our summer pets

We love (most) animals...and it would appear that they really like us, too.  It is nearly a daily event around here to spot some new creature in our yard, on the beach, in the water, and sometimes even on our porch (yikes!).

There are kitties here that just adore our kids...and vice versa...

The kitties and the fox do not like each other, though.  I was surprised to see that the fox is scared of the cats!  All it takes is one kitty to arch its back and the fox makes a speedy exit, hehehe...

From our balconies, we have watched dolphins playing in the bay.  We can also sit and watch the many birds doing all their bird things...the pelicans and osprey are our favorites of the birds :).  It's no wonder there are large birds living around here...the bay is teeming with life.  Fish of all sizes can be seen every single time we take the time to look.  Most common are schools of minnows and small bait fish that hang out by the sea wall.  Also common are mullet, they can be seen jumping pretty much every day out there...

mullet jumping in the bay

Some of our visitors are discovered with less enthusiasm...like the snakes.  I have never in my life seen as many snakes as I have in my very own yard this summer.  First reaction?  Fuh-reaked me totally out!  The more I see them, and I can not believe I am actually saying this, but I am actually getting used to them.  They don't appear to be aggressive, so they do their thing and we let them...with a WIDE distance and frequent reminders to the kids to be aware...

I enjoy just slowly walking along the sea wall.  The breeze is nice and there is always something waiting to be discovered :).  Often I find at least one sting ray just hanging out...

I love that the kids are getting to really experience so many different sea creatures, too.  They each have a little net and a bucket for catching "pets".  Lots of hermit crabs, conchs, minnows, and various other species of crabs.  They have even caught some blue crabs, the kind people eat...we don't eat them, though...just watch them for a while and then put them back in the bay :).

hermit crab

small conch

blue crab

the kids always make them a habitat in the bucket until time to let them go

The girls even found some mermaid jewelry ;).  It is actually the eggs of a conch...how cool is that?!

each circle is full of tiny baby conchs

This is such a special place to spend our summer and we are doing our best to enjoy each and every day of it :)

weatherman says...

Red sky at night, sailor's delight
Red sky at morning, sailor take warning

According to that little rhyme, tomorrow will be a nice day by the bay

Just one more reason to love a beautiful sunset :)

a garden...

One thing we enjoy is growing our own food.  Years ago, when we lived a stationary lifestyle in Florida, we raised our own beef, had a dozen or so chickens for eggs, and a vegetable garden big enough to can from as well as enjoy fresh veggies all summer.

I have really missed being able to grow our own food and teach the kids to do the same.  We wanted to at least have a garden when we lived in Colorado and Wyoming, but the high altitude climate was more than I could get my mind around and it just never happened (my attempts at flower gardening totally flopped).  South Dakota?  We lived on the edge of the prairie and it was way too windy to seriously consider it.  So when we found ourselves back in Florida for a while, planting a garden was at the top of the list.

With the uhaul truck barely emptied, it was time to play in the dirt :)!  The kids were put to work picking weeds out of the soil to help get ready for planting.  With five energetic workers, the job went super fast...

one down, two to go

When they were done, they all grabbed a drink and rested on the sea wall...

there is an old sunken boat that makes a rare appearance when the tide is super low

it is completely encrusted in oysters...I wonder how it got there and how long ago

pelican taking flight

two more pelicans, they are fun to watch :)

...while the kids were resting, Dan got their trampoline put together.

After a run to the Feed & Seed, it was time to plant.  We put sugar peas in the back bed...cucumbers, sunflowers, and zinnias in the middle one...okra, several varieties of squash, carrots, leaf lettuce, and green beans in the front bed.

view from the kitchen window

love, love, love :)!

thoughts...

As I mentioned earlier, we moved out of our camper in March and into a rental house in Florida.  Our camper has been in the repair shop for almost five months now having warranty work done on it *sigh*.  At least it's warranty work and we aren't having to pay for it.

The house we are renting did not come furnished.  Had we been needing a place through the winter months, we could have probably found an affordable furnished rental (off season at the beach).  Since we were needing to move into a home at the beginning of the busy season...spring break, summer, etc...we chose an unfurnished place and used our own things that had been in storage.

the uhaul truck we used to move our things from storage...

...apparently I'm not the only one that dislikes moving ;) ha!

It has been rather interesting going from our camper back into a "regular" house.  Fun... to be living close to family and friends, getting to decorate and enjoy a new to us house, being able to share things and places from our childhoods with our children (we both grew up in this area).  Sad... to be moving out of our camper, ending our travels for a while.  Scary...  to be going back to a "regular" lifestyle. 

Scary?

Yes.

I'm scared of going back to the "old" me.  The old me wasn't bad, that's not what I mean by that.  The old me was what most people would consider normal... and I don't want to be normal (I can hear my husband's jokes now, hehehe).

