Life’s A Beach

My niece and her family from Pittsburgh have been down for a visit for the last week. They’re staying at my dad’s place. Monday we all went to the Magic Kingdom. I haven’t been there in so many years that I can’t remember the last time I was there. I quit going out of protest when they took out The Enchanted Tiki Hut and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. They have a new version of the tiki hut, but still no Mr. Toad…

The park was crowded but not so bad that we couldn’t get around. With the Fast Pass system we were able to do all the rides that we had on our list. Some we even did multiple times. The youngest in our group is five. She’s a real trouper. She hung in there all day with very few complaints. She has discovered the joys of roller coasters. We rode Big Thunder Mountain three times. She giggled the entire time. She even put her hands up in the air like Uncle Pete does.

We had a marvelous lunch buffet at The Crystal Palace. The prices were a bit high at $22 per adult, but the quality of the food was outstanding. And besides, Grandpa was paying. I think I’d be willing to eat there again, even if I had to pay for it myself.

The other day my niece mentioned she’d like to take the family to a beach. Clearwater Beach was suggested. I counter-suggested Fort De Soto because it would be a more “natural” experience, it would be a lot less crowded, and ample parking would be available. So this morning we all hopped in the van and drove over to Fort De Soto. Uncle Pete said it would take about an hour, Grandpa said it would take way longer than that. It took one hour and three minutes from the time we left to the time we parked. When’s he going to learn to listen to me?

The weather was about as perfect as it could get. It wasn’t too hot and there was a nice breeze. During the week there are hardly any people there even though it has been voted “Best Beach in America” in 2005.

I took along my binoculars and a bird book and did some birding, something I haven’t done in quite some time. It was nice to be out in nature looking at birds again. The time of day wasn’t optimal for birding, but it was nice nonetheless.

I don’t know what’s on tap for Friday. They’re leaving Saturday. It’s been a very nice visit.

Life’s a beach…