Spring Break Recap part II

I know, I have been slack! But also, I have been busy with work (and other important things like the Stanley Cup Finials, the NBA Finials, and the start of the World Cup) so I do have a legitimate excuse for not getting the beach portion of spring break posted. This will not be nearly as in depth as the Disney portion, but since we were at the beach we did more relaxing than anything else.

First I want to thank our friends Mike, Kelley and Liam for allowing us to stay with them in their uncle’s condo in Ft. Meyers. The condo was great! It was beautiful and had great views of a small harbor and the river that runs right into the gulf. We had a great time sipping drinks on the porch watching the boats come in and out from the open waters. They boys also loved the condo, they were able to run circles in and out of the unit since there was a couple of ways to access the porch. They also loved the elevator, entering the access code to the building (they would fight over that opportunity) the great areas to ride their bikes and of course the pool!

Here are the boys on cruising on their bikes around the complex

We were in Ft. Meyers on Henry’s actual birthday, so of course we had to have another party for him! Here is his with his Mickey cake!

Since we had to drive to the beach each day, we decided to try a couple of different ones that were pretty close by. The first day we tried Sanibel Island. It was quite a drive to get to the public areas and it was really tough to find a parking spot. But once we got to the water, it was all worth it. The beach was beautiful and the water was even better. There were shells everywhere! It was like they took dump trucks of shells and just unloaded them all over the beach. I mean, I have never seen so many shells!
Henry with a shell

Liam with a shell, he is shell obsessed. He had buckets of shells at the end of the week
Here is Mac doing what he likes to do best at the beach

The next day we went to Ft. Meyers Beach and even though it was closer in miles it took much longer to get to due to the traffic. This beach was very crowded and people were everywhere! The beach was not very wide at all and there no shells. The water was warmer but not nearly as clear as the water at Sanibel and Captiva islands. Ft. Meyers’s beach was the least favorite out of the three that we visited during the week.

Here are the boys burying Mike in the sand. Notice there is a pirate ship in the background. It was pretty cool and actually made cannon noises from time to time.

The following day we decided to make the longer drive and head to Captiva Island. You had to go through Sanibel to get to Captiva and the drive took about an hour due to traffic and the extra distance, but it all paid off in the end. First of all, the island of Captiva is long and very skinny. Most of the houses had beach view/access as well as views and access to the inlet on the other side. Talk about nice houses and properties, most of them were unbelievably beautiful houses with even better views. The drive was worth it just to see some of the homes on the island. We really enjoyed the beach there and there were plenty of shells to keep Liam occupied.

Here is Mac and Henry with some little friends in a hole the boys dug. They had to dig a hole every day, I am not sure why, but they did. I guess it is part of their Jedi training?

One of the upsides of driving to the beach each day is that on the way home you can stop and get some fresh caught seafood. We did that most every night on the way back to the condo. We really enjoyed sitting on the screened in lanai eating our fresh seafood and drinking nice wine while watching the boats cruise up and down the inlet.

Here we are at the end of the dock just outside our condo

On our last day to go to the beach, we decided to go back to Captiva Island. Meg and Kelley heard about this restaurant/bar right on the beach and we decided to try and find it for an early lunch then on to the beach. The Mucky Duck was a great spot for lunch and drinks. We ended up going to the beach right in front of the property. We spent the day playing in the surf and sand and as evening started to arrive, we just packed up our things and went back to The Mucky Duck for appetizers and drinks. We were able to grab a great spot close to the entertainment and the beach. The boys loved running back and forth from the table to the huge hole they dug in the sand earlier in the day. Againm this was all part of their Jedi training. Anyway, the crowd started to gather and before we knew it, the place was packed. Then we realized why, this was the perfect spot to watch the sunset.
Here is our crew hanging at the The Mucky Duck

The picture really doesn’t do the amazing sunset justice, but it gives you a good idea oh how beautiful it was.

Sunset from The Mucky Duck beach

The entire trip was great, we had a great few days in Disney then went down and had a wonderful time at the beach. Thanks to Mike, Kelley and Liam for inviting us, we all had a lot of fun! The boys had a great time and really didn’t have any conflicts. I think their love of Star Wars has given them a special bond and they know there is no fighting between Jedi’s!

Here are the boys watching Star Wars with their light sabers! They watched at least one episode of the Star Wars saga each day.

Here are the boys crashed out after a long day of Jedi training and watching several Star Wars movies.