Florida the day after Christmas

My parents flew into Tampa on Christmas Day and rented a condo on the beach for a week. It was perfect timing; My parents were on Christmas vacation and me and Jake were traveling through west Florida. We left Miami and drove across the Tamiami Trail/Hwy 90/Route 41 to the west side. I guess the locals call this alligator alley. We must have seen 50 alligators on the side of the road sitting by the bayou. It was awesome. Seeing one alligator by themselves is creepy, but when you see two or more of them hanging out together it's kind of cute.

After we met up with my parents we took off on some adventures. We went to an orange/lemon grove and watched them make juice. In this picture you can see my mom watching the machine squeeze oranges and squirt juice all over the window and you can see my dad reading about it on a poster. I just thought I'd point that out because it's funny to me.

Later on we went "bird watching." What happened is Jake and I vetoed the air boat tour because the water was too low for an extreme journey through the swamp. We were able to see the boat tour from the shore, engine off and at a stand still in the middle of the lake. Sweaty, touristy strangers crowded on boat benches together and nothing exciting happening. I'm pretty sure we could see more alligators/birds from the waters edge. I think the bird walk was a better idea and more fun. I chatted it up with my mom and Jake listened to my dad talk politics... boat ride or bird watching, each has it's ups and downs.

We hiked around for a bit and my parents showed us their chameleon trick. When I was looking through our pictures I was trying to figure out what was happening with these trees. I think my dad has had some green beret training in camouflage technique. Then my mom got sentimental and patriotic like she always does. That's why we love her.

This was literally the back porch of our condo, ocean front goodness. My parents have been around a few years and have figured out how to vacation. I think they've got it down to a science. Vacation+Beach+Jake&Cody= P.A.R.T.Y. If you look far off into the sunset you can see a sailboat along the horizon.