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It seems that whenever there are functions with Derek’s family, there are always just as many kids as there are adults. It’s hectic and loud, but it’s wonderful. Whenever there are functions with my family, however, the dogs seem to take over the role that kids seem to fill. It’s just as hectic and loud, and it’s just as wonderful.
We went up north earlier this month to celebrate my grandmother’s 88th birthday. And just as always, had a very relaxing trip.
We got there and Derek went fishing with my cousins and their spouses, while I sucked it up and put my toes in the freezing lake to give the dog’s their bath. Because the last bath they’d received was the last time we were there, and that was two years ago.
They met up with all their “cousin” dogs and played the afternoon away on the beach. Here’s the beginning of the pack.
My sister-in-law showed up and brought her husky. Those three absolutely love each other. And notice how Kirra just sits and watches over her men?
And because eight dogs just wasn’t enough, she had to go and adopt this little creature.
And Derek and I almost left with another. What a trip that would have been. I’ve puppy-sat that little girl only a few times and boy, am I glad we didn’t get another puppy.
As far as the people go. Remember, those human beings? Well, we didn’t actually do a whole lot of anything. There was plenty of this going on.
And this.
Up North. I miss you already. And I almost kissed the beach before we left, knowing there would be a peaceful ride home.
They didn’t make a sound the entire six hours. Those are some worn out puppies.
So, Virginia. What a lovely place. Especially when your time is spent with a hoard of wonderful women.
The Capri’s (that’s what they call themselves, and I’m still not sure just how that came about) finally decided to allow us young gals into their ‘club’. I’ve officially decided that no matter the reason for the name, to me it simply means good luck.
We shopped. A LOT. As in, we shopped the entire time we were there. It wasn’t a shopathon, it was a completely new word that I haven’t quite put my finger on yet. Whatever the case, just realize that there was no skimping on the amount of shopping we did. Have I gotten my point across yet?
When all the shops were closed and we weren’t physically able to shop, we sat on the porch, taking in the view, talking about nothing in general, and just having a great time.
And oh yeah, doting on this fuzzball.
This is Paddy. The beaver. My Aunt rescued her and is raising her until she is able to go out into the wild again. And let me tell you, I almost died from the cuteness of this creature. And the sound she made. If you ever get a chance, please find some audio of a beaver and just listen. It’s pretty adorable.
Among the multitude of animals on Sassy Cat Hill, some of the others include; Mr. Kowalski, the rooster, Cedric, the box turtle, and of course the eight?? cats that live there.
Thanks again ladies for a wonderful weekend! Same time next year?
We took a trip down to Key Largo to go snorkeling. I love water, as long as I’m not in it. But, as nervous as I was, I managed just fine. Everyone else had a great time.
We saw barracuda, sea turtles, jellyfish, which almost gave me a heart attack when I suddenly looked up and ran face first into one, and plenty of cute little reef fish.
The water was extremely choppy, which made navigating a bit difficult and swallowing sea water pretty easy.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience, though it wouldn’t have broken my heart if the barracuda hadn’t been there, flashing those sharp teeth with a smile.
New Year’s Day, we were some of the few people up and about early in the morning. But, we were well rewarded.
We took an airboat ride on a nearby nature preserve, much like the everglades, and saw some spectacular sights.
As well as some not so friendly Florida natives.
At the time, I thought this would probably be our only chance to see some gators, but a drive along the southern tip of I-75, also known as Alligator Alley, produced dozens of them.
They dotted the edges of the canal running along the road, and even a couple of crazy people were putzing along the canal in a rowboat. Now that’s a boat trip I’d rather never experience.
One of the highlights of our trip would have to be something we’ve been hoping to accomplish for a few years now.
Catching a five foot bull shark is no easy feat. We took turns fighting it, and it made it clear that it didn’t want to be caught.
It was so much fun and just a little scary seeing a shark that close up.
Whenever my family has caught them in the past, it’s always been right off the shore of the island, but catching it off the boat was awesome.
Quite an experience, and something I wil look forward to time and time again.
Merry Christmas! My best friend from NYC is in town and I had one chance to spend some time with him before we left.
We went to Como’s for dinner and had pizza. I had cosmo’s, Kevin had Jameson on the rocks and Jackie had apple martini’s. The restaurant was open ’til 2am, but they only served liquor ’til 9 pm – we knew when to leave!
10 pm: Back at my house, carrying on the rest of the evening. Ignoring the fact that I had to wake up at 6 am!
