This one says it all...

Hurry up and grow, Emeth! Can I get a little help here?!

The Last Hurrah

Just wrapping up with some pictures from our last stop before bidding farewell to John, Penny, Ethan, and Bexy.

Ethan had been promised that he would see alligators, so a trip to Sawgrass Lake was in order. There are many alligators in the Florida wildlife area of the zoo, but wouldn't you know it, the alligator display was closed on our last visit! It's actually much more exciting to see an animal in it's natural habitat anyways.

Bev came along with us just because she's awesome.

We'd barely even stepped on the bridge

before we spotted one.

(Craning her neck to look at the little guy hiding underneath the bridge.)

We spent some time at the lookout tower

watching the fish and turtles

and just looking plain adorable.

Someone informed us that there was a mother on the nest along the side of the boardwalk nearby.

We had walked right past without noticing her on our way to the tower. Definitely a Big Mama. I had never been that close to a full-grown gator before.

Then we headed back along the boardwalk through the swamp.

It's a pretty magical place.

Especially when you have this crowd with you.

Independence Day, the beginning, the middle, and the end.

It started with

a party

presents

and patriotism.

Then there was an interlude

of playing

with pals

peeking

and posing

in the pool.

About that time we ran out of 'p's,
and switched to 's'es

for sparklers

and staying up way past our bedtimes.

Sounds Superb

(and it was)

Nobody told them

about the tidal wave poised to capsize their little family portrait

until it was right upon them.

Brothers-in-law do not make trustworthy photographers.

The jury was divided about whether or not it was fun.

why people really come to see us...

There is no denying that we are simply a delightful bunch of people to be around

(provided that we have all had naps and snacks)   

but I think the promise of sand, sun, and waves 

is also a large enticement to our visitors.

 And we are always happy to oblige.

 Of course, it seems Rebecca may have come down for the sole purpose of 

proving that she sports the cutest bathing ensemble ever worn.

Mission Accomplished.

I hope my next bathing suit comes with a shower cap.

A Magical Wonderland

After the zoo, we took our guests to one of the coolest places on earth, our front yard.

We are so very fortunate to be renting a house that has an awesome feature that comes with it; this banyan tree:

Banyan trees are technically not a "tree". They are a strangler fig that originates in a tree or building structure, eventually overtaking it's host, and any other thing in it's path if it isn't pruned preventively. The branches spread outward, and their hanging vines grow into the ground and thicken to form multiple supportive trunks. They have a very "sci-fi" look to them. Although they do grow in Florida, they are not particularly common, especially in residential areas. It is not unusual for us to glance out our window and see a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road while it's gawking passengers snap pictures of it on their i-phones, or to see a group of people gathered on our sidewalk, gaping up at it. Usually these are neighbors with a group of white and pasty out-of-town houseguests in tow. Our house attracts a kind of "botanical paparazzi". Not that it's gone to our heads or anything.

As you can see in the picture above and the one below, the tree has a fantastic multi-level play area in it's cradle. We put all the kids (including John) up there later in the evening after our zoo trip.

As you can see by their faces, they hadn't quite recovered from the zoo by that time.

Some of the hanging vines are great for playing Tarzan too.

Our landlords inform us that this particular tree actually is a sprout from a rather famous banyan tree located in Fort Myers, FL. Covering almost a full acre, it is the largest banyan in the continental United States, and it was planted by Thomas Edison in 1925. It is one of the main attractions at the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Click on the link below if you want to see a tour of that tree, it's pretty cool.
 Tour of the Edison Banyan Tree

I don't know how much longer we will live here, but the tree will definitely be a hard thing to leave behind when the time comes.

Splish-Splash

Now let's pick up where we left off at the zoo. Always the last thing on our zoo agenda, and always so timely, this Down Under themed splash pad is such an awesome addition.

The cuzzos had a great time together.

I have a crush on him.

Even the babies wanted a piece of the action.

 

After wandering around dazedly in the hot sun for several hours,

it's a great place to just pull up a waterfall and unwind.

Just out of curiosity, did anyone spot the two instances of completely horrendous, inexcusably lazy photo editing? Sometimes when there are background people in your shots you can leave them alone and they aren't too distracting, and other times you just can't.

Put Me In the Zoo

Over the next several days I will be scrapbooking our visit from my sister Penny and her family. Unless, of course, I get too pre-occupied with other things and never get farther than this first post. If you've been reading my blog for awhile (bless you), you will know that this is a distinct possibility.

One of the first things we did with them was visit the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. We have annual passes with free admission for our guests as well. It is well worth the membership fee because this zoo is a triple whammy - amusement park rides, splash pads, and animals!

Emeth and Bexy were fascinated by the aquarium fish,

and each other.

 There is a huge underground tank where you can see manatees

 and turtles up close and personal.

 We took a saunter through the Florida Wildlife Walk,

then headed straight for the rides.

 We started out with the carousel,

where zebras, giraffes, gorillas, and hippos are ridden

just as commonly as horses.

Then we took a ride on the terrifying Tiger Express.

After all that excitement we needed something to 

slow down our fast-beating hearts.

We chose the train that travels at speeds exceeding 3 mph!

In fact we rode it twice, because trains are very dear to Ethan's heart.

But that's not all we did there.

Stay tuned.