Sunday was our move-out day: Pamela had done the usual incredible job of getting us fully packed up the night before, so "all" we had to do was finish up and clean... and clean... and clean... you know what, we are AWESOME condo renters. We vacuum. We sweep. We strip the beds, we do some laundry, and we leave behind cleaning supplies. We DID try to finish all of our beverages, but we wound up with a couple of beers for giveaway, making us probably a little popular. And for the health crowd, we left a few V8 juices too.
We were finally packed and ready to rock about 930am, and headed over to the Over Easy Cafe at the end of Periwinkle way. Last year, we went there on our move-out day with PapaBam, and it took 90 minutes to be seated. We said "we'll hit it mid-week, not move out day, we're going to be smart about it...", and here we were, on move-out day waiting for a table. It was only 40 min for the table, during which time we shopped in the cute little stores and Isaac and I played hat-toss for an improbably long time. Breakfast was fast once we sat down, and it was DELICIOUS - well worth the wait!
We weren't quite ready to leave the island, so we went to Ding Darling and took the tram tour route by car, getting out to spend extra time looking at things: We saw a bunch of fish, some cute crabs, some NOT cute Horseshoe crabs, a lot of birds, and my highlight, we saw an Osprey gutting a fish on a light post right above the road - as we drove slowly under, we were less than 10 feet from this magnificent creature, savagely ripping into that fish. Turns out the male osprey brings food for the young and the female, and it is expected that the fish be READY TO EAT by this point: I was looking around to see if he had a dish of batter and a deep fryer to really prep that fish properly, but no, it must have been back on another tree.
After a leisurely drive, we put the pedal to the metal and hightailed it over to the Tarpon Bay Explorers manatee pontoon ride: This is the same things we did last year with PapaBam - a touch tank presentation with horseshoe crabs, conches, hermit crabs, and shrimp, viewing of some great seahorses, and then the boat ride. We only wound up seeing a manatee nose from a distance, and no dolphins (we had the dolphin action covered), but the true treat was seeing a Heron and its baby peeking out of a mangrove island - the staff was completely excited - it was their first sighting of the baby too, and their excitement was infectious. The guides were big fans of Isaac and Bella, asking them to lead in the touch tank (Isaac got the first conch, and Bella was the first to handle the terrifying horseshoe crab. (Did you know they have dozens of eyes? THEY ARE FREAKY. Also, they're not crabs, they're "Aquatic Arachnids"). Isaac and Bella were also entrusted to walk a pelican beak and a manatee rib around to show everyone.
They were much better behaved than the little Ukranian boy who hollered and tried to stuff a whelk down the aeration tube at the touch tank. He was non-stop... But we kept our distance, and we had a great time!
Final food on the island was back to Schnapper's Hots, where we all ate well, AND got dessert! Love that place. Then it was off the island. The traffic was very light, and we made our way to Target for one more suitcase (I don't think we acquired that much, but our packing just sort of "unfurled" to the point that it seemed unreasonable to try to cram it all in. So a cheap suitcase in a style we didn't have (roller duffel), and hit the hotel.
By the time we hit the hotel, I discovered I was BONE TIRED - and the family graciously let me nap for a spell. My dreams were intruded upon by a beep beep beep sound and I was fairly convinced that we had a room next to a service elevator which would keep us up all night... but no, it turns out they were watching a show about these lunatics with metal detectors. They were going on and on about looking for hidden gold, and in the end, settled for two coins and a belt buckle. One of the guys could have been played by a young Randy Quaid.
A final swim in the almost completely empty pool as the sun went down - the water was warm, with temperate breeze keeping us underwater. I zoned out in the hot tub for a spell... Lots of smiles, giggles, and a general realization that we are ALL tired! Back up to the room and a quick call to Room Service for dinner - everyone ate up, but I started to get queasy - was it the thai spring roll? No, it was my exhaustion catching up with me. I was asleep right after the kids (but not before they got a full chapter or two each).
3am, Bella woke up, resentful at her lot on the hide-a-bed, and to smooth things over I swapped with her. My back may never recover, but she got a good nights sleep, so good for her. I figure we've had a pretty cushy week, I can take one for the team. Poor Pamela had insomnia, so I'm guessing it'll be an early night for her tonight.
GOING HOME:
As feared, Isaac is adjusting to the new time zone, and was up at 630 ET. We'll need to get him back on track tonight... We got up, I secured espresso for myself, and we finished our pack-up... then to the classic and amazing Marriott Breakfast Buffet. It's always a treat when traveling, and even more fun with the family. I got a little worried about our timetable, but we managed to get there on time, missing all of the lines, using my Platinum status to check our now SEVEN suitcases, and cut to the front of the security line to the assembled glares - hey you know what people? When you fly 80k miles a year, let's talk. For me, it's a small reward for being away from the family.
So now we're on the plane home - Isaac and Bella have ipads and headphones, watching shows. Pamela has the headphones on watching a Billy Crystal and Bette Midler comedy that I would never in a million years want to watch. I'm updating the blog and starting to get my brain back into a work-mode. I know weather has been crappy back in MN, and will continue to be so this week, but just to be back in my house with the puppies will be wonderful.
Some Random Thoughts:
My big scrape on my palm from my tag-accident is healing nicely, but made tennis a little tough with Isaac. Hard to grip a racquet with a sore palm. My chin is also healing well, with just the purple remains of a bruise and a little tenderness.
I read NO books, and only watched ONE show (Orphan Black). I did a lot of sudoku, and stared at the sea. It was a brain vacation.
Our Edina friends at the condo complex had a little 2nd grader Gracie who turned our lives upside down - She was sporty and played ball with Isaac, but it was mostly cousin Liam who was drawn into her orbit - there was a lot of talk about "somebody has a GIRLFRIEND". It was cute and ridiculous in that way of the very small.
I was ID'ed by another Edina mom, who said "between that had, and your distinctive gait, I knew it had to be you". That was one of the more surreal ways of describing how I could be identified. I was self conscious about my walk the rest of the trip.
There were only a few minor sunburns - I wound up with bright red ankles where I had missed spraying. They hurt for days. Bella started with some red cheeks, but they lightened up, so the burn wasn't too bad. Pamela escaped with a single playing-card sized red mark on a shoulder. Isaac turned 3 shades darker all around...
I remain enamored of Pelicans, which I have named "Robert" to a bird. They are just amazing.
It was a delightful vacation. Thank you for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment