So we went all the way to Florida and didn’t even see Mickey Mouse. Ah, not really the year for it. But way better than Mickey, we got to meet up with our long time friends Jim and Sam who live in Florida. They drove 450 miles all the way up from Fort Lauderdale to spend a few pre-Thanksgiving days with us in the Florida pan handle. And what a few days it was 🙂
Let’s set the scene… a waterfront location middle of nowhereville, an Airbnb beach house on stilts, and toys to play with – aka a two person canoe and a couple of single kayaks.
We started the proceedings with a leisurely morning jaunt out into the waters of the Gulf and into the meandering swampy canals. Lots of fish and even hermit crabs, very cool; luckily no alligators.
I was in a single kayak and although I started out strong, the longer we carried on, I became abashed at my skills to be able control the damn thing. Round and round in circles, ramming into the banks, my headstrong kayak had a mind of its own. Embarrassed nay appalled, I had to resort to begging Darren & Sam, smug and dry in the canoe, for a tow on the way back. My tail between my legs, I was thinking all this time I never did pull my weight on our double kayak adventures over the years. Back in my box.
Still, we ate and drank ourselves through the next few days. Such good food, all home cooked. Not to mention the brunches punching above their weight, bonus points for Bloody Marys. Speaking of the drink situation… Ya know, different people have different tastes. That’s ok. The fridge speaks for itself.
Girls v boys, we whupped their asses!
Thanksgiving to us is Friendsgiving. We did our best to pull in the rest of the wolf pack over the weekend. We love you guys!
And then Darren introduced me to the sunset boat experience. He took me out in the canoe, so leisurely and relaxed, a beer and a sunset to die for! OK, need to persuade the others for a repeat the next evening.
The next evening came around and there was a bit of shuffling and decision-making about who would go in which water craft. A bit miffed after my very poor morning kayak endeavor, I reluctantly agreed to try the other kayak. So yay, all four of us headed out on the water.
These are the moments you remember :-). Apologies for the number of pictures but actually no, I’m not sorry, we had such a ball this has gotta be remembered, commemorated, set in stone. We took a few beers along and we embraced the elements… the calm waters, the setting sun, and a sense of tranquility and freedom that comes from being alone yet together, not another soul around.
As we started the return paddle from the Gulf waters back to base, the fading light gave rise to a building sense of urgency. We hadn’t really intended to be out so long, certainly not after dark. But this time it wasn’t me going round in circles, it was Jim in the other kayak. C’mon Jim, keep up!
We zigzagged slowly back. Safe and sound, warm and dry back at base, we inspected the suspect kayak. Turns out there was a loose plug letting in water affecting its buoyancy and directional ability. Both Jim and I are officially redeemed!
Quite honestly, the rest of our week’s vacation could not quite match up to those first few days. We had to recover for a start.
We spent out the rest of our week’s holiday camping and relaxing by the beach, thankful for some time out.
As we mooched along the Gulf coast slowly working our way westward, there we were driving along the highway… and a BEAR ran across the road in front of us. I kid you not. A big hairy black bear. Stunned doesn’t quite cut it, I was gobsmacked. I literally thought it must have escaped from a zoo. I mean a bear in Florida? You don’t get wild bears in Florida. You know nothing Heather Hamilton. I googled it and sure enough, you do. So no Mickey Mouse for us in Florida, but I’ll make do with a Baloo!
