Some final shots of Daddy'sami

On our last day in Miami it was so gorgeous outside that the very thought of spending more than one absolutely necessary moment in the hotel room was more than I could take. So, we headed out to Coconut Grove for a stroll among the giant banyan trees and old stately homes in the previously Bohemian neighborhood. We wandered down to The Barnacle, the oldest home in South Florida still on its original spot, and did some chillaxin' by the waterside.
We met our friends Ed and Lourdes for lunch. Then, because we had to pack and the drives to and from the home of the Miami Druekes would've robbed us of most of our visiting time that day, the Miami Druekes came to us. The pool at the Hyatt in Coral Gables was extremely nice and much warmer than the one at their house. So we swam. Then the wind picked up and the only way to stay warm was, in fact, to continue swimming in the warm pool. So we did that for quite awhile then headed into the neighborhood for dinner.

I'd gotten excited about a place Lourdes told me about at lunch called One Burger. We discovered it was a mere 3 blocks from the hotel and so made that our destination. What we'd failed to discover before we left was that it was closed on Sundays. We found a cute little Italian joint that was open a little further away. After stuffing ourselves on many differently shaped carbohydrates, it was time to say goodbye. Back home, after of course, a final round of pastelitos and Cuban coffee en route to the airport.

Concrete feat produces fab slab!

Sorry about that, I've been reading the AJC. Anyway, the slab is down! I think that means they can start framing. Probably, though, there are at least 5 things the city requires (eye of newt, proper planetary alignment, hair of your enemy) before they can actually begin that. Still. We're VERY excited about the slab. We took out the sidewalk chalk in celebration.

Tri-Sarah-tops

Day Three - Fairchild Tropical Gardens

Not to be missed on a trip to Miami, in my opinion (but isn't everything on this blog?) is Fairchild Tropical Gardens. Our lucky streak continued and we had fantastic weather. They were having a cold snap and the temperature was just barely reaching 80 at the hottest part of the day and there was a constant, lovely breeze. We happened to be there on the weekend of the 6th international orchid show. Since we were planning to head out to see flowers, we dressed the girls in their flower outfits. I worried that was a mistake...what if we lose them among the blooms? Happily, that tragedy did not arise, but I kept an eye on the would-be kidnapping plants just in case.

We saw some gorgeous orchids, of course, but also lots of gigantic iguanas. Here they are lining a nice, warm stone wall. It's hard to tell, but if you look closely at this shot of Sarah, you can see the iguana she's chasing across the meadow.
When not abusing the wildlife, we just walked around and enjoyed all the flora and fauna. We saw both vanilla and chocolate growing. The turtles came by to say hello. We stopped for refreshments, then we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa Drueke's for lunch and swimming. They very close Tamiami airport and from the pool in their neighborhood, we could see bits of the airshow going on that day. Sorry. No photos of that. Trust me, it was cool.

On the beach

Friday morning. The sun is out, the sky is blue, it's beautiful, put on your shoes!

Jeremiah awoke to a gentle tugging on his hand by Kate. He slowly opened one eye to see her smiling face. "Get up!" she demanded "you're starving!". How did she know? I don't know about Jeremiah but I was certainly starving. We knew the Miami Druekes were excited at the prospect of sleeping in on a weekday (they all played hooky to hang out with us), so rather than start calling them at 7:20AM, we got dressed and headed to Gilberts. We had not yet acquired the new umbrella stroller we so desperately needed, so we took turns carrying Sarah and encouraging Kate to move it along. Before we left the bakery, the woman behind the counter gave Kate & Sarah each a tiny strawberry shortcake parfait. The treat had been chilled with the spoon in, so when I tried to remove Sarah's spoon for her, the whole thing came out like a popsicle. I thought that was perfectly fine and handed it to her. It was fine, of course, except that she rode on my shoulders the whole way back to the hotel. Upon our return, I smelled like a strawberry shortcake doll, with the scented (and very sticky) hair. No time to wash it, we were headed to the beach!

We thought the girls would have little appreciation for the people-watching on South Beach, so we headed to Crandon beach on Key-Biscayne. The park and the beach are beautiful. It was cool and extremely windy but we didn't care. Everyone in their bathing suits headed to the water's edge to stick a toe in and...jellyfish as far as the eye could see lay in wait on the shore. They lay there, innocently looking like litter.

