Port St. Joe: Star fish, Sand dollars & Scallops

We just returned from our annual trip to Port St. Joe for scalloping with our friends the Bells and the Gills.  This year, we rented two condos next door to each other at Windmark Beach. The condos are nice with high ceilings, high end appliances, comfy beds and nice bathrooms.  As this area is aptly referred to as the Forgotten Coast, Windmark fits right in.  There is a zero entry pool, a playground, a fire pit, and a 3.5 mile beach walk that runs parallel to St. Joe Bay.  I have to think that someday it will be discovered and developed but right now it is somewhat of a ghost town and we had the place to ourselves.  With eight children between the three families, we decided it would be easier to eat in and not do the Indian Pass Raw Bar this year.  For more on Indian Pass Raw Bar, check out Emily's post from last month.  This is a must if you are in the area.

Waltz Me To Heaven: Scalloping in Port St. Joe

The days of trailering our boats down to Port St. Joe have come to an end.  We now rent from the PSJ Marina.  We spent the first day scalloping having decent luck.  The kids are always so excited when they find scallops on their own.  The second day we went across the bay close to Cape San Blas and anchored on a sandbar.  We found sand dollars and star fish in the sand.  If you see squiggly lines in the sand, just dig down and you will find a sand dollar.  The star fish were plentiful too.  We threw the frisbee, swam and played until a huge storm came our way.  Luckily, we were able to skirt the storm and get back to the marina safe and dry!

Saturday night, we celebrated my goddaughter Ansley's 13th birthday! I am not sure where the time has gone but this little baby that I remember holding in my arms at Northside Hospital has grown into a beautiful young lady before my eyes.  We celebrated with gifts, swimming, a cookout by the pool and s'mores by the fire pit.  

Bocce ball

The devastation of not getting the color icing you wanted on your piece of cookie cake!

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Scalloping In Port St. Joe

Summers on the Gulf Coast are full of long sunny days spent on the water where your hair begins to feel like straw and your skin is tight from the salt.  The hours in the sun eventually drain every ounce of energy until your body practically screams for sleep.  After a couple of beers, some raw oysters and a cool shower, nothing is better than falling into bed in a beachy, salty haze.  I love that feeling!

We had one of those days this past week after spending all day in Port St. Joe, Florida, searching for scallops in St. Joe Bay.  When you are traveling from Pensacola east along the coast of Florida, you will eventually stumble upon a sleepy little area aptly called the "Forgotten Coast."  From Mexico Beach to Apalachicola, the tourists are few but the seafood is plentiful.  Right in the heart of the Forgotten Coast is St. Joe Bay - a large expanse of water dotted with several islands and protected from the Gulf of Mexico by Cape San Blas.  Scalloping in this bay is a great activity to do with the whole family because it only involves searching through grass beds for the scallop shells and scooping them up with your hand.  A mask, a pair of water shoes and a mesh bag, and you're good to go.  My kids had the best time (although Scott and I did most of the actual scalloping) sporting their masks and snorkels and swimming around in search of these delicious little mollusks.  

After we came off the water, we traveled a few more miles east toward Apalachicola to the Indian Pass Raw Bar.  It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, and if it were not for the cars of patrons lining the highway, you just might miss it.  Fashioned out of an old trading post, this little oyster bar is the stuff of legends.  The atmosphere is casual, the staff is friendly, the oysters are briny and the beer is cold.  It is the perfect stop for happy hour or dinner after a day on the boat, so put your name on the list, grab a cold one out of the cooler enjoy some live music on the porch outside while you wait.  

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