Fun in the Sun

Finally, a day completely free of rain and clouds!  Today was our first total sun day, and we took full advantage of it.  We headed down to the beach early, then returned to the cottage for lunch.  The highlight of the day?  Girls Parasailing afternoon!  Kelsey and I went parasailing for the first time in Virginia Beach three years ago, but Erin had never gone.

While it was a gorgeous sunny day, it was also quite windy, so we weren't able to parasail in the Gulf - we were in the intercoastal waters instead.  Being up 1,200 feet tho, we enjoyed fantastic views of the Gulf.  Erin truly enjoyed her first experience, and Kelsey and I were thrilled to do this again.

Since we enjoyed The Cottage so much on Sunday, we walked over for an early supper tonight.  We then swung by Big Olaff's for ice cream on our way to the beach.  We haven't been able to see a sunset on the beach since we've been here, as every evening has been too cloudy.  It was as if the sun knew we'd been waiting all week to see it sink behind the water, and it put on a spectacular display.

What a perfect ending to a perfect day!

Mote Marine

With today's forecast calling for rain, rain and more rain, we decided to make this our indoor day.  I took Erin and Drew to Mote Marine Laboratory, while Baird and Kelsey spent the day at the Ringling Art Museum (special thanks to them for the pic above).  Kelsey said her favorite part was the European masterworks; Baird mentioned the gallery reminded him a bit of Florence's Uffizi Gallery.

Meanwhile, back at the Mote, Erin and Drew touched sea creatures, panned for shark teeth, and watched the manatees, sea turtles, and dolphins.  Erin was especially excited to view two species of dolphins she'd not seen before outside of her reference books.  Drew was fascinated by the giant squid.

We dined at Phillippi Creek Village Restaurant with Peter and DK tonight.  It's easy to see why this place is a favorite among locals and regular visitors to the area.  We're really getting spoiled with fresh local seafood!

Early Morning Shelling

The girls and I got up before dawn this morning to go shelling, with moderate success.  We all spent a lazy day on the beach (altho Baird stayed close to the cottage, given his seriously sunburned skin), with the girls meeting up and hanging out with DK.

We dined at JoTo, a Japanese steakhouse.  We opted for the teppan-yaki table presentation.  Our chef/entertainer was hillarious and skilled, whipping shrimp tails into his shirt pocket with ease.

We've fallen into the habit of stopping by Big Olaff's after dinner.  This is a wildly dangerous habit - their ice cream and fudge is rich, decadent, and simply addicting!  We lingered a bit too long over ice cream, however, and were caught in a heavy downpour as we were walking back to the cottage.

While I'm fond of telling the kids, "It's just rain,you're not made of sugar, you're not going to melt," the intensity of the thunderstorms down here make me a uneasy.  When I was shopping at Walmart on Monday on the way back from Clearwater and I mentioned the monsoon-like conditions to the clerk, she looked at me for a moment before replying, "You can tell how long someone's been in Florida by the color of their skin and how they react to the rain.  I'm guessing you just got here." I'm pretty sure that when I slipped off my shoes and ran barefoot thru the parking lot's ankle-deep water I truly looked like the tourist I was!

Anyway, I just wasn't up for a good soaking, so Baird and Kelsey graciously ran back to the cottage in the pouring-down rain, grabbed the car, and returned to retrieve the rest of us from under an awning we'd dashed under when the skies cut loose with this latest round of "steady showers."  And it's supposed to rain all night and most of tomorrow.  But at least things are green down here.  Oh, and it's still a warm 70 degrees.  The grass is green.  The palm trees are beautiful. There are gorgeous flowers everywhere I turn.  So I'll put up with the rain, 'cause it still beats Chicago's 42 and rainy!

On the Beach in Siesta Key

The skies cleared overnight, and the roads that were flooded with yesterday's monsoon have drained and are now passable.  Really, the only residual water was found in the walk way to the beach, and on the beach itself, where the white sand was damp and packed, rather than dry and powdery.  The rain and clouds stayed away today, giving us a great day at the beach.  BIG added bonus for the girls: running into people they knew on the beach!   Peter was in town for a medical conference, and he drug his youngest with him.  The kids hadn't seen each other since our Christmas dinner party back in December. The kids made plans to get together thru-out the week, and we're planning dinner together on Thursday.

