We went to Madeira Beach on Tuesday. It's on the Gulf side, and we chose that beach because of the weather forecast. Daytona, Smyrna, and Cocoa Beaches were all supposed to get rain. That's the nice thing about being in the middle, in Orlando. We can go to either side of the state to get to beaches, so we stand a better chance of finding good weather.
Of course, it's US, and virtually noting we do is ever without incident. Somewhere along the way, it occurred to us that we resembled the crew from "Vacation", except we had a slight "cousin Eddie" spin to us. Then, about half way to Madeira Beach, I realized I'd forgotten my towel, so... we had to stop off at a Walgreen's to get me one. But before that, we stopped at Starbuck's, entering the parking lot through the exit (of course), and then stopped at a Shell station to use the bathroom.
By the time we got to the actual beach, it was a very welcome sight!
Charlie got our umbrella securely placed, and we got ourselves SPF-ed, and ready to "beach".
The beach was GORGEOUS, and we had lots of fun playing in the surf and the sand, and relaxing in the sun.
After leaving the beach, we went to a great little shopping area not far from the beach at a place called John's Pass. We checked out several shops, bought a few souvenirs, and saw dolphins in the water, and pelicans perched. It was pretty cool.
Back home for the night, the kids just chilled at the resort, while Charlie and I went out for a bit.
We drove along International Drive until we found a spot that looked appealing to us to stop for a drink or two, and we landed at a bar called "Howl at the Moon". The entertainment was dueling pianos. It was pretty good entertainment. The musicians were competing for tips, and took requests from the audience. They were great at getting the crowd involved, and people seemed to be having alot of fun. We even got our picture taken there, and bought a print. (yes, we DO have tourist stamped on our foreheads...) We didn't stay out late, just long enough to spend a little time alone together. It wasn't an early night, but it didn't seem like a terribly late night, either. Until, of course, you look at it from my perspective on Wednesday morning.
Wednesday morning, I woke up at 4:30-ish, and couldn't get back to sleep. I was a total zombie, and really couldn't think straight. So... I was dragging. A LOT. But I got up and at 'em, and got caffeinated. It wasn't really all that long before everyone else was up and dressed, as well, and we were on the road headed back to the beach. This time, we headed a bit farther south, towards Venice. Kathryn's new college roommate, Hana, lives in Venice, and we took advantage of the opportunity to meet up with her and her family. She met us at Nokomis Beach, where we lounged away most of the day, under a beautiful blue sky.
The sand on the beach at Nokomis Beach was, very literally, shell. I know sand IS bits of shell, etc. but this sand was REALLY shell-y. In fact, later last night, when we all got home, we realized we all had tiny little pieces of shell still stuck to us!
When we left the beach, we went into Venice, to the Daiquiri Deck restaurant, and met Hana's parents. We sat and talked, and enjoyed a really good meal, and great conversation. It was good to spend time with Hana and her family, and to get to know them a little. Kathryn and Hana are, after all, about to become really close!
The drive back to Orlando was a long one - unlike Tuesday, we all got sunburned at Nokomis Beach. I think it was partly because the shell-y sand was very white, and so it was much more reflective. Plus, it was very windy, so we may have all gotten a bit of wind burn, as well. By the time we got back to the resort, we were all pretty much ready to crash, and we did just that. (especially me!)
Thursday (today) was an "old folks" sight seeing day in St. Augustine, while the kids stayed back at the resort. I still have to upload my pics from that trip, so.... I'll write about that in the morning.
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