Beach Day 3

A little footie on the beach again today (read with an English accent). 

Cheers. 

If he didn’t look like me, I’d swear he had long lost British parents. He has the accent, love for the English culture, and the passion for footie.

Dinner out on the town was scheduled for 6:00 because we hate waiting for tables and we are too old to be eating after 7:00 when we are in bed at 8:30. 

Tomorrow it is forecasted to storm. Do we wait it out and hope for afternoon sun, or hit the road back home one day early?

A Year of Adventure

Our first day of 2018 was spent swimming with eagle rays. Nothing says adventure like getting a back rub from a ray or kissing a ray. 

If you are Evan you spend the 30 minutes dodging barbs and exclaiming, “ Sweet Jesus” every time the big females get close. If you are Keagan, you spend 30 minutes telling Evan “a big one is coming for you” so you can watch your big brother squeal and kick his way to safety!

Fun times! I’ve never seen Evan scared of anything before, so this was entertaining for me ( and Keagan).

We ended our afternoon snorkeling where we found an eel, more rays, trapper fish, and angel fish. 

Happy new year! I can’t wait to see the adventures 2018 brings our way!

 “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

Swimming with Dolphins

Keagan’s Bucket List:

✅ swim with dolphins

Christmas money well spent I’d say. Just another example of how an experience is far better than a material item. Thank you, Oma, Opa, Nonnie, and Grandaddy!

Day #5: Tourist Trap

We took the car to Starfish Point and in water no deeper than our knees, we found a dozen starfish. Much like what we saw in the shallow waters of Belize.

From here we drove to Rum Point to snorkel, but Keagan got plastic wrapped up in his snorkel tube and no fish were present. Although the water was beautiful and there was stellar WiFi access (Evan’s first priority in visiting any new place), there were really too many people for our liking. We dubbed it “The American Tourist Trap.”

We drove to Old Man’s Bay for lunch and again had superb views of the water and great jerk chicken.

Then we headed to Barefoot Beach for snorkeling. It was secluded and hard to find, but we were promised great snorkeling. However, the current was too strong and the view was compromised. Not much was seen. 

I want to make note that both boys have noticed that the local teens wear great shoes - better than those of kids in the States. Therefore, they have asked for us to take them to the Shoe Center Cayman Island. I.Am.Speechless!

Day #4: Livin’ the Dream

Keagan and Wes were up bright and early for a snorkeling trip to Devil’s Grotto. They spotted sharks, parrot fish, and angel fish. These are some my favorites but early wake-ups are not on Evan’s vacation itenerary, so he and I stayed behind. I’m on book number three of vacation and couldn’t miss chapter 22. Sitting in a lounge chair in the sun with a Dr. Pepper and my Kindle is what my dreams are made of. 

After lunch, the boys went for a swim in the pool. 

The highlight of Keagan’s day was his swimming with dolphins tour. He’s wanted to do this for two years, so this has been a longstanding dream. 

After swimming with dolphins, we drove to Hell. We had to take this picture at the local post office.

What would hell be like without some heat? The lava fields make for a great backdrop to the tourist trap.

Evan wanted to buy “I’d rather go to Hell than school” t-shirt at the gift shop. Since he did not bring his own money and I didn’t share his sense of humor, he left empty handed. 

We finished the day at another low key restaurant eating conch and snapper. Please don’t tell me we have to leave!

Cemetery Beach

This morning we took the rental car to West Bay and snorkeled at Cemetery Beach. This part of the island has the most beautiful blue water - very reminiscent of Turks. We also met our goal of seeing a spotted ray! He was beautiful!

We had lunch at a shack on the beach and had the best coconut grouper. 

Then we drove east to see The Blowholes, a series of volcanic rock that has formed air pockets that water shoots from. 

It was - and I can’t believe I’m saying this about rocks and water - captivating. 

The late afternoon is being spent by the pool, by me anyway, watching the waves crash while the boys nap. These boys have slept as much as they have been awake. It’s like they are ages 4 and 2 again with this need for daily naps. God forbid we miss the coveted nap time. 

Sleep or awake I still am having another perfect day!

A Little of This and That

Our day included a little of this 

And a little of that.

I read a book, produced Vitamin D, and took a walk on the beach. My day is done and it could not have been more perfect!

Christmas at the Beach

People, I hit a homerun this year. Isolated, beach front, two bedroom/two bath, and beautiful white sand. This year’s Christmas trip condo is so perfect I have awed myself. After today’s travel adventures, I needed this view. 

