florida keys pit stop.

while it seems like it was in another life completely, it was less than two months ago when we loaded up the rv for a trip back down to the florida keys.

we planned for the trip to take 13 days (leaving after co-op and arriving in time for co-op two weeks later). derek and ruby left a few days ahead of us, to break up the trip, and still work during the days. then the kids and i made the loooong commute, to catch up with him, and reunite in what is still my favorite place to call home.

the place we stayed for the night was near-ish to stuart florida, which happens to be somewhat close to an instagram friend i have gotten to know online over the last few years. we met up with her for breakfast (at a fabulous hole in the wall diner that she works at). it’s always fun when insta-friends turn into real life friends. 🙂

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we realized that the restaurant wasn’t too far from a sea turtle rehab/rescue type place, so when we were done, the girls and i went over to check it out. it seemed pretty great, so derek also took a detour to meet us there, where there was plenty of parking (with beach access!), so we set up shop for a bit, to enjoy the beautiful florida day.

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the loggerhead sea turtle rescue was pretty fantastic and FREE. well, we could give a donation, which we did. but still. we checked out all the current patients, each with a little sign about why they were there (shark bites, boat accidents, pollution ingestion, etc). of course the babies were our favorite. there was also a little museum, where we learned a bit more about these fun sea friends.

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since the girls and i got there first, i made them pose for multiple photo ops, trying to keep them from getting bored with the actual turtles for when the boys arrived.

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derek and the boy arrived and we all made the rounds (again), visiting the turtles.

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since it was a saturday morning, the place began to fill up very quickly. so, we headed back to the camper, where we made the executive decision that derek could catch up on work a bit, and the girls and i would check out the beach.

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some anna…..

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some crazel nut…

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and, like i suspected, after i asked derek to send isaac out with my latest quilt so i could take some pics of it (fails), he decided to stay and play. sucker.

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happy place….

well, eventually, it was time to move on, and get to our next campground, er, parking lot. we stopped just outside miami, and set up in a cracker barrel parking lot, where isaac, hazel and i would spend the next day, while derek and anna went on a deep sea fishing charter. we had tried desperately to find a campground, so we wouldn’t be holed up on just our second day in the florida, but it’s snowbird season, and nothing was available. so, we stayed inside a lot. and went on walks. and read books. and played games. and drew pictures.

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derek and anna had a fairly successful fishing adventure, aside from being quite bored (anna). some vermillion snapper was procured and brought back to the rv, for a future tasty dinner.

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we spent one last night at the cracker barrel, before departing in the morning for the keys. but first, a quick visit to the everglades….