We started on Sanibel Island. I have written about this place before. I have been going there for over 40 years beginning with a trip there with my parents and first husband. My sister who was in her early teens, our cousin, Doug, and I accompanied my parents. The six of us drove to Naples packed in my parents sedan for a one week stay on Vanderbilt Beach. That meant the trip was really about 5 days of vacation and four driving! We fell in love with Sanibel. Beaches strewn with shells, warm shallow water and a low key vibe reminding me of Island life. I rented there for years, and now have a time share so we have our little getaway in place. The highlight this year was the Houdini escape of Iggy the Iguana. Harry transported the bright green little fellow from our motel grounds for the kids in a large drywall bucket (much to my protestations and of course, their delight). After a couple of days, Matt decided to clean the bucket and provide fresh edible plants. In the move to the new environment, Iggy leaped from the bucket and made a beeline to probably the only opening in the large screened in porch. It was like the Shawshank Redemption with an escape that seemed planned for years. With kids screaming, Matt ran out side to grab him but Iggy took a two story leap to the bushes below and was gone. Oh, my, the tears! Matt may never live the guilt down. Was this an unconscious wish fulfilled? We will never know. I have a feeling Matt will receive an overnight box in the mail soon with a surprise inside for the kids from Grandpa (who, by the way, is tons of fun if you are 5 and 8).
Another highlight was the Perseid meteor showers. We made three nightly treks to the beach with drinks in hand and on the third night, were rewarded. I only saw one incredible meteor because I left early being exhausted and absolutely covered in sand. Have you tried laying on a blanket on sand quietly with an 8 year old boy? About as easy as kayaking with him and going the wrong direction with other kayakers offering their unwanted advice on how to paddle. Duh! Do they think I really wanted to get hit in the head by low hanging Mangrove branches for fun?
We returned to Key Largo where living isn't too shabby either. We took the prerequisite boating, off shore fishing and snorkeling trips, but for me the best day was taking the flats skiff (it can go in shallow "skinny" water) across Florida Bay to Cape Sable. Isolated, primitive and at the edge of Everglades National Park. Strewn with shells also and I gathered Angel wings and even a fishing visor that had washed up - score! We fished and if you want to see nature in the raw, this is the place. Dolphins, tarpon, birds, and life leaping and crashing about in such a pristine and primitive environment. Amazing. It was a great end to a day that started badly with tempers rising. The boat trailer lights wouldn't work. We forgot the kids life jackets. But once we were launched and hit the nearby World Wide Sportsman store (you can boat up to it!) we were flying at 35 MPH across the open water, and around little islands, with a sky so large and blue it made all bad moods melt away.
The day after everyone left, and in post vacation recovery mode and nursing a bit of a cold which was a parting gift from my darling grandson Jack, I plopped on the sofa after work and dinner yesterday thinking I might, perhaps, possibly, hopefully find something stimulating to watch on television.
Scrolling through the TV guide on the remote it jumped out at me. Seriously? The title was "The Man with the 132 Pound Scrotum." Right there in prime time. Holy cow. Take me back in time please. I want to re-do vacation.
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| I found Jack asleep with his head lamp on. Another gift from Grandpa. Why do grown-ups lose their sense of fun? When did you last go to sleep with your head lamp on?? |
