Last Post From Florida in 2011

As you have already guessed from the title - this is our last day in Florida.  We will be on the road tomorrow morning.  The weather has been so glorious this year, it makes me sad to leave.  Poppa is sitting outside right now, reading his book with his bathing suit on.  I think the plan is to have a swim, go for an early supper, come back and swim some more, then load the suitcases into the car in preparation for the trip back up north.  Sigh!  We remembered to take our "letter" from Munchie off the fridge...

....I folded it carefully and packed it up for the fridge at home.  Poppa found a flower on the hibiscus bush at the front of the villa...the first one this year...

.........spring has sprung all over the place down here!  It is so beautiful and green everywhere.  Last week, Squeegie got all ready, grabbed his clubs...

...helped Poppa put the big clubs in the car....

...and they went for their last trip to the golf course.  While they were gone Taffy sat outside and read her book....

.....and as you can see, she was nearly at the end and got it finished before they returned.

I have five pairs of socks for the next Sock Giveaway and have started the last pair.  For those of you who are interested here is a sneak preview....

..of the five pairs in this group so far.  I should warn you - the last pair is very different, so don't get your mind all set on one of these in case you like the new ones better!  I will be in Canada before the next giveaway....so you can ruminate on these until then.  As soon as I finish that last pair I will post the opening - first come, first serve, as usual - so be prepared!

I will not be posting again until we arrive in Canada.  I just don't want to chance those unsecured networks in hotels along the way.  So........thanks for reading with Poppa, Squeegie, Taffy & I while we were in Florida - more in three or four days!  Hugs to all.

It Was HOT in Florida Today!

How hot was it you ask?  I'll tell you how hot it was.  Since we only have four days left, and we love the beach - Poppa and I decided to visit Siesta Key one more time.   After visiting Sizzlin' Grill for breakfast and stopping at the villa to drop off the bears (it was too hot in the car for their fur) we were all ready for another day at the beach.  We wore our bathing suits, since Poppa thought he would like to go in the Gulf for a swim - and I wanted the option of getting wet.  We stopped for gas and a bottle of Sprite Zero, and headed for the west coast of Florida.  There was quite a lot of traffic.  After driving for about an hour and 45 minutes, the beach was in our view!  The parking lot was jammed, so Poppa sat patiently and waited for another vehicle to leave, so we could pull into their spot.  With anticipation we hopped out of the car and decided to leave our shoes in the trunk, so we wouldn't have to carry them.  We were at the row in the parking lot that was furthest away from the beach, so we set off across the parking lot in our bare feet.  By the time we got to the beach I noticed that my feet were hurting.  Assuming it would be a temporary thing that would disappear when I stood in the water, we carried on.  As usual we strolled along in the surf for about an hour and a half.  During that time Poppa decided to take his plunge into the salty water.  The board on the lifeguard tower said the water temperature was 75F degrees.  It actually did feel quite nice - and he waded out far enough to swim - and then worked his way back to the shore - where I waited with some anxiety as the waves were quite pronounced - but he arrived safely.  Finally we decided it was time to get back to the car and head for home in time for supper.  My feet were really hurting by now so Poppa stooped to get a good look at them - and declared that they were blistered!  All we had done was walk across that hot pavement.  Furthermore, when we arrived back at the villa and I limped out to the pool for a swim - I discovered that Poppa also had blisters on his toes!  OK - definitely the pavement - AND - that's how hot it was in Florida today!

I didn't get any pictures - I didn't want to carry the camera in case I decided to get wet.  I did get splashed in the waves and was damp enough to sit on a plastic bag and a towel on the trip home - so it was good that I didn't bring that camera with me.  But, I can share a picture I received from Auntie Colleen!  This one rather lessened the negative impact of having to return to Canada!  I received it on March 21st.

I was quite pleased to read these words - "Our first shot of our first Robin of Spring."

Of course, I can also show you a picture I received from Mommee of our little grandsons!

Little Smiley is practicing to be a "big boy" and sit on Munchie's booster seat!

Daddee is already working on new house projects!

And, Munchie is dreaming of being an NHL star, while trying on Daddee's hockey helmet! 

It seemed to require an adjustment or two before it felt just right!

But he got it and asked if he could get some skates for Easter (which is looming immediately after our return to that colder climate!).  I'm pretty sure that Daddee suggested he wait until his birthday in October - since they are expecting milder weather soon!

Another Knitting Update

As you might imagine, the influx of company over the last few weeks interfered with my productivity!  But, I did manage to keep on knitting in small snatches of time!  I finished that double leaf lace, and I had only a small bit of red cotton left, so I made a very narrow lace called Eyelet Points from Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge.

Since it was quite narrow and a simple pattern, I finished it up quickly.  As I've mentioned before, I try to make each piece of lace about 24" long - luckily this one ended up close to the 24", so I was happy and put it aside for blocking.  Then I reached into my bag and pulled out another spool of crochet cotton at random, and found this.....

