Florida Vacation (Part 2)

Hey everyone! Well, I finally got around to finish going through the rest of the photos of our Florida vacation and posting them, so here they are!

(Here's Part 1 if you missed it: http://countrygirl-writer.blogspot.com/2014/06/florida-vacation-part-1.html )

Esther and I built a sandcastle! 6/3/14

Unfortunately, Esther got sick with a stomach bug for a few days the second week we were in Florida. We were all going to go to the Gumbo Limbo Wildlife Preserve, but since she was sick just my dad and I went. It was a really cool place!

They had a rehabilitation center for injured turtles. This one's a loggerhead turtle. 6/4/14

They also had some really big fish tanks. This fish was smiling for the camera! 6/4/14

We went to Butterfly World on June 5. It was so much fun -they had butterflies everywhere, and some of them even landed on us!

This Blue Morpho butterfly landed on my mom! 6/5/14

They also had rainbow lorikeets there, and we got to feed them!

One of them decided to land on my head! 6/5/14

My mom fed them too. 6/5/14

Family picture ~6/5/14

One of the butterflies landed on my arm! This is another Blue Morpho. 6/5/14

I was able to complete two drawings while we were in Florida (quite an accomplishment if you know how slowly I draw!!) I haven't scanned in the other one yet, but here's one of them.

Graphite pencil on cardstock -June 2014

All of us went swimming in the ocean the last Friday we were in Florida. Unfortunately, my mom and I ended up getting bitten by some sea lice (baby jellyfish). It was kind of like being bitten by a bunch of mosquitoes.

My dad, Esther, and my mom ~6/6/14 

We took some family pictures on our second to last day in Florida.

6/7/14

6/7/14

6/7/14

6/7/14

We took one final walk on the beach the morning we left Florida. The ocean was so calm and still!

Me, my dad, and Esther ~6/9/14

Looking for shells one last time 6/9/14

6/9/14

Florida Vacation (Part 1)

Hello everyone! We just got home from a 2-week vacation to Delray Beach, Florida! It was so much fun!

      We drove over 1,000 miles from our home in Virginia to Delray Beach, Florida (a 2 day car trip!). The route we took is traced in blue on the map.

Directions to Delray Beach, Florida: Get on Interstate 95 and drive for 1,000 miles. 

First day of the trip! We drove about 10 hours the first day.~ 5/25/14

At the North Carolina welcome center ~5/25/14

We got to the Florida state line early the second day, but it was still another 5 hours to Delray Beach. The entire two-day drive took about 14 or 15 hours.

At the Florida welcome center! 5/26/14

Dolphin at the Florida welcome center ~5/26/14

The hotel we stayed at Delray Beach had a shuffleboard court and a basketball hoop, as well as a ping-pong table. Esther and I had a lot of fun with them!

Basketball! ~5/27/14

Ping-pong! 5/28/14

Esther, my dad, and I near the ocean. Look at all that seaweed that washed ashore! 5/27/14

A Goodyear blimp flying near our hotel ~5/28/14

5/29/14

Esther ~5/29/14

My dad, Esther, and I on the beach. 5/27/14

Esther ~5/30/14

We went to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, about 13 miles from our hotel. It's a 147,392-acre wildlife refuge in the Florida Everglades. It was really cool to see the Everglades!

6/1/14

We saw an alligator! The park rangers said they had named him "George". 6/1/14

I'll post another blog entry soon with the rest of the photos!

Update: Here's Part 2!
http://countrygirl-writer.blogspot.com/2014/06/florida-vacation-part-2.html