Back to Nature

After spending last weekend at Busch Gardens it was nice to get "back to nature" yesterday. Mason and I spent the afternoon at our State Park's annual Nature Festival.



Mason won the "Guess the Shells" contest.  He estimated that the jar contained 690 sharks teeth.  The actual number was 771.  His reward ... a shark's tooth to take home.



For the second time in his life he got to hold an alligator.  At first he was a little skittish because this alligator didn't have tape around its mouth but since it was much smaller than the previous gator Mason decided to give it a try.





We left Mason's palm frond art sitting out to dry and ended up forgetting about it. A quick u-turn in the car saved the day. We now have a new piece of artwork in the house. If you have never heard of palm frond art I highly recommend googling it, people have gotten so creative using fronds as their canvas.



FYI, Earth Day is the month. It is Monday, April 22nd to be exact. 

Sweet Eggscape

Even though Spring Break was just a mere two weeks ago we were all blessed with another 3 day weekend for Easter. With extra time on our hands we decided to make a quick bunny hop over to Tampa. First on our agenda was a self-guided tour of the University of South Florida for Mackenzie. Then, we did what we NaplesMorgans do best, we hit an amusement park (Busch Gardens) with a vengeance.

As a family we have now spent the night in hotels for all three of the major holidays ~ Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. I hope that it has taught my children to be flexible and not to be steeped in tradition.  Personally, I have enjoyed how each hotel has added its own touch to the holiday.  This past weekend for Easter we were treated to colored eggs on the breakfast buffet. Just in case anyone is wondering, yes, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are still able to find you even in a hotel room.

Flying like an Eagle

*This post is dedicated to every FGCU Eagle student-teacher intern who has stepped foot in my computer lab over the past 10 years.

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) made the nation stand up and take notice on Friday Night.  On Sunday, FGCU made history by becoming the first 15th ranked basketball team to make the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16.

FGCU opened its doors in 1997 and we have seen it grow leaps and bounds in the past 10 years. We have been teasing Mackenzie this year that FGCU would always be her back-up plan for college since it is only 18 miles from our front door.  Of course, she has higher expectations such as UF and Florida State.

Even though I have never taken a course from FGCU, I still feel somewhat connected to the university. I have been on its campus for educational exams and seminars. Many Eagles have completed their teaching internships at my elementary school before graduating. Three years ago, we actually attended a FGCU basketball game because Mason had earned free tickets for a reading a certain number of books.

Do I think that FGCU will will the NCAA tournament? No. Do I think that FGCU will beat UF tomorrow night?  Probably not. Am I along with everyone else in Naples proud to be flying like an Eagle this week?  Absolutely!    

Clowning Around on Spring Break

By far this was the coldest Spring Break in my 20+ years of teaching in Florida. I look at these pictures and cannot believe we were wearing pants, long sleeves and scarves. The weather was absolutely perfect and we enjoyed every minute of it.

I think Darin was a little jealous that we had the week off.  He made a last minute decision to take Friday off and join us for a day excursion to the Ringling Estate in Sarasota.

Our first stop was the Museum of the Circus. The displays included rare handbills and posters, photographs, sequined costumes, performing props, miniature circuses, and elaborately carved circus wagons. Mackenzie's favorite was John Ringling’s private rail car the Wisconsin.










Our second stop was the Cà d'Zan (meaning "House of John"). This mansion was the winter home of the Ringlings and was designed to resemble the Venetian Gothic palaces Mrs. Ringling admired during her travels in Italy.



Our final stop was the Ringling Museum of Art. Although it was easy to get caught up in the magic of the circus, John Ringling's true legacy to Sarasota was his vast love of art. He and his wife, Mable, built an art museum in 1925 that housed their collection of over 500 years of art — most of which was personally selected by John Ringling.



It surprised me that John Ringling died in 1936 with less than $300 in the bank. However, upon his death he donated his artwork and entire 66 acre estate to the State of Florida in honor of his beloved Sarasota.

Zucchini Pasta

A food post on our blog? Shocking, I know! For those of you who don't know me well, I am not a "foodie". I don't live to cook but rather cook to live. After attending a gluten-free seminar Darin went out a purchased a new kitchen gadget. I would have been rather annoyed except for the fact that our current house has a rather large pantry.



Darin said he was going to make zucchini pasta and that it would taste just as good as real pasta.  I had my doubts.



All he did was peel a zuchinni, slice it and saute it in a little olive oil.



I was surprised, it tasted delicious. I highly recommend it. If you stop by my house I might even make some for you.

Let's Go Paddling

Mason and I have decided to try a new sport, kayaking. We rented kayaks twice over the past few months and decided that it would be more cost effective to just purchase two entry-level 10 foot kayaks.  We ordered them weeks ago and they finally arrived on Monday.



We took Mason's out for a spin yesterday.  Why not both?  Well, I have yet to figure out the easiest way to transport both at the same time.  One fits nicely in the back of the mini-van but the second, not so much.





I was lucky enough to see a young manatee surface as I paddled around the mangrove island pictured above. More kayaking pictures to come ... 

The Pick of the Patch

Florida's strawberry season is among us, my friends. We couldn't wait to start picking. Luckily, a new U-pick farm has opened near our home. It is much closer than the farm in last year's post.





Someone special decided to join us this year.  I just assumed that Darin had picked fruits or vegetables as a young kid. Nope, he says this was his first time ever. As you can tell from his bag, he just couldn't stop picking.  He was really enjoying it.



As an added bonus this farm has tomato fields as well.



Of course one of the best parts of picking is the free sampling.



I'm sure you have seen red peppers, green peppers and yellow peppers but have you ever seen or heard of purple and white peppers? This was a first for me.