Lawman and I have agreed that this vacation was probably the most relaxing vacation we've ever had. We're convinced it is due to the ages of our girls -- 17 and 14 (as of today).
We had asked the girls what they would want to do once we arrived at our destination. They looked at each other and then at us and said, "Duh. Lay on the beach." That thought had crossed our mind because it's so obvious but one never knows with children. Past vacations had included a lot of entertaining activities -- zoos, science centers, museums, etc. Lawman and I were thrilled to think that this vacation would be different than all the others we had taken. Turns out, it was.
Our first full day in Florida brought blue skies and lots of sunshine. We found ourselves at the beach, slathered in sunscreen by 11:00. Between spending time in the ocean, reading and people watching we had killed 2 hours before we knew it. Lunch was a quick bite at the condo followed by a couple of hours at the pool (salt water). And more slathering of sunscreen. By 4:00 we were back in the condo for snacks and showers and some quiet time. This became our routine nearly everyday with the exception of one.
The day that was the exception included a dolphin watching cruise which introduced us to those two lovely creatures in the photo above. We spent an hour and a half on a boat with a very knowledgable guide, Captain Mark. Captain Mark shared information with us about ocean wildlife and history of the area. Quite interesting. We saw 9 dolphins (one of which was a 3 mo. old baby), 3 manatees and lots of birds. There is a small island in the causeway that is a bird sanctuary. There are hundreds of birds including pelicans and osprey. Lucky for us it was baby season. Lots of newbies in the nests with nothing but fuzz rather than feathers and we even got to watch them being fed by their mamas.
Our evenings typically included dinner out followed by a walk on the beach and watching the sunset. When we returned at the condo we shared icecream cones on our balcony while we revisted the events of the day. Shortly after that we all found our way to our rooms for some reading time. Another perfect day.
...to be continued...
Part 1
4 comments:
perfect. what a true vacation is meant to be.
it's bringing tears to my eyes...!!
Mine too!!!
Lawman
sounds beautiful! what a perfect family vacation, so great to share the ocean with your girls for the first time!
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