Naples

It would really be fantastic if I could post things right after they happened.  But it takes me forever to get the pictures off of the camera and then it could have been weeks or months and it's just old news to me so I don't think to post it.  I'm really doing kind of sloppy job for those who care.  Sorry.  New Years Resolution!

Last November, we traveled down to Naples for work and decided to make it an extra long weekend.  We set up a trip out on an air boat and we were all so excited.  We left straight from gymnastics, feeling a little chill, but excited because we were heading south where it would be even warmer.  The morning we arrived, we changed into swimsuits and headed down for breakfast and a nice swim in the heated pool.  From the moment we stepped out of our room, you could feel the cold air.  We hoped it was just the A/C, but no.  A cold front had come and it was FREEZING! It was absolutely beautiful just days earlier and now we were rushing to the store to buy warmer clothes.

Our brave kids were able to enjoy the heated pool but the outside air was too much for Marc & I and soon the kids were eager to rush back up to the room and try to get warm.

The next day was the air boat ride that we had truly been looking forward to.  We couldn't wait to go see all of the alligators and other creatures promised to us.  As we began, the cold didn't seem unbearable and we had some friendly, forward pelicans come flying at the boat and landed right at our feet.

Once we went further into the bayou, the sun couldn't break through the mangrove trees and the boat was going so fast, we just gritted our teeth and tried to snuggle closer together to stay warm.

The cold also made all of the animals disappear. The weekend before, they saw several 12 foot or longer alligators. We were thrilled to see one little 6 footer!

Everything else stayed out of sight! But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.  Marc didn't have a jacket - that's how warm it was when we left - so he ended up having to borrow the woman in the front office's jacket for the ride.  He said it was a good thing or he would have froze. But you can note the lovely ladies jacket in a couple of the pictures with Marc.  His arms were just a tad longer than hers.

Our boat ride was freezing and rather uneventful, the scariest part being when it looked like nothing more than a puddle, and we were going over it in this boat, chopping up wood as we went.

After the boat ride, we got to hold the little alligators and learn more about them as well.  Everyone got in on the action.

The alligator had just thrashed his head towards me.  Those suckers are strong!

Cooper is a little heavy for all of us!

It was definitely an experience we won't soon forget!