Escape from the cold- or How I spent my winter vacation: Part One

We left the cold of the north for points south in January.  I probably do need to clarify the "cold" part.  We've really been having a rather mild winter here in Cincinnati- and the weather in Niceville, Florida, especially the first couple of days, wasn't much warmer than we've been having in these northern parts.  That said- it was the first of our "winter escapes".   To clarify, on our first two night in warm Florida the temperature went down to 27 and 28 degrees respectively.  I must admit it was a little colder in Cincinnati and there was a brief coating of freezing rain and few flakes falling those first two days, but we didn't do any sunbathing in Niceville.


We began with Mikayla.  That we also saw Brandy and Will and my sister Mary and my Sonata friend Sandy and our friend Gay- might be lost on you if you scroll too quickly through the pictures!  What fun we had!  So I'll just get right to the point- I know you're anxious.  Drum roll please.  Here she is!  Mikayla!

And of course WE PLAYED!


In the castle that Auntie Boo and Prince Evan gave Mikayla for Christmas...

With Mommy's IPad...

And of course we spent much time taking care of the BABIES!

We all know how much work "babycare" can be...

And we even had a day when "illness" was abundant...

And of course there was the trip to the bookstore (that even had a train!)...

And of course there were trips to the park!  Our favorite thing (after taking care of "babies") to do...

And did I mention that Brandy and Will came along...

And that we made it over to the dunes by the gulf...

We had such a wonderful time!  Brandy and Will always go out of their way to make sure our stay is wonderful.  Why Will even "fried" us up a turkey!

Note the hot oil splattering out of the fryer.

Will is a great cook- and Brandy and Will go to great lengths to pamper us during our visits!  


Now after our stay with Brandy, Will and Mikayla, we were off to Sanibel Island for a visit with my sister.  I'll just mention here that it was decidedly warmer in Sanibel than it had been in Niceville.  This is "winter" Florida that everyone imagines- warm, sunny days, gorgeous beach- and of course for us great company!  You might think that driving from one city in Florida to another would be a fairly easy trip.  But from Niceville to Sanibel is 570 miles and it took over 10 hours to get there.   And the two cities are both on the Gulf coast It only takes 11 hours to get from  Ohio to Niceville.

And there was a bike ride through Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge...

I should mention that DON HATES ALLIGATORS- and when we spotted this little one on our bike ride he barely paused to look.  It's not that I have any affection for the ugly reptiles- but on Sanibel Island it rather seems like one of the "check in the box" things to see...  I think it's safe to say that there really aren't any reptiles that I like, and I don't have any reptile boxes that need checking.

We even took Roxie with us to the library for Mary to fax some papers for Don...

It did take just a minute or two longer than we might have imagined- have I mentioned that Mary knows absolutely everyone that lives on Sanibel- or so it seems- and everyone on Sanibel wants to stop and talk to Mary...


And small world that we live in- we even had breakfast with our friends Mary Jo and Don who live about 5 blocks away from us here in Ohio...

On our last day we had dinner at the Hungry Heron where "BOB 'N' MARY MITCHELL'S SEAFOOD PICCATA" is still #214 on the menu...

I might mention that the decor hasn't changed in these 10-15 years either...


From Sanibel Island we made a brief stop at Sarasota for lunch with my Sonata (piano camp) friend Sandy.  We had time to practice on a duet we're doing together next August...

Now for our final stop!  A weekend with our dear friend Gay.  Oh My- Now there is a good time.  I might mention that this is a "What happens in Dunedin, Stays in Dunedin!".  So much food, laughter, wine and lazy walks on the beach, and late night talks... Should I mention that I didn't really make the "late night talks"...

So by now we were past exhausted- but so, so, so satisfied!  It's what makes life so very wonderful-the time we spend with family and friends!