....lovely pastel green.  The pattern is called Leaf and Acorn.  Here in Florida there is a tree called Live Oak.  It looks nothing at all like the oak trees we are accustomed to seeing in Canada.  Instead, it has elongated, flat leaves - quite like the ones you see in this lace.  It also grows little acorns that look very similar to the acorns we see at home - maybe a little smaller and a little longer.  So, I thought it was appropriate to knit some of this lace while I am here.

I know I promised one more Sock Giveaway before I left for Canada, but I ran into a small snag on that.  When Aunt Grumpy was here, she pointed out that she couldn't see the pictures on her computer at work - and Auntie Denise thought they should both get to pick a pair of socks while they were here. I hemmed and hawed about it, and decided it would be nice for Aunt Grumpy to actually pick a pair she could see, so I relented and let them pick.  At the time I had three and a half pairs here - getting ready for the next giveaway.  So - Aunt Grumpy picked these....

which were quite blue actually, a lighter shade than they look in this photo.  I took this in the evening and artificial light just doesn't pick up the colour as well - for reference, the towel they are on is snow white - not that off-white colour it apears.  Auntie Denise picked the unfinished pair.  Aunt Grumpy immediately took hers off to her room and they disappeared.  Unfortunately, I didn't get Auntie Denise's finished until after they had left, so I took a picture.....

....and put them away.  I'll take them to her place when we get back to Canada.  Sigh!  One week from tomorrow we will be heading north again.  On January 2nd, when we arrived at the villa, it seemed such a long time until April - now it is here already!  The weather has been so wonderful this year, the foliage is so green, and the flowers are all blooming!  I hate the thought of returning to barren landscapes, bare trees and remnants of snow!  A couple of weeks ago the scent of orange blossoms was everywhere - it was so beautiful!  I captured this shot of an orange tree with full-grown oranges still on it,and bursting out into flower for another crop.

I might mention - I got this picture while Auntie Denise was "requisitioning" oranges to take back to the villa for a treat!

Meanwhile, the little boys are thriving in our absense, and it will be fantastic to see them again after this long interval away.  It is the bright spot in returning to that northern country where we live most of the year!

Munchie loves playing with stickers - in fact he sent Poppa and I a nice montage he had made especially for us (picture to follow).  But sometimes, he is overly enthusiastic about where he should stick them....

...........but Little Smiley just keeps on smiling!

That Last Day

Like all vacations - they come to an end much too soon!  The visit with the Sisters was no different.  We decided that after a busy few days, we would take that last day off, and laze around.

The Sisters took a few minutes to read.............honest - Aunt Grumpy does have a book in her hands - she just put it down for a couple of minutes to rest her eyes.  After sitting out there in the hot Florida weather it was time to cool down with a dip in the pool.

Since the weather has been quite hot - too hot for walking in the afternoon, we have been taking our walks in the evening - after supper.  On this last night for the Sisters, we all set out for a stroll just after sunset.

We wandered around the neighbourhood, and Aunt Denise wanted a picture of the palm trees on the round-about - with the lights on them.

They are lit up like this each night, as are the palms on the way into the community - it really is very pretty.  Once we arrived back at the villa, the Sisters spent some time packing and sorting to be ready early the next morning for their trip to the airport.  Sure enough, bright and early the next morning we were off to the airport in lots of time for their flight.

The luggage was taken out of the car and towed along to the baggage check for loading on the plane.  Then we had enough time to grab a bite of breakfast....

...here are the three siblings, Auntie Denise, Aunt Grumpy (who doesn't look grumpy at all in this photo!) and, of course, Poppa!  Once breakfast was finished, it was time for the Sisters to get in the line for boarding.

Poppa and I stood on our tippy-toes until they were out of sight and then we headed back to the villa.  We had enjoyed their visit and hope to see them again next year!

Auntie Colleen and Uncle Shaun got a new camera!  So I have been getting pictures again.  Here is one of my favourites...

And here is what she said....
"Usually the colour casts from digital cameras drive me crazy and I can't wait to get the pictures into Photoshop to make the colours real again. On this one Shuan took on the weekend, though, I kept the blue cast and just let the beauty shine through. I just love the tranquility of the aqua hue."


It is hard to believe that this beautiful bird was in and around my hometown at this time of year!  But, then again, I got this wonderful picture from Mommee - and it looks like most of the snow has gone from her new backyard!

That's Munchie running down the hill, under Daddee's supervision of course, and - someone else was keeping an eye on things from the deck....

Yep - that is Little Smiley sitting out there in the early spring sunshine, watching his big brother play.  I understand they got some more snow after this picture was taken, but I'm hoping it has all gone away again.

