Fort Matanzas and Brain Freezes

Lutece was our Activities Director for the week in Florida. She is seriously good at researching and planning tourist activities (not to mention restaurants). On trips now, I just pass her my iPhone, she pulls up TripAdvisor and goes to town. She had a whole slew of activities planned for our afternoons in St. Augustine, and nearly all of them were successful.

We started the week off with the kids' top choice, Fort Matanzas. This was a favorite from last year and so naturally it would be on the docket this time around. Lutece, of course, made sure to ask for the Junior Ranger guide from the ranger station (since it is a part of the National Park system), and she started completing it on the (free!) ferry boat ride over to the Fort.

This is such a beautiful area of Florida, what with the ocean on one side and the Intracoastal and other waterways on the other . . . but the sun WAS bright.

Too bright to open eyes for pictures.

Phoenix even offered to take a picture of us. (This was the only normal one out of about ten. I can't help but think he had another motive for taking our picture.)

While Stayc and Phoenix played checkers in the guards' quarters . . .

Lutece chatted up the NPS ranger and completed her Junior Ranger badge. One down, only 3 more to go this summer.

In addition to Fort Matanzas, there are some short hikes through the Everglades that grace the area. Phoenix got his tree-climbing in, and Lutece got her walking in.

Everyone was happy.

On the way home, we stopped at a shave ice truck. The kids got marshmallow fluff on top of theirs, and Stayc got soft serve ice cream on the bottom of his. I took mine straight.

It was ok, but we all agreed that the ice cream we had later in the week from Cold Cow (a favorite from last year) was MUCH better. Worlds better.

Especially since there were no brain freezes involved!

Of Tidepools and Everglades

One of the things we love about Vilano Beach and St. Augustine is that it is so much more than sand and water. Don't get me wrong . . . there is, indeed, lots of sand (Stayc can attest to that), and lots of water, but there is so much to do beyond the beach and the pool.

One of the kids' favorite things to do is visit the tidepools. They are about a mile down the beach from our condo, so we have to walk to get there, but it is well worth the hike (and the journey itself is part of the fun).

The tidepools only manifest themselves at low tide (natch). Then the beach is one huge landscape of sandbars and shimmering pools of clear water. The silty sand is perfect for drip castles, and the kids could seriously spend hours making them (and did).

During the week we were at Vilano Beach, low tide was rather early at about 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. This turned out to be really nice because our long walks along the beach to the tidepools were untainted by both a too-hot sun and crowds of beachgoers. We had the entire beach nearly to ourselves.

 

In addition to the tidepools (and the shells and sharks' teeth, which I mentioned in the previous post), there is another side of nature to explore at Vilano Beach, as it is located on a thin strip of land situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Florida's Intracoastal waterways (like much of the Atlantic coastline). There's beach on one side, and if you're lucky, Everglades on the other.

This year, we decided to explore to the north a bit more and found some lovely nature reserves just 10 miles north of us along A1A (these we drove to, not walked :). There were all sorts of trails through the Everglades leading to the Intracoastal.

Since we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into, we were not exactly dressed for a major hike through the Everglades (hello flip-flops and swimsuits). So we took a short one mile trail out to the water. Next time, we'll gear up with tennis shoes and bug spray and explore more of the trails and scenery. You always need something to keep you coming back for more!

Welcome to Summer! or A Florida Adventure

Let the summer begin!!!!! Well, at least let the blogging of summer begin, because, let's face it, summer is nearly over. What better way to relive it than through my blog!

I like starting summer off with a bang, something to let us know, "YES, this is really summer!" Also, since Stayc left in June to go to China for three and a half weeks, we needed to get some vacation time in before he left. We decided that a week in St. Augustine, Florida soon after school ended would fit the bill nicely.

We loved our stay in St. Augustine last summer, so I contacted the people whose condo we rented and we got the same place as last year on Vilano Beach. It's the perfect size for our little family, there's a great pool, a Publix a couple of blocks away, it's just minutes away from Old St. Augustine, and the beach is right out our back door. It's perfect!

Vilano Beach is also just slightly off the beaten path, and home to so may private residences, that it is perfectly isolated and uncrowded. It's really hard to beat.

We brought boogie boards like last year, but we splurged on a nicer one this year. Next year we'll buy a second nicer one and the kids won't have to take turns.

 We also brought a beach umbrella this year, so even though Stayc was ready to go in by 9:00 a.m. (not kidding here), I was good reading a book under my umbrella for half the day.

We fall into a rhythm at the beach. Stayc and Lutece go for their early morning walks while Phoenix and I sleep in a little longer. After breakfast, we all go out for a morning walk on the beach. By 9:00 a.m., Stayc is ready to go in, and the kids and I stay out on the beach for another couple of hours. The kids go into the pool and swim before lunch. After lunch, we rest, read, watch cartoons, and then head out for our afternoon adventures around town. In the evening, we go out on the beach again. So lovely!

 

We were luckier than last year, and we found numerous fossilized sharks teeth on our walks along the beach. Lutece got really good at picking them out of the sand and came home with a pile of them.

That's why in nearly all of the pictures I have of her, she's looking down. Gotta keep your eyes open for those sharks teeth! We loved our week in Florida . . . more to come.

