Orchids

Don and I gave Nana this orchid a few years ago. The warm climate of Southern Florida has supported her growth. 

The following orchids graced the courtyard of our boutique hotel in Miami Beach. Breathtaking, they all were.

The Creator is simply magnificent.

El Palacio de los Jugos

It's a not a trip to Miami without a stop, or two!, to our favorite eatery. 

 Amara asking her aunt about mamey.

Real Food!

The best tostones!



We got our last meal here (frijoles negros and rice, fruit, some fish) and bid adios to one of our favorite places.

Thankfully, my sister, whose first language is Spanish, was able to help us with our orders.
One of these days I learn how to speak Spanish too!

I have dreams of opening a spot like this in the Bay Area.
Who knows. Maybe it'll happen one day.

One Lone Gator

The only thing we had not seen on this trip was an alligator.
I really wanted the girls to see a gator.
They'd seen them many times before but didn't quite remember.

But on all our outings, no gators.
Until, our return drive from Sanibel.
Along Alligator Alley, I had a feeling to pull over at a recreation site.

No gator.

Tried another.

No gator.

One last pull over.

One Lone Gator!!!

Flying Beach Monkey (Aka Happy Amara!)

Sanibel Island

Miami Beach

Sanibel (It's Not Just Beaches!)

Wetlands and Mangroves

Aunt Natalie and the girls finding their way through a secret path.

Beach Flowers

Mama Osprey

The Lighthouse

Ms. Eagle Eyes Amara found a coconut in a wooded type area. 

Beach Time at Sanibel

 We had a most lovely weekend with our family at Sanibel Island. 

Cousins, sisters, nephews and nieces. 

Sun, warmth, salt water.

And love.
Lots of Love.

Angel and Amara- The two cousins who are only 6 months apart, met for the first time and hit it off immediately.

The youngest cousin, (my great niece) Isabella (or Bella) who is 6 months. I fell in love immediately!

My sister Kim, with Bella. 

Alex, who turned 4 in December, was Havana's buddy this weekend. All the cousins got on so well. How I wished we lived closer than we do.

My nephew Alex and his significant other, Haydee. 

Ding Darling Sanctuary

Our trip to Florida has been about visiting with family but equally important has been getting outside into the natural world. Most people associate Florida with Disney World. But there is so much more to see and experience than man made amusement parks. Florida's natural habitats are rich and diverse. Exposing my girls to these places, so they can learn and understand the role that the natural world plays in a healthy planet, and so that they learn to feel comfortable ( and not afraid) of the natural world, is a priority in our family.

On our second morning in Sanibel, we got up early to visit Ding Darling Sanctuary (check out http://www.dingdarlingsociety.org/ for more info), home to some of the largest mangroves in the US and as one website states "famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations."


Ding Darling turned out to a be a magical, peaceful oasis; our adventure made perfect by the sun, blue skies and early morning hours (which meant not that many other humans).

We took the 4 mile wildlife drive and made many stops along the way to observe the countless birds, run around or to throw shells in the water (Sanibel truly is the shelling capital of the world! Sea shells are everywhere!). The drive ended up taking us a little over an hour but in that piece of paradise, time was irrelevant. We soaked up the serenity and spectacular scenery and left feeling like we just spent days on a meditation retreat in the mountains. It was really that awesome. 

We almost missed these funky crabs. Luckily some folks were taking photographs of the trees, which got us curious. When I asked what they were looking at, they pointed out these tree hugging crabs. When we looked further into the  mangrove, we saw they were everywhere!

Brown Pelican

Roseate Spoonbill (which my sister and I didn't think we'd see. We were quite thankful that this small flock graced us with their beautiful presence. ) 

Us with my sister Natalie and Lilly Dog.