Fun In Florida 2016! Day 3 and 4

On Monday we went to Duniden.  Our kids have started getting into tennis.  I have been borrowing tennis rackets from the high school where I work.  We have been using them on the weekends and playing tennis.  We are all TERRIBLE at this game, but the kids have really enjoyed it.  As a result, Mike and I decided to give the kids tennis rackets for Easter.  We gave ourselves one too so that we could all play.  In Duniden my parents found this great park that had tennis courts and an awesome concrete trail that had this great hill in it.  Not only did we play tennis, but the kids were able to scooter down the hill, or "roller coaster", as they called it.  It was great!

After we played on the actual tennis court for a while, Ryan noticed this wall ball area.  On the other side of this structure, is just a wall and a concrete floor.  Nothing on the sides.  Lots of people were playing wall ball there.  On this side, it seemed to be set up for tennis practice.  It was great!  We liked this so much better and hope that one day there is something like this at home.  We did this for several hours that Monday and then went back again on Thursday.  So great!!  

On Tuesday we headed back to Duniden to go to Honeymoon Island.  Honeymoon Island has the best seashells in the area.  There are so many that are not broken and many are very big.  It was very overcast while we were there and there seemed to be a thunderstorm off in the distance.  Not crazy warm, but as I always say--a cold day at the beach is better than a warm day at home.  :)  

Emily collecting seashells

 It was cold so the girls tended to keep their towels wrapped around them.  Especially after they got in the water.

 Metal detecting again.

When I was a little girl, I owned a book called "A day at the beach."  In that book, the family lives close enough to the beach to go for the day.  They pack a lunch and stay all day.  Living 3 1/2 hours to the closest beach, I was never able to go for the day.  My dream, as a kid, was to have lunch at the beach--when you visit the beach for a week on vacation--you often stay close to the place you are staying.  If you suggest eating lunch on the beach instead of going back in the condo to eat--it is not taken well by your parents.  :)  I got to eat lunch on Honeymoon Island!  We had lunch at Indian Rock too, but the wind was so bad that we had to cover everything.  Ryan took a picture for me.  Talk about oceanfront dining!!!  

While we were there, we got in the water for a short time.  The water was pretty cold.  We had no idea, but there were dolphins swimming in the water with us!!  Right beside us!!  Below you will see a movie of it.  Right at first, Mike does not realize the Dolphins are there.  There are two of them to the right of the start of the movie.  Within feet of us.  He pans over the shore and then comes back.  When he comes back, you see the Dolphins (there are two of them) swimming away, but going in front of us to do it.

 Click on the link to see the movie

https://youtu.be/TgIYFy_2MwA

On our Honeymoon, Mike and I rented a jet ski that we drove in Tampa Bay.  We ended up falling off of it and noticed the eyes of the Dolphins around us.  This makes the second time I have been able to swim with Dolphins.  No camera with us the first time.

After a few hours, sure enough, the thunder and lightening began to approach.  Ryan and Mike went to the bathroom on our way out and got caught in the downpour.