Paradise Found

The last week of June, we spent a glorious seven days with C's family in one of the most beautiful places I have been lucky to see: The Gulf coast of Florida.

This is the view from the beach access boardwalk, one block from the house C's Dad rents for all of us. Ain't it purty?

E on the beach. The water really is that color. Really, it is.


My A boogie boarding in the gentle surf of the Gulf Coast.

Left to right: E, A, cousin H, Uncle C, Cousin R. One , two, three...JUMP! Fun at the beach house pool.

My girls in the water on another beautiful day. A just looks so grown up somehow, to me.

The girls with their twin cousins, putting the finshing touches on the sea turtle I made for them.

As the kids wash the sand off in the water, our sea turtle, Crushina, finishes laying her eggs. The next day, she was gone. Some of us thought it was high tide, but I know better. She buried her eggs and went back to the sea.

The last day of vacation, we all drove north to a place where we could rent tubes and canoes and float/paddle down the Blackwater River. Here we are "putting in", A first, cousins M and H, then E. The day was beautiful, the water refreshing, the scenery tranquil, and the company fun!

A and her cousin R livin' the good life.

There was a rope swing halfway down the river, so we stopped, had lunch on the white sand beach of an oxbow and had some fun on the swing. That's A above. She did not climb the tree and jump. She launched from the shoulders of Uncle C, standing just out of the shot.

E did the same. She did not quite understand that at some point you were supposed to let go of the rope. Daddy got in the action as well, except that he just jumped from the tree into a very deep spot of water.

Parting shot: The family on the beach after dinner one night at a beachside seafood restaurant.

p.s. Happy now, Stephanie?