Picture Download from the trip to the keys

Our trip provided us with lots of wildlife.  The water out our backdoor was so clear, it was easy to see the bottom.  We also saw fish and coral at Dry Tortuga National Park, but unfortunately it was too difficult for me to get good pictures with my iPhone in a waterproof case.























  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Here's Your Sign

Image
 So today, my family and I got some terrible news, a close friend of ours passed away overnight.  Our family is of course devastated by this.   My blog has generally been about trips and experiences down life's highway.  Mostly about the good times and trips we have spent with family.  Occasionally I'll share a few life lessons I've learned along the way.   I'm typically not an outspoken person, but the blog allows me to convey what comes from my heart, and my heart is compelled to share this one with you. Let's start off with a little about faith and me.  My parents sent me to church.  We didn't go as a family unit.  I went with a neighbor.  Dad was typically not feeling well on Sunday mornings after spending most of his day and night on Saturday at the local bar.  I know he believed in god, but there were also demons that chased him through life. In his later years the alcohol and smoking took a toll on his body, he'd sp...
Read more

Boogie Board Beach Angels

Image
So Sunday started off with overcast skies, a quick thank-you to the man upstairs for giving us such a beautiful place to be, and breakfast at the Lighthouse Cafe.  Best seafood omelette on Sanibel hands down. When we got back we were in "Beach Mode".  Not Marshawn Lynch "Beast Mode" but Carol lets getting moving, time to go to the Beach Mode.  Since the skies were still overcast we weren't  in full Beach Mode which means we didn't take all the usual stuff.  For those of you that have been with us you know how much of the usual stuff we take! I would have to rate this as one of the best Beach Days for the Beach Angels that I can remember.  Our spot on the beach has a nice sandbar running  just out from the shore line and it made for Boogie Board heaven for the girls today. The Beach Angels 2011 The beach angels 2017 It doesn't seem like that long ago we would have to take them up after a couple hours for an afternoon nap.  Ok, t...
Read more
Image
  Another week of "BS" in the books. We all deal with "BS" in some form or fashion. It might be with health, financial, relationships, work, or politics. You name it, there are a multitude of things out there that from time to time can become a total load of Crap.  If we choose to let it, it will consume us and become the overwhelming way we look at life. I'm as guilty as most about letting things get in the way of my thinking from time to time, but that's not who I strive to be.  I want to find that flower that has grown out of that load of crap.  Look for the lemonade from the lemons, find the light in the darkness. That is why my theme for this week's blog focused on "BS".  The good kind, like B each and S unsets the things that make you smile. The things that fill your heart with joy and the memories you build that will hopefully last a lifetime not just for you but for those you touch as well. As we were driving home this week, the girls i...
Read more

30 Day Beach Bum (The Ocean is like a box of Chocolates)

Image
The 30-day Beach Bum tour has come to an end.  Back home to reality and Day 1 had me wishing I was back at the Beach.  Why is it when you're gone from home for an extended period of time, the home has a way of reminding you that you can run, but you can't hide from the maintenance requirements of being a homeowner. The well tank decided to give me such a reminder while we were gone. The pressure relief valve decided to pop off and partially flood the basement.  Fortunately, water was contained to the unfinished side of the basement. I spent half the day yesterday troubleshooting and making repairs. A faulty pressure switch was the culprit causing the system to over pressurize, I shouldn't complain it was the original switch from when we built the house but of course it waited to fail while we were gone. Thanks to Ryan, the grass did get cut once while we were away for a month, but today I'm sure I pissed off all the local frogs. I sent them running for their life while ...
Read more

30 Day Beach Bum (Momma don't take my kodachrome Away!)

Image
The second wave of Special guest is coming towards the end.  We have been blessed with sunny days.  The rain has held off till late evenings all week so Adalynn, Riley, and Lucas have managed to get alot done on their Scavenger hunt.  We've also logged some more Beach time.   We did go back to the deeded beach access once.  Its a great spot very few people on the beach there, but the the path to the beach is a challenge. So we have spent more days down at the Fulgar Street Beach access. The unloading zone is more open and less tempting for the blood sucking welcoming committee. For those of you who know our daughter-in-law (Kristine), she was in a car accident back in 2023.  Today she is still battling issues with walking but true to the trooper she is she didn't let that stop her from experiencing the Gulf for the first time.  All we needed was a trolling motor    Mission Success-Now how we gonna get her outta there? The scavenger Hunte...
Read more

Hey Mike,Mike,Mike Hump Days are not allowed on vacation!

