It was a chilly morning when Vera demanded we take her outside, but the sunrise coming over the campground made the early wake-up call worthwhile.

I walked Vera over to the Shady Pines loop of the park. The boardwalk is long and scenic, with a couple of nice stop-offs to enjoy the view of the marsh lands. They even have benches to sit on to ponder the gorgeous scenery. St. Joseph Peninsula is just spectacularly beautiful. Not only are there enormous dunes, sugary white sand, and the gulf water, there are the marshes full of reeds and wildlife.

Check out this 1955 FAN COACH in mint condition with all the original interior including fridge and oven, owned by the same family since it was brand new

The owner of the FAN COACH has photos inside showing him as a little boy camping with his family

Bob, checking out our new awnings — first time we have been able to use them

Vera enjoyed an afternoon at the beach and experienced the ocean for the first time. Florida state parks don’t allow pets on the beaches, but just a bit outside the park there is a public beach access. Well worth packing up our gear for the short drive!

I’m sure I have included too many pictures, so feel free to just scroll on past them if seeing a yellow lab frolic about isn’t your thing.

Although this is a public beach, we had the place almost completely to ourselves. So we took the opportunity to let Vera “accidentally lose” her leash. Uh-oh. That’s against the rules. Well worth the risk…I mean, she is a laborador retriever and it’s not much fun for her to be stuck on a leash when there’s an enormous and inviting body of water right there! Who can blame her for slipping her leash?

There were other scofflaws there as well, and Vera was able to make some new puppy friends

Bob and I left Vera to nap at sunset and made our way across the boardwalk to the beach so he could set up a time-lapse recording of the sunset. The iPhone 6S has a built-in time-lapse function, so it was as easy as putting the phone on a tripod.

As we cooked our dinner we were able to spot a 4-point buck in the dunes behind our site. It was nearly dark by then so I couldn’t grab a picture, but the silhouette of him beside the palm trees and against the darkening sky was magical.

Resting my weary legs on a dog and a campfire