Kennedy Space Center

We spent a day with the Sisters at the Kennedy Space Center.  It was a great experience and I recommend it for anyone old enough to appreciate the significance of the space effort.  We heard the Discovery taking off for its last journey - but it was too overcast to see it.  Now it has landed and is in its storage building being prepared for transport to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.  Poppa and I had been there previously (with Granny and Gramps), but it had been quite a long time ago, and we didn't have time to see all the exhibits and presentations.  Once again we were faced with the challenge of finding a parking spot - which wasn't that difficult, and soon we were crossing the lot towards the Space Center.

The first part of the tour was a bus ride to an observation station - where we could see the Endeavor on the launch pad in preparation for its launch on April 19th.

The view from this place was beautiful from any angle - the water was off to the left of Launch Pad 39A.

And off to the right was Launch Pad 39B awaiting the arrival of the Atlantis for its June 28th journey.  We climbed back down to ground level and caught a returning bus to take us back to the Visitor Center.  In the distance we could see the Vertical Assembly Building - where they attach the external tanks to the shuttle in preparation for take-off.  It is huge - but looks tiny in this photo!

Just to give you an idea - there is an American flag painted on the top right hand corner of this building - which looks about the size of a normal flag (about 5'x7") from the ground.  In actual fact, each of the fifty stars is six feet across.  Very huge building!  When we had returned to the Visitor Center, we watched  an impressive presentation about the Apollo missions - and then got to enter an area where an actual Apollo rocket is on display...

....another very large construction as you can see by the size of the rocket compared to the little people exploring this area.  The display includes a real LEM (Lunar Exploration Module).

There was an area devoted to all the brave astronauts who had ventured to the moon...

..oops!....ummm....there they are in the background, behind this rather famous astronaut.  And finally when we reached the end of the building, we could see the little module that carried the humans off to that mysterious place and then brought them back.

Amazing!  We got to enter an actual shuttle and see the inside.  You would be amazed at how small the living quarters and the control room are.  Most of the shuttle is a huge cargo area - and the display model was complete with....

..........yes!  The Canadarm - emblazoned with our name and flag!  We grabbed a snack at a little stand and soon had to head back to the car - since the Space Center was closing at 6pm.  We had a little trouble re-finding the car, but eventually Poppa steered us in the right direction.

Aunt Grumpy treated us all to dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse (much to Squeegie's delight) in honour of Poppa's birthday - which was back in February.  As usual it was delicious and we all left feeling over-full!

Once again we had a long day and were all ready for bed.  I fell asleep thinking about my little boys back in Canada.  Munchie had been taking fingerpainting lessons with Gramma and Taylor...

....while Little Smiley worked on his crawling skills...

....Mommee says he isn't really crawling, but is getting quite adept at getting to where he wants to go by wriggling along using his front appendages.  And, as usual - he is smiling for the camera!  Sweet dreams little ones!

Visit Digest

It seemed that we were always on the go while the Sisters were here!  We spent a day shopping.  Auntie Denise was having a blast, and Aunt Grumpy patiently oversaw the spending.  We spent a day at the beach - at Siesta Key - Poppa's favourite beach on the Gulf side of the state.  The most difficult part of that day was finding a parking spot,

but eventually we spied someone pulling out so Poppa snuck in as soon as the space was vacated.  We bailed out and headed to the shore - it was busier there than I had ever seen it.  You can see all the people basking and strolling in the background of this shot.

Before long we were strolling along with our feet in the water of the Gulf of Mexico!  The water has warmed up considerably since Poppa and I were there earlier in our stay, and it was a beautiful hot, sunny day - perfect for the beach!

After about an hour and a half of strolling in that hot sun, we stopped for an ice cream cone (I had Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream - YUMMY!), and soon it was time to brush the sand off our feet,

and head back to the villa.  We arrived safely, hungry and tired - so after supper we made plans to visit the Kennedy Space Center the next day, and headed off to bed.  I fell asleep with visions of little Munchie fast asleep in his new bed at his new house.

Vacation for the Sisters

We had some trouble finding the sisters, but as soon as we found them, we bundled them into the car - where they had a re-union with Squeegie and Taffy.

They were all glad to see each other.  We took them to the villa so they could unpack their suitcases, and then we all went out for dinner.  Auntie Denise wanted to do some shopping, so after supper we went to the Wal-Mart.  We stopped along the way for a photo op near an orange grove...and the sisters actually plucked some oranges off the trees.  When we got home Auntie Denise couldn't wait to try them....

....she said they were really good and very juicy!  So after a few moments of consideration, and a couple of squeezes....

....Aunt Grumpy decided to give them a try as well.  The following morning, the sisters were still recovering from their long travels the day before, so we spent the day lazing around and chatting in the pool.

In the meantime, each of the little boys had received a parcel from Nanna and Poppa (hee!), and when they tried on the stuff they found inside, Mommee took a few pictures for us.  Here are our little cuties in their new jammies!