Jim and Carol came to visit!

Jim and Carol finally made it to Florida. Coming from Minnesota, they were looking for some warm weather and something fun to do. We had a busy schedule, and they were up to it.

We started the week with a trip to the Keys. We found a little place for lunch that overlooked the water and had good food. I think Jim and Carol will be a good time!

Key West

We traveled the long, narrow road, over the bridges from one key to the next and ended up in Key West where we walked the streets, spent some time on the dock watching the "Street Theater", saw a beautiful sunset, and ended the day at a Cuban restaurant.

Everglades revisited

We couldn't waste any time, so Friday was a day in the Everglades. Caryn and Brayden joined us for a boat ride along a mangrove river. We saw lots of flora and fauna, birds, crocodiles, and Everglades stuff.

Then we took the Anhinga Trail again to see the turtles, alligators, and birds. There were a ton of alligators.

Jim finally found someone who would listen to all his stories.

South Beach, Miami, Florida

What to do on Saturday--oh, let's go to South Beach and check out the water? Would you believe the sights! The weather was perfect for an afternoon at the beach. We did some walking and ended up on Lincoln Road for a late lunch at Nexxt.

Table 8, South Beach

Monday night we went to Jason's restaurant for dinner. Table 8 on South Beach is one class act. The food was fantastic and the company was great!

Table 8, South Beach

The food was fantastic, Brayden is enjoying the sweetbreads, and Carol even ate her mussels. We sat outdoors on Ocean Drive, enjoying the scenery and the balmy Florida evening.

Jackie and Jerry

We also took an afternoon to go visit Jackie and Jerry, who were home from Tennessee, for baby Hailee's heart surgery. (The surgery went well, and Hailee is recovering, hopefully home in a few days.) It was fun to spend some time with them again. Their new home in Dunlap will be finished soon and we are anxious to visit them there.

Carol and Jim stayed at Caryn's house Tuesday night, so Caryn could take them to the airport Wednesday morning. However, we ended the night at Jai Alai and had a lot of fun.

Karla and Ric

Ric and Karla called to say they were touring south Florida and did we have an evening to get together. We did. Had a great dinner at Jason's Table 8 on South Beach. Caryn and Brayden joined us for a fun time. Ric was Mitch's principal, Karla taught the kids piano lessons many years ago. It was great to spend some time with them.

Baby Great Horned Owl

There is a Great Horned Owl nest with a baby at the Everglades Visitors Center. He is a real cutie. Click on the picture to be able to zoom in.

Deb and Mike

We did have a good time visiting with Mike and Deb after their cruise. We picked them up at the cruise line, then made a trip to Miami Jai Alai. Had a fun afternoon. Before we took them to the airport to return to cold Minnesota, we did a quick Everglades trip (notice the alligator just above their shoulders). And no trip to the Everglades is complete without a milkshake at Robert is Here.

Enjoying the Florida sun

Yup, Deb and Mike are having a hard time enjoying the "weather".

Valentines Day

Here's the King of Hearts busy as usual. It was a busy day. We went to the airport to pick up Deb and Mike and then Mitch (and Caryn) made blackened mahi mahi with mango salsa, mushroom risotto, Cuban coleslaw, fried plantains, and strawberry shortcake for our Valentines dinner.

Hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house

The swimming pool is a nice place to hang out. Brayden dons his hat and sunglasses (and keeps them on--he thinks he's cool!) and goes for a walk with Grandpa.





To cool off, just jump in the pool. Here are the "boys!"

St. Andrews Lutheran Church

This is the church we attend on Sunday mornings in Homestead, Florida. The people are friendly and we enjoy the service.

Brayden's First Birthday

Brayden is the "Birthday Boy!"

The presents

The presents are on top of the box, but Brayden seemed to like the inside of the box better.

He figured out how to open the presents and off came the paper.


A taste of the book and, yup, it's a good book!

Birthday cake

Brayden blew out the candle and it was official--one year old!