September 18,2025
A friend said she sent me an email via this blog, so I came here today to see if I could find it. Not only can’t I find it, but apparently we’ve received 11 other emails since 2023, and they too are lost in the ether. So dear Reader, if you have sent us an email…I have no clue where it might be. And I hope you understand why there was no reply.
Anyway, since we are leaving on Sunday September 21 for another adventure, I decided to catch up and re-orient myself to the ever changing workings of this website.
Upon our return to New York from Asia, we finalized the sale of our Florida condo and I set out to find a warm place for us to spend the rest of winter and spring.
This photo, right here is all you need to know about why we couldn’t wait to escape. That’s our side yard…and nothing about that view is pleasant. Not a speck of sunshine for two solid weeks.
One of our brief and rare forays into the frozen tundra found us at the local NYS Department of Motor Vehicles where we spent three hours exchanging our Florida licenses for New York licenses. Quite the zoo.
We set out on February 27 for the Florida panhandle. Traffic on the New Jersey turnpike included multiple stretches of construction.
As many times as we’ve made the trip back and forth, we’d never stopped here. This was definitely a “one and done” experience. Less than optimal restrooms. The trip was long but uneventful and we arrived at Windmark Beach on March 1 to warmth and sunshine. Here’s our first view of the water. Made my heart happy.
We unpacked and headed off in search of dinner…finding the CrazyFish restaurant on Port St. Joe’s main street. It’s a gem.
This Mahi sandwich was super.
The next day I was up early and set out to explore. Here’s the walkway from our place to the beach.
Windmark beach is located on the calm shallow waters of St. Joseph Bay. It’s on the bay side of the St. Joseph peninsula, which is situated between the Gulf of Mexico and St Joseph Bay.
This pool is at the end of our street.
Windmark beach and Port St. Joe offer a completely different vibe from Sarasota. So quiet, so laid back. So devoid of people…even at the height of Snowbird Season.
Here are some photos taken during my daily walks at Windmark. Windmark is a beach community within the confines of Port St. Joe. Port St. Joe has a population of 4000 and is the county seat of Gulf County, it’s about 45 minutes from Panama City.
Windmark offers two pools…this is the larger one…it’s a five minute golf cart ride from our rental. During Spring break week it was a bit crowded.
On a very windy day, folks were burning this cleared brush….i snapped a pic to show Timmy because I was so incredulous that they’d be so reckless.
Here’s Timmy eating a less than memorable lunch at the restaurant attached to the St. Joe Shrimp Co. St. Joe Shrimp is a terrific fish market…we shopped there weekly, but the restaurant…less than optimal.
In search of a better lunch spot we found our selves on nearby St. George Island at the Blue Parrot.
We enjoyed several lovely lunches at the Blue Parrot. Great beach food and excellent service. Every server we had was delightful.
Our four bedroom rental had more space than we needed but with only two weeks to secure a place during the height of the season, we counted ourselves lucky to find such a nice home in such a great community.
We had to laugh at this cartoon, because this is how we woke up every morning.
The day after we saved the cartoon, I snapped this pic. #Freddy
Just another day at the beach♥️
So I was walking to the pool and noticed that several trash cans were over turned.
Then I spied these suspicious footprints…
And later that day I saw this Facebook post. Yikes! Double yikes! Pond Cypress is the street behind ours.
Bears not withstanding, we continued to enjoy the peace and quiet at Windmark…we also embarked on a quest to discover a dinner time waterfront restaurant with great food.
We finally “discovered” the White Marlin. I say discovered because we passed it every time we went to the fish market in Port St Joe. The White Marlin is everything we want in a restaurant. Great food. Great service and a spectacular view.
Service is unhurried, but professional and attentive.
If you are thinking that we enjoyed multiple long leisurely dinners at the White Marlin…you are correct.
The beach changes every day and I usually found something cool on my walks.
Ibis are plentiful and like to hang out in our backyard.
These tiny red flowers line the beach path.
Yep, here we are again at the White Marlin.
More photos from my walks. Most days I walked the beach for about two hours.
Back at the Marlin 😊
Key Lime Martinis instead of dessert.
We passed this motel every time we went into Port St Joe…over the course of nine weeks, we watched the construction crew bring the building to life. On our last night in town, we finally saw the sign lit up.
I took this pic on May 3, the day we left for New York…it’s the Main Street of Windmark …such an adorable little community. We loved our time there…but it’s just too quiet for us. It would be perfick for a two week vacation if all you want is to fish and swim. The lack of elevated dining options and complete lack of entertainment/cultural activities were a surprise. We missed taking classes and going to a show or two. Anyway, it was warm and sunny just about every day…and that sure beat cold, rainy, dreary Long Island spring.
Once again we stopped for the first night in Santee, SC and had dinner at the Captain’s Quarters. This gem of a restaurant delights me to no end. It is a quintessential Southern roadside restaurant. The waitresses are so sweet and friendly and the food is terrific.
This piece of fish was cooked to perfection. Doesn’t look like much…but it was wonderful.
Our second night on the road home found us in Alexandria, VA…our favorite restaurant, Aldos, was closed, so we found a Greek restaurant near our hotel. Sadly I can’t remember the name.
The saganaki was impressive and the octopus appetizer was yummy too.
I enjoyed my salmon and have no clue what Timmy ate.
It rained all three days on the drive home…seemed fitting. Aside from the rain, the ride was uneventful and we were happy to be back in New York. Thanks for stopping by.
