Vacation is finally here! My honey and I spent Day One driving south, to leave the snow and cold behind for a month. This is our third extended trip away from home in the last three years. It is such an amazing way to rejuvenate and relax. Life is pretty good in My Little Blue Kayak. On our first day, we drove about seven hours through Upstate, New York, Northern PA, MD and landed at Child #2 and her husbands house in Northern VA. They are on an extended vacation of their own so we didn’t even get to see them. Somewhere in PA the snow disappeared and it was a sunny day.
Day Two we hit the road again and drove to Charlotte to see my nieces and nephews (Child #4’s kids) and some great-nieces and nephews. I love spending time with my family! We thought we had left the snow behind but as we entered the city limits, the flakes were falling madly but luckily there was no accumulation. After acclimating the dogs to each other on a nice (chilly) walk we spent a quiet evening catching up. My niece and her husband share our interest in nutrition and living a healthy life so there is no shortage of topics to chat about!
The next morning my other niece came by and we went for a walk at the White Water Rafting Center and enjoyed some sunshine. She introduced us to a daily eight minute exercise app that we did together. We played games, as that is what my family does when we get together! That evening my nephews arrived and we spent several hours sitting at the kitchen table talking, laughing and enjoying each other. We don’t get to see each other often and I cherish these times. My nephews wife is expecting their fourth child this month and it was great to see two of their three other kids. I don’t get enough time with kids!
On Day Four, we drove over eight hours to Sanford, FL where we had booked an Airbnb. We stayed in a tiny one room cottage that had a toilet but no shower. It was really cute and had a fenced in yard for Fenway. We bought a rotisserie chicken, made a quick salad and ate dinner while watching some of the Super Bowl. That was the night I realized I forgot the charger to my computer and the battery ran out of juice! I wonder what else I forgot. Luckily my sister in Florida has the some computer so I could still use it!
Day Five we were back in the car (good thing we enjoy each others company) and drove about five hours to Everglades City. We scoped out the town, got some fresh grouper sandwiches and saw a pretty sunset! I was nervous about the “Villa” we rented as it was more like a motel suite but it ended up being quite nice. It was situated close to the road but the back was on a river and every suite had a porch that overlooked the water. When we left Fenway behind we cranked the AC in case she barked at anything and everything.
Day Six was pretty busy with a long walk in the morning followed by a 90 minute boat tour of the Mangroves in Everglade National Park. We saw dolphins, beautiful scenery and plenty of Florida birds. We returned to the Villa, took care of the pup and then drove 50 minutes to the Shark Valley entrance to the park. From that entrance there is a cool 2 hour tram ride all through the park. I saw more alligators, up close than I have seen in my entire life! Our tour guide pointed out and identified every bird we saw, turtles, baby alligators and other features unique to the Everglades. We ended the day with some fresh seafood and a long walk around the town.
The next morning we got back in the car for a short two hour drive to Venice, FL to spend two nights with my cousin and her husband. We had a fun filled few days playing pickle ball, tennis and swimming in the pool. We took a tour through the model homes in their neighborhood to see what is available. No plans to move to Florida any time soon but it doesn’t hurt to look. I don’t get to see my cousin much and it was awesome to spend time together.
After a week of vacation, we finally arrived at Mother Fran’s and Child #7’s! I want to soak up the sun, play games with Mom and relax for the next few weeks. Visiting the National Parks is a big time goal for me and my honey. Over the last few years, we have prioritized this and have been to Great Falls, Acadia and Shenandoah. We hope to hit two more in the fall. I am truly blessed to have an amazing family. I wish we could all live on some giant compound somewhere and see each other every day! Live is pretty darn good when you spend your time doing activities you enjoy with the important people in your life!
Related Posts on my Semi-retirement life include: My Mini-Retirements Keep Me On Top and Do You Love the Water?
Lake Girl