Image
So I have been a little behind in posting to the blog this year.  The time is flying by way too fast.  Wednesday's plan was a day at the beach.  I started off by getting a few shots of the sunrise from the dock.  Nothing like watching the world wake up in paradise.  I was then off to Baileys for some Doughsants.  This was another first for us.  We never heard of a doughsant before but thought what the heck lets give them a try.  I kind of envisioned the light airy texture of a croissant mixed with the glazed goodness of a doughnut. The folks at Baileys are so polite.  The lady at the Bakery counter told me this batch came out smaller than normal so they gave me double the amount for the same price! The outside was like I expected but there was some sort of filling inside a little like a cream cheese but with some sort of flavoring that was not sweet.  Sorry not a big fan of the doughsant...
Read more

30 Da Beach Bum (Riddle Me This)

Image
 I soar above, looking for a treat, sometimes I'll snatch what you eat. answer: For the Bold Snatched from Beach Bag and opened before you could say Do-Rit-Tos We put together a Scavenger Hunt for the girls while they were here.  Lexi and Taylor have been Beach Angel certified for a long time. They have been coming here since they were babies.  The three girls that came down with them were making their first trip.  We told them they needed to do the Scavenger hunt in order to become Beach Angel Certified by NaNa and PaPa.  The scavenger hunt was in the form of riddles much like the one I opened the blog with.  I figured it was one way to get them to pay attention to the beauty of the island instead of spending their day focused only on their phones taking selfies.  Trust me they got plenty of selfie time but they did manage to work on the scavenger hunt too! The 2025 Scavenger Hunt for the big girls Lexi and Taylor were able to help with the hunt and C...
Read more

30 Day Beach Bum (Beach Angels in Training)

Image
So I found something I forgot to put on my Beach Bum requirement list!  BUG SPRAY, Don't forget the BUG SPRAY!  On  Sunday our arrival day we got a text from the rental company saying the house was ready for check in early. The office is not open on Sunday but they have an after hours key pickup.  This was great news, so as soon as we arrived on island we stopped and picked up the house keys and proceeded to the house.   One small issue with the keys, they don't open the door!  Thankfully they did have an afterhours phone number and John the maintenance man was about 1/2 hour away, he was able to get us into the house.  In the time we are waiting for John the no-see-ums proceed to snack and continues to snack on me the next day as well.  My legs look like I got measles.  Just a price a Beach Bum has to pay for paradise. Benadryl itching cooling spray is a god send, no-see-ums are not. Leg Measles!  A.K.A. No-See-Ums Our first week a...
Read more

Sand Dollars, Starfish, Stingrays and Sandy Sanibel

Image
We're back home now and I thought I would make one last post to catch up and share some pictures from the week.  Have you ever noticed the older you get how time seems to fly by faster?  I can remember as a child summer vacations that seemed like  they went on forever.  Now a week is here and gone before you know it and a weekend goes by in the blink of an eye.  If I didn't know better I would swear the earth was turning faster.  One thing for sure when I was a kid it was a time when things were much simpler and took longer.  While technology is great, I think it will deprive some of our younger generation from some of the simpler joys in life.  Things like "kick the can" and staying out and playing all day just making sure you got home when the street lights came on. The waters have been clear and full of sea life this trip.  You can stand in the ocean chest deep and see your feet!  We were concerned about how the week was going t...
Read more

Time

Image
Time, no matter how much we will it to change, it's the one thing in life that is constant.  We watch it pass us day by day.  Sometimes it feels like time is something we are loosing.  I sit here today watching my firstborn grandchild transition into adulthood.  I feel like it was only yesterday I held her in my arms for the first time. I was there for Baby Einstein, Barbies, and Dora the Explorer.  Then there were sled rides, Power Wheels, Go karts and more.  From Crayons and Cartoons to Cars and Cosmetics, wait time, you've gone too fast. You were my first original Beach Angel, and I still remember our time experiencing the beach together. I watched you run and chase the surf with squeals of excitement, I watched the fading sunset shimmer through your long curly hair as you looked out towards the ocean in amazement at the vast world that was before you.   I was there when you showed your sister the beach for the first time, your little hands gra...
Read more