15.07.17
JUPITER
We left Kissimmee after two weeks in the apartment. We did four Disney parks but also we did have a lot of time to chill and take time out of the hotel hopping and sharing one room. It was bliss having separate bedrooms and a lounge and kitchen where we could cook.
So heading down south to Jupiter to go and stay with Matt and Emma for a couple of nights.
Once we got to Jupiter we literally dumped our stuff and went straight out for Patrick and Neil to have a haircut.... That's better, so much smarter :-)
Then we went to the shopping mall to have a mooch and grab a coffee. Eleanor and Patrick found a shop that did massage chairs ....
It took us a while to get them out of the chairs to continue on our merry way ....
Time for dinner .... and we've hit The Cheesecake Factory.....
# We love Cheesecake
Outside they had a Rock and Roll Concert so it was nice to see everyone sitting around enjoying the music
Downtown Jupiter ....
16.07.17
So this weekend seems all about the food .... We had promised to take Eleanor to an iHOP so we are having a very late breakfast/lunch. Pancakes here we come .... Yum yum
Next stop the Turtle Sanctuary at Juno Beach - Loggerhead Marinelife Centre
These little baby turtles were so cute. They have been found on the beaches and the public have handed them in or they have been found by the volunteers. The centre is holding on to them until they are a little bit stronger
The turtles that have been rescued have injuries that require treatment at the centre. Some of the turtles have ingested plastic and it has damaged their insides. Other turtles have received injuries from boats and their shell has been damaged. The centre release the turtles once they are well enough and have a better chance of surviving back in the wild.
The sanctuary do some great work and it was really interesting walking around and finding out about what they do to help the turtles.
So as Juno Beach was only next door we decided to walk down to the pier. Emma and I were the only two to walk along the beach and have a paddle. All the others had trainers so they walked along the road and then met us at the pier as they didn't want to get too sandy.
Matt & Emma
As we walked along the pier we had to be careful that one of the fisherman didn't hook us as they swung their lines up and over in to the sea
A Black Heron sunbathing
Patrick and Matt deep in conversation about 'techy' stuff
Siblings .... catching up properly
Juno Beach
So it was so hot everyone opted to go to the cinema next. At a final unanimous vote Wonder Woman was the film we all agreed to go and watch and get in to a cooler environment - love AC! 🎦
Wonder Woman was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. and Eleanor came out and was doing all the moves and became a super hero with a lot of attitude....
.... She even tried to lift up the car with her super powers 💪💪😆
As it was still quite early the children were desperate to play Crazy Golf and Emma promised that there was a good one by her .... Little did we realise that Matt and Emma are really competitive. Let the fun begin....
Taking shelter whilst it rained ... at least we had beers
I think Patrick is a tad happy ... he got a hole in one!
.... he even did a little dance
.... it's still raining
All for one and one for all
Beautiful old car that has just driven down from New York
It was a cracking game and we had lots of giggles and Matt who was in charge of the scores worked out who was the winner .... Neil won 🥇, Matt second 🥈 and Emma came third 🥉
17.07.17
Jupiter Lighthouse
Leaving Jupiter now heading even further South to Miami and then a couple of overnight stays in Homestead so that we can do Key West.
The Mall that we visited Saturday afternoon
The heavens opened up whilst on the Interstate trying to get to Miami ... it was so scary as we could see the lightning and the thunder was right over the top of us. The rain was so heavy we couldn't see out of the window so had to slow right down....
.
... and then five minutes down the road we came out of the black clouds and the sun came out. Heading in to Miami the road system is crazy ....
... we can see Miami and it looks very busy with lots of skyscrapers
Ocean Drive, Miami
A lot of the buildings are Art Deco so it made walking down Ocean Drive interesting as the children were able to spot the different buildings.
Lunch TGI Friday's ....
After a quick bite to eat it is time to continue our walk along Ocean Drive and then duck down on to Miami Beach ....
Loved walking along Ocean Drive - it is bright and colourful and full of life. The only thing we avoided was the people walking through the restaurants trying to sell you stuff. We just crossed the road which actually gave us a better view at all of the Art Deco buildings.....
