Family and friends cheer Hazel on as she checks out her smash cake
and later as she opens gifts (with lots of help from Big Sis). I seems like it was just yesterday when I first held her. There are flashbacks to Willa’s first birthday too. It is wonderful to watch them come into their own but I do wish time would slow just a bit. I’d like to savor these moments a little longer.
I have the honor of being baker.
A moist apple cinnamon cake (the flavor a nod to Hazel’s taste for apples) is covered with cinnamon buttercream icing. Smash cake decoration is all Hazel too, a field of grass dotted with clover and dandelions. 
She snatches up a fistful of grass anytime she can get close enough to it. She seems to appreciate the buttercream version as well. A three-tier layer cake wrapped in LOTS more cinnamon buttercream goes over well with the rest of the guests. We step up the “party factor” of Willa’s slice with some sprinkles.
Kent continues his tradition of wooden toy building. Check out Hazel with her duckie pull toy. 
Willa’s 1st b’day grasshopper makes an appearance for some cross-kitchen racing. 
Willa presents her hand-made dolly and we a stuffed bat adopted as a symbol of support to Bat Conservation International and their work to preserve essential habitat for bats and other animals that share it. A little unconventional I suppose but seems in line with her love of the outdoors.
There are 100s of mostly horses with a smattering of wildlife and farm animals. Notes point out the unique marks identifying the most prominent carvers for each style. One could read for hours.
No traditional carving here though. Each creature comes to life as a plaster over wood frame sculpture. A silicone mold is made then fiberglass resin and cloth are cast and pressed into the mold. Voila, a bird, a tiger, a grasshopper. And another and another and another just like it. They are beautiful but I must say it is not as romantic as the vision of a craftsman plying together dozens of wooden blocks to create a rough form then laboriously carving to life a one-of-a-kind creation.
. No thanks, it’s just not the same. Not enough carousel organ stuff either. I love the sound and to watch the old punch tape driven, mechanical action bands.
the cider donut shack. They are warm and cinnamony with a crispy outside….sooooo good. To go picking Grandpa pulls a loaner wagon all over the place…
Willa gets to save her energy for actual picking. We fill a huge bag. Project one when we get home is apple pie!
s. Then: the party with schoolmates at her gymnastics club. Lots more presents and a fun dump truck cake (yep, I baked and decorated it). Fun for all.
Mike and Tracy took Willa into the city for some quality Mom, Dad, and big sister time after which she went home with Grammie and PopPop. She was exposed to Covid during her time in the city and came home from Grammie and PopPop’s under quarantine. Luckily she and they had mild cases. We kept Hazel first in Kingston then at the hotel (minus a couple hours covered by a great babysitter, Gabby) in NYC then again in Kingston. It went amazingly well. We got absolutely nothing else done besides grandparenting but we’d do it again any time. Aside, we managed a dinner stop at Katz Deli while in the city. Yum
have to say about the terrain and the wildlife. We spot a nice selection of wading birds, a purple gallinule, and Carol gets to see her first gators and even a croc. We check out a couple visitor centers as we headed back home. It is a great outing.
a barred owl patiently posing just off the trail. Cypress trees are just greening up with tiny soft needles all along the branches. Wildflowers dot the trailside and marsh. We start on spongy soft soil. It transitions to gooey mud squished all around a labyrinth of pot holed limestone (they call them solution holes). A few inches of elevation change and we find ourselves weaving through a maze of cypress knees. It is all treacherous underfoot but cool to see. At one mile in we encounter the ultimate obstacle, standing water about knee deep. Time to retrace our steps and say so long to this swamp. A records check says we got turned around in that same place back in 2017.
loop drive and encounter the local flagman…must be just in time for shift change.
Check out some pics. It is after 1 o’clock and just passed 90 degrees. We head home for some shade time and to clean up. Carol and I go on an airboat ride this afternoon.
airboat ride through the mangrove tunnels. We idle a bit sight-seeing and looking for wildlife but the real focus is highspeed turns through the tunnels. It is great fun! We traveled with Josh, captain for Everglades City Airboats. Dinner is at The Island Café in everglades City: Crab Cakes, a shrimp basket, and scallop dinner. We top it off with some great, tart key lime pie. Delicious.
We come to the wall of trees and spot the tunnel opening. Just as we turn in, we hear a great clattering and splashing then catch sight of a photographer gathering tripod and equipment to clear the tunnel path. He’s been out taking pictures to catch the morning light through the mangroves. We maneuver by and continue on zigging and zagging a winding route under the mangrove canopy. We certainly won’t be sneaking up on anything! Kent has a brilliant idea, take the paddles apart so we can use a 5-foot oar instead of a 10 feet paddle. Much better in this tight space. We combine the shorter paddle and some hand over hand directly in the mangroves and successfully emerge from the far end of the tunnel. Frustrating sometimes but a fun paddle. We make a turn in open water then dive into tunnel number 2. It is a mess, heavily overgrown and lots debris just under the surface. We make it through but it is not really fun. Can’t wait to meet the tour groups as we try to make our way back through on the return trip! We are in open water again sliding along between the grasslands (a recent burn) and mangroves again. It is quiet and lovely. 
A flock of rosette spoonbills swoops by. There are red shoulder hawks and lots of ibis. Kayak hips are complaining a bit. Time to turn around. We are a bit better at the mangrove maneuvering and all goes smoothly as we meet only a few outbound boaters. Overall, it’s a great trip. Glad we did it.
adult and juvenal. A group of racoons make an appearance. Anhinga, egrets and lots of herons are hanging out.
This time we try Joanie’s Blue Crab Café on 41 right in the park. Carol’s neighbor highly recommended it so how could we not? Check out this pic. Quite the place. Throw in a tornado watch and rain blowing sideways to add some more local flavor. I go all in and
order a Swamp Combo – gator, shrimp, grouper and frog legs – all fried or course and delicious. Carol gets a beautiful bowl of she-crab chowder. It is not just what she expected but tasty. Kent enjoys his grouper basket. More key lime pie and we are stuffed. I have a big box of leftovers!
view then start the long hard pedal into the wind back to the start. Yep, its pretty hard work and yep that was a pretty long ride (15.4 miles) for out of practice. You would think we would remember that from last time. We’d do it again…..after a few days.