December 29, 2013, 16:20 CAT

Our first day in Navarre, although short because of the long drive, was still very nice. We LOVE our condo. We are on the 12th floor and are directly on the ocean. With the wind and surf, we are in heaven. This beach is not crowded at all, somewhat I’m sure because it’s low season, but partly because this little strand of sand is just far enough away from Ft. Walton Beach and Destin. Today’s beach count was probably less than 45 people in the whole strand that I could see from our balcony.

We are staying at the Beach Rentals at Navarre, which is almost the last property on the sound. It is amazing. It is bigger than our current rental hour, or almost. It’s much better laid out than our house anyway. It has two bedrooms and two baths, and I think it could easily sleep 6.  For the week it was $700 in the off season, and with a full kitchen and huge balcony, as well as the little thing we call the ocean, it’s one of the best deals we have found. We were able to drive down and not be totally exhausted. It took about 9.5 hours from Little Rock.

With its proximity to highway 98, there are several grocery stores, restaurants, and other shopping venues from which to choose.  We went to my very favorite grocery store on the planet – Public – who has the BEST chicken salad you can purchase from a grocery store.  It’s well-lit, the prices are great, and they have just about everything you could ever want.  I would drive here every weekend to shop if I could.

As we were driving in, we saw some familiar sights and some new. We had driven down 98 before, but we were headed further east. Today’s stop brought us to an unexpected surprise in a little beach town with great sand, even if it is a little chilly in late December. At last, I have found  a place I like to which I can drive and where the seasons change. It’s the best of all those combinations. It is also affordable.