Reconnecting with friends

Panama City Beach, FL

Another nice benefit of fulltime RVing is the ability to reconnect with friends and relatives who may live too far from a "sticks and bricks" home to visit very often.  Having wheels under our home allows us to catch up with those we have not seen in a while.

Karen and Jennie

 Yesterday Steve and I had dinner with a friend (and former coworker) of mine.  Jennie and I worked in a dental practice in Burke, Virginia in the late 1990s.  Shortly thereafter, she moved to Florida, and we've only seen her once since then.  She lives about an hour from where we are staying and we were able to set up a time to meet again.  Even though it's been a few years since we've seen each other, we picked up right where we left off.  We also had the pleasure of meeting her boyfriend Phil, and really hit it off with him.  We had a great evening together.

Jennie and Phil

We were not familiar with the restaurants in the area, so I did some online research for local restaurants with good ratings.  I chose Hognose Snapper here in Panama City Beach.  A place with a such a weird name HAD to be good, right?  I hit a home run with this choice, I'm happy to say.

When we pulled into the parking lot, there were not that many cars there, so a moment of panic set in.  Then again, this is the "slow" season in Panama City Beach. 

(Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor website)

The exterior of the restaurant is unassuming, and the decor inside is eclectic and funky, with mismatched tables and chairs throughout.
The food was phenomenal!  I'm sorry to say that I did not take pictures of the food, as we were so engrossed in our conversations, and the presentation of the food.  The dishes were creative, presented artistically and reasonably priced.

Jennie and Phil opted to have an appetizer of Maryland crab cakes.  Jennie is from Maryland, and knows her crab cakes.  She said these were about the best she'd ever had. (We later found out that the chef is also from Maryland!)  For dinner, Jennie had the Chef's Special of blackened steak with fried shrimp over collard greens and cheese grits (very southern!) She loved it! Phil had a 12 oz. Prime Rib which he enjoyed very much.  Steve had a seafood sampler (grouper, scallops, a crabcake, fried shrimp and hand-cut fries....loved it!), and I had a chicken breast stuffed with crabmeat, fried green tomatoes and onion tangles.  Love, love love!  The desserts were fabulous as well.....creme brulee, NY cheesecake, warm brownie with ice cream and Key Lime Pie were the perfect finish to the wonderful meal.  We all left the restaurant claiming the food was some of the best we've ever eaten!  I'm sure this place is a zoo during the high season, so I'm glad we were able to enjoy our dining experience in a relaxed manner.

Today we went to the Farmer's Market in Panama City Beach.  It was a gorgeous day to be out looking at the craft and food offerings at the market.  There was a variety of items for sale, including fruits and veggies, baked goods, jewelry, oil paintings, etched glass items and wooden furniture and decorative accessories. 

With great restraint, we only bought a small package of chocolate fudge, 2 mini loaves of bread (strawberry/banana and peanut butter), and vine-ripened tomatoes (YUM!)







The afternoon was spent taking care of mundane chores: laundry and grocery shopping.  Can't get away from the everyday things we need to do, even though we are not living in a traditional "house" anymore.  But, a sunny, 75-degree day sure helps getting things done.

Thanks for stopping by!