Today we went down to the pier in Destin, Florida.  I had a great time.  I’m going to play a game with today’s fun stuff that we did.  This pier had lots and lots of hiding places.  When you look at the pictures ,try to find where I’m hiding in them.  You will have to look very very carefully because even Mum and Pop couldn’t find where I was hiding until they looked a long time.  A couple of times I got in trouble but I didn’t care, I was having a lot of fun.  Besides this is the last day we’ll be in Florida.  Tomorrow morning we have to get back in the truck and start driving back.

There were so many really big boats at this pier.  Pop promised that next year when we come down, we are going to hire a fishing boat with a guide so we can go out far into the Gulf of Mexico to go fishing.  I saw some of the people who had gone out fishing and they had some big fish.  Some of the fish were a red color.  I don’t think I would like to eat a red fish.

We had lunch at the pier also.  Erik ordered two platters of oysters on the half shell.  Everyone liked them but Mum and me.  Pop would take a fork and pick out the oyster and put it on a cracker and put some horseradish on it.  He said it was really good.  Mum said the only thing that would be good is if she found a pearl under the oyster.

Erik also ordered, crab, and calamari which we all liked the taste of.  I was thinking that it would be so great if we could do this everyday but Mum said if her and Pop didn’t get back to work we’d never be able to do this. 

OK here is some pictures to look at to find where I am hiding.  If you can see me, send me a note and tell me where I am and I will tell you if you are right.

After lunch we walked some more and Carmen and Mum did some shopping in the stores.  Erik bought us some Fruit Smoothie’s.  I had the coconut and banana.  It was DELICIOUS!!!

This vacation has been so much fun.  I’m not ready to go home yet.  I did get a little sunburned on my face today so at least people will know I went on vacation.  I can hardly wait to tell all my gnome friends what a great time we had.

Now I know where I want to live.  This is the coolest place ever.  If they were willing, I would like them to adopt me for about 3 months every winter.  I could so live here.  Their condo looks over the Gulf of Mexico.  All we had to do was walk outside, over a bridge and there was all the sand and water one would need to survive the long Minnesota winters.  We walked the beach picking up shells along the way and just looked at the beautiful houses along the coast line.

Lee and Kathy say that they live in the low rent district.  Maybe so but it looked awful nice to me.  As you can see by this picture, the homes are beautiful. They could hold my whole family and still have room for more.  Mum said she’s never seen such big houses and I think she’s right. Just to make sure you understand, Lee and Kathy don’t live in one of these houses but I wish they did.  I would visit all the time.

Lee and Kathy took such good care of us.  We ate and they toasted a long long friendship.  Now I know why Mum and Pop think they are such special friends.  Lee made us dinner and Kathy made us Snoopy pancakes for breakfast.  The time went way to fast and once again we had to get back in the truck and drive back to my Brothers house.  It was late before we got there but they waited dinner for us.  I was so tired I went right to bed after dinner.

Monday morning very bright and early, Mum, Pop and me drove first to Lake Placid, Florida.  We drove and drove and drove.  It was kinda boring but the weather kept getting warmer and warmer so I was glad.  I did sleep a lot of the way because there wasn’t nothing else to do.  Except stop at Harley Davidson store, which Pop did a lot.

Finally got to Lake Placid to I my Mum’s Aunts house at 7:00 PM.  They were patiently waiting for us and the first thing we did was go to a restaurant to eat.  I got to meet my Mum’s cousin Jim.  I liked him right away.  He also had a beard, but no hair on the top of his head.  I wondered how that can be but I didn’t want to ask him.  They are very nice people and she made us a big breakfast the next morning.  They have an orange tree in the back yard and they just go out and pick oranges off the tree for breakfast.  How cool is that.  They have a thing called a canal in the back yard also and they have a boat there for fishing.  When they want to go fishing they just go in the back yard and drive the boat around to the lake.

I saw this bird (Uncle Ted said it’s called a stork) in their backyard.  Pop wouldn’t let me go outside because he said I’m to little the the stork might think I’m food so I took this picture from inside their sun room.  Isn’t he cool.  They said they had never had one come into their yard before.  I think he maybe never saw one of me before either because he kept looking in the window.

