Relaxing in Key West

We continued our Florida vacation by driving down the length of the keys, arriving at Key West. We did lots of fun things including walking around town to see the sights. That kind of movement builds up an appetite so of course we had to stop for some handmade ice cream along the way. We convinced Nate to get a cone placed inside a bowl so that he could enjoy the cone experience without the mess. Sean, our little Mr. Independent, insisted on a cone along. Notice the result. It didn't seem to phase him, though.

Papa and Grandma took everyone out for a day of sailing, snorkeling and sea kayaking among the uninhabited keys west of Key West. Everyone certainly enjoyed the trip. Nate even got to hold a sea cucumber! Yes, the water really was this color. It was an amazing array of turquoise, green and blue on this perfectly sunny day.


Everyone stayed in the same condo area in the Truman Annex area of Key West. There were a couple of different swimming pools to choose from, and we spent most of our time at this one because it was a little more shady and hidden. Look at Nate showing his displeasure about something (can't remember what). Well if it's okay to show Sean with his chocolate goatee, it's perfectly acceptable to show Nate being a little stinker too.

Everglades

We started our Florida vacation by stopping at the Everglades. It was a long drive from Ft. Lauderdale where we'd spent the first night and we were all hungry. Luckily there was a little cafe right outside of the park where we could stop for lunch and eat at the picnic tables by the palm trees. Nate and Sean had never seen a coconut in its husk before so they saved a couple as souvenirs. They also enjoyed playing on the fake alligator displayed for passing tourists.


We then entered the park and headed towards the Anhinga trail trail where Nate and Sean got to see real alligators. They were everywhere! It was a warm, sunny afternoon so plenty of gators swam around the boardwalk trail taking no mind of the human visitors. Of course, we weren't going to be dipping our toes in the water either. One alligator caught a fish and that was enough to convince the kids to leave well enough alone.

It's a fascinating trail built over the water, perfectly level and kid friendly. Every corner brought new excitement whether alligator or waterfowl. We saw many different species of birds, and alligators of every shape and size from one-foot babies all the way up to monsters eight or more feet long!

Spring in the Park

Springtime! It's finally springtime! We didn't have a bad winter but it held on weeks longer than usual and we're ready for a change. Saturday was dismal and dreary with a cold drizzle hanging around most of the day. We finally got a nice day on Sunday when it got in the low 70's and we desperately needed to get outside. We walked down to one of the local parks where the creek ran higher than usual because of recent rainfall.


This is a concrete walkway over the creek most of the time but it becomes a ford with a small waterfall after a good rain. Nate enjoyed trying to dam up the creek even further. A small pond with tadpoles provided entertainment on one side of the ford, pint-sized whitewater on the other. Nate and Sean ran back-and-forth until they got soaked. I'm not sure how they could stand the cold water. Kids are immune to that, apparently.



Sean enjoyed digging canals through the small pebbles sand by the side of the creek. He also used small pieces of wood and leaves as tiny kayaks shooting through the two inch whirlpools and hydraulics heading downstream.