We woke up at 4:00 this morning, and at 5:00 we were texted that our first flight was delayed and we would miss our connection to the island. We were encouraged to rebook a flight for tomorrow. Tomorrow?!?! Uumm, no! We continued to the airport hoping for good news. No changes, though. The flight was still delayed. We spent a good hour and a half with an AA agent in Nashville looking for another connecting flight. It was determined we would need to spend the night in Charlotte and try again tomorrow. No offense to Charlotte, but I have zero desire to see that city and I packed no warm clothes! My heart sank! Just as we headed through security, we were texted that the first flight was now leaving earlier than anticipated - so there was a slight possibility we could actually make our connection. But it was too late. Our bags were checked to Charlotte, and although we might make it to the Cayman Island, our bags wouldn’t! 

Fast forward 45 minutes, we landed 15 min early in Charlotte, and then we learned our original flight to Cayman was now delayed. With the change in departure times, we could have made the connection after all! In the blink of an eye, Wes headed to baggage claim to get our luggage, and I headed to the ticket booth to get our original tickets back. I was stunned to learn our seats were taken in that 45 min we were in the air! We were told we could fly standby. Since we were flying standby, Wes had to bring the bags from baggage claim through security. All of my hair products, 6 bottles of sunscreen, and my lotion were thrown away. Wes had to throw away his knife because we couldn’t check the bags (and knife) to Cayman  if we didn’t know if we had made the flight. 

Then a miracle happened! The flight to Cayman had six open seats and we were able to get four of them! I called Wes and he was stuck in security trying to save sunscreen. I told him to toss it and run. Meanwhile, the AA boarding team was breathing down my neck, “Five minutes...only five more and we close the door.” I pleaded that they give me ten more minutes. I promised the boys were running to the gate. Sure enough in the far distance I can see the guys running with all four bags and three carry-ones! With a minute to spare, we made it to the door just as it was closing!

Tonight we are in 84 degree temps, wearing our shorts, eating jerk chicken, and thanking God for flying standby! With today’s stress, we’ve determined we won’t leave our beach chairs tomorrow!

Texas Tour

Our week long tour of the Hill Country came to an end this morning. We stopped for lunch at Rudy's in Waco, and Keagan wanted to know why we had kept this restaurant a secret from him for so long.

From here, we made our way to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum.

 

The collection of guns was stimulating. One corner of the museum was a dress up station. Evan wanted to know if he would have worn chaps, hats, and badges in a museum as a kid. I told him hell yeah. That would have been the highlight of the trip.

As a reward for spending an hour looking at guns, I got to go to the Silos.

 

 

Wes refused to stop when he saw the lines, though. He didn't think a home decorating store was worth the wait. Clearly, he doesn't appreciate the finer things in life.

Next stop was the Czech Stop Bakery in West. My kolache was perfect! It's a good thing I don't live anywhere near I-35! 

Now that everyone has had caffeine and sugar the truck is alive with basketball trade talks and debates about next year's season. Three hours of this talk might  trigger me. I need earphones. 

Two. More.Hours.

Hill Country

Today's road trip dropped us off in the heart of God's country (most people refer to as Hill Country). We hiked Enchanted Rock in Llano county. If it wasn't 82 degrees and overcast, noon would have been the worst time to arrive. As it stands, it turned out to be a perfect day to hike. 

 

I'm not sure how we actually reached the top. It was much steeper than I had envisioned and there was no circling the rock to the top like I had assumed. It was straight up. 

 

The view at the top was amazing and a bit unnerving. I could see rain rolling in and did NOT want to be on top of the rock when it hit.

 

From here, we drove a half hour to Fredricksburg to have a traditional German meal. It did not disappoint.

Then we drove another half hour looking for Waylon, Willie, and the boys.

 

 

The boys couldn't believe we actually wanted to see this whistle stop of a town. Even though the music was great, it was short lived because we had one more place to see before closing time.

I've always wanted to see the French lavender fields. I hear the aromas are spectacular, so when I learned the Hill Country grows the same species of plant and it blooms in late June, I HAD to see it. Imagine my thoughts when my vision met my reality. 

 

This past winter was too warm and the lavender never bloomed! I guess this means I have to go to France. 

Our Texas adventure continues tomorrow.

Farewell Costa Rica

Now vemos, Costa Rica. We will forever have fond memories of beautiful beaches, big waves, sangria, wildlife, wonderful people, stunning sunsets, Tico Sours, and Keagan's favorite, fresh pineapple.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Day in Paradise

Keagan singing in the shower:

 "La Pura Vida....Si....Bueno...these are all the Spanish words I know." He's had his fair share of sleep this week, but when he isn't sleeping, he's keeping us in stitches. 

The waves at the beach this morning were huge! We spent the morning boogey boarding and jumping waves.

 

 

 

We spent the afternoon at the pool with an iguana and a macaw. 

 

We are sun-kissed, relaxed, and out of money. I guess that means it's time to return home. But first, one more meal fresh from the sea.