Shane and I visited my parents down in Florida last week. While the winter weather has been very mild, it was nice to go somewhere warm and sunny for a number of days. We flew out of Chicago to Tampa, got a rental car, and drove to Venice. We talked for a while, ate dinner, watched parts of classic movies on TCM, then went out for ice cream before settling in for the night. On Sunday, after breakfast, My Dad, Shane, and I headed out to Caspersen Beach to look for shark teeth and shells, and see the Gulf. We stopped at a Tiki Bar for drinks, then drove up to the North Jetty on Casey Key to try and catch sight of some Manatees, Dolphins, Sharks or other sea life. We went back to the Condo for an early dinner, watched more classic movies, then went out for ice cream, then Shane and I watched The Walking Dead and Talking Dead. Monday, Shane and I drove to the Keys. We stayed on a sailboat in Key West. We wandered the island, went to the Southern most point, had dinner on Duval street, shopped for souvenirs, and had some ice cream before calling it a night. Tuesday we caught a ferry to the Dry Tortugas National Park and Fort Jefferson. We spent several hours exploring before heading back to Key West. We went to a Tiki Bar to watch the sunset, wandered Mallory Square before heading to a Cuban restaurant recommended by one of Shane's co-workers. We finished the night back on Duval street and eating ice cream before going back to the boat. We left mid-morning on Wednesday to go back to Venice. On the way back we drove through part of the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve. Mom prepared lasagna for dinner, we played a few games of yahtzee, had ice cream for dessert, and watched classic movies. On Thursday, Shane and I walked the shops in Downtown Venice, went to the South Jetty, and to the Myakka River State Park. That evening we all watched West Side Story. Up at 4:00am on Friday, out the door by 5:15am, drove back to Tampa to catch our flight to Chicago and the cold.
