Spring break continued
Warm sun. Blue skies. We saw one day of rain when we first arrived in town, and then the weather was just about perfect after that. Spring break in Florida is always a good idea.
Here is Nick in front of our favorite restaurant, the Sweet Tomatoes on Dale Mabry:
Anna got in her photo op on the little back porch behind my mother-in-law's house, which is a spot where we've been taking pictures of the kids for many years now:
We spent some time during the week working on Mary's house, pictured here:
Mary has been staying with us here in Philadelphia for several months, and is going to come back and stay with us a while longer. In the meantime, she is hoping to rent out her place. So we got started with some painting and some trim work:
Spring break also marks the beginning of Nick's annual birthday season, during which we celebrate his birthday in Tampa and then again in Philadelphia. Lucky bugger:
On Saturday we spent the day with our Tampa friends, the Chapmans, who have daughters the same age as Nick and Maria. We went out to Clearwater Beach briefly, though a standing 25 mph (40km/h) south wind was blasting us with sand and bits of seashells:
Because of the wind the beach was deserted:
So we retreated to the swim club at Carlouel, a private club and neighborhood at the north end of Clearwater Beach:
That night we had another birthday celebration for Nick, this time at the Chapmans' house. The Chapman girls gave him a Manchester United jersey, which he was delighted to receive:
All good things must come to an end, of course, and the following morning we began our drive back home. We stopped for an early dinner in Atlanta to visit with Chelsea's dad Tom, her grandmother Frances, her cousin Mandy, and her aunt Pam. Here are Tom, Mandy, and Pam together on the front porch of the Cracker Barrel:
Chels and her dad:
Chels and Grandma Frances:
From Atlanta we pressed on, heading north and east through South Carolina and North Carolina before stopping for the night in Dublin, Virginia. That put us on I-81 right around the 100-mile marker, leaving us with about 7-8 hours of driving for the second day.
It was a great trip, and we're glad to be home! Chelsea took a ton more pictures than what I have, so I'll see if I can snag those and post them over the rest of the week.
Here is Nick in front of our favorite restaurant, the Sweet Tomatoes on Dale Mabry:
Anna got in her photo op on the little back porch behind my mother-in-law's house, which is a spot where we've been taking pictures of the kids for many years now:
We spent some time during the week working on Mary's house, pictured here:
Mary has been staying with us here in Philadelphia for several months, and is going to come back and stay with us a while longer. In the meantime, she is hoping to rent out her place. So we got started with some painting and some trim work:
Spring break also marks the beginning of Nick's annual birthday season, during which we celebrate his birthday in Tampa and then again in Philadelphia. Lucky bugger:
On Saturday we spent the day with our Tampa friends, the Chapmans, who have daughters the same age as Nick and Maria. We went out to Clearwater Beach briefly, though a standing 25 mph (40km/h) south wind was blasting us with sand and bits of seashells:
Because of the wind the beach was deserted:
So we retreated to the swim club at Carlouel, a private club and neighborhood at the north end of Clearwater Beach:
That night we had another birthday celebration for Nick, this time at the Chapmans' house. The Chapman girls gave him a Manchester United jersey, which he was delighted to receive:
All good things must come to an end, of course, and the following morning we began our drive back home. We stopped for an early dinner in Atlanta to visit with Chelsea's dad Tom, her grandmother Frances, her cousin Mandy, and her aunt Pam. Here are Tom, Mandy, and Pam together on the front porch of the Cracker Barrel:
Chels and her dad:
Chels and Grandma Frances:
From Atlanta we pressed on, heading north and east through South Carolina and North Carolina before stopping for the night in Dublin, Virginia. That put us on I-81 right around the 100-mile marker, leaving us with about 7-8 hours of driving for the second day.
It was a great trip, and we're glad to be home! Chelsea took a ton more pictures than what I have, so I'll see if I can snag those and post them over the rest of the week.
