Friday, February 3, 2012

Go fetch a lemon....

Dead trees in the swamp at Lettuce Lake Park
I took my 7 minutes this morning before I got out of bed (as per speaker Barbara Williams from the Gospel service I went to last Sunday) and had a good hard think about my week.  Actually it was more like and hour and 47 minutes as I woke up at 4:30 am, because I had a morning flight and no alarm clock, only my I phone which has been know to be unreliable.  So I lay there in the dark with the french doors open listening to the sounds of a Florida dawn.  There were twigs snapping and morning doves and later the blue jays were screeching for the peanuts I've been treating them to all week. 

I am so happy that I was able to join my new daughter in law and her mum on their week away and feel so lucky that the three of us get along so well. We are all so different but complement each other so well. We did girl stuff like outlet mall shopping there we bought Asic running shoes for 60% cheaper than in Canada. And one of us may or may not have told a waiter we write a restaurant column for a blog.  We made a valiant attempt to get Steve Yserman's autograph for the Boy Child, but his assistant turned us away. We walked a few miles of beach and beach towns, we breakfasted at the Vinoy Hotel, where you can get the best Hotel breakfast with impeccable service...my favorite meal.  (see I mentioned a meal on the blog).  We had our share of laughs including a good belly laugh over dinner last night. I am so going to miss these girls/ladies.  I am so going to miss saying "Tracy.....go on outside now and pick us a lemon for our gin".  

We may not have missed the weather back home, but boy, did we miss our husbands and other kids and siblings.  We kept saying  "oh I wish so and so was here" "wouldn't so and so love this. And that's what else you do in your seven minutes, you think about the ones you wished you could have shared it with.

Tranquility
We made a trip out to the most glorious nature preserve call Lettuce Lake Park.  Miles of boardwalks through tree lined swamps full of turtles and frogs and birds.  The only sounds were birds chirping and gentle splashing.  And Mama H saying, "you can't look for nature, it has to come to you"  And baby did it come.  Luck was with us and we spotted this handsome gator soaking up the sun.  

Come to mama.....

Because we weren't planning to go alligator hunting/spotting, I left me camera behind so these pics are all courtesy of my daughter in law...pilfered from her blog Life of Three Speaking of which, on of the Life of Three girls was feature in the Huffington Post this week. earing her Banana Republic Mad Men inspired Muff.  Check it out HERE.   What you don't own a muff?  What....you don't know what a muff is?

16 comments:

  1. Aligators? You went on a walk where you just casually walk by one of those scary creatures? hly doodles girl.

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  2. Those aren't dead trees... they are cypress "knees" - part of the root system. They help the tree to 'breathe' in the boggy, wet areas they grow. Even if they are not in water, they still send up the knees... can kill a lawn mower!

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  3. What a wonderfully cheerful post! I can feel your enthusiasm and the fact that these two women mean the world to you.
    Brenda

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  4. I saw the Huffington Post earlier today !! I have to go back and look again now :)
    Isn't it nice, take a walk, see an alligator, not have to run away.
    I hope the flight home was a good one, besos, C .. where it is so so very hot .

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  5. Love the post. Thinking of this past week makes me smile - such good times and now fond memories. I look forward to more travel together...

    xxoo DIL T

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  6. I had a muff when I was a wee mite. That parks looks so interesting.

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  7. Oh Chania it sounds like you all had a LOVELY time leaving you with precious memories you can revisit over & over....!!!

    Hope you're having a FAB weekend....!

    Cheers,
    Tamarah :o)

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  8. What a wonderful getaway, Chania. I yearn now to live a life in which I can ask someone to fetch me a lemon off the tree.

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  9. I saw an alligator in the pedalo lake of the Days Inn at Sandlake when I was there...

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  10. Ahh, to be able to go fetch a lemon...that sounds lovely! So glad you had a good time, and I love the picture of your stylish daughter in law with her muff. I had a muff once, and it even came with a matching hat, but mine was white. ;-)

    Kat :)

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  11. I had a white fur muff at about 6 or 7. loved mine! Until I learned it had once been a bunny!!!!
    Add me to your list of wish I had been there or seen that.
    xx
    z

    and uh..alligator? HOW high were those boardwalks?

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  12. What a fantastic trip, Chania. Love your alligator pic.

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  13. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!

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  14. Ahhhh see why I love Florida! Yes I know what an ear muff is but have no need for such things here in Florida! Hee hee. The closest I can come is a doo rag to keep my hair out of my face and the wind out of my ears while touring around sunny Florida on the back of my husbands Goldwing.♥~Ames

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  15. Handsome? Me thinks maybe not but the cypress stumps are. My dad used to make lamps from them in the 1960's.

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  16. I always wanted a muff! May have had one when I was younger. So glad you had such great weather while you were down here Chania. And congrats on seeing the gator. They love to sun this time of year. Where is Lettuce Lake Park? Near St. Pete, I guess? Most visitors to Florida miss the real beauty to the state such as you found in this hammock. Of course, if they stay at the theme parks then us locals get to enjoy the real shows in the woods and lakes. Ann

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I love to read each and every comment and are thrilled that you take the time to send one. Thank you so much. Chania