We dined at Dry Dock Grill with the intent of watching the sun set over the Gulf while we ate dinner.  We didn't order the cloud cover, but it came anyway.  Still, the food was fantastic, and the girls especially are beginning to see what I meant when I said, "While we're on vacation, order the local, fresh fish.  You won't be disappointed."  My poor hubby was suffering from a case of sun poisoning as a result of falling asleep on the beach, and wasn't able to enjoy his food.  In what can only be described as pure gluttony, the girls and I divvied up his plate (with his permission, of course!) after consuming our own entrees.  His shrimp and crab cake combo was quite delicious indeed!

Dolphin Encounter in Clearwater

We had arranged for Erin to enjoy another dolphin encounter today at Clearwater Marine Acquarium.  We picked the perfect day to do this, as it was pouring buckets all day long.  Erin and I got up early in the morning to drive up to Clearwater.  The Acquarium specializes in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of otters, dolphins and sea turtles.  This little dolphin here was separated from her mother while at sea.  Left alone, scared, and dehydrated, she was rescued and brought to the Clearwater facility.

 Erin was the very first patron at the Clearwater facility to ever have an encounter with this particular calf.  She was thrilled to be able to bottle feed the dolphin.  At one point, the dolphin decided to swim between Erin's legs, almost knocking her off the platform!

Yes, the animal below IS a dolphin.  In December, 2005, Winter the dolphin became entangled in some fishing wire and almost died.  She was rescued and brought to Clearwater where she recovered, but lost her fin.  A movie about her ordeal will hit theaters later this fall.

As Erin and I drove home in the monsoon-like rain, she couldn't help but compare this dolphin encounter with her last one.  She admitted that while she enjoyed her experience at Brookfield Zoo at little bit more overall, there is no comparing the feeling of being the first patron ever to bottle feed the dolphin calf.

Once we arrived back on Siesta Key, we collected the rest of the family and ate at Captain Curt’s Crab & Oyster Bar, a live music joint frequented by more locals than tourists.  We enjoyed Boom Boom Shrimp, Gator Bites, and lots of shrimp and grouper for supper, all while listening to live music by a Beatles tribute band.  Such fun!

Travel Day to Siesta Key

People have warned me over the past few years, that trying to get away for a summer vacation when there are teenagers in the house is a tricky affair.  They weren't kidding.  Between summer school, soccer and cross country conditioning, and cousins camp, there isn't much time to squeeze in a family vacation that lasts more than an extended weekend.  Last summer we just couldn't get away, so we opted for a staycation that included a few trips to local beaches.

As the winter of 2011 dragged on, Baird and I both realized we were almost desperate to get away, and were pining for the warmth of the Florida sun.  We decided to take the kids to Siesta Key and introduce them to the beauty of a white-sand beach.

We all got up bright and early this morning, planning to arrive in Siesta Key (via Atlanta, Sarasota, and a short drive to the cottage) by late afternoon; however, a serious storm blew thru Atlanta and shut down the airport, giving us a delayed departure from Chicago, long layover in Atlanta, and making us all more than a little bit antsy to get to our destination.  Here's where we'll be staying for the week:

We quickly settled in, then headed our for a fantastic dinner at The Cottage

We normally do not allow our children to play with their food, but tonight's casual atmosphere of outdoor-dining-with-tikki-lights-and-paper-menus made me want to bend the rules a little and let Erin stretch her creative side with the leftovers from Baird's steamer bucket:

It's gonna be a great week!

Drew's Day in Three Parts

Drew had a very busy day today.  It was Dress Up Day at Irving for School Spirit Week, and Drew opted to wear his tux with tails.  He called me from school at lunchtime to say, "Mom!  Everyone who sees me thinks I look great!"  Everybody's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man!

This evening was the annual Little Huskies Wrestling Awards Banquet.  Drew was awarded a warm-up jacket for his hard work this year.  His record was 33-13-1, and he placed second at Regionals.

Next up:  the annual Swap, Shop and Read at Irving.  I love this idea!  A few weeks before the event, the students are asked to bring in books they own but no longer read.  The books are sorted by genere and laid out on tables.   The night of the Swap, each student who donated books gets to take home new reading material equal to the number of books donated.  Drew picked up a book or two for himself, but he was also generous with his picks, giving me an opportunity to pick up some reading material for spring break.