Policeman on his buggy ... 👮
Yep ... this is how hot it was today ...109 degrees ... and yes it was really that hot! 😎🌞🌇
Miami Beach
Each of the Life Guard houses were all painted a different colour and all on an Art Deco theme
Time to leave Miami .... just a quick stop but we felt we'd seen enough and we need to move on and make sure we were in our hotel in Homestead in plenty of time as we have a long day tomorrow - Key West which we are really excited about 😀
Bye Bye Miami ... ✋✋
Uh oh ... another rain shower is ahead ....
Phew it stayed to the right of us and we missed the storm ...
18.07.17
So we were up early and on the road as we had a long drive ahead of ourselves to get down to Key West ....
Key Largo ....
Islamorada .....
The children are shattered .... and they slept all the way down The Keys!
The old road bridge .....
Key West ....
Time to walk around Key West ...
The Oldest Schoolhouse
This bar was full of dollars stuck everywhere ....
The woodwork patterns on the balconies are something that Key West is famous for
This house is at the most southerly point of The Keys
It's Hot Hot Hot
Lunch in this bar was fab - Taco's and then Key Lime Pie
Eleanor found Wonder Woman
Yum .... Key Lime Pie (even Eleanor ate it so it must of been good)
The Oldest House
The Old Bridge
Shell Shop
So this is our sunset coming out of The Keys
19.07.17
Two nights in Homestead and our day in Key West is complete and we are leaving it in the rain. Today we are driving through the Everglades .... watch out for the Gators!! 🐊
Luckily it didn't take too long for the weather to clear and the sun is shining ....
Straight in to the swamp land and marshes .....
The road just goes on and on and on ....
Heading in to Marco Island ...
.... houses are quite nice
Marco Island Beach
A nice couple of hours chilling on the beach
Patrick is so sweet sometimes when he looks after his sister
My budding photographer
Marco Island Beach is famous for it's shells and the children managed to collect lots of very pretty shells
It's starting to get hot ... and as you can see the children have had enough ....
Time to leave .... and head to Naples where we are staying
Our hotel in Naples ....
It was a bit posh ....
So we all got dressed up to go out for dinner
The main street was full of life and lots of lovely restaurants ....
So the children were feeling brave and we went to eat at the Thai restaurant
The food was sooooo yummy
So with dinner finished it was a hop and a skip to the beach to catch the sunset.....
Oh my, Naples beach is beautiful ....
Art through the main street ....
20.07.17
As we drove away from Naples we all happened to look up at the Sat Nav and saw a little island called Eleanor Island ....
Our next destination is a couple of hours up the coastline to stay at Treasure Island ....
Don CeSar Hotel, St Pete - this hotel is a very famous landmark in St Petersburg
Treasure Island
Another stunning beach .....
..... and after dinner we caught another stunning sunset ....
21.07.17
Another day and another couple of hours in the car to get to Clearwater Beach to go and see what it's like and then on to Tampa .... as you can see the kids are raring to go!
Clearwater Beach was very pretty but boy was it busy .... the beach was super crowded with sunloungers and umbrellas .... so after a quick walk we were happy to be on our way. Next stop Tampa .... and yep we've got caught in another tropical storm ⛈🌧🌦
Heading in to Tampa
Rather than walk around the city the children decided that they wanted to visit the Tampa Bay History Centre .... it was actually really interesting
So this is the interactive bit for children .....
.... say no more! 👦👦👧
Ybor City
This old building is the original building where they made the Cuban Cigars
.... leaving Tampa, yep .... in a rain storm. This time it was really scary as Neil couldn't see the white lines in front of him. We are now heading to Gainsville
We reached Gainsville safe and sound and are now out for dinner at an Outback restaurant ... we ordered a Bloomin Onion and it was yum!
22.07.17
So today we leave Gainesville, our last stop in Florida and we head out of the state in to Georgia ....
Goodbye Florida
Hello Georgia
I cannot believe that we have driven around Florida. What an amazing State and there are some stunning places. We have had so much fun and it was sad to leave the sunshine and the beautiful beaches. We are now heading back up north now and in to the mountains which we all know will be slightly chilly!
lots of love The Wise Old Owls xxxx
