Cedar Key, Florida-Anglers RV Park

Here is how our week started out...

Really it wasn't that bad. Fortunately, we were only a few miles away from the next town and there was an easy quick remedy until the Wal-Mart. It would not have been so funny if we had been on the other side of the town and had to find a place to turn around because after that town was small roads and no place where we could buy replacement wipers. I'm sure we will experience more challenging times during our adventure.

Cedar Key is a very cute island fishing town off the west coast of Florida with a population of 700. It is one of Florida's oldest ports and was a major supplier of timber and seafood. In 1855 Eberhard Faber purchased land here for a factory. Does that name sound familiar? If you were like me, you probably read it a million times on your pencils while you were bored, lost or just dreaming during school. Unfortunately, by 1900 the timber resources had pretty much disappeared and the town began to decline.

It still remains, however, and seems to be doing well. They do not allow much development here and so you will not find any big grocery or department stores. The nearest one is a Wal-Mart in Chiefland that is 30 minutes away. If you are the kind of person who likes a very laid back vacation where you don’t need much to do but stroll through the little town and check out a few local shops and restaurants, this is a place for you. Or if you like water for boating, kayaking etc., it's right here! All of the people I met at the campground had been coming back here for years. We were definitely the young couple around here! ;)

They have a very well maintained city park with a small beach area. We were there for a few hours and there was a woman there who meticulously cleaned everything the whole time, from putting each piece of mulch back in its place to spraying and cleaning the picnic tables. Since we had just been there a couple days earlier and saw how clean it already was, I don't think it was her monthly cleaning job.

The playscapes looked brand new and there was field room to run and play and fly kites. The picnic tables and benches all had view of the water.

Cedar Key Museum State Park was nearby so the kids and I visited. The museum was quite small, only one room in fact. We only paid $2 total to get in. It probably had some very interesting information but the kids kept me from reading any of it because there was nothing really to entertain them.

Here the kids are praying that God will fill this bowl with Lucky Charms!  Not really!  They are making their wishes before throwing their pennies in this pot.  This is actually a salt kettle. Before refrigeration, sea water was boiled until all that was left was the salt.  The salt was then used to pack beef and fish in to prevent spoiling.  A kettle this size would produce 150 bushels of salt per day (one bushel=56 lbs).

The most interesting part was outside of the museum. There was a 1920s historical home that was open for a brief self-guided tour (just enough information for my group).

Behind the house was a short nature trail that led to the water. We found tons of little tiny crabs living in these holes as we got closer to the water.  Look closely at the above picture and see if you can see one.

As we were getting ready to leave the museum, the attendant told us about a nearby eagle's nest. We ventured over there and found this HUGE eagle's nest. Just to the right of it, you can see one of the parents sitting on a branch. There were two hatchlings in the nest. We were able to see their wings some. (If you are viewing this on your phone you may be able to zoom in and see the eagle).

On Greg's day off we drove to Manatee Springs State Park about 30 minutes away. And guess what we saw?!! If you guessed manatees, you were right! (They are the white blobs in the middle of this picture.  One of them is surfacing for air).  The West Indies manatees come up the Suwannee river during the winter to hang out near the springs where the water is a constant 72 degrees.

The coolest part was that you could get into the water with them! The water was so clear though that it wasn't necessary. But we did, AFTER we got on our wetsuits (except for Greg who didn't put his on until later so that he could dive down easier). Greg made it in first and was able to get close to the manatee and check it out. Unfortunately, by the time the rest of us made it into the water, the manatee had moved to an area where swimmers cannot go. Even so, we had a good time swimming in the clear waters. Jacob said it was the “best day ever”. Four degrees and a wet suit apparently makes a huge difference because there is no way I would have ever gotten into Barton Springs in Austin (68 degrees), manatee or not!

The campground we stayed at was just okay for me. The men who worked at the front desk was quite friendly and of course, I met several nice people while doing laundry. The positives were that there were lots of trees, the bathrooms and showers were clean (although we did not really have to use them), the laundry was cheap and there were a few extra outdoor activities for the kids. The biggest negative for me was all the “stuff” that the permanent residents leave outside because they do not have garages. It quickly begins to destroy the beauty of an area.  The state park camping area, though, wasn't any more desirable, so it turned out to be a good choice.

Near the week's end, I learned that an old school friend's very young son is losing his battle against neuroblastoma. It is a horrifying thought and sadly, a real experience for that family. The mother has been so amazingly strong over the past 20 months and has gone to great lengths to get the best treatment for her son.  They have done all that is possible.

Once our pastor, half-jokingly, told us that we only have 16 summers with our children (because after that they are off doing their own things and don't want to hang with us). The truth is that we really don't know how long we have with our children so we must never take any moment for granted. As we sit in our small home now constantly surrounded by each other, I know that I wouldn't want it any other way and this is where I really should be for now. We are cherishing the times we have together and experiencing so much together. While I am still quite busy, it is so nice not to have all of those things that continually pull you away from your family.

