adventure is because I felt this was a good enough story to tell, but didn't have any pictures or enough to say to make it a whole post. Secondly, this story requires just a little backstory. I was at a Christmas Eve party with my mom, EB, her partner-Caitlin, and a group of their friends. During the Christmas Eve party, I told Caitlin that I was going to go to Georgia after I left Twisp. When I brought it up, she said that if I was going to be in the Atlanta area I should absolutely meet up with her cousin, John. Upon bringing this up, EB and a couple other people at the party chimed in and agreed that I should meet him. Some individuals even said we were very similar. With an endorsement like that, I was determined to meet the illustrious John.

Flash forward to January 11th-my last full day in Atlanta. I had gotten in touch with John and we had agreed to meet at his place at 6 pm. Originally the plan was just to do a solo dinner with me and him, but a couple hours before meeting, he called me and let me know that not only would some of his coworker buddies be attending, but that his neighbors had suggested a hangout by the fire. He asked if I was still cool to meet and expressed understanding if I wasn't. While I was disappointed that I wouldn't get one-on-one time to really meet this guy and analyze how similar we were, I was also down for a more social vibe and for the chance to meet John in a more public setting.

I rolled up to his place around 6 pm and walked around the back of his place to where the firepit was. At first, it was just a small group of us, composed of John, his wife-Beth, his coworkers-Tony and Randy, and a childhood buddy. I really appreciated this smaller group to start, because it did allow us to get to know each other and establish common ground. However, even when his neighbors started to show, I was still having a great time. Eventually we all got hungry, so me, John, Beth, Randy, and Tony all went out to get some food at a local Tex-Mex place called Superica. While we walked, I got some solo time with John and also got to learn about the neighborhood he lives in-which has some pretty cool history and facts. The food was good and so was the conversation. Once we returned to his place, I was feeling pretty satisfied with our meetup and decided to leave on a high note.

Overall, I had a really good time that night and it ranks among the best social experiences I've had on my trip. It was really nice to get to meet John, both in a social setting around the fire and in a more personal setting as we walked to dinner. I can definitely see our similarities and why people might consider us similar, but I also appreciate our differences, as it made meeting up worthwhile!