Uncle Ted drove us into their town so we could see murals that are painted on the buildings.  Boy were they cool. It was raining so we didn’t get to go outside to see them but just drove by to look.  Except for this one picture where I made my Mum and Aunt Geneva get out so I could take their picture.  Just look at all of those cowboys and cows.  Pop said it’s just like the old days when the cowboys used to herd the cows.  The picture even made noise.  Pop said “it’s raining out there,I’m not getting out of this car” so I had to take the picture myself.  That was OK, I don’t need to be in every picture.  As you know my Mum loves elephants so I took this   picture just for my Mum.

We had a great time but now it’s time to get back in the car and go see some friends of Mum and Pops.  I never met them before either.  I hope they like me.

Today I finally got to do what I came down here to do.  I went to the beach with Erik, Carmen, Sarah, me and Mum and Pop.  What a blast!  Sara and I had so much fun.  Here she buried me in the sand.  That was OK with me.  The sand was almost as white as the snow in Minnesota but soft and warm.

After playing in the sand for a while I did a little swimming.  It was cold but I just had to say I did it.  The waves were big and one time my Pop actually had to run into the water and save me from going out to sea.  I wasn’t scared though.  I knew Pop would take care of me.

After we got done at the beach we went to this really neat Air Force museum.  There were all kinds of fighter planes there.  I knew you’d like this picture.  I said “Don’t mess with me - I had a really bad day”  Everyone thought that was really funny.

These planes were so neat.  We met a man named Kent who explained that he helped design one of the airplanes.  How fun would that be?  He must have the best job in the world.

I took so many pictures I wish I could show you all of them.  This picture is of me standing on a SR-71 Blackbird.  I’d give anything to be able to sit in the cockpit but Pop said I had to be happy just being able to stand on the wing.

This is a picture of a MOAB (Mother of all Bombs).  Pop says when you think you’re having a really bad day, think about having one of these coming at you.

This was a really neat day and I’m really glad I got to go.  I’ll have so many things to tell my friends back home about.  That will make them really jealous.

Tomorrow we’re going to drive 500 miles to a place called Lake Placid, Florida to see my Mum’s Aunt and Uncle.  I’ve never met them before but I’m always anxious to make more friends.  After that we off to see some more friends who live in Bonita Beach, Florida.  I’ll be keeping you posted on where I’m at and what other fun things I’m doing.

We finally got to Florida on Friday.  It was a long trip.  I thought that as soon as we got out of Minnesota it would be warm and no snow.   Not True!!!

Pop had to drive and drive and drive.  It seemed as if everytime we drove into another state there was still snow.  Maybe not as much, but still snow.  Now I know for sure that I don’t want to see any more snow until next Christmas.

Finally we didn’t see any more snow but it was still cold.  Mum told me to bring my jacket along and I’m glad I did.  I was starting to wonder how much farther we had to go before I would be warm again.

Now we’re in Florida and it’s finally warming up - not a lot though. Yesterday it was raining in the morning so we all went shopping.  What for you say?  Books and purses, books and purses, books and purses.  For me it was kinda boring because I wanted to do something more fun.

Finally in the afternoon the sun came out so me, Sarah, Erik, Carmen and Mum went for a long walk down to the park.  Sarah and I got to slide down the slides but Mum forgot to take the camera along so we didn’t get any pictures of that.  It was really fun though and we were up so high.  This one slide had curves in it so when I would slide down it would turn me over on the way down.  Mum or Erik was always there to catch me though at the bottom.  Except for one time and I landed in the sand.  It didn’t hurt much though.

As you can see Sara and me became instant friends.  She didn’t forget me and we’re going to spend lots of time together on this vacation.  I wish Mum would have let Grace come along.  Sara would have liked Grace.

I also made a new friend.  His name is Garrett.  Garrett is sorta like my brother because  he also has a beard.  Not as big as mine but he’s working on it.  I like that name Garrett.  I’m going to see if Mum will let me give that name to one of the new gnomes that we adopted.

Today is finally the day we get to go to the beach.  I’m so ready.  This time I’ll make sure we have the camera along and I’ll have Mum take pictures of me in the sand.  I gotta go and put on my shorts and sandals.