Give your family some extra hugs and kisses and please pray for the Pickel family who will soon endure something no family ever wishes they have to.

Next stop:  Wauchula, FL.

Destin, FL (State #3)-Henderson Beach State Park

We are at the beach!!! Yay!!!! Destin is beautiful! Henderson Beach State Park is located right on the beach. It is a little more than a quarter mile walk to the water, but the benefit is that once you get there, you just see beach. The area has grown up so much that there are hotels all over, but where we were, the hotels and people were far enough away that they didn't impact the beautiful view.

The park was nice and very well maintained. The park hosts even raked the gravel between guests! The showers were clean and they had a couple of laundry machines. The sites themselves were carved out from the natural trees and brush, which to me was a little cavernous, but I know some prefer that kind of privacy.

We spent most of our free time at the beach...

Some days were a little chilly but we were lucky to get a couple of warm ones. The water was still quite cold so I just relaxed in my chair. Ahh!  I even started reading a BOOK!

The kids jumped in the waves a little, but mostly they played in the sand. Greg joined us some on his lunch breaks and was able to spend more time on Saturday. He was so excited about his day off that he got up super early and went down to the beach, with his cup of coffee and chair, to enjoy the sunrise!

We did venture out to a couple of places. We had planned to go to some of the historical locations but couldn’t pull ourselves away from the beach and sun.

One of the places we visited was Gator Beach. It is a free alligator exhibit at Fudpucker's restaurant. The gators weren't moving much since it was cool but it was fun to see them all sunning themselves.

They also had a rare albino alligator, named Pearl. She was a little more active than the others and because she was in a tank, we were able to see her up close. She was born from another albino alligator in captivity elsewhere. It was a little sad to see her in a tank, but we learned that she would not have survived in the wild due to her lack of camoflauge and sun protection.

We tried to feed the alligators by dropping a loooooooonnnnnnnng line from a pole into the pool area where they were (this is a permitted activity) but even with the food dangling right above their noses and often on top of their noses, they just would NOT eat!

Trying to feed them made us hungry, so we decided to grab a snack. Jacob enjoyed his very first milkshake at Fudpucker's (Jordan's second)! The kids asked them to mix the flavors for a chocolate strawberry milkshake and they did! They were also kind enough to split the milkshake in two for us and top it with cream and cherries! Jacob LOVED it! It is now known as “leche de wow!” in our family because Mommy didn't know how to say it in Spanish during our Spanish food lesson the next day. Ha Ha! Thanks Gina for giving me the correct term ;)

The other place we visited was the Emerald Coast Science Center in Fort Walton. We got in FREE using our museum pass and the kids had a great time. It was a cute museum although very dated in its décor, like carpeted walls (kind of gave me the willies). That being said, it had a lot of different activities for them to do. We were there for almost 3 hours!

Jordan wanted to test out the hurricane tunnel. The winds increased to 78 miles per hour; the equivalent of a category I hurricane. I was surprised she was able to maintain a standing position!

This was Jordan's favorite. We all took turns making some awesomely big bubbles.

Jacob's favorite was this airplane that by using a button and a lever, you could make it fly.

And both liked this energy bicycle that talked about the number of watts you would need to power various appliances in your home.

They did not want to leave but I just couldn’t see staying any longer while the sun was shining beautifully outside!

We are a little sad to be leaving the beach and are looking forward to coming back next year. BUT checking out the forecast for the upcoming week made it easier for us to go. We left early Sunday morning in the middle of the rain that was supposed to be the beginning of a yucky week, even possibly freezing by Friday morning.

Our next stop is Cedar Key, Florida. We are heading further south!

New Orleans, LA-Week #2

We started out this week at City Park and what a great start it was!

Spanish moss draped from the branches of the trees making them sooo beautiful. This park is about 50% bigger than central park and filled with activities for everyone. There is no way to see it all in one day.

It was a GORGEOUS day! The playscapes were very nice and they were near the water (but not too close) where the kids can feed the ducks and geese. A nice gentleman stopped by and gave his leftover bread to the kids.

There was a little coffee shop, called Morning Call, near the play area so we thought “Why not have some more beignets?!” And so we did. Again, delicious. I keep thinking they probably sell them in bakeries all around but I have never had one and I probably won't have anymore after we leave New Orleans so what the heck, I should enjoy them now.

Across the street, were the sculpture gardens which contained some very interesting and peculiar sculptures. The kids enjoyed running through the area from sculpture to sculpture.

Near to that was Storyland Park. It was a cute little area of storybook characters where the kids could venture, climb and play for hours and it only cost $3 per person.

