Florida 2011

We are having a great time here in sunny SW Florida. Here are some snippets of our trip so far:
Floating in the pool after dark, staring up at the big dipper.

Smelling cocoplum, especially at night.

Crab hunting after sunset.

Learning to surf.

Riding bikes all over the island.

Catching lizards, Andy still has it!

Finding all the spots where we take pictures and updating 2011 style.

Pasta salad from the Publix deli. Why don't all Publix have this? Hint: If you eat it out of the plastic container, there is no dish to wash.

PB&J sandwiches, almost everyday.

Still wearing the SCUBA masks we bought before we were married. What a great investment!

Swimming with a manatee!! A - MAZ - ING! Also exhausting, they are faster than they look!

Posing with a woody surf wagon

Key's birthday dinner at Mi Pueblo. I love the shrimp avacado salad.

Balloon animals (or princesses, take your pick.)

Ice cream every evening.

Wi Fi at the pool.

Military-like pelican formations.

Cold tap water does not exist here. I knew that, but had forgotten.

The smell of sunscreen, even after a shower. Robbie can really coat us good.

Those darn turtles laying eggs in the middle of the night when I am not looking. (Update, I did start looking...it was a dark and stormy night. No, really, it was. And I took Andy with me. I'll save the rest for another time.)

Seeing pool friends, year after year. Meeting new ones too.

Beach umbrellas as backdrops for cool pictures, and they second as a shady spot on the beach.

Three thousand shades of blue, no chance of picking they most beautiful. They all win.

Watching the old lady, straw hat society do water aerobics in the pool. (I almost snapped a picture. You're glad I didn't!)

Enjoying the interesting art downtown Sarasota. Some recognizable, some not.

Sun kissed highlights in our hair.

Tans so deep they make our teeth glow.

Reading the Sarasota Herald Tribune. I miss it.

Reading a so-so paperback til 1am, knowing I'll get those sleep hours back in the form of an afternoon nap.

Gallons of pink lemonade, gallons of ice cream, gallons of chilled peanut M&M's. Seriously, we've been buying M&M's in the party sized bags - and there is no party!!!

Sea slugs in a bucket. (Temporarily, of course)

Sporadic sightings of the resident black snake, although Andy swears it is a cobra.

CraigsList iPod Touches for the boys. They paid!

Free apps, free apps, free apps!

Foxtail ferns, unusual succlents..

Pink cheeks, peeling shoulders.

Getting lost underwater in a huge school of jacks. Awesome experience.

Diving for fighting conchs and assorted hermit crabs to live (for at least ten minutes) in the seaside castle built especially for them.

Forgotten flip flops means burned feet, and carrying children along with beach bags.

Dinner at The Columbia! Love Cuban food. Boliche!

Watching the meandering bike formation ahead of me. Robbie leads, Natalie right behind. Me in cow's tail position.

Dodging skittering lizards as they cross in front of the bike. "Oh, look Mom! Those lizards are hugging!" (Yes. Yes they are!)

Stopping the bikes to talk to anyone walking a dachshund. Robbie's idea.

Boat rides with friends.

Robbie's first attempt at wake boarding. He did great.

BOGO popsicles. Key almost died of happiness. They are his primary source of nourishment, year round.

Knives that wouldn't slice hot butter. We keep 'em sharp at Casa Goodson.

Sunsets almost every night that would knock your socks off, if you wore them here.

Drum circle on Casey Key and a five year old girl who shook her bootie til the sun went down - all while wearing a belly dancing scarf around her waist.

Getting a picture of a manatee sticking his snout out of the water. This is nearly impossible.
You'll just have to trust me on this one. I promise that is a manatee snout. I have a better shot of a dolphin fin, but you get the idea of how good a photographer I am when it comes to mammals who live in the sea.

Opti sailboats and a new sailor in our house. He is a veteran of Roberts and Dona bays, running slightly aground around Rattlesnake island, but nothing raising his daggerboard couldn't fix.

Nautical knot tying. Practice makes perfect.

Neon green pool pass bracelets that a 'blue hair' insisted we should all wear in the pool. Don't sweat the small stuff, lady.

Digging for sharks teeth at 'the property' (our old house). Didn't find much but the old man who lives there knew Andy would be back this year and saved him a two inch whopper of a tooth. Thanks, Harold, you made his day!

Pulling a kitchen chair up to an outlet at 11:30pm so you can play on your new (used) iPod Touch as it recharges.

Jayyyyy Leno

Storage Wars. Glad we don't have A&E back home, I could get used to that. Dave, you are a JERK!

Laughing at an anhinga who caught a fish too big to swallow.

People watching at Sharkey's Pier.

Slowing down to envy houses with for sale signs out front. Thinking either one of two things:

1) we could never afford that house

2) we could afford that one, but would we all fit inside at the same time?

Tropical Thai - won ton soup and pineapple fried rice with chicken. Throw in a summary of the life of Thailand's fifth president, because Natalie noticed his picture on the wall and asked if he owned the place. Fascinating character, actually. Google him.

Really expensive watermelons. We aren't buying many. Did they grow with golden seeds this year and nobody told us?

Being genuinely disappointed that the Eastern Screech Owl we found in that Pongam tree last year wasn't in there this year. Yeah, we looked. Twice. Duh!

This vacation is far from over so I'll just leave it at............to be continued.