Florida!

Hello Florida!

Sunshine

and beaches

and...

...cold?

It's 30 degrees
when we arrive
in The Sunshine State!

But,
despite the cold
Al and I have
serious
biking to do!

Tom drives us
down to
Naples Cyclery...

Great selection
of rental bikes!

- Let's go!

We bike back up
to Ft Myers Beach...

...through
Bonita Springs
and
Lover's Key.

Back on
Ft Myers Beach
we see
some of funky Florida...

The Christmas tree
of floating tubes...

The snowman
in a hammock...

I like
the flip-flop tree...

But
we can't
dawdle...

Al has
a sailing lesson
today!

Al has never
sailed before...

...but she is open
to new experiences!

Her instructor, Pete,
says -
when I'm old
wheel me to a sailboat
and I'll sail the seven seas.

Fellow student, Jen,
shows Alex
the ropes...

- Raise the sheets!

The wind
fills the sail...

...and off
they go!

Meanwhile,
what are
the other kids
up to?

A walk
down
the beach...

...for fudge...

...and ice cream.

Nicky
needs new
sunglasses...

- I like these!

Walking back....

...the sun lowers
behind
the Ft Myers Pier...

Sand castles
cast long shadows...

...and young feet

tickle

with sand.

We watch

a beach wedding...

- Hey!

This is our

kind of wedding!

I enjoy watching
a snowy egret
in the waves.

A single rose
fallen
on the sand...

The
sun
slowly
settles...

...behind
the
palms...


...and Tom and I settle...

...to watch
our nightly Buffy...

...while the kids
sneak out
for a midnight swim.




Good-night, Florida.