Andrea!

Andrea is my sweet German friend from Ohio. We both lived in Heritage Club and became fast friends. From lunches dates to dinner parties to golfing together to our shared interest in photography, I was so glad for her friendship and the laughs we always shared. Of course after the move we have still kept in touch so how excited I was when she called to tell me her husband would be able to take the time off to watch her boys so she could come down to visit me for a few days. While she was only able to get away for three full days we sure stuffed those days with a lot of fun! The highlights had to be our day at Blue Spring and our day at Weeki Wachi. I had been wanting to see both these places for quite some time yet with so many other options for the kids we just hadn't gotten around to it. With school in session there were no crowds and the weather was perfect. It was so fun...even if we did end up kayaking alongside gators!!!

At Blue spring we started by taking the walk along the upper trail where we could see manatees. After that we decided to rent a kayak so we could see them up close. Next time I'll have to remember the snorkeling gear!





What we didn't expect to find were all the alligators on the main river section. We had been told there was one across on the bank from where we rented the kayak but by the time we went in that direction it was gone. No worries though...before long we were finding them everywhere. Here are just a few photos of some of them and I didn't even get a photo of the super large one that we were told was close to 18 ft!!!



When I asked Andrea what were the top things she wanted to do or see in Florida the only one she said was ride a paddle board, something she had never done but always wanted to try. The Weeki Wachi seemed like the perfect place to do it. The water is known for being calm and with the river being crystal clear you know exactly what you are paddling alongside! It was fabulous. While the first half of our six or so mile paddle was frustrating for her, especially after her taking a bath within a few minutes of getting on the board, she turned into quite the pro by the end. Even I ended up taking a bath once as I tried to maneuver the go pro and my phone for photos...we had a good laugh...and a great time! Love these first couple photos of Andrea dodging the trees...





Until next time...