Yeah!!! We headed to St. George Island for a week of fun, fishing, eating, shopping and exploring.

Pulling the boat, we try to stay off the interstates as much as possible. The little bit we did was crazy! Too many cars and semis were on the road. I assume they were all heading up North after a week at Disney and/or the beach.

We had a goal for a roadside watermelon stand and once off the interstate our chances were definitely going to increase. But what is important to us is that we get one that is seeded. Success!

Why, you may ask……………..they taste better! While the seedless ones have been the rage for a number of years, I would rather do without then eat one of those.

But before going on, I’m sharing a few watermelon factoids:

Florida has a great climate for growing watermelons and is a leading producer for the state (North Florida).
While considered a summer fruit, growers in Florida can plant it as a winter crop.
Florida is the only state in the country that produces this fruit December to April.

We’re a little too early to check-in to our rental AND we were hungry so we’re meeting our friend Dennis at Aplachicola’s Hole in The Wall Seafood – a family owned restaurant and oyster bar.

It’s nothing fancy, just good (fried) seafood. The owner and his wife are practical and no nonsense folks. It’s not an extensive menu, not much seating, some communal tables and unfortunately no Apalachicola oysters. The day we were there they were closing early at 3pm to watch sports. They locked the door with us inside and no one else was served. There were people trying to get in, but no such luck (for them). Fried grouper fingers and fried shrimp were our seafood choices this day.

The décor is eclectic – neon beer signs and baseball caps line the walls.

Finally the time came for check-in (4pm). Man – it was also a zoo at the rental company. We parked along the side of the road to stay out of the mess. Of course it doesn’t help that we’re extra long with the boat. 🙂

Everyone names their houses and this was no different. We are staying at Canal-a-Bye. It doesn’t look like much from the outside………….

But hey, it suits our needs and primarily we are here for the fishing, not luxury accommodations. Three bedrooms, 3 baths, a porch and most importantly a dock.