Rails to Trails

A three day weekend with cool temperatures had Darin and I itching to taking the kids bicycling.  We were considering another trip to Shark Valley but it was nixed by the kids. A quick internet search of local bike trails led me to the Rails to Trails Conservancy website. A rail trail is a former railway that has been converted into a path for walking and cycling. A rail trail is perfect for our family of four because we don't have to share the road with cars.  Surprisingly, Florida's very first rail trail is located on the island of Boca Grande which is only 88 miles north of Naples.

At only 6.5 miles in length the Boca Grande Trail may be one of the shortest in Florida but it is one of the most picturesque.  It runs the length of Gasparilla Island through the posh town of Boca Grande. We started at the southern end of the island at Gasparilla Island State Park where we were able to tour the restored lighthouse that was built in 1890.



The town is small and charming.  Golf carts and bicycles outnumbered automobiles. You can't even find a gas station on the island. For years George and Laura Bush along with their family have vacationed in Boca Grande.



We were able to peak into Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church.



We stopped in the town's square for a treat and some shopping in a large remodeled train station.



Biking less than 6.5 miles wasn't a great workout but it sure made for a great afternoon adventure.

If you are interested in Rails to Trails in your neck of the woods check out their website at www.railstotrails.org.  They also have a mobile app.  A coworker just lent me the Rails-Trails Southeast Guidebook.  I can't wait to plan our next outing.

Manatee Park

Manatee Park in North Fort Myers is a non-captive refuge for the Florida Manatee. Optimum viewing times are between the months of November and March due to the cooler gulf temperature.





After our recent cold snap we knew it was time to high tail it to Manatee Park and rent kayaks. As you can tell we weren't alone in our plans.



It's neat because the manatees just hang out below the surface. If you are patient enough a manatee will eventually surface next to your kayak.



Now it is our turn to hang out and wait for our next cold snap so we can return to Manatee Park again.





>

In The Nick Of Time

For the second year in a row drumline was invited to perform at the Ritz Carlton's Naples Winter Wine Festival. Unfortunately, we had a major emergency which almost guaranteed that we would never be invited back again. The students were told to arrive at school to dress in their uniforms prior to boarding the bus. We arrived at school only to find out that the band uniforms were not there, they were at the cleaners! A frantic phone call was made to the volunteer uniform coordinator who had to rush to the cleaners and dig through the pile of 250 uniforms in order to find the 40 drumline ones that were needed. The coordinator arrived at the Ritz 15 minutes prior to the performance and the kids got dressed just in the nick of time.





As usual, the kids made us proud even if their uniforms weren't exactly clean, ha!

Sweet 16 Success

Our sixteen year old has had a very successful weekend.  She officially earned her driver's license, opened her first checking account and most importantly celebrated a very special Sweet 16 Birthday Bash with over 30 of her closest friends.



She had decided on a poolside theme that included dinner, music, games and a bonfire. She even requested that her guests wear tropical clothing. Little did we know that the temperatures would drop into the 40's which added a little more excitement to the party.











I didn't want to hover around the teenagers taking pictures so I set up an Instagram photo booth instead.



I love how when I wasn't looking someone grabbed the chalk and our board quickly became an unexpected decoration.





This picture is the closest I came to getting a group shot.  I needed a wide angle lens because there were even more of her friends to the far left.




Even though you cannot see all the kids you can certainly hear them, click here

Happy 16th, Mackenzie!

Sweet Sixteen

Today at 2:56 pm Mackenzie officially turned 16 years old.  She has a "Sweet Sixteen" party planned in the next week but we still wanted to celebrate this special day.  We had balloons delivered to her high school, hung a sign in the yard and treated her to a dinner of her choice. Happy Sweet Sixteen, Mackenzie! More party details to come.

Strike A Christmas Pose

In all seriousness, we were invited by the Tennessee Guskes and the Waleska Guskes to head north and join them at a beach house in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina for Christmas.



I know what you are thinking, why drive 12 1/2 hours when you live less than 5 miles from a beach?  Well, I have two important words for you; Christmas and family.

Speaking of family, Mackenzie and I had to take our own "selfie" at Christmas Eve Mass because one of our own family members was feeling under the weather.  Poor Mason, this isn't the first time this year that he has gotten sick on a road trip. Did you know that "selfie" is the 2013 Word of the Year?



After Mass, Tanner entertained us with his annual reading of "Cajun Night before Christmas".



Even though we were not snug in our beds in Florida, Santa was still able to find us during the night.



Thankfully, Mason was feeling much better in the morning and able to enjoy his Christmas.



Next post: Savannah

Hear The Music?

We sure did.  As a matter of fact we heard it three times this week. We attended our very first middle school band concert ever. Although Mackenzie is now in the high school band you may recall that she participated in middle school chorus rather than band. It was amazing to hear how far along these sixth graders have come considering most of them had never played an instrument prior to August.



The saxophone section was introduced to the audience.



The high school band performed their annual Prism concert three times this week. This year Mason was able to see the daytime performance thanks to a band field trip.



The drumline performed Jamaican Me Crazy.



The drumline also performed under the black lights which is always an audience favorite.



The ending of the Prism concert is always a little bittersweet. It is the last time the entire band will perform this year's halftime show.



While the rest of the band had to stay behind and clean the auditorium the drumline got one last chance to entertain the audience as they exited.



The drumline still has a few more upcoming gigs but this week signaled the official end of marching season. This picture makes me smile. It was a great year for Mackenzie on the #4 bass drum. It will be interesting to see where she ends up next year.