No matter! We could tiptoe around them easily enough. The water was freezing. So, Grandpa Drueke, obviously with his finger on the pulse of the 3-year-old set, began to dig a big hole in the sand. Aside from breakfast cereal and movies, this is Kate's favorite thing ever. Her day at the beach mostly involved dancing around and lying in the hole.

Sarah loved the sand. So much so that she kept putting her entire face in it. That, and she enjoyed throwing it at all of us. She'll be the one tormenting the 98-pound weaklings on the beach soon enough. When it was time to leave the beach (because we were hungry and wanted beer) Everyone enjoyed shaking the sands off the towels in the ferocious winds.

Once we'd packed up and paused to get the wet sand that was caked into the crotch of Sarah's bathing suit, we hit Scotty's. Our favorite little restaurant/bar on the water in Coconut Grove, by the city hall. They have fantastic conch fritters and a mighty fine dolphin sandwich. Yum. Day well spent.

Some photos from our trip - Day One

When we arrived at the hotel the girls were extremely excited. I must confess to still having a flicker of this feeling when I first enter a hotel room that isn't disgusting (that's a different feeling). I longed to jump on the beds but decided I probably shouldn't teach them to do that. Sarah immediately got to work at the desk, calling the front desk to demand more towels. Then they chased each other around the place, played with the bathroom door and looked expectantly at us when those things became boring.

So it was off to Grandma and Grandpa's house! The traffic in Miami is remarkable. So we had some quality time together in the rental car. Elizabeth and Abigail greeted us in the driveway as soon as we pulled up. After some time to discover and subsequently torment the 3 unsuspecting cats in the house, everyone headed outside to play on the swingset. It's hard to top a good swingset. We grilled up some delicious food, drank a fair amount of wine (well, not those under 21, of course) and chatted until it became apparent that Kate and Sarah required sleep. Back to the hotel we went. Sarah had her own little crib, into which she just barely fit. Because Sarah isn't quite big enough to sleep in a regular bed, Kate had an entire bed to herself. We dumped the semi-conscious Kate into her gigantic bed (suitable for a princess, you might say) and she grumbled a bit but never really woke up. Traveling is some tiring business.

Jeremiah and I collapsed into bed as well, crossing our fingers that the kids would sleep in just a little bit the next morning. They knew we planned on seeing more of Grandma, Grandpa, Elizabeth and Abigail - this was a mistake on our part - and so they slept in not at all. Sarah, in fact, awoke at 4AM and cried until we put her in bed with us. Once there, she wiggled around kicking, punching and chattering until we relented and just got up.

Next post - the beach and other sundries!

Back from the Swamp!

Ah, yes, one of the nicest things about vacation (that's the short term for our non-stop pastelito-eating, Cuban-coffee-drinking bacchanalia in south Florida) is coming home again. We had a lovely trip! Beautiful weather, delightful company, reptiles and orchids in full bloom (the flowers, not the reptiles), sun and fun. As I mentioned prior to our departure, we got a great deal on a room just a short walk from Gilberts Bakery, where they make what I consider the finest pastelitos to be found in Miami. So far.

Their Cuban coffee is hit or miss, as is finding someone who speaks English in the place, but que sera, sera. A cup of the Cuban coffee we adore, and as yet have been able to find nowhere but in south Florida, is called a colada. It's really a shot but it's so strong and so loaded with frothed up sugar that they give you thimble-sized cups so you can share your shot with all your friends.

"Colada" is, of course, a Spanish word. I popped into Gilberts en route to...somewhere, and asked the woman behind the counter for "Two coladas, please". (Yes. Two. By our second day there we'd advanced beyond splitting these and were drinking an entire shot each). The woman looked confused and shook her head "I...no English..." she shrugged, helplessly. Seriously? She can't make that one out? I had finite time in which to consume my own body-weight in the liquid so I went ahead and ordered "Dos coladas, por favor". She smiled and got to work. Inwardly, not wanting her to screw up my colada, I rolled my eyes.

So, anyway, by the time we got to the airport to go home yesterday morning we actually had to pass up a final colada from the Gilberts stand we spotted in the ticketing area. We were a little sad about it. The Miami Druekes fed us healthy meals, but we still managed to fill our guts with a lot of heart attack-inducing crap. I am feeling a bit sluggish this morning. And craving something green and fresh. Totally worth it, though.

Oh, you want to hear about our visit and see pictures? Yeah, OK. but you'll have to wait because I haven't had time to resize them and all that. We took over 200. I'll handle that in a several posts yet to come.