Saturday, June 2, 2012

Various Vacation Vignettes

Quick as a wink, we're already on our way home again. It was such a treat to spend a week together, just the five of us. Here's a round-up of the fun we had beyond the zoo and Jungle Gardens.

Our M.O. upon arrival is for Tim to take the big kids to the pool while Laura and I get groceries. I saw this while I was checking out, and knew it would be a big hit. Orca wars, scored jumping onto its back, and relaxed rides were well worth the $11.99, even if we did have to leave it behind (you're welcome, Donna and Larry):

While aforementioned outings were big hits, the highlight for Clare and Danny may have been their trip with Tim to Adventure Island, the water park in Tampa that we all love. In their absence, Laura and I spent a relaxed day doing some shopping and then found a fun playground close to the condo:

Clare and I escaped for a big girls-only lunch at Turtles, where we sat outside and watched the rain while we sipped mango margaritas:



Despite a gloomy forecast, we didn't get any rain until our last day. Not long after Laura and I returned from our morning run it began, and it was fairly relentless, keeping us somewhat captive in the condo. We decided to try for a more stimulating dinner and chose a hibachi steakhouse. The kids really enjoyed watching the chef, who was very amusing, and really loved taking a turn themselves:






Laura was fairly mesmerized, too (in between walking around like a restless menace - we were fortunate that it was a quiet night in the restaurant).

Lo and behold, as we finished dinner the clouds parted and it was a gorgeous evening. So we headed to Siesta Beach. Tim and Clare had spent a nice afternoon there earlier in the week (Danny declined to join them), but for the rest of us it was our first visit. Spectacular conditions, and an ideal end to a great trip.









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