Goodbye snow, ice and wind: (And yes, I totally ripped this picture off from my mom, because her’s was better than any of mine)
Hello sun, sand and warmth:
We’re off. Merry Christmas everyone! Have a great holiday, and I’ll “see” you in the new year!
Things have been so busy, I’ve just realized that I never posted this one about our trip over the holidays. I’ve really got to clean out my draft box (or whatever you want to call it). I tend to be forgetful and will start writing something, then forget about it and never publish it.
Anyway, we spent the first week with Derek’s sister and her husband. His mother was also visiting during that time. They have a son who turned one on December 26th, and are expecting a little girl in July. We went to Chuck e Cheese for his birthday and had a good time. I am really starting to miss that little guy. Who wouldn’t miss this face?
Derek and I spent a day at Clearwater Beach, and spent the rest of the time doing things with his family.
We spent the next five days visiting some of my family on an island in the Gulf. This was our first time there, and we had such a great time! That’s where we were feeding the dolphin from the side of the boat, and where we attempted to catch some sharks. The island was such a relaxing place. There really isn’t a whole lot to do, considering you have to boat back to the mainland just to get some groceries. We spent the days fishing and traveling to the sister islands. The only form of transportation on the island are electric golf carts. The only way in is by boat or airplane. There are no gasoline powered vehicles there. If you want some fresh air, this is definitely the place to be. There is one tiny ice cream parlor/gift shop, and a restaurant. Here are a couple of random photos we took from the boat.
The next few days were spent with my grandparents. They live down there most of the year, and come back to Michigan in the summer. They live on a canal on the Atlantic side of the state.
Perhaps the funniest part of our trip was the ride home. We drove down in my car, which isn’t very big. My cousin and her fiance had left a few days earlier than us, and ended up in Georgia with a broken down truck. We stopped there, planning on picking up only her, since she had school the following day, and ended up waiting a few hours until their truck was fixed. We got back on the expressway and made it about 20 miles before their truck broke down once again. After a few more hours of trying to figure out what to do, we ended up piling into my tiny car. For thirteen more hours. Four people, their two dogs, and a whole lot of luggage. Saying it was an interesting ride home does not cover it. Derek drove the ENTIRE way home, straight through, arriving at around 7 am. They ended up leaving the majority of their luggage in their truck, at the dealership in Georgia.
We didn’t take a whole lot of photos there, otherwise I’d share more. We had a great time and can’t wait to take another trip down next winter.
In an attempt to bring some warmth to this cold, snowy winter we seem to be stuck in, I decided to post some pictures from the botanical gardens at the University of South Florida. We really enjoy visiting here when we go to Florida because it is a community project, so there are touches of different styles of gardening. These are from our last trip there over the holidays.
Those first three were some of the only flowers blooming this time around, and I just really like that last picture because the clouds look so neat in it. That’s all I’ve got time for tonight. Now, back to reality….
I am quite the girl when it comes to bugs. They just give me the creeps. However, show me spiders, and I lose it. See, I have to classify spiders into an entirely different category because I can’t simply say they give me the creeps. They are not just insects to me, they are eight legged creatures that freak me the heck out. Show me THIS spider, and I really lose it.
This spider is native to Florida, so luckily I don’t have to worry about it.
I did not take this picture, nor will I EVER take a picture that involves standing within ten feet of any creature that looks like that. Any creature with more than four legs for that matter. My hero of a husband gladly took this photo while I jumped up and down in the background hoping to rid my body of the feeling that this spider was walking all over me.
Even now, just thinking about this and typing it up, I keep wanting to just smack myself for imagining the feeling again.
I will happily live the rest of my life without seeing one of those again.
This is what I used to chant when I was a little girl and we would go out fishing. I am sure it didn’t really help us actually catch anything, but it sure was fun. I haven’t had many opportunities to go fishing in the last couple of years, so this vacation I really jumped on board. Get it….on board!! That was a feeble attempt at humor.
While we were visiting some family, we went fishing every chance we got. We didn’t actually get anything worth keeping, so we improvised.
There has always been a documented case of shark catching whenever someone goes down to visit. So, being our first time at this particular spot, we were fired up to catch us some sharks. And we failed. We failed miserably. Maybe next time, huh? Until then, I’ll gladly show you what we were busy doing while waiting for the sharks to come around.
I really like this photo, it captures the essence of what we did every evening while waiting for the sharks to bite. Which includes, in case you haven’t already figured it out, sitting around and drinking beer. Sorry about the pole in the way, I was actually just playing with the camera when I snapped this picture. In spite of the meager number of bites we did get, we had fun trying.
