After being on the gulf coast of Naples for 10 days, we decided to check out Miami and experience the wild and untamed Ocean side of Florida. As we walked across the wide runway of sand, I was amazed by the enormity of the waves. You couldn’t get much further than knee deep before being knocked over. The powerful, crashing waves filled me with wonder. Tabby jumped in with no hesitation. Malia followed with a little prompting. Ivy stayed back with Mom and Dad.
After about 30 minutes in the water, I heard a scream of panic as Tabby and Malia came running out of the water. “Mom, Mom, come quick!” I knew whatever had happened was bad. I could hear the pain in Malia’s voice as she frantically pointed to her arm. A bystander came over and said, “must be a jellyfish sting, should I call a lifeguard?”
The first person who came by to help told me to go down by the water and rub wet sand on Malia’s arm. I didn’t know any better and followed instructions. I later learned this was not helpful and might have made it worse. The trained lifeguard showed up and sprayed the arm with vinegar. He said she should take a walk and the pain would gradually lessen over time. We took a walk, but Malia was so worked up that she couldn’t calm herself down. Tabby took her back to the lifeguard and pleaded for more help. Tabby, Malia, and I hopped on a golf cart and were whizzed across the beach to an outbuilding with a faucet where we could get some warm water. After Malia put her arms in the 5 gallon bucket of warm water, she calmed down and started to breathe more normally. We learned through our talk with the lifeguard that looking for the warning flags when visiting the ocean can help you know whether it is safe to enter the water. That day, the flags were red and purple which meant strong currents and dangerous marine life.
It took about 3 hours for Malia to start feeling back to normal, although her arm hurt for the rest of the evening. We didn’t want to turn around and leave Miami quite yet. We had tacos, and then Tabby and Ivy explored a little longer while Mark, Malia, and I went back to our car to rest.
Someday, I hope to return to the ocean side of Florida to experience the wild and wonderful waves. Next time I’ll have a little more experience and hopefully no more jellyfish.
Our daughter Tabby arrived in Florida at midnight on the 22nd of December. We were so, so excited to see her for the first time in 4 months.
We stayed with our friend Greg Blake in Key Largo for the 9 days between Christmas and New Years.
Packing and unpacking are some of the hardest days of life on the road. Adding a 5th person in the car with Tabby’s arrival was a challenge, but we managed to squeeze in for the 2 hour drive from Naples to Key Largo. 🌴 The first few days in the Keys were cold and rainy. We didn’t have internet access and the kids were sad about being away from family at Christmas. It was one of the harder transitions of the trip so far. Thankfully, by the 27th of December, it warmed up and the tropical climate of the Keys returned. We started our days with coffee on the porch and a slow wake up for the kids while Mark went to the local Starbucks to work. Then in the late morning or afternoon we swam in the neighborhood pool, played tennis, and explored the area. 🌴 One of the interesting things about the Florida Keys is that even though it is surrounded by water, there are very few swimming beaches. Most people enjoy the water on boats. One sunny day, Greg treated us to lunch at The Pilot House, and we got an up close look at some of the gorgeous boats docked in the harbor.
Another new experience was being near the Everglades and seeing so many water birds, alligators, and iguanas. We stopped along Hwy 42 at The Oasis Visitor Center where we saw about a dozen alligators taking a nap in the swamp.
We also visited the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary for injured birds in Key Largo. Many of these birds had been hit by cars or shot with pellet guns. They were brought to this bird sanctuary to be rehabilitated and returned to the wild when possible.
The Florida Keys is home to dozens of State Parks. We went to several. My favorite was the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. They had a visitor center with an aquarium where we saw some beautiful fish and coral.
The park also had kayak rentals, snorkeling, and glass bottom boat rides for an extra fee. We rented two double kayaks for an hour. I am not proud of my kayaking skills or teamwork skills. I was partnered up with Malia and we argued with each other the entire hour. Tabby said we could have been a model of how NOT to kayak.
One of my favorite days was when we visited the Theater of the Sea. We saw giant turtles, sea lions, parrots, and our favorite – the dolphin show!
