Sun and Fun in Paradise

After St. Augustine, we headed south a little farther and set up camp at a campground on the west coast of FL near Sarasota. The boys soon disappeared to explore the campground and came back excited about the options — shuffleboard, pool tables, miniature golf and a large swimming pool.

“Keep your eyes open as you explore,” I told them, “on Friday I want you to draw something you saw this week.” I figured having the boys draw a picture weekly would be an interesting travel-log of our trip, along with providing them with a needed art lesson. (this ambitious plan lasted all of three weeks)

As the boys played all week, Jerry and I finished up bookwork for the business. It wasn’t due  immediately, but we wanted to get it done so we didn’t have to think about it again. We were both as excited as middle-schoolers on the last day of school when we mailed the final papers to our accountant.

When Friday rolled around, I pulled out the sketchpads and pencils, “What did you see or what impressed you this week?” I asked.

“The swimming pool,” Jon promptly said.

A branch of small, purple berries on a tree right outside the motorhome window intrigued Joey and he set up a lawn chair directly in front of it and began sketching.

Joshua thought about my question a moment or two and his logical brain took my comment of “what did you see” literally and said, “Guess I’ll be drawing an old person.”

He had quickly discovered that snowbirds, older folks from the northern states that spent a few months in Florida each winter, occupied most of the other campsites.

Our goal was hot weather and it was only around 65 degrees on the mainland, so we decided to head as far south as we could without buying a plane ticket. The Florida Keys are made up of multiple islands that stretch 130 miles southwest of Florida and are connected by one road with 42 bridges. We fell in love with the area and the perfect weather — temps in the upper 70’s with crystal-clear-blue-green water everywhere. We stayed at a campground in Marathon, one of the middle islands.

“Dad, unload the bikes first,” Joey said as we began setting up our campsite. “I want to see what all is here.” A few minutes later, the boys dispersed to explore their neighborhood of the week.

Jerry continued the outdoor setup — hooking up the necessary hoses and putting up the awning. I put a rug inside the door, a doormat outside and a trash can inside and outside the door. I knew there’s still be cleaning on this trip, but I was trying to omit as much work as possible. I figured the boys would be hungry soon, so I made dinner before setting my chair up by the water. (Giving up eating while traveling would have saved us work, but no one liked that idea)

After an hour or two and the boys hadn’t returned, I became concerned. Jerry didn’t seem to share my apprehension — maybe because he was comfortable in a hammock at the moment. I pulled out the campground map, saw there was a large arcade and headed in that direction.

“Hey, what are you guys doing?” I called, as I spotted Jonathan riding my way.
Skidding to a stop beside me, he was excited. “Hey, it’s not just old people here!”

“Shh-sh,” I look around hoping no one heard him.

“We met two other children,” he continued, “They are also homeschooled and are here on vacation. They’ll be here all week!”

“Great,” I said, thrilled that the boys had other children to connect with. And yes, I was also envisioning all the hours I would have to read on the beach that week.

The boys spent the week swimming, biking, snorkeling and even scuba diving with their new friend’s grandfather. They also discovered wildlife that we don’t normally see in PA.

We tried to do a few hours of schoolwork a morning or two, but already my planned schedule was slipping — it was hard to keep them (and me) in the motorhome when the beach was only a short walk away.

We spent a day exploring Key West, the last island. While there we discovered there is one more US island about 70 miles west which contains Dry Tortugas National Park and Fort Jefferson.  We booked a day trip out to the island for a few days later.

I didn’t have to plan anything for the day — breakfast was served on the boat, lunch on the island and snorkeling equipment provided. I wanted to kiss the cook, along with all the staff on the boat.

Air and water temperature was around 85 degrees. We spent the day swimming, snorkeling and photographing some of the unusual fish and underwater creatures. To add a touch of education to the day, we toured Fort Jefferson, which was part of our countries defense plan in the 1800′s. (Geronimo had been a prisoner there for a time)

Mid-afternoon we put our sunburned selves back on the boat and enjoyed the hour ride back to Key West. It was a day that in hindsight seems almost surreal because it was so perfect.

 

This is the second in a series of stories/vignettes to compliment Because I Can … which will be released in mid-September.

1) The Adventure of a Lifetime Begins …