For example:  When we moved into this house we needed a washer and dryer because we had sold our old set when we moved into our camper.  I had every intention of buying a decent used set, cheap and functional.  Unable to find a used set, we went to a big box store still planning to get a plain, affordable top load set.  Well, I walked out of there with a brand new set of shiny, fancy front load steam whatever (I don't even know what all) laundry machines.  I was happy for about one day.  Then it hit me...I bought those machines because "every body else has them so I want them too".  Gag.  I was very disappointed in myself for so quickly falling back into "normal".  (Please don't think I'm judging anyone else for having things like that, I'm only talking about my own personal convictions).  So, we returned them and got our money back.  This time I was a little more patient and we were able to get a set we found on Craigslist for about 20% of what the new ones cost.  The real kicker?  The cheap and functional set, while not new and shiny themselves, clean the clothes better :)!

I feel like our life has been a journey, a series of events and circumstances, that led up to us taking the step outside the box and deciding to live differently.  It was not something that we just woke up one morning and decided to do, it's more like we were slowly nudged farther and farther in that direction until it became obvious that was what we were supposed to do.

Letting go has been a process.  At times a very painful process, but so worth the end result.

tastes like home...

Memories.

Feelings.

Emotions.

Isn't it interesting that they can be conjured by simply a smell?  The sight of some object?  Or the taste of a certain food?

You're probably thinking I'm weird right about now, and you're probably right ;).

But truly...I can be going about my business and out of the blue something hits my senses and I am instantly reminded of another time and place.  This can be good...a little moment relived of a happy time.  This can be bad...same thing but an unhappy memory.  Please tell me I'm not the only one that this happens to...

Anyway, I do have a point with this.  One of our favorite restaurants in Florida has always been Sonny's Barbeque.  Always.  When our kids were all tiny, we used to eat there all the time.  So of course we had to go there now that we are back in Florida.

Walking in the door was just like it had been five years before...only now my kids are 8,9,10,11, and 13.  I could easily close my eyes at that moment and see my little babies clearly at five years less age...that is a happy memory for sure :).

And of course, the food was awesome...as always.  Just ask Tristan...

If you like bbq and find yourself in the vicinity of a Sonny's, do yourself a favor and go.  I recommend the sweet bbq sauce ;)

100th post giveaway!

Yep!  This is my 100th post and that is reason enough for a little fun :)!  Who doesn't love a giveaway, right?  I know I do :).

This blog is about the daily life of my family, so I thought I would share some of my favorite things that make daily life a little prettier...

1.  A Yankee Candle in one of my most favorite fragrances, Coconut Lime...

2.  A cute dish towel for the kitchen.  This one is silly and that's exactly why I like it...

3.  A pretty dish drying mat.  I have two of these that I use every day, they are great for the RV...

4.  A fun little book.  I was immediately drawn to the cover by the Katie Daisy artwork (so pretty!).  I don't purchase many books (too heavy and bulky when you move often/live in an RV), but this one I decided was worth it :)...

If you would like a chance to win these four items, all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post.  I will randomly pick a winner (one winner gets all four things) one week from today...so that will be next Saturday 8/10/13.  Please be sure and include your name in your comment so that I can let you know if you win.  Also, this giveaway will be limited to US addresses in the lower 48 only please.

Thanks so much for reading along!!!

***Giveaway is now closed...thank you so much to everyone that stopped by to enter***

The winner is...Candice!  Please email me @ mmbontrager at gmail dot com to claim your prize.

where we stayed x2...

I realized I never did tell ya'll about the campground we stayed at in the Monterey area.  I like to make a note of where we stayed not only to provide some input for any of you that may be considering a stay of your own, but for future reference should we be returning to the same area.  Anyway...the park we were in for a month was called Marina Dunes RV Park.  It was different from any other park we stayed in on our travels...the sites were separated by trees/shrubs and privacy fences.  The fence was on three sides and it really made the site feel like a private little yard :).  Each site also had a chiminea and a small patio with picnic table.  The beach was a fairly short walk just across the dunes, that was nice :).  It was a bit on the pricey side, but for where it was we felt like it was worth it.

our campsite at Marina Dunes

After our short stop in South Dakota, we hit the road again with an RV park in north Florida as our next monthly destination...Pine Lake RV Park in Fountain.  We had looked at campgrounds closer to the beach, but because we were making last minute reservations there just wasn't anything available.  It worked out for the best anyway since the park in Fountain was closer to the grandparents (the main reason we were even in Florida).  My opinion of this park is mixed.  Positives...in the country, very quiet, safe.  Negatives...cramped site, crazy strict rules.  The rules were a bummer...my kids were not allowed to even ride their bikes right in front of our camper on the campground road (there was zero traffic of any kind).  My oldest son, who at the time was one month away from turning 13, was told that because he was only 12 (he needed to be 13 per their rules) he couldn't leave our site without a parent. Not even to take the trash to the dumpster (which we could see from our site) and this is a chore he has done for me at campgrounds across the country.  I understand that rules are rules and all that, but it just seemed a little extreme.  So, if you plan to stop for a night or more with kids just know what to expect.  Oh, and their laundry had only I think two very high priced machines...so we would take our laundry to Panama once a week, not a big deal.

Overall, they were both good campgrounds and we would stay at either of them again :).