December 21, 2013

There was a family of manitees hanging out by our hotel today!

December 20, 2013

Today we drove to Key West, at the other end of the keys. We spent the day exploring (my favorite part was a trolley tour of the city...I learned so much about the history!) and stayed until the sunset celebration at Mallory Square.

A random guy walked up to us with his parrot and sort of surprised us into getting our picture taken for $10...fortunately, I think this photo was worth the money! Hehe.

We actually ate at Sloppy Joe's for lunch, but I didn't want to take a picture of it until it was all lit up. There was a guy covering classic rock songs while we ate (and doing a good job of it, I might add), so it was pretty fun.

There was a street performer with a "trained pig" at Mallory Square...this is Snorkels! His only trick was being super adorable and drawing a large crowd. And now for the sunset!

December 19, 2013

Today we visited John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. The park has walking trails and offers snorkeling/diving trips and glass bottom boat rides so that visitors can get an up-close look at the reef. We took a quick walk on one of the trails before heading out to sea...

Unfortunately once we got out to the reef and went down into the enclosed part of the boat to look at the various sea creatures, I started to feel sick. The waves were a bit choppy and I was feeling claustrophobic...I ended up making it out to the back deck just in time to lose my lunch over the railing! It was still a fun boat ride though and I was able to see some of the coral and fish before I had to make my hasty exit. :-)

When we got back to the hotel, the iguanas were out sunning themselves near the parking lot...

 

December 18, 2013

This guy was hanging out at the hotel tiki bar this evening!

December 17, 2013

This is the blossom of a bottlebrush tree in my parents' yard...very pretty! And this is Louie "harvesting" grapefruit (really just taking them down...most of them aren't good for eating at this point!)...

December 16, 2013

Eating at Spaghetti Warehouse has become a bit of tradition after Dad picks me (or us, in this case) up from the airport in Tampa. After we stuff ourselves with carbs, we usually take a walk in downtown Ybor City, which boasts unique Cuban architecture and a number of interesting shops.

December 28 & 29

On Friday we took a boat tour around Lemon Bay. It was a little chilly and overcast, but we learned a lot about the area and got to see many different birds, as well as several dolphins. Unfortunately, they weren't trained to pose for pictures! ;)

Last night it poured, but we still managed to have a good time! We went to a restaurant called Sharky's on the Pier in Venice, which has great food and a nice view of the ocean. Today we drove down to Gasparilla Island and saw the lighthouse at Port Boca Grande.

Somebody made a nifty sandcastle on the beach near the lighthouse:

When we got back to the condo, we went over to the beach and Louie played in the ocean.

Then we drove up the key a little further to watch the sunset.

Finally, here's a video from the other day...the waves are so peaceful!

December 26 & 27

So,  I decided I'd like to finish out the month. I mean, why not? :-)

Last night we went with my parents to see The Hobbit movie. It was great! I still haven't finished reading the book yet (re-reading, I should say... I read it many years ago but have forgotten most of it!). I've got about 40 books on my Kindle Paperwhite; it's wonderful to have the selection without the weight in my backpack. :)

On the 26th we drove down to Papa's condo on Manasota Key. Louie and I have the place to ourselves for the next few days! Today (the 27th) we went to a nearby park called Cedar Point.

It had lots of nice walking trails. I fiddled with the coloring in the photo above... (I'm trying to see what curve adjustments result in a "yellowy" effect) This is what it really looked like:

Later we drove up the key to check out the beaches. Unfortunately there are some red tide problems at the beaches around here... the algae release toxins into the water which kills some of the fish, and also gets carried into the air by the sea spray. It's known to cause respiratory problems, so we've been coughing a bit when we go outside...it's just a tickle in your throat though, nothing too bad. Here's Louie by the ocean.

Later we ate at the Gulf View Grill, which was quite yummy and had a nice view of the water. Then we went across the street and watched the sunset:

December 25

Here's Louie sporting his new camera! Since we opened presents on Christmas Eve, we decided to venture out on Christmas day and take a walk through Circle B Bar Reserve. The thing to know about Circle B Bar Reserve is that there are no fences, and lots of alligators. Louie wasn't too happy about this sign...

Luckily, the gators usually keep away from the path. First we saw a few baby ones like this:

And then some bigger ones like this:

We also saw lots of different bird species, like this...

And this... (pretty blue heron!)

The Spanish moss hanging from all the trees makes it kind of look like a fairy tale forest or something...

Finally, here's a picture of a red leaf. Just cause.

For Christmas, I got some new headphones, a Doxie scanner, a season of Covert Affairs, some great new socks, a legit copy of Photoshop, an external flash for my camera, a 2013 calendar, and a few more things. Louie got some new shirts, a camera (sort of...dad had an extra one lying around and gave it to him!), and some new socks. Seriously, I understand now why adults want socks for Christmas. Socks are the best. Socks are second only to electronics. ;) Anyway, we had a fun time opening gifts. Before that we went to the Christmas Eve service at my parents' church, which served as a good reminder to me of where my focus should be: on the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ! When I think of all the good things that God has blessed us with, I want to sing out with the angels in Luke: Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest!