Kingston Sayres leave first-on time. They make their transfer in Baltimore and arrive home pretty much on time. Brian, a little later departure, is significantly delayed. Uh oh. He runs through the Austin airport and makes his flight to Houston, whew. Everybody is home safely. Meanwhile, we drive our first leg of the return trip stopping in Lake Wales, Florida.
Weather is a bit fickle but we manage to squeeze in a lot of fun.
We try kayaks for everyone.
Willa, Hazel and I in one tandem, Kent and Brian in a second and Mike and Tracy the third. We cruise a loop around Curry Hammock State Park through a curly mangrove tunnel and a stop on a quiet beach to build sand castles. By midday the sun is really blazing down and the cool ocean feels nice. Hazel just loves the beach. Willa takes to the deeper water with Mom. It is a fun, full day. We get back home just in time for dinner.
Willa painted with a dolphin at the Dolphin Research Center. She and Mom held the canvas and Sandy wielded the brush with bright pink and purple paint. It was fun to watch too. There were other dolphin training sessions and we enjoyed ice cream treats. Hazel didn’t
have the best day. She was a real trooper and napped much of the day on Granpa between mummers of “it hurts” and “ouchee” because of what must have been really painful diaper rash. Back home, it was pool time in the afternoon. Willa learned to swim. Granpa picked up some super Butt cream at the grocery. Hazel started feeling better within just minutes. 
We posed for family Christmas pics on the beach. Played whipped cream games and toasted the Holidays with a bit of bubbly.
Nana and Granpa head to 
the Aquarium with the girls. Touch tanks were a hit. Hazel touched a stingray and Willa a star fish. We watched spiney lobsters gobble down calamari rings, fed fish tails to the rays, and food pellets to bright blue colored fish and pelicans. There was time for a little cookie baking. Willa did the rolling and both the cutting out and later icing. Fun and delicious. We close out our trip with dinner out at Sparky’s Landing. Food was delicious. We tried another version of key lime pie. Seating was out along the water (jackets required tonight) and there was even live entertainment. We discovered another Hazel favorite, cocktail cherries. Once home, Willa checked the pool temperature. She’d been pleading to swim just one more time before we left. Her call, its warm enough. Granpa, Tracy and Willa don suits and head on out. Hazel askes for a bubble bath and had just gotten in when they return. It had been fewer than 10 minutes. It is tooooo cold. They just barely got wet. Warm bathes and they are both off to bed.
Willa is up at sunrise watching from her bed. Sunrises are glorious seen over the ocean and how convenient to see them from your bed in your jammies. Suddenly its “Oh wait, today is Christmas.” “Let’s get up and check on Santa.” She first checks on the cookies and carrots. Yes, Santa has been here, let the party begin. As the rest of the house rouses, Willa patiently checks out the stockings and confirms presents that belong to each. More gifts have arrived. Everyone is up. The opening begins. The girls are pleased with the single serve pickles (Willa) and olives (Hazel) included in their stockings. There is a quiet afternoon and dinner then a tooter concert by all. Once the kids are off to bed there is the exchange of “phantom Santa gifts” between the adults. Thanks for the idea, Tracy. It was fun. A 3-D picture display (Brian to me), A Raspberry programmable module (Mike to Dad), classic Lego kit (Mom to Mike), a getaway to New Orleans (Tracy to Brian). A heated vest (Dad to Tracy).
I am thrilled to find 
Willa setting up in bed looking out at sunrise this morning. She never really said anything just watched in amazement out the open window from her bed. She is feeling well and seemingly mesmerized by the changing light. Hazel is up soon after and in equally good mood. It is a lazy travel recovery day so there is sleeping late and napping. We open a care package from Aunt Carol, fantastic cookies and tooters.
We discover treasure maps and the hunt is on. Fun for all. Loot at the end is gold chocolate coins.
Kent’s birthday dinner is minestrone and key lime pie “cake”. It is a vegan recipe that I have tried before but it would not have won any prizes this time. We ate a piece though to celebrate.
Christmas Holiday celebration begins as the girls each open a couple gifts. Message in a bottle ornaments are distributed. Willa sets out cookies and milk for Santa (thank you Aunt Carol) and carrots for the reindeer. Together we set out stockings for everyone, actually Christmas print sun hats.
