Often times on an expedition, the skies are not sunny; instead you are faced with what to do at this beach location, when rain and storms are eminent?! That happened to me on a recent trip to Panama City Beach, so I started a quest to look for rainy day activities throughout the county where I was, that were not dependent on perfect weather conditions.
My first stop was the Bay County Arts building in downtown Panama City. Although there had been temporary closings of the facility during the COVID19 Pandemic, I was happy to see that it was open, and following CDC guidelines, which included wearing a face mask upon entry. It was not a gigantic, blinking neon sign that alerted me to their location, rather a gigantic, colorful mural that covered the corner of a building I spotted from my car. 
And, the chalk---available to everyone at the entrance--- along with the invitation on the easel to try your hand at sidewalk chalk art, was a hint to the creativity that one can see inside. 
Turtles are a beloved part of the ecosystem of Bay County, so this massive bronze sculpture, surrounded by mirrors, is the perfect centerpiece for their gallery. (Although the mirrors are there to allow the viewer to see the artistry on the back of the sculpture, if you look closely, you can see they have a dual purpose, of sending out a reflection of the viewer! Can you see me in the mirrors?)
There are several different galleries throughout the building, like the one pictured here, which was currently displaying lovely artwork depicting the flora and fauna of Bay County.
I also came across this inviting reading nook, with a fantastic wall mural that can provide the ambiance of being on the beach, when the reality of the hour may be that the beach is cloudy, cold, rainy, and windy (which is the reason I was inside the art gallery!)
This invitation was sitting on the counter of a two-story window wall, that wrapped around one corner of the stairway.
I read that the central vision of the Bay Arts Alliance is to see "Art on every corner" of downtown Panama City. This has certainly been achieved in this indoor scene, as the window frames the palm trees, that line the historic streets outside. One could sit on the stools provided, and enjoy the view of the clearing skies, after a thunderstorm has rolled through!
As I exited the art center, I was amused by the name of the establishment across the street. What a great alibi the name provides, when a mischievous college student is questioned by a parent as to their where-abouts, and the student (very truthfully!) answers "History Class". If I write as if I have first-hand knowledge of such a ruse, that is an accurate assumption; when I was in college, there was a "dubious" establishment where college kids hung out, that was called "The Library". Many students learned too late, that all that time at the "Library", did not help their GPA (Grade Point Average) even a little bit!
Another example of the "Art on every corner" vision, was brought to my attention, as I exited the building.
The young woman on duty at the time of my visit, alerted me to look closely at the composition of the stucco-type walls of the original part of the facility. She said it is one of very few places in the country where colorful "sea glass" is used as a part of the mixture. This detail is not obvious with a casual glance at the building, so I was thankful she pointed it out!
This beautifully restored theater in downtown Panama City is visible from both the interior and exterior of the Bay Arts building. It is a fantastic example of art deco architecture, and a historical treasure!
This is a photo of the part of the Bay Arts Alliance facility with quite a history, including being used as a city administration building, and a jail! Notice how one cannot tell that tiny pieces of colorful sea glass make up the composition of the tan walls.
Just down the same street as the art gallery, is the Bay County History Museum. Although visitation was limited at the time of my visit due to on-going Corona Virus pandemic restrictions, one can read about the colorful history of Bay County, and see hundreds of photos, at this website: www.baycohistory.org .
According to some historians, THE most significant event that occurred in Bay County, Florida, was the "Gideon versus Wainwright Case", and is commemorated on this metal sign in front of the Bay County Courthouse. As a result of this case, the Public Defender system was established in Florida and throughout the nation. It is considered a LANDMARK Supreme Court case, so how very fitting that there is a LANDMARK at the location where it started! However, it was not a straight path that led to the Public Defender system. Mr. Gideon ended up being imprisoned, appealing, losing his appeal, another appeal, and finally the Supreme Court's ruling that freed him, based on the Sixth Amendment that said the right to counsel is a fundamental right applied to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution's Due Process Clause, and requires that indigent criminal defendants be provided counsel at trial. It seemed to be a suitable visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verses that says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3 . You can be sure that Mr. Gideon, and his advocates, faced "trials of many kinds", but the tests of their faith in the ideals of the judicial system, resulted in the Public Defender programs we now have throughout the United States. 
Speaking of Gideon, and activities you can pursue during storms, you might want to read the Gideon Bible that is likely in your lodging room, if the weather outside is unwelcoming! The Gideon Society (www.gideons.org) supplies Gideon Bibles free of charge to lodging properties---as well as prisons. This begs the question of whether Mr. Gideon of Bay County, included a Gideon Bible in the many law books he studied, to educate him on basic human rights!
Yet another great activity when the weather is lousy outside is to hit the famous arcade metropolis known as "Dave and Busters". I had the opportunity to do just that, during an especially heavy downpour when my group was scheduled to explore Pier Park at Panama City Beach!
As I mentioned earlier, water sports have been an important part of my personal history, so this very weathered sign caught my attention, as I explored a different part of Bay County, known as Historic St. Andrews. The red rectangle, with a white diagonal stripe, is the universal sign for "Scuba Diver". However, it was not until I became a certified scuba diver in the 1970's that I learned that when a person sees one of these flags floating on a body of water, they are NOT to approach it in their motorboat! It means there is a scuba diver below, and that scuba diver does NOT want to be chopped to pieces by the propeller of a motorboat!
The restaurant shown in this location must be a very popular waterfront "watering hole"/restaurant, as there were no parking places anywhere near its entry. And every person I saw walking in the area was headed for its front door! I made a note to come back to try out the seafood shown on their menu, when I had more time.
As I was strolling various parts of Bay County, I was always thankful to find placards such as the one in this picture, that not only told me where I was, but also something about the history of that particular location. One can explore additional information about the historic St. Andrews neighborhood and downtown Panama City self-guided tours at this website: www.destinationpanamacity.com/walkingtour
Every photography workshop I have been to, has "preached" the principle that cloudy days are better than sunny days for most types of photography. So I use that principle, as I try to "count it all joy" when faced with the "trials" of stormy weather, as I do travel photography and photojournalism. Seeing this window display of "old fashioned" cameras and film, brought back decades of memories snapping photos!
The store was called "The Light Room" and had the modern-day "digital" version of an explanatory brochure, as well as their window display of historic film photography. For those whose only experience with photography has been with a "smart phone", I want to explain that back in the "olden days", photography was all about light EXPOSURE. So early on, I grabbed the phrase, "Exposures by Tricia", to identify my photojournalism efforts. However, as the years progressed, and my son was helping me set up an email address, I told him I wanted to use the phrase "ExposuresByTricia@suchandsuch.com". He warned me that the word "exposures" in cyberspace was going to "expose" me to web-surfers, looking for women who were "exposing" their body parts, rather than "exposing" film to light! As in most advise he has given me regarding the "technology highway", he was correct! Hence, the name, "Expeditions By Tricia"!
As my expedition in Bay County drew to a close at the end of the day, I was reminded by the colors of the sunset, that the evening time after a day of storms, can often provide some enchanting photo opportunities. 
So take some time after you have persevered through the trials of a rainy, soggy day, to consider the pure joy of God's beautiful creation! Doing so, always gives me "MILES OF SMILES"!! Tricia
