Marco Island: So We Meet Once Again!

We're back from a four-day trip to Marco Island and once again it did not disappoint! I just love that place - it's so great to only have to drive two and a half hours, yet it feels like we are far far away in a tropical paradise. Here are the highlights of our trip. The first day, Jeff went shark fishing with our friend Dax (old neighbors from Maryland) and his friend Mike (whose boat they were on). Now, Jeff is no fisherman but he had some major beginners luck- he was catching sharks left and right. Here's a picture of one of his victims (well, not really since they threw back everything they caught):

While they were off fishing, the kids and I hung out with Janet (Dax's wife) and her little ones Madison and Logan. We enjoyed lunch at the Snook Inn where I snapped this photo of Allison and Madison:

After lunch we went back to the house that Janet and Dax rented so the kids could go swimming. Jeff and Dax eventually returned from their adventure and we all met up for dinner. It was great to see them!

The next morning I had signed us up for a boat ride on the Calusa Spirit. It was a dolphin watching/shelling/sightseeing adventure and it was worth every penny. We saw dolphins, manatees, and even a huge sea turtle. The boat took us around part of the "10,000 islands" and then docked on Cape Romano where we could go shelling and explore. My favorite part was checking out this old house that had been built in the 1970's but had succumbed to the erosion from the many hurricanes that have hit the area. The house was actually built much further inland but the storms eroded the beach away. Here are some shots of the "dome" house:

After we explored the island for almost an hour it was time to get back on the boat. On the way back we had a great view of a dolphin. Apparently they like to play in the wake of a boat so our captain kicked it into high gear and we got to see the dolphin jumping in the wake. I tried to get a video of it but I was more interested in watching it live then trying to capture it on video. I did get this great picture though:

On our way back to the hotel, we passed a bunch of gorgeous houses that I wouldn't mind owning. The sad part is that most of these are vacation homes - they aren't even used year round - what a waste!

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel pool. Allison couldn't wait to go down the water slide again and Daniel, much to our surprise, was excited to try out the water slide as well. He went down it twice last year but he had his tube on. This year it was no tube! He has been in swimming lesson for the past two months and to say he's come a long way is an understatement. He's made huge strides (He wouldn't even put his head in the water two months ago). Now he's swimming like a fish. Here's a video of him coming down the slide (after Allison):

And here's a couple more pictures. I love our underwater camera:

I also had fun hanging with some friends from home that happened to be staying at the Marriott the same time as us:

After fun in the sun, we got ready for dinner. I took a ton of pictures since we were all dressed somewhat nice and the atmosphere was impeccible. Here are a few of them:

And some nice stranger offered to take a family portrait:

Some more pictures, including the gorgeous sunset:

It just can't get much more beautiful than that! The next day we spent at the beach. The water was very welcoming:

Hanging with some more friends in the ocean:

And I love this shot:

The next day was our last but before we headed home I wanted to check out Naples since I had never been there. It was a nice town - beautiful houses and great shopping areas. We went to a place called Tin City, where Daniel found his rocket ship (not a bed one though):

And a speed boat:

And lastly, we ran into this colorful gator:

After that we headed home - back to reality - which isn't so bad if I say so. I told Jeff on the way home that it's nice to be about five minutes from out house and still see palm trees. Our trip to Marco Island was a great way to kick off the summer!