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I think the best feature was the dragon slide.  It was soooo fast!  Yes, that is fear on Jordan's face.  If only you could hear the scream!  But she went back for more.  Of course, I had to try it out.  I went down so fast that I flew off the end.  Fortunately, I didn't fall and break anything.

The kids were having so much fun they forgot about lunch!!

When MOM finally demanded food, we walked to this field area to have a picnic lunch. Did I mention it was a GORGEOUS day?! It was perfect! Everyone was out enjoying the day!

I really liked these bench swings where you could sit, swing and just take it all in.  There was another swing on the backside of this one so you could face either way.

We did not make it to the botanical gardens or the amusement park area (which was not open this time of year anyway).

Unfortunately, the days were not so perfect after that. The next day started out beautiful, then by early afternoon the rain began. And it continued the next day and night. We were definitely in the swamps! Water, water everywhere! We were lucky though that it was not as cold as Austin!

Midweek was very special. Our little girl turned 5! So hard to believe and bittersweet. Jordan wanted bacon and donuts for breakfast so we went to a local bakery/cafe, called Coffee & (Yep, that's the name) and had breakfast.

Then after lunch, we went back to the Children's Museum since the kids enjoyed it so much the first time and it was still yuck outside.

Our afternoon snack was King Cake (another New Orleans treat). It tastes a lot like a cinnamon roll but they do have other flavors. There is a little plastic baby baked inside and Jordan found it in her piece (No, I did not plan it that way)! Perfect for the birthday girl! Although, I am not sonsure that it is a prize since tradition says that the person who finds the baby is supposed to buy the next cake!

For dinner, she wanted macaroni and cheese and salad. And then we had birthday cake and skyped with Grandma and Grandpa so they could watch her open the present they sent.

One of Jordan's gifts was this dollhouse.She loves playing in it with her ponies. Fortunately, it is collapsible and slides under our sofa. She says she likes it better than the Loving Family dollhouse she has back home.

Another exciting moment was when Jordan got on her bike (without training wheels) and rode it around the loop by herself AND without whining!!! Yeah!!!! She says she can do that because “I am 5 now.”

The next day, Mommy took of on a walk but about 8 minutes into it, I got a call from Greg saying to come back immediately. Jordan had busted her nose again! This time it was on Jacob's head. The bleeding subsided much quicker but, without going into too much detail, it was a bit more sickening. Ick!

And another momentous occasion happened this week! Jacob learned to tie his shoes! Yes, it may seem a little late since he is 7, but nowadays one doesn’t need to know as long as the shoes come with velcro ;)

The kids had the opportunity to go fishing a couple of times.  It wasn't anything like fishing at Grandma and Grandpa's :(  Jordan caught a coffee can or jug and that was the one and only catch.

Greg had another day off on Friday. It was time for a swamp tour! Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours was close by and we got a good Groupon deal. They took us and about 10 other people out in a pontoon boat in the swamps next to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. It was still a little cold so the chances of seeing alligators was pretty low.

Our boat captain was friendly, but extremely corny. For example, we saw two turtles sunning themselves on a log and he said that they were the internet turtles because they were “logged on”! Ha Ha! Not really funny especially when you have to listen to such jokes for an hour and a half!! I was feeling a little sea sick but I think it was just the jokes!

Otherwise, the trip was enjoyable. We saw otters and nutria,

various water birds and what we all were longing to see.....

an alligator! Did you know that you can estimate the length of an alligator by adding one foot for every inch in length between its eyes and the tip of its snout?  

At the end of the tour, the guide pulled an alligator out of his ice chest and passed him around for all to hold. I'm not sure that I have ever held a reptile before (not even a lizard) and I know I haven't during the winter. It was COLD! This makes sense because it is cold-blooded but it was “cool” to actually feel it! Ooooh that was as bad as the boat captain!

Jordan wanted to try out the alligator jaws and Daddy tested out the turtle shell.

After the tour, the kids did a little alligator wrestling.

For our last day, we went back to the Barataria Preserve. We had a picnic lunch in the Pecan Grove then enjoyed a talk given by the Park Ranger on the history of New Orleans by La Salle and his discovery of the delta. He explained why New Orleans was not built at the mouth of the river. Ships could not easily sail up the river through the English turn and there was easier access through the bayou from Lake Pontchartrain.

Sadly, we were reminded that a football field of land along the coast of Louisiana disappears every 40 minutes because the levees built to control the Mississippi river's path do not allow for deposition of the sediment along the coast to build it up. Instead, it flows into the gulf.

We finished off our trip with a hike through the the swamp and marsh.

Jacob and Daddy found this guy!

We really enjoyed our stay in New Orleans! There were so many things to do and we met some wonderful people, including Loy, Mike & Louisa (who had their own special language since she was Spanish and he was Cajun), the family from Canada who were full-timing for four months in the US in their RV they named Paul, and all the other people whose company we enjoyed in the laundry room ;)

Next stop: Destin, FL