We’ve made quite a bit of headway since you heard from us last week. We left North Carolina and raced toward Florida, desperately needing heat and humidity after our long Maine winter. We made a pit stop in Georgia at a campground that had ducks. One kind reader let me know last week that the correct name for Canadian Geese is Canada Geese. I taught Max the correct name. We also saw a large, very old swan. When Max was feeding the swan, several birds came down from the trees to eat his breadcrumbs. I’ve been feeding ducks since I was a little girl and I’ve never had small songbirds fly in to eat, too, so that was a wonderful treat.

After stopping in Georgia, we drove to Flagler, Florida. The campground, Beverly Beach RV and Camptown Resort, was right on the ocean. Our RV was parked facing the surf and it was breathtakingly beautiful! After we stopped, pulled out the slides, and got set up, Richard checked his email while Max and Mason piled out of the RV and ran down to the beach with me, barefoot and carefree. The warm sand massaged our toes and ankles, the cool Atlantic refreshed us, and the shell collecting began! Mason was timid about the ocean waves and would latch onto me or run away when they came near his feet. When we got back to the RV, we all decided to stay there for two nights instead of one. The nice thing about RVing is you can change your schedule on a whim. When you fly, it’s very difficult to do that.

We ate at a couple of good restaurants and had conch fritters, something I haven’t had in years. They were yummy!

On Monday, I had to work all day. Not a problem, though! I had the best office view ever! Coated in sunscreen, Max, Mason and Richard played on the beach and dug a huge hole. Mason gradually overcame his fear of the water as the day progressed.

Last night, on the way to dinner, we stopped at the town pier. We walked all the way to the end and were thrilled to get to watch a fisherman fight a four-foot black tip shark. The shark was tired and surfaced several times, right next to the pier. I got some photos before we left… and before the shark managed to break the line. Max said, “I guess that shark won, huh, Mom?” I assured him that was correct!

I’m writing this on Tuesday morning. Richard is driving the RV while I work. I just checked the headlines and there have been three shark attacks in three days at Smyrna Beach, Florida. Max was noticeably affected last night when I pointed out that black tip shark was caught so close to the beach, where there were numerous children swimming and surfers surfing. I reminded Max that sharks are just one of the reasons why we never go deeper than our knees when we’re at the beach. I was bumped by a shark in Padre Island when I was in the sixth grade (that’s something you never forget!), have seen one ocean drowning victim in my life (a 12-year-old girl), and witnessed a massive search for another drowned child at a beach in Galveston. I have a great deal of respect for the ocean and, while I will go boogie boarding in hip-deep water by myself and with our teenagers, Max can only go in up to his knees and only when there is an adult right near him. Mason, of course, will only get his toes wet.

We’re heading for Loxahatchee, where we will spend the night tonight. On Wednesday, we’ll be heading further south, and having dinner with my older brother, his wife and youngest son. I haven’t seen my brother in about five years so that’ll be nice. On Thursday, we’re picking up Richard’s dad and step-mom at the airport and then heading down to Key West! Whoo hoo!!

You can see where we are today, and view lots of photos, here: https://www.wirelesstrips.com

This week’s Maxism:

Max was chasing some birds, which is something he is not allowed to do. I told him to sit down (time out) and to think about how those poor birds were so frightened and how bad he should feel about chasing something so much smaller than himself. Before I could even finish my lecture, he clucked his tongue, put his hands out to his sides, and said, “Okay, I thought about it. Can I go now?”

Hugs to all!

Angela

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