The adventures of Eileen and Mary Louise begin!

And we're off to the Florida Keys. We got a late start, so the sun was setting on the way.
It had been raining but began to clear and it was neat to watch as the sky cleared.

Not a perfect shot because the car was in motion.  But not a bad one either ...eh?
It had been raining but began to clear and it was neat to watch as the sky cleared.

And here we finally arrive at about 11 pm.

The hotel is the southernmost hotel in the US That's what it's called the "Southernmost Hotel"

And it seems to have a really nice pool, actually 3 pools, where I will be getting my exercise and ..it's  my kind of pool, there is a bar right there next to it!
We will have no trouble getting our daily intake of Mojitos, Bahama Mammas, or any other tropical drink anybody out there in bloggyland can recommend!

Darn I just missed it!

Better pics will come in the daylight hours. I cant wait to take a walk around these ADORABLE Victorian Cottages

We're thinking this girls week away will have to be an annual thing :)))
viviendo la buena vida... Living the good Life
Going to visit Sarah at A beach cottage for 
good life wednesday

A Coastal break from all the re-makes

I just thought I would share a few of the pictures I took of the beaches here on the gulf of Mexico, down in southwest Florida. The weather has been perfect for this entire 2 weeks I've been here!
It's very calm in the pic below.

But today there was a little bit of wave action

And the water has been warm and so clear.

The other day I took a break from all the painting I have been up to and road down to Boca Grande, a beach about 20 minutes from here.
The water as you cross the causeway is breathtaking, and absolutely looks like the Caribbean, a gorgeous aqua.

Causeway

And when we were on the beach my daughter snapped this photo of a boat so close we could have swam to it, in the calm and clear aqua water.

She had to yell to me to turn and look, as I was deep in concentration, shelling, as it softly sailed by.

There is a lot of fish in this area because the river meets the Gulf here. Matter of fact while we were in swimming one fish about 15 inches long was just following along with us, checking us out.


This is the beach where once, I saw a huge dolphin come right up to the shoreline in about 18 inches of water and just swim back and forth for about 7 minutes, seemingly checking out two little girls who were playing. It was as if their squeeky little voices drew the dolphin curiously to the shore. It was by far the neatest thing I have ever witnessed.
I love this part of Florida, and although I don't get here often, I count my blessings every day that I do.

Yesterday, Saturday the kids had a bit too much sunburn, so we took a ride up to the cute little town of Venice, where they have all kinds of nice little shops. We enjoyed a nice Italian dinner at Luna ( the previous nite) where they give one person enough to feed 4 people, and the food is great.  Love the bread they serve! We decided to come back  to shop on Saturday.

I really enjoyed this one shop where everything in there was the color beige mixed with aqua. Just so lusciously beachy.
 And I stumbled across the most facinating chandelier I have ever seen. Usually I am not crazy about shells all glued onto stuff, but this thing was awesome!

 It looked like someone took it and rolled it all over one of the shell filled beaches and encrusted it.

 I loved it.
  But the price was 2000 +
This would be an interesting project to work on.

As ordered for mission #1 at Sarah's aBeachCottage Saturday Club, I wore a ruffled shirt (off white), while strolling thru this quant town of Venice, I shopped like a champion, I always have my coffee, and I slugged a "Bahama Mama" in a good ole' Irish pub, enjoying the company of 2 of  my "grown up too fast" kids !

Thanks for stopping by!

If you did anything great this weekend join the linky I'd love to see what you are up to!

• It could be fun
• or it could be work

Whatever you did post it in my weekend linky party!

The Summer's last Hooooorrahhy!

While sitting, and enjoying the beach after a dip in the wild waves, this past Labor Day weekend, I snapped this pic, in the distance you can barely see a sailboat. But it' there, so bear with me.

Labor day weekend was really one of the best of the summer. The water down the shore was still warm and so very clear. No jellyfish this year at all! The weather was perfect for sailing and several boats came ashore.

So off my adventurous spirit  went to see where this was heading.

I could see it was going to come ashore up by the inlet so I nabbed my sis to accompany me on this little beach walk. I got excited, as we got near the spot where it landed, because I usually only see them a way off in the ocean.

And as I get closer

And closer. 

The owner looks like one of those little vintage wooden nautical fishermen you can buy!

Ok now he's facing my way so I have to be more cautious because ..

maybe he doesn't want his picture taken!

So I switch my attention to a small river forming from the ocean to the tide pool, where lots of little fish and crabs are riding the ripples and probably giggling.

And Sis spots another sail!

So we head on back and check them out again! 

3 nautical fishermen figures.

It was a fun day, checking out the boats that were sailing right up on to the beach on 

Labor Day weekend.

Ahhh summer. 

It ain't over till it's over!

Now let's get back to that mojito!

And then that night on my walk over to my sister's house to play some dominoes,

 my daughter and I encounter some gorgeous cotton candy clouds!

Now, who could ask for more than the "feast for the eyes" these summer days bring?

Come join the celebration of all things good at

The House in the Roses