A Florida Visitor

KC's friend Heather came to visit for MLK Jr weekend!  

Our first stop was Whiskey Joe's on the way back from the airport.  There's a beach area, with tiki huts, a bar area, and even fires to sit by.  We grabbed a few drinks and sat at a fire near the water- and enjoyed catching up. 

The weather wasn't exactly what a Minnesotan excepts when they come to Florida in the winter...  The night Heather arrived was the warmest part of her stay.  It was in the 60s, but windy- which makes for chilly 60s.

We hit up Pier 60 and Clearwater beach- not in our bathing suits, but in pants and jackets! ;)  

While on the Pier, we saw two police vehicles and a large number of people stopping by to watch something.  At first we thought someone was in the water (large waves and rip current warnings), but the longer we watched we thought maybe it was a beached animal.  People were gathering round and taking pictures of whatever it was.  So, naturally being the nosy people we are, we walked out to see what the commotion was about.  

It was a rattlesnake!  What?  Why was the rattlesnake at the beach?  Who know!  Hopefully we never seen another one at the beach! 

Jake had to work, but KC and Heather had time rest, relax, and chat!  Being from Minnesota, Heather convinced KC to go into the hot tub.  It was surprisingly warm, and we even made some friends down at the pool/hot tub area (of course they were from Canada- one of them was even in the pool!).

It was great to have Heather here, and look forward to seeing her in March when she comes over her spring break!

Dolphin Watching on NYE

To make the most of our last few days before going to work, we decided to go on a dolphin watching boat ride  in Clearwater Beach.  The "Little Toot" was the highest rated tour on TripAdvisor, so we booked with them.

We were able to park in the marina, and walk around the beach area and Pier 60 for about an hour before we left.  It was a bright, sunny day and it was fun to walk the pier and watch the water for a bit.  (Jake even scored a new pair of sunglasses, because his broke on the ride back to Florida.)

Clearwater Beach area and Pier 60

The tour took off from Clearwater Beach and we weren't sure what to expect.  The Little Toot seemed like a small boat compared to the other tour boats.  They have a "dolphin guarantee"- if you don't see dolphins you get to go on another trip for free.  We were hoping to see dolphins, but just being on the water was a treat! :)

After being on the boat for about 10 minutes we started to see dolphins.  They were close, but hard to get pictures of because they kept surfacing and going back under.  We thought this was as close as we were going to get.

We were wrong!  A dolphin came right along the side of us and stayed there- jumping, splashing and giving us quite a show!!  He was alongside of us for about five minutes.  It was amazing!

After the dolphin tour, we spent time walking around the shops in Clearwater Beach and had dinner near the beach.  It was an adventurous 2015, and we're looking forward to 2016!

Ft. Desoto Park Beach Day

The next day after arriving in Florida, we decided to get our vitamin D levels up by visiting the Ft. Desoto Park Beach.  (Sorry to say it- but it was overcast and gloomy in Minnesota.)

This was our first visit to the Ft. Desoto Park.  The park was so big you could forget you were within populated Pinellas county. 

We weren't really in Florida for Christmas.   But, for the last few years we've written this in the sand somewhere warm- so we pretended. ;)

It was nice to be back in the sunshine state!

Road Trip from MN to FL

Day 1: Minneapolis, MN to Indianapolis, IN

We planned to drive KC's car back to Florida, but we didn't know it would be during the Winter Storm Goliath.  So, we ended up leaving a day earlier so we could avoid the snow and ice storm coming our way. 

After quickly packing up the cabin, we headed on our way a little after noon.  Jake had a surprise for KC so we stopped at his mom's house to say goodbye and grab it.  

Then we hit the road, and began the never ending drive...

The back seat filled with stuff

One of the places we didn't hit on our Minnesota restaurant list was the Vietnam Star.  This was Jake's surprise- his parents picked up an order of spring rolls for us!  So yummy!

Day 1

We debated between staying in Champaigne, IL or driving to Indianapolis.  The forecast of ice and freezing rain in Champaigne helped us decide to push on.  

Day 2: Indianapolis, IN to Atlanta, GA

Day two can be summed up in one word: RAIN.  It rained the entire day!  Sometimes light sprinkling, and other times a torrential downpour.  It was a wet, dreary day.  Jake was really tired of KC saying, "Slow down."  The traffic was a lot heavier with all the rain, and there were a few accidents.  We even saw a guy a few cars ahead of us (who didn't slow down in time) go into the ditch.  The ditches were so waterlogged at this point there was no way to get out.  

Thank goodness for the serial podcast!  Our plan was to listen to this podcast on the way to Florida.  Unfortunately, our phones weren't loud enough so we broke down and bought a speaker from Target. This was probably the best decision of our trip.  We listened to the first season on day two of our trip.

Waterfalls were all over from all the rain

Day 2

Day 3: Atlanta, GA to Clearwater, FL

Thankfully we were far enough south and out of the Winter Storm Goliath on day three.  Our drive was uneventful.  Traffic was a little heavier, and we saw a lot of snowbirds coming down in their RV's- this was probably one of the busiest weeks for snowbirds to head south right after Christmas.

Once again, podcasts made our drive go faster.   We caught up with season two of Serial, and then listened to episodes of This American Life (the producers of Serial).

Sunny drive

Day 3

Safely in FL

We made it to Florida, and we're still talking- success! ;)

KC's car in FL now!

The entire trek

Minnesota Christmas Visit

Dreaming of a white Christmas, we left the 80 degrees sun and warmth of Tampa to head to Minnesota to visit family and friends.  It had been over a year since we'd been to Minnesota, so we were a little worried about having "thin blood".

Good bye sunshine!

Our flight encountered turbulence almost the entire way, but we arrived safely.  Stepping off the plane KC said, "I can see my breath."  So, yes- we were surprised at the change of temperature- even after living in Minnesota for most of our lives.  In the cities, there wasn't any snow, but a little further north there was a light sprinkling.  The days before Christmas, there was a wet snow/rain mix with a tiny bit of accumulation.

MN Day 1

MN Day 3

The weather was in the 20s and 30s during our visit.  December in Minnesota is typically colder than that, but it wasn't the cold that got us- it was the wind!

We waited for the weather to warm up a bit, before going into the trailer.  This means KC ended up wearing the same outfit for the first four days, because none of the other clothes she packed were warm enough. :)  Then, the washing of clothes that have been stored in a trailer for a year began...

Our trip was filled with time spent with family, and friends.  We bounced around from one place to the next, and made the most of the time we were in Minnesota.  It was hectic, but we got a lot in!  Unfortunately, we didn't get that many pictures-

Season's Play 2015

There wasn't a white Christmas, but a white day after Christmas (so close).  At the cabin, we had a few inches of snow.  It was pretty to look at, but not to scrape off, or drive in.

Jake did the brave task of searching for all the items we wanted from the trailer.  Some of the most important: warmer clothes, vacuum, swifter, pots and pans, and other kitchen utensils. All of the things we really wanted to bring with us were able to be squeezed into KC's car!

Our trip was filled with time spent with family, and friends.  It was great to catch up with many people, but there were still others we didn't get to see.   We'll see you next time!