On New Years Eve we made the long drive (2+ hours) to Key West. There are 42 bridges connecting all the Florida Key islands. The longest bridge, Seven Mile Bridge, connects the mainland of Florida to the Florida Keys. Driving over this bridge was a highlight for me. We hesitated to make the drive because of all the complaints we had heard about the traffic and crowds, but I’m glad we did. 🌴 Key West is a charming place. There are walkable streets with cute little shops, art galleries, coffee houses, and unique restaurants. Popular buildings include the home of Ernest Hemingway and Harry S. Truman’s Little Whitehouse. We were only in Key West for a few hours – long enough to walk around the downtown and see the sunset along with a huge crowd of New Years Eve partiers at Mallory Square. I would have loved to have a few days there. Maybe another time.
As far as how we celebrated Christmas itself, the 24th and 25th were kind of like any other day and it felt strange seeing photos of a snowstorm and record below zero temps back home. We opened gifts and called family back in Minnesota and Elliot in Boston. Grandma Karen sent a box of cookies and other goodies in the mail, so we enjoyed those. My Aunt Lea from North Carolina surprised us with an Instacart delivery of food which included lasagne, bread, salad, and a beautiful cake. We had gifts for the kids to open and I made a ham and mashed potatoes on Christmas Day. We also went to church and worked on a jigsaw puzzle.
Looking back, we really had so many great experiences in the Keys in such a short time. It was different than the rest of Florida and I’m glad I got to experience it. I’m grateful to Greg for giving us a place to stay and also so thankful that Tabby could join us for the week. She spiced things up and made it more fun for Malia and Ivy.
We may never experience a Christmas break quite like this one. I will remember this Christmas as the year we broke the mold and escaped the cold.
After 44 years of cold Minnesota winters, I’m experiencing a new climate this December. Wow! It makes a huge difference in my mood and outlook.
Ocala, FL We left Georgia on December 10th and headed south, stopping for one night in Ocala, FL at a cute farm called Enchanted Oaks. As we drove down the long gravel driveway the girls squealed as they spotted goats, horses, and a zebra. The property had a half dozen or more glamping tents and a rental house which is used as the bridal suite on the days the property hosts weddings. We stayed in the rental house. Big thanks to one of my piano families, the Bierwerth’s, for their air bnb gift card for this stay.
Enchanted Oaks was one of my favorite places we have stayed so far. I would have loved to sit under those glorious giant oak trees all day, but we had to hurry out the next morning. We were scheduled to meet my piano teacher friend, Anna Fagan, in Arcadia, FL for lunch. I met Anna on Instagram through another piano teacher.
One of my hopes on this trip was to connect with a few piano teachers on the road. Anna is literally on the road since she teaches online lessons to about 30 students each week from her RV. It was fun to hear how she and her husband decided to sell their home and become full-time RV travelers.
Naples, FL Our next stop was Naples. We stayed at the home of Joe and Barbara Wall for a little over a week. It was such a relaxing stay. I enjoyed having a large kitchen to cook in and the kids loved staying somewhere with a pool. Mark flew back to Minnesota for 4 of those days to DJ a wedding. He got a taste of the snow again, but left before it dipped below zero. Some of the things I liked about Naples besides the weather were
🌴The sandy beaches
🌴The consignment shops
🌴Sitting outside drinking coffee in the mornings
🌴Seeing all the palm trees and flowering tropical plants.
We loved one of the outdoor restaurants we ate at called Lakeside Diner. We had lunch there with some new friends, Lynnea and Ken, after attending Grow Church and again with our friend Dale after playing tennis.
The sunsets and the sound of waves were by far the highlight of being near the gulf. It was like having a front row seat to a masterclass with the painter of skies.
Not everyday has been smooth sailing and glamorous. We’ve had some boring days, some stressful days, and a fair share of screaming and crying from the back seat: “Why do we have to go on this trip?” and “I just want to go HOME!” The transition days when we pack up and switch from one location to the next are usually the hardest days. Our 19 year old, Tabby, flew from NYC and joined us for the holidays. It’s been wonderful having her along. In my next post I’ll share more about our 10 days together in the Florida Keys over Christmas and New Years.
