Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Spring on the Gulf of Mexico

Ahhhhh, yes, the sweet breeze of humid sea air hit us like a ton of bricks upon landing in Florida. Our eyes bounced on colorful flowers and foliage in every direction. The nurturing sunshine felt glorious on our faces, the flip-flops felt inspiring on our feet. Alas, it was spring break baby!!!

Oh, we had our share of bad weather and mini-dramas, but springtime at Nana's beach generally rocked. Here I present a visual timeline of Carly's second spring break...

Day 1 at the beach: Carly not a big fan of the wind, Greg silently struggling with new Walmart shades



Did I mention Carly knows where her teeth are? (hey folks, the learning doesn't stop just because we're on spring break)



Day 1 at the pool: Carly's first strawberry daiquiri







Day 2 at the beach: fun with sea life



Day 2 poolside: I am my Aunt Julie's niece

**Ed Note: Here I must interject that, for those of us who know Carly's Aunt Julie Quinn, you will understand Carly's pool preference. Don't get me wrong, Julie loves the beach, so long as she is looking at it from 50 feet away while resting comfortably on a clean, sand-free lounge chair by a pool.






Sometime in the morning midweek: This photo is notable because it captures Carly's crib-in-a-closet: creative risk, yet total success.



Sometime around happy hour time midweek: looking for the damn seagulls with Grandma Rita



Glamour pose...


Sometime toward the end of the 10 days: a true water baby

(I have to just say, in my own defense, that I was not sunbathing or reading or drinking while she did these daredevil moves.)



And, finally, a quick video that highlights Carly's beach-to-pool progression...


St. Patty's Day

March provided some outdoor entertainment in the form of the local St. Patty's Day parade, which is held earlier than most. Sully and Carly were equally excited to brave the wind and check out the crowds, including all the dogs that were marching in the parade and participating in the dog contests. When Greg suggested that Sully and I enter the "Dog's-Hair-Most-Resembling-Its-Owner's" contest, I didn't know who was more insulted.