The Big Reveal

Friday was a very exciting day for Mackenzie. First, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade organizers surprised 300 members of the Gulf Coast High Shark Marching Band with news that the band has been selected to march in the 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They are one of just 10 bands chosen from a field of 175 bands nationwide. Collier County Schools released a slide show of the big reveal and Mackenzie was featured in one of the photos. Take a look here.

That night the band held its annual banquet where Mackenzie was presented with her second varsity letter. All sophomores received the number "16" because they will graduate in 2016.



Mason has been busy progressing from one sport to the next.  His flag football team ended their successful season as the championship winners.  However, there is no rest for the weary, Mason's spring tackle football season has already begun.

On The Hunt

Due to overcrowding at our church we opted to try the outdoor sunrise Easter Mass this year. We attended a beautiful (but chilly) Mass and enjoyed a delicious breakfast. Surprisingly, we were back home by 9:30 am. With a lot of extra time on our hands we were on the hunt for some holiday excitement. We made a quick decision to load up our bikes and head to Sanibel for the day. We biked the 8 mile loop through Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.





As most people already know you can't visit Sanibel without driving over to Captiva to visit the famous Bubble Room. Did we purchase any of their enormous slices of cake? Yep. The popular Orange Crunch Cake of course.





Hope everyone's Easter was filled with some "egg"citement as well.

Highlands Hammock

Compliments of Spring Break we headed out for another infamous Morgan day trip. This time to Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring. We loaded up our bikes on a brisk morning and headed north. We were expecting cloudy skies with a high of 77 degrees.

On the way, we stopped at a well known u-pick farm in Alva, FL.  Notice the nice blue sky behind Mason.



Check out the huge zucchini I picked, I found the mother-load. They don't sell them like this in the supermarkets, folks!



As soon as we entered Highlands Hammock it began to drizzle. I had to keep my camera covered to snap this photo of Mason next to the 1,000 year old oak tree that measures 36 feet around.



And then the temperatures began to drop. We were biking and hiking in 64 degree rainy weather which wouldn't have been that big of a deal if we had planned for it. Instead we were wearing shorts, t-shirts and light jackets. Thankfully, I was able to find leftover Disney rain ponchos in the back of the minivan.



Even in the rain this park is breathtakingly beautiful.



We had read online that the park included the CCC Museum.  Have you ever heard of the CCC, we had no clue?  The CCC was the Civilian Conservation Corps formed by President Roosevelt's New Deal. It provided jobs for young men (18-25) during the Great DepressionIt provided these young men with shelter, clothing and food along with a wage of $30 a month ($25 of which had to be sent home to their unemployed families). During the time of the CCC these young men planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest American and constructed more than 800 parks including Highlands Hammock.



I was surprised by how much were enjoyed this museum. It was so interesting to listening to the personal stories of CCC men who are now in their 80's and 90's. Our trip to Highlands Hammock State Park will go down in history as our wettest and coldest excursion to date.

First Goal

Mackenzie scored her first very first lacrosse goal tonight while competing against Golden Gate High. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it.  However, below are action shots from her recent game against Barron Collier High.

in local sports news

Mason had another successful winter basketball season. His team made it to the championship game.







Mackenzie is trying a new sport, lacrosse. She is a member of the junior varsity team. We were able to see her in action tonight for the first time as she played against Naples High.

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.





>