The Sea Cow

One of the things that Brea really wanted to do while in Florida was see a Manatee. She did a report on them when she was 7 and wanted to actually see some. We went out three or four different times (to different locations) to see if we could find any but never saw any. Then our last day in Florida (Sunday Nov 4th) at our last stop we finally saw some. We saw a family (2 adults and a baby)- they were HUGE and so lovable looking. It was so amazing. We even got them close enough to touch. A fisherman said that if you come to that location at night fall that you can see 40-50 at a time (that would be cool). It was so cool to see these huge friendly sea-cows and know they are almost extinct. After seeing them it brings such a love and dedication to keeping them safe. It was a perfect ending to our Florida Adventure.

Melbourne Beach, FL

Saturday (November 3) we went to the beach, it was so much fun. They thought it was going to be cold and we weren’t going to enjoy it- but for us the weather was WONDERFUL!! The Florida beach is a lot different then that in California- it smells like fish, it is a lot more salty and it has a thick layer of foam in top. Because it is getting later in the year and the winds are picking up- there were also big waves (unusually big for Florida- because there weren’t even surfers out). But it was fun to be out in the sun and the out of doors. We played in the sand- Mer and Brea made a Sand Sun and Doug and the kids made a sand serpent. We played in the water and splashed around- it was so much fun!!

Camp Holly- Alligator Tour

We first decided to go to Camp Holly, for an Alligator Tour Boat ride. When we got there, we were a little skeptical- it was a broken down bar on a swamp encircled by run down trailers and out houses. Inside we found a group of old men (who we assumed were the ‘regulars’) drinking and smoking and a gruff looking bar tender. We found a man polishing his huge moose antlers, lots of alligator skin and trophy boar heads hanging on the walls and many funny signs. We had walked right into a Redneck Fishing Bar- it was awesome. Both of us couldn’t believe how ‘redneck’ it really was- but we were excited and eager to see what they could show us.





Our guide, Dan, took us on a swamp boat (with a HUGE fan propeller in a cage). We had to wear ear protection because the fan was so loud. It was really hard to spot the alligators- which we found out later was very unusual. It was November 2nd and the alligator hunting season had ended the day before- so there were almost no alligators left and those that had survived the hunt learned to hide from the boat. (They say that if you go before hunting season you will see 40 or 50 at a time). We probably only saw four total, but it was still cool. Our guide was a big, gruff, redneck man who talked and talked to us- he was really nice. And (we think because we talked to him a lot) he took us on an extra special ride (we think we were out longer then usual). He took us fast on the boat through the marshland- it was amazing. It looked like we were riding right trough a field but the weeds would push aside and the boat would go through. It was so much fun and well worth it- we really loved the opportunity.

Our Florida Adventure

This week end we were able to fly down to Florida to see the Markos Family (Ben’s sister Sarah and her family). They live in Melbourne, which is near Orlando. We flew in late Thursday night (and Sarah was nice enough to pick us up). Then Friday (October 2nd) morning we were able to start our true ‘Florida Adventure.’ Ben had been to Sarah and Doug’s house two years earlier, but this was Brea’s first time in Florida.
We were able to do so much with their family and we LOVED it. The kids are so much fun and we got to know them even better. Mer loves to read, and she and Brea read chapter books out loud in the back of the van when we went places. Max is a rascally little guy who loves to tease his siblings, but he has a big heart. Jack is talking a lot and loves to play with his Uncle Ben (and Aunt Beer- that’s what he calls Brea).
Florida has such different terrain then Brea thought. It was hot and humid, marshy, tropic and swampy. We went on a ‘nature walk’ on a short path through the natural forest. There were palm trees next to pine trees and long vines hanging everywhere. (We both decided it would be a perfect place for a horror movie- so much marsh and creaking noises everywhere). But it was so beautiful and so different.