A week in paradise

Hi everyone!  We might just set a record for pictures in one post today.  We want to document our trip to Marco Island, Florida and are having a hard time leaving out any of the great pics, so here we go!

Marco is on the gulf side of Florida, just south of Ft Meyer's.  It has an amazing beach that is almost 200 yards at its widest point.  We think it's hard to see in the picture above where the beach ends and the ocean begins.

The boys' great grandmother, Gamilee, has owned a small condo right on the beach for over 30 years.  This is the boys' second visit to her little paradise apartment.  Here is the entry from the first trip.

Gamilee's condo holds up to three people, so last year we got a hotel room.  This year, the extended Marsh fam rented the apartment right next door, so we stayed a full week without a four digit lodging expense, and got to explore all the area had to offer!

Our favorite adventure (aside from hours and hours on the beach) was the Everglades Wonder Gardens. What an awesome place!! It was a 75 year-old family run animal rescue sanctuary.  All but one of the gators in the above pic are real...

The boys were intrigued by two large cats at the sanctuary.  This one was a rescued mountain lion who had been someone's pet.  Not many mountains in southwest Florida, but there are Florida panthers, which the boys loved seeing because their school is the Pinckney Panthers.

Hey, we have these in Kansas!!  Ever seen a blonde raccoon?  She was really cute and very friendly.  She came when the tour guide called her and gave him a high five.  Did you know raccoons put their food in water because they don't have saliva glands?

This dolphin and sea horse bear a very strong resemlance to our little CNMs.  Rookery Bay was actually a different place closer to Gamilee's apartment that we enjoyed too.  It was a learning center that taught us even more about the wildlife and sealife in the area.  We were introduced to the elusive Oar Fish...

Even Gamilee drew the courage to touch this baby alligator.  It was so cool!  The guide told the boys they were touching a dinosaur, and that got them really excited.

Mummy's favorite animal on the planet!!  They had two cute and very playful otters that put on quite a show for us.  At least one member of the family could have stayed at this location all day.

There was also plenty of wildlife at the beach.  When we weren't looking for shells and enjoying the ocean, we were playing in the pool.  There were lots of little lizards running around that were fun to play with.  Some were very little.

The trip was indeed a slice of paradise.  It was 70 to 80 degrees and sunny the whole time.  Both boys showed off their continuously improving swimming skills, and we must have walked a combined 20 miles of beach during the week.

One day, we walked all the way to the tip of the island where we saw a couple dolphins playing just off the shoreline.  That was a real highlight.  We splurged a little and went out to dinner every night. Sometimes on the beach, not far from the spot where Carson is lounging in a hammock.

A big thank you to Gamilee for allowing us to join her for this great trip.  Can't wait to get back!  It was funny to see Christmas trees and lights all over in such a tropical place.  But we're back now, and jumping into the Christmas spirit.  We hope your holidays are as happy as a little boy searching the beach for shells.