Odds & Ends ~ Spring Edition

As I close out my reminiscing of spring for our family, there are, as always, random odds and ends that didn't quite make it into a post:

1. Phoenix got to go on an overnight field trip with all the 4th graders at his school. It was put on by 4-H in conjunction with the University of Kentucky. He had a blast.

It was a rainy couple of days, but they still managed to have lots of interesting classes and fun activities . . . including KP duty (see top) and a class on native Kentucky mammals (above).

I attended the overnighter as a chaperone and, along with two friends (other moms from Phoenix's class), was in charge of a large cabin full of girls. I also had a blast!

2. With the days getting lighter as we moved toward summer, Lutece had problems getting to sleep at night. She decided to sew herself a sleep mask to combat the issue.

She actually used it for a couple of weeks at the end of the school year.

3. With summer in our sights, I loaded up on new books at the Scholastic Educators' sale. I use these books as summer reading prizes for the kids. Every time they complete a library reading log, they can choose a free book from our selection.

Those library reading logs also get put in a raffle to win some prizes from the library. After 8 years of trying, Lutece finally WON the library's raffle! Woot! She and Phoenix promised each other they would split the prize if either of them won, so they each got half of a $25 gift card to Joseph Beth Booksellers. Eighth time's a charm!

4. All the schools do award programs at the end of the year, and the kids were both recognized for various awards they'd earned throughout the year. Lutece was pleased to receive the Poe Award for Creativity from her Language Arts teacher who said something to the effect of, "Lutece is the most weirdly creative student I've had in a long while." Compliment? We'll take it.

It's not surprising to receive a creativity award for language arts, but we were a little surprised to find that she'd ALSO won a creativity award in Math. She had made a wacky little Powerpoint presentation to explain a certain math concept. Maybe that was it? Our crazily creative Lutece.

She was also recognized for winning the District Science Fair. She racked up the awards this year.

Phoenix also had a good awards showing. He was also recognized for his wins in the Governor's Cup competition, but the real surprise was that he won third prize in his division in the school's Art Show. I didn't even know he'd entered. He won a ribbon and a large basket full of art supplies, which he used all summer long. Awesome!

5. MY end-of-year award was a new car.

After researching and test-driving what felt like every car on the market (but was really only a moderate selection) for a couple of months, we finally decided on a 2015 Subaru Outback. Then we found a dealership that would sell it to us for the price we wanted to pay.

On the first day of summer for the kids, we drove down to Louisville together and picked up our new Subbie. Love it!

And then we proceeded to drive it all over the country and put 7,000 miles on it within three months. I STILL love it! Let's hope I can say that in 10 years.

All in all, a good spring.

The End of Spring

At the end of last spring, we went on a few fun family forays (alliteration intentional, thankyouverymuch). Oddly enough, even though we had a few days tacked onto the school year to make up for snow days, they also gave the kids a couple of days off for various reasons.

On one of these days, we went strawberry picking at a farm/orchard in Versailles. The strawberries were absolutely delicious, but definitely not cheap. Ack.

Another day we went out to Anglin Falls in Berea for a hike. The kids love hiking there because of the huge boulders near the falls.

There's always an element of danger.

It also gave Stayc a chance to try out his new GoPro camera. How Stayc loves his electronic gadgets.

Finally, on Memorial Day, the kids insisted we have our own Memorial Day Fun Run, so we walked to the Arboretum and ran a mile . . . then hiked around some more . . . then walked home. The kids were tired!

Which means success for us, the parents. Tired, worn-out kids = kids who sleep well.

While we were at the Arboretum, hiking around the wooded area, an older Chinese gentleman asked if we could take a picture of him and his wife for them. They were in the US visiting their son who is a student at UKY. Then he asked if he could return the favor by taking a picture of us. Uhhhh . . . sure.

So he took a picture, then another, then three more, then even more. He kept making us switch up poses and positions. It was sooooo Chinese! We finally had to gently tell him that we had enough pictures and that the kids would not pose for any more :).

All Things Musical

It may have been a musical year for the kids, but that doesn't mean they enjoyed it :). Actually, Lutece seems to enjoy music quite a lot. She has continued with piano of her own free will and volition (mostly). She continues to perform in recitals and festivals, and we enjoy hearing her play.

She also continues to play trumpet in her middle school band, which she also enjoys. She has set a personal goal to make it into the district-wide middle school honor band this year.

She also managed to get herself into a sixth grade Columbian dance troop (headed by her Spanish teacher, who is, you guessed it!, Columbian).

They performed at a big Latino festival in our city for Cinco de Mayo. I *think* she enjoyed the experience, but she just recently informed me that she did not want to do it again this year. Sounds good.

Phoenix does NOT enjoy all things musical (much to Stayc's chagrin). But he was required to perform in his school's final Spring show, and if you can find his sweet little face in this picture, you win a prize :). Stayc finally let him quit piano this summer, which has made our lives SO. MUCH. EASIER. (We weren't actually forcing him to play piano, it was just an expectation to practice every day that Phoenix never challenged. When we gave him the option to not do it, he jumped at the chance.)

Nevertheless, we are just as proud of him. He has other interests. Also, he has to play an instrument in the school band this year, so we still win :).