Here are a few things that we both loved and didn't love on our Florida vacation.
Loved - Sarasota beaches. The sun was warm, the sand was powdery and soft, and the water was aqua-colored and warm. The children rode the waves on the surf board for hours. We strolled on the beach and they found all kinds of pretty shells that they want to give to Erin when she gets back.
Didn't love - getting horribly sunburned. Casper got it the worst. We simply weren't careful enough in applying the sun block spray. When it got windy the powdery sand blow everywhere. We had grit in our eyes and teeth. And the pretty sea shells smell pretty awful. I guess whatever was living in the shells died.
Then we went to Key Largo where we had rented a boat to stay in as it is tied up in the marina.
Loved - the boat! The children think the boat is so fun to play on. There are all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore. They climb up to the top of the boat and sit in the captains chair piloting it on the high seas. Eliana declares herself to be Captain Eliana. Even as I type this, the three youngest are talking, laughing, and playing games. Freeland and Douglas are listening to the guitar player who is singing in the open air dock restaurant just down from us.
Didn't love - the boat! It had problems. It was supposed to be a luxury yacht "boatel" but it turned out to be an aging vessel with mechanical issues and a very dirty interior. There was no way I was using that tiny dark kitchen. No sooner did we arrive than a receptacle sparked and the breaker flipped. The boat owner came to fix it while we went out to the nearby state park to swim. We quickly got chased out if the water by jelly fish. Since he still wasn't done, we went to Papa Johns for pizza. It still wasn't fixed after that so we wandered the dark docks and looked at boats. There had been a diesel spill on the boat and the smell is so overpowering that it hits you just walking past the door. An hour into the night I gave it up and closed off the room where the spill had been, and went outside to sleep on the outside deck. That didn't work so I stretched out on the floor inside where I passed a restless night. The boat a/c wasn't working well either so it was very hot, and the bedding smelled bad. Freeland says that his pillow case smelled like pee.
While swimming at the park, we got swarmed and stung by little jelly fish. They were clear and half the size of ping pong balls making them impossible to see from above the water. Eliana was crying and scratching herself as she sat on the beach towel beside me, watching the others swimming. Occasionally she mournfully stated that "they are all enjoying themselves so much". They weren't, but it seemed that way to her, the poor dear!
The guy who owns the boat was very friendly. After fixing the electrical problem, he ended up sitting on the dock chatting with us until
10:30 or so. He's a single man, was raised in Rochester New York, moved to Key Largo for warmer weather, has cliff jumped into water, has dived into water from 60 feet high on a boat's rigging while under sail, has sailed to Cuba, and off-roaded by himself in Death Valley. He's had an eventful life!
Then on Friday we went to Key West. We drove for two hours each way from Key Largo on a narrow strip of land with water on either side in many places as far as the eye could see. It is the southern-most point in the U.S., only 90 miles from Cuba.
So we are having an adventure, and while I wouldn't do it again, it's made for an interesting time. And the children are experiencing an array of new things. If they are not loving every minute of it, at least they are thoroughly enjoying themselves over all.
We have enjoyed video-chatting with Erin regularly. We are on a count down now! And when she finally steps off that plane on Sunday, everything will be right with the world once again! Under the peeling skin, she will find the same people that she left 15 days before.