It is off to the Airport. The kids are renting a car but Nana and Granpa have a car seat for Hazel allowing them to travel with just one. We arrive at baggage claim and hatch a plan that Mike and Granpa can get the rental car and Nana, Tracy, Willa and Hazel will take most of the luggage and the truck back and not wait for the rental car pickup. So, I head away from baggage claim to intercept Mike and go straight to the rental car pickup. But I am met by enthusiastic granddaughters running to meet me and calling for Granpa. Scrap the plan. I need to see the Nana greeting. It was just as amazing. The modified plan is to go after the rental car and meet at the Cell Phone lot. Strangely enough Mike and I arrive just before Lynn, Tracy and the girls. Hazel’s car seat needed a lot of adjustment, she has grown a lot since August. We swap luggage around to get it all inside and we are off toward Marathon. It has been a 12+ hour travel day for the girls. There is a bit of “are we there yet” and a call for a potty stop almost as soon as we get out on the highway but, they are pretty well entertained by Nana all the way until Willa declares an unrelenting ear ache. She is recovering from a cold and flying must have aggravated her ears. It is alternating napping and crying the last 30 minutes or so. Not the best start for the Holiday. Hazel goes right to sleep once we get her settled in in her room. Willa has a rough night dreaming and waking til midnight or so. She is in the neighboring queen in our room. We are relived for both her and us when she settles in. We all have our fingers crossed that she’ll feel better in the morning.
We gather Brian at the airport then head for the Royal Coco Plum Club condo on the beach in Marathon. It is over an hour drive but uneventful. We unload and settle in. It is a cute place with a nice strolling beach and heated pool. I think it will work out. Brian gets a bit of the short stick, the couch or sleeper sofa in the living room. Undoubtedly not the comfiest of the accommodations but he is up for it.
We sleep in a little then grab breakfast at Krispy Kreme, of course. Then it is off to Walmart to get supplies for our Houseboat adventure. Even with the donut stop we are well ahead of schedule, check-in for the boat isn’t until 3PM, so we manage a few stops along the way to check out a couple Everglades favorite stops.
We arrive at the Marina Check-in. It is a little early but are pleasantly greeted. Then the bad news comes out. “The houseboats can’t leave the dock due to high water. You should have received an email”. Nope, we received no emails prior to leaving cell service in town a couple of hours ago. They check and they did send an email but it was the we’re looking forward to seeing you email, not the bad news email. “Would we like to change our reservation to stay in the floating cabin at the dock?” Nope. “Even at a discount?” Nope. The point of the trip is time out in the wilderness, not tied up on a brightly lighted dock all night. Begrudgingly they eventually come up with a full refund. That makes twice we have been unsuccessful in our desire to spend nights on the houseboats in the glades. Probably not up to try again. Hmm, there might actually be a chickee in my future. We will see.
For now, we hang in Florida City and explore coastal refuges and parks.
We manage to dodge a big delay (43 minutes per GoogleMap) on I-95 near our intersection with I-26. It reroutes us on 2-lane for about 30 miles running parallel with I-95. Works out great and we miss the delay. Then the easy day from Savanaha to Florida City turns into a traffic mess around Miami. Should have sprung for the tolls and taken the Florida turnpike. We make our destination a little frustrated, later than planned, and tired but with all our paint intact. Kent is pretty excited to spot a Krispy Kreme within a mile of tonight’s lodging.
Dinner – a great local place, Farmers Market Restaurant. They were making their “famous key lime pies” when we arrived, 12 or so cooling on the counter. Gotta have that. Dinner first…conch appetizer not my fav but ok to try) then fish with generous portions of yummy sides. The key lime pie has to go carryout for later. We head “home” and crash.
Forecast for tomorrow is light snow. We have some higher elevations to cross getting out of the NC mountains and they have limited snow/slick road treatment capabilities here. Our original plan was to travel from here to St Augustine Fl one day and then on to Everglades the following day prior to our 3PM check-in. With that plan we can’t stand a delayed start so we are leaving mid-morning today. We load up what seems like way too much stuff and get on our way. By day’s end we have reached Savanaha GA and get a room for the night. Tomorrow’s drive to Florida City should be a relative breeze.
It is our year to host and we all heading down to Marathon Key for a bit of warm weather, we hope. First there is finding a suitable house to rent, arranging for flying travelers, menu planning, grandkid gift shopping, ornament making, and lots of grocery shopping. Kent and I are squeezing in a couple nights on a houseboat in Everglades National Park. It is a bucket list thing for me to experience the sights, sounds and smells of that lush wild environment in the night – not from a chickee platform shared with snakes and gators. This little side trip adds another pile of stuff we will have to get into the truck somehow! We head out December 18.