It was 10 below zero when we got up to go to the airport last Sunday morning. The temperature rose about 80 degrees by the time we landed in Florida.
It wasn't the warmest of weeks to be there, especially the first few, but at least it was warmer than it is here!
Wednesday was ladies' beach day, unfortunately our first one. Above you see a view from that beach. The water was chilly and no one was swimming, but the beach was nice and warm and I burned my scalp quite nicely.
The beach we went to was on Sanibel Island, facing the gulf. It took far too long to get there and cost too much, we felt. Once we finally reached the beach, though, we agreed it was worth the effort. It was a large, sandy beach far from any buildings or streets with an unadulterated view. It's also known as a great shell-collecting beach, and we could see why. You can stand in the shallow water and feel shells run over your feet as the waves come in.
I went with my whole big family for ... five days, I suppose. We flew down and rented a fantastic vacation house, a million times better than a hotel. Most people (including one or two of us) would say we are really boring vacationers and that we waste a lot of the time -- we did very little while we were there, relatively. The point, however, was to be somewhere warm and to take it easy. That we accomplished fairly well.
Sunday: We traveled, basically.
Monday: We began learning about the road system in Fort Myers and paid a visit to the Edison museum. It was an overpriced letdown. Highly disorganized and dislabeled and disappointing. It has potential but needs work.
Tuesday: The ladies went to a mall and played "What Not to Wear," sort of. We exchanged names and had twenty minutes to pick out a complete outfit for someone else. Made shopping a little more interesting, considering none of us intended to purchase anything, really. When we got 'home,' we blew up the pool toys and jumped in our nice warm pool.
Wednesday: Sanibel beach day.
Thursday: The ladies attempt a second beach day at Fort Myers Beach. Traffic is bad and parking is worse -- we pay someone $7 to park in their lot for the day, only to find there are beach restrictions and noise hampering our experience. We stay a couple of hours and go home to our pool.
Friday: We sleep in a little, only to learn we have a check out time, and that it is in 15 minutes. The ladies throw everything in suitcases while the men are golfing, then sit next to the suitcases in the driveway (yet happy in the sunshine) until the men return.
On all of these days, those of the male persuasion played one or two rounds of golf.
Vacations can be interesting in groups, of course, for the group dynamics. I always learn more about myself and my family. Mostly I still like all of us. :) This trip was largely a peaceful success, considering the unplanned nature and it being our first time with my brother-in-law along. I don't know that he had the best time just because he's a more active person than the rest of us, but it certainly could have (and has) been much, much worse.
I'm relaxed. Enjoyed not working! (Though I do enjoy my job.) This was my first real, paid vacation EVER. It was amazing. I can't believe someone paid me to be gone.
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