It’s hard to go wrong with family at the beach on Christmas.

Ross and Ryan love to walk on different surfaces, especially ones that resonate! So piers are a favorite, and the salty breezes here are a fun extra.

Of course, the pelican overseers of this pier are the REAL fun extra. Probably best the twins didn’t know they were so close!

We climbed all over Fort Pickens. Fascinating to see the effort made to protect our shores prior to the Civil War and up into World War I. Immense brick facility that was improved by a reinforced concrete inner fort. These huge cannons were everywhere!

And so were the little creatures. We found this little snake crawling around one of the huge batteries that lay outside the Fort but within its boundary walls.

At various times, particularly around the Civil War, Pensacola Harbor had four forts around its perimeter. This Fort Pickens was the most fortified and easiest to defend. At the time Florida seceded from the Union, the fort was occupied by US Army…and they successfully maintained control throughout the war, deep in the heart of Dixie!

The installation where Jared stands was built to support two rapid-firing guns that could be fired in any direction….and its fortification includes the side away from the Gulf, in case fire might come from an enemy in the bay or even on land. There are even larger installations farther from the Fort where huge cannons were placed, capable of firing 12-inch, 800-pound projectiles at ships more than 10 miles off shore!

But I digress….we do this unusual lifestyle so we can maintain sanity while we meet the constant needs of two very special boys, sometimes with the